I've heard Pete Townshend say in several interviews that you have to put Hendrix in context. Here's the Billboard Top 100 from 1965-
http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1965 . Bands like Herman's Hermits, and Petula Clark are topping the charts; the wildest thing on there is the Rolling Stones. Now imagine after thinking the Stones were a dangerous band seeing Jimi Hendrix in 1966 with the afro, and the scarves - a guy who actually uses that distortion that some bands are just slightly experimenting with to get their guitar tone to break up, cranking it up until it shakes an auditorium, and actively controlling the feedback until the guitar screams and wails. And then, when you think you've seen and heard everything, he destroys his guitar on stage and LIGHTS IT ON FUCKING FIRE after acting like he's been having sex with it for the last hour. Forget about it; no matter how revolutionary you thought your little blues based band was up to that point with its light sexual innuendos a la "I can't get no satisfaction" and its horribly copped Robert Johnson licks, you are nothing.
Townshend claims he turned to Paul McCartney in the late 60's after seeing Hendrix and said they were finished. Clapton reportedly cried after seeing him, and tried to make emulations of his style for years afterward. I imagine those are exaggerations, but the point is the same-the guy was beyond visionary for his time.
(Ed. Note: For the record, I onn all of 2 Hendrix cds and rarely listen to him as I find it a little dated. Point still stands, the guy's a genius).
