Eddie Kramer's story behind "All Along The Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix
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- Опубліковано 4 лют 2025
- Full video available on mwtm.org/ek-ji...
A sneak peek from Eddie Kramer's "Inside The Track" series in which he explains the history behind Jimi Hendrix song "All Along The Watchtower"
Join Eddie Kramer for this unique series in which he unpacks his revolutionary work with Jimi Hendrix! The legendary producer recounts his collaboration with the rock star, sharing intimate details of the process behind their groundbreaking records. He focuses mainly on the song ‘All Along the Watchtower’, playing back the stems through a vintage EMI-Neve console. Kramer offers an exclusive listen to the individual parts that make up this prized recording and he shares valuable information about the microphone techniques used. He also explains how they pioneered creative new effects by pushing the limits of their now-vintage recording gear! Apart from gaining technical insight, you’ll learn fascinating details about how Jimi wrote songs, recorded demos, conveyed his vision, partnered with musicians and more. Although we have come a long way since the 1960s, many of these experiences helped Kramer develop approaches that are still relevant today. He proves this by explaining how to achieve similar results using digital technology and plugin emulations!
Full video available on mwtm.org/ek-jimi-hendrix
What was the make of the original board at Electric Lady Studios?
On the guitar - Dave Mason should know - he's still with us, just issued his memoir.
Being able to listen to the mastertapes of Jimi Hendrix must be like magic.
Yeah and being able to play with the track, listening to each instrument separately and maybe making a new mix... A dream for an audiophile ahhaha
Amen bro, Amen.
you know you can find them online thanks to the guitar hero/rock band games right? same for the beatles
Only whyte people
@@icecoldleone3988 Jimi was black
It's incredible that such a legendary producer/engineer who has worked with the absolute best of the best is still on top of his game decades later.
How much game is there now? We never hear
@@FlatlandMando I'll see your canoe and raise you a lifeboat
Thank you Eddie Kramer.
So glad you were there .
Sounds fantastic still,
50 years later and onward!
To this day I get chills up my spine when I hear this. The fidelity of Eddie's mixing genius and Jimi's passion does total justice to this rendition of Dylan's work here. Hendrix took this message wrapped in Dylan's complex imagery to a height un-matched to this day in my view. How other than that Viet Nam combat scene in Forrest Gump could this be best represent the torture of the human condition at a point in time ? That moment truly was and is : "So let us stop talkin' falsely now The hour's getting late, hey.. and then that apocalyptic: Two Riders Were Approaching And The Wind Began To Howl"!
He must have have been a pretty young dude when he recorded this. What a life he's had, working on all those masterpieces.
Almost same age as Jimi.
He was & looked it & by accounts very eccentric when seen through an american lens
they were all young n talented beyond their years because they didn’t have distractions like the technology we have… music saved their souls but the curse is making so much money so fast you party all the time n die like Jimi
Very fine presentation. I'm 67. The song has always been my Very favorite. The mix, the performance.....Perfect Hendrix and crew. Thanks.
Eddie was about 79 during this video. Looks and sounds great. So many talents from his time aren't looking well or have died. Godspeed sir. And thank you for everything.
You can really hear Jimi in his playing. Something every musician should strive for. Everybody has their own unique rhythm and sometimes swing and we should embrace that.
Mr Kramer, thank you sir for providing the sound track of my youth...the memories and moments are priceless. I relive them often.
Eddie Kramer is amazing. I hope he is with us for a long, long time. He can recall a recording session from 55 years ago and with the next breath he can talk about microphones that are on the market right now. So much can be learned from this man.
That opening...Greatest acoustic guitar sound ever recorded. Sounds like Vietnam
Nip in the wire, nip in the wire, light them up with the ma deuce !!!
Brings back terrors and joys we made it.
Do ma!
I know, that's such a chills inducing sound.
This never occurred to me although the intro has always been uplifting yet chilling to me. I think this is a brilliant observation. Thanks man! I’m off to listen to it a few times, and then a few times more.
I remember having the "Jimi's all along" track as my cellphone's ringtone, damn I didn't want to answer the calls to keep it sounding. The most incredible intro I've ever heard, the most recognizible acoustic guitar sound ever...
Lol i had that too! Great taste ;)
His live version at Isle of Wight is phenominal, too...
... zThe POWER of Hendrix cannot
...be DENIED .................................... *
@@timnewman1172no it's not
Loosing Jimi too soon...such a blow to my generation.But just like a movie that you never want to be over..Jim lives on forever!!
Eddie is the person who made these artists sound like they did, along with an engineer, they produced magic and I can listen to these guys talk for hours. I was so lucky to spend 7 hours in the company of Malcolm Toft, the engineer who worked at Trident Studios in London, and who worked on early Marc Bolan engineering for Tony Visconte, T-Rex, James Taylor, David Bowie, Elton John, worked on The Beatles, Hey Jude track. He was responsible for the first 24 track desk, the Trident A range in which Cherokee studios in LA bought 5 and still use two to this very day. He was responsible for the concept and many design aspects which led to the unique sound of the Trimix. Series 80, TSM, Series 65 and series 70 consoles. Incredible interesting man full of knowledge and amazing stories. Encouraging him to write his life story. Thanks for posting this short but sweet video.
Yes, Jimi was very much into Dylan as was Richie Havens. This is one of the greatest cover tunes recorded, Dylan even said "I refuse to play Watchtower the way I'd written it, Jimi does this tune better than me and people identify it as a Hendrix tune." Ironically, AXSTV had "Greatest Cover tunes" and All along the watchtower didn't even make their list!
U bet your ass, bro! &... Joe Cockers "With a Little Help from me friends" mate.
But I Like Original more than Hendrix cover ....
That's how tucked up this world is.
Spectacular! AATW is my all time number one. I have played it for years, listened seemingly endlessly. Frustrated at never being able to reproduce the sound. I never knew there were two acoustics playing different riffs; wasn’t able to decode this nuance. I feel amazed and stupid at the same time. Great stuff.
For a paratrooper, AATW has another meaning. I often wondered if Jimi kinda snuck that in.
@@linejumper8204 Mind elaborating for those of us who've been earthbound all our lives?
@@linejumper8204 it wouldn't have been Jimi who snuck that in since he didn't write the song
@@KaninTuzi wasn't it some guy called Bob that wrote it ? 😬
As a person who used to work with Eddie on occasions...this man is a treasure. So many wonderful and wild stories
Man, I was Jimi was still with us. All the music we missed. It’s amazing what he achieved in such a short time.
Love how Eddie Krarmer gets into the nitty gritty details.
The warmth and beauty of an analog production. Like a rich oil painting
Love it!! It is so cool to get insight in this recording after so many years. It's awesome to see and hear Eddie Kramer in 2021 still revealing his approaches to those legendary recordings. What I love most is that Eddie is still looking good and healthy and he has a glance in his eyes when he his talking about Jimi;) Thanks mix with the Masters for this great Job. Subscribed and enrolled ;) Cheers
Thanks Eddie a lot for giving us insight into this classic song from Jimi H.
Seems like a really good guy. As talented as all his famous clients are/were, Eddie added SO much to their artistry.
Dylan's version is very calm and relaxing. Hendrix took the song and made it powerful and emotional. It's nice to know that there were other critical people who added to the power of the song. I think that even 100 years from now, people will be enjoying this song.
Eddie Kramer is a great engineer & producer. Also Mayer and his effects pedals.
nothing calm and relaxing about dylan s … listen again son
@@mathieuavisse4623 I did and this is subjective. The harmonica and the easy pace of the song is very relaxed compared to Hendrix.
0:55 "no reverb" (on the 12-strings) wow. I always thought it was drowning in reverb, but soloed it's clear to be just the very compressed room sound. And I never knew it was Dave Mason on it!
Not gonna lie, this was epic! Eddie is like a kid in a candy shop, when talking about this.
This breakdown on this iconic acoustic intro is priceless. He talks in language I wish I understood with compression and delays. I get the concept of it all but he knows it inside out. Thanks for a great post I always loved that sound had no idea it had all the parts that he talks about. Thanks
So thankful to see Eddie breakdown this masterpiece. We miss you Jimi.
Acoustic guitars are great, and Jimi's lead is one of the most impressive solos ever, of course. But let's not forget Mitch Mitchell's amazing drumming, and Jimi's bass playing, which is not mentioned much, but it's also incredible and gives the track weight.
Absolutely ! Jimi's bass playing is so special .Actually the whole thing is from another planet
Jimi apparently played on 18 Experience tracks. I don't think there is anyone who can play the bridge of If 6 Was 9 perfectly. If so, I'd like to see it. The fingering is tough enough, but the picking is insane.
Nothing but love and respect for Mr Eddie Kramer the legend and G O A T!
I have absolutely no clue what this guy's talking about. But I'm glad they got that amazing song on tape so we can all enjoy it forever.
Thanks, Eddie. Great to hear you talk some details about one of the greatest tracks of all time.
such a classic song...
wonderful video... thank you... Eddie is awesome...
many years ago ... the 90s... i was involved with THE MAKING OF ELECTRIC LADYLAND the CD-ROM for EMI-Toshiba Japan. Eddie came up to TORONTO to advise some of the work.
i was also fortunate enough to have my latest record mixed at EL MOCAMBO PRODUCTIONS while Eddie was still employed there... up in Toronto Canada...
many of his mixing tricks and techniques were employed in my CHILD OF THE SUN vinyl album... thank you for your inspiration and techniques... while you were away I sat in your chair lol... rock on!!!
#CHILDOFTHESUNBAND
ROCK ON!!!
he is so expressive and youthful in his speech. spending time anf passion in musical and vibrational work has an effect on da soul!
i love eddie's enthousism
This is priceless. Thank you! and It's great to see Eddie Kramer looking pretty healthy for his age and still active til this day wow.
One of my favorite tracks of all time. Heavy limiting/compression on acoustic; possibly on the master as well. Jimi at his best,IMHO . It's fantastic; love it.
Thank you.
Growing up in Australia we had 4, later 5, channels and we'd have to wait all year for anything Hendrix based. Stay up late in Saturday night to see one track. Now Eddie Kramer and others are sharing so much more. Well done for teaching the next generations techniques for beautiful tones.
As Molly would say, do yourself a favour and get Hendrix Live at Maui boxed set. It was only released in OZ yesterday two months after US and Europe. There's a doco and concert footage on a Bluray and 2 CDs of concert audio. The concert footage has a lot of video missing as they had camera problems but the band are really having a great time and Jimi's playing is sublime, with a few tracks on his leftie Gibson Flying V.
My favourite song of all time
Even Eddie Kramer, Jimi's engineer, is not allowed to play more than 10 seconds of his music on UA-cam lol.
lmao
There's 20 seconds at the start
Well actually .... It is Bob Dylan's music ....
It's also plausible that Eddie Kramer might have agreement with Hendrix's estate or record publishers to use his material since he does have a very long time association with them.
@@ToonPR was*
The melody I just heard on this video so cool I never knew how this jam came about that’s a beautiful jam for Dylan’s track it’s stuck inside my head
The instantly recognisable iconic isolated intro, even before the electric guitar comes in still makes me tingle
Gives me chills listening to the isolated tracks.
Fascinating. Just fascinating. R.I.P. Jimi Hendrix.
As former sound engineer AND Jimmy fan this is an extremely interesting video, wow!!! Great!! And thanks for sharing @mix with the masters ! 👌
Jimi
I wanted to hear the isolated guitar leads! That's gold right there
As great as Jimi sounded on the finished product....to hear his individual input on guitar is a revelation!...Jimi Hendrix had his own, futuristic take, on how to get the most from an electric guitar!...His friend, Jeff Beck, eventually pulled his own style of electric guitar playing out of the Strat. He did, in his own, long career, pioneer techniques he discovered and used. "Blow by Blow", his mid-70s masterpiece, moved guitar playing even further than Jimi did. Those two legends had jammed together in NYC, in the late 1960s, and Hendrix had named "Beck's Bolero" as being his favorite 45 record!
4:48 Pure heaven. Really cool video! My favourite Hendrix track, and production! Hey Joe is number 2!
For me this song is one of the best ever.
This is truly amazing to see the process behind this incredible classic!
Love, Peace and Happiness from Canada Eddie. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being.
I can't imagine how intense it would be to play rhythm guitar under Jimi Hendrix in a live setting. Even back then, he was well known for being a visionary like!
Greatest rock song all time Hendrix playing a Dylan song and his solo is monstrous the mixture of lyrics and imagery of the musician perfection
i find this interesting as being a huge fan of Hendrix's remake of "All Along The Watchtower" i wasn't aware Jimi had another guitarist playing 12 string acoustic along with his Strat. of course i don't play guitar so i don't have an ear for it but hearing Eddie isolate the tracks it puts a new perspective on the song and how it sounds.
Eddie was only speculating on what the 12 string was, guessing maybe a Gibson,, but shows Jimi playing a 12 string yet that 12 string was a Zematis.
@@stephenmartin6733 considering Dave Mason is still alive someone should just ask him what he played.
And of course , Brian Jones on the vibraslap at the end of each bar in the intro too !
@@billygdj rip Brian Jones. but his replacement Mick Taylor might be the best lead guitarist the Stones ever had.
Now I know why no cover band sounds close. The lead riffs sure, but its the acoustic tracks that drive the rhythm.
A better title would’ve been “eddies thoughts on the first 10 seconds of Watchtower”
100% agree and equipment discussion
@@stephenfiore9960 what were you expecting?
no matter what there is always stupid complains in the comments
He explained how he recorded it. If you want to listen the whole song go to spotify
@@Pableras46 Not stupid. The title says it's about the song/story, and what Eddie shared was about the acoustic guitar tracks.
If you follow the link in the description, you can watch the hour long video on the song... for a fee of $319 a year.
mixwiththemasters.com/itt49
What a treasure to listen to. Thank you Eddie for your gift to music
This is one of my all time favorite rock songs. Jimi is phenomenal...
Fascinating to hear this background on what I personally regard as the best cover song ever
Definitely among my top 2 favorite covers. The other one is Fire and Rain covered by Badlands.
I did see a voting for the best cover song and this was resoundingly the best across the board.
zAnthony Skellern.....
There is Absolutely NO DOUBT IT ...
I wish I could have been in some of the studios and watched him create his playing power and his music I love 💕 him so much ❤️
One of the best tracks ever...unheard of ever since...
This is one of my favorites. ❤ from Burundi 🇧🇮
I could watch these all day
Great to have this its a pity imi isnt around to give us his memories of recordings etc.
Shatteringly beautiful.
Thank you so much, sir!
Eddie could play his instrument as well as Jimi could play his. What a perfect combination. ❤
Such an atmospheric opening to ‘Watchtower’, fascinating to hear Eddie’s recollections on the recording process. The live recording on Jimi’s ‘Isle of Wight’ album is also extraordinary; it has an eerie, slightly chilling ‘end of days’ vibe about it… and Jimi had passed on less than three weeks later.
Thanks for Everything, Eddie!
Love it!! Eddie is simply amazing. I also love how he professionally spoke of UAD without ever mentioning them ;)
A masterpiece of a track, to be sure - any way you slice it. The first time I heard this, I was like, "What? How are they getting this great result?" And the goodness continues all the way through - they put on a production/engineering/mixing/performance/arranging/vocal school and aren't really busting themselves to do it. But all that doesn't mean squat unless you start off with a good basic tune, and this track covers that requirement. And it was a good basic tune thanks to Hendrix's interpretation, not Dylan's. One of those tracks/tunes that never gets old.
This gives me chills such a great artist
How many times are we going to hear these stories? Over and Over
You don't have to ....its a choice..
These stories will stop when that generation is gone. Have some respect.
There's only one real problem with this.....it's far too short!! :)
Love this! This was the track that made me want to pick up guitar.
What really made that track was the whole ambience of the sound.
The two greatest Musical Epiphanies that I experienced as a child was hearing: 1) Handel's Messiah and then hearing Hendrix's "All Along The Watchtower". It was the perfect Blend of Bob Dylan's great melody married with his Apocalyptic Lyrics, Jimi's imagination and performance, making it so Absolutely Haunting, Dave Mason's brilliant 12 string work, but then adding the wonderfully creative engineering and mixing of Eddie Kramer. I think this marriage of talents and creativity made one of the single greatest Rock Recordings of all time! It is still my favorite 52 years later and I use it as an example to many of the younger folk who I produce or teach in the Studio. I first heard it on a Juke Box in 1969 in a Pizza Pub. I would sneak out of my bedroom window late at night and go to this Pizza Place where I would be the only customer, and drop quarter after quarter listening to it over and over. I've been involved with Professional Studio Recording since 1972 and it became the Blue Print for much of my work, in the sense of it's artistry, it's Holographic Effect, it's Hypnotic Dreaminess. Thank you for this interview.
I tried pointing this arrangement out to my friends decades ago, they couldn't "hear" it, its cleverly mixed so as to just give the suggestion, like the technique of whispering alongside vocals to give a haunting feel.
Now hearing the stems it become very obvious.
Wow. Wish there was more of this stuff on UA-cam!
Great video thanks for uploading❤
This arrangement of Watchtower is a masterpiece.
Awesome sounding track in my opinion. Guitar solos sound liquid and the voice is so smooth!
THE greatest cover ever.
such a time of creativity
Great stories, now I will listen to his book. Thanks Eddie
Eddie Kramer has the greatest stories to tell!!
The Phenomenon of those who bare witness seeing Hendrix play. I wonder how Billy Cox feel everyday he awakens. He played bass for Jimi Hendrix, what a gift from the Creator
Just remembering when I heard that song for the first time in 1968 or 1969,,,,,,, mmmmm memorable !!!! Superb !!!! Out of Sight !!!!
The 12 string guitar sounds jangly because of the chord voicing. The 12 string is tuned down a half step like Jimi normally played. On both the C#m chord and the A chord (played at the fifth fret) you can clearly hear the high E string note being played open as a drone note. As such there are 4 strings all droning/voicing that E note (actually Eb since the guitar is tuned down) on the B and E strings. I believe that why Eddie is hearing it as so jangly.
And, most likely, why in his perspective it sounds slightly out of tune, because the C#m is not quite a true C#m Chord.
Dude, that makes perfect sense! Now my Watchtower sounds more truly closer to Jimi's Watchtower. Thank you for that acute awareness of yours! Jimi was always thinking outside the box.
@@jesusflores2121 Dave Mason played the acoustic, not Jimi.
Good catch, and the A(b) chord played on 5th fret with jangling A(b) and E(b) string makes the progression sound nicer and more ominous than playing A(b) on the 2th.
@@primtones Actually, they both did as is confirmed here on this video. Also, I was referring to the fact that it was Jimi's arrangement. So, most likely and this is confirmed in interview, it was at Jimi's direction as to how Dave Mason played this piece. In fact, Jimi was very meticulous in this arrangement in particular. Btw, I met Dave Mason a few years ago and had him sign my Electric Ladyland CD.
I love your work sir. The Gods have blessed you with your ears. Face melting sound.
AKJ? Recorded at RBA Studios and listened to over JBC Speakers? Looks like the editor got into Jimi's stash.
AKJ C60 😂
Thanks mr Kramer🤗
This guy is so into his craft and he's on his game and he is up with the current times
I saw Jimi in 1969 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. The authorities thought the crowd a little too rowdy so, at one point, they cut the electricity and turned up the lights. Mitch Mitchell proceeded to do a drum solo. Remarkable was when Jimi first took the stage he did this amazing riff and then coolly said "...just warming up..." A year later, I had been drafted and heard of Jimi's death overseas.
D--Wow ! I saw Jimi with Band of Gypsies May 1970 at San Antonio Convention Center. The next day I went out and bought a cheap ass Harmony Acoustic in a brown card board box and never looked back ! Later that amazing Summer, That cloudy September 18th day at college the news came. I was totally bummed and the buzz didn't help. I'm so sorry you had to get the news "over there".
@@steveballard2934 - Nice. After I was drafted I spent four months at Ft. Sam Houston outside of San Antonio. Not sure what the venue was but I saw Jethro Tull and Blood, Sweat and Tears while I was there. Would have been early 1970. We have some good memories. Saw the Beatles in 1964. You're a musician?
@@d.martin7692 Hi. Yes, been playing guitar since that Summer of 1970. I saw a Jethro Tull concert in 1971 at the SA Conv Center and the Eagles opened for them !! That was the time when their rendition of Take It Easy Came out. Who would've thought?????????????
@@steveballard2934 - Yeah, you never know. I went to a Vanilla Fudge concert and the opening act was an unknown....Led Zeppelin. Saw Canned Heat off in a side area at an Outdoorsmen's Convention next to people casting their fishing rods. We can't say we were lacking for music. Would loved to have seen Jefferson Airplane or Santana. Ah well....
@@d.martin7692 Amazing how promoters mixed up the acts back then. Went to one where Santana opened for Joe Cocker and Leon Russel on their "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour. Santana was doing his "Abraxas" tour. It like little Woodstock that summer.
Thank you Mr Kramer.
I've seen a photo of Jimi playing an Eko Ranger 12. I noticed, because I've had one for decades. It's a uniquely built guitar, as are all the acoustic Ekos with a block that the BOLT-ON neck screws into, and a thick finish that somehow still works to make music.
Wow did not know of the Dave Mason angle. Not surprisng as "Alone Together" ranks as one of the most awesome solo records ever. It blows away 95% of everything else of that era or since. NOBODY writes songs like that anymore! Every tune as good as it gets, good as the Beatles. Dave needs to write a bio imagine what he knows!
I never knew that Dave Mason played on this song...that's awesome
Everyone in Traffic seemed to get a turn. Winwood on Voodoo Chile, Chris Wood on 1983 (Merman...)
Also bootlegs of jam sessions of Traffic with Jimi are around.
@@123jkjk123 Which is pretty darned cool if you think about it.
I just heard Steve Winwood doing a live cover of Voodoo Chile. Slow and mysterious but he nailed the vocals and even cracked off some amazing Jimi-like riffs. Now it makes sense.
I knew he did his own cover not knowing for the past 30 years Dave Mason played on Hendrix classic of Dylan's .
@@123jkjk123 Think Al Kooper played keys on Voodoo Chile Slight Return
What a master engineer Eddie is! Would love to see a full interview with him - some of the stories! A true innovator
He has contributed to parts of bios on Hendrix...I wish he would write about his entire experiences with Jimi, in studio, and out!
The beginning is a great launching pad for an epic song but wish Eddie went a lot deeper into the sound recording that put Hendrix on top of universe as the greatest guitar player ever R.I.P. James Marshall Hendrix ☮️
What I take away from it: one of the most iconic songs from the past 50 years has been recorded on a rickety 12-string that's out of tune on a console with overdriven pre-amps almost without effects. That goes against just about every rule in the recording handbook. Just proves: be creative, forget clean and perfect. Great songs need character.