Totally classic
Jimi Hendrix song that's been a
bohemian anthem to
eccentric indivduality ever since it was released on his second album
Axis: Bold As Love.
In this song, Hendrix stands on his own and declares his independence from all trends and fads, including Peace and Love. The line "I'm gonna wave my freak flag high" has been a mantra for all sorts of weirdos and malcontents.
Perhaps the most interesting versions of "If 6 Was 9" are from Tori Amos (who ran her piano through a distortion pedal, I think!) and Obsequious Cheesecake (on a Hendrix tribute compilation). The Cheesecake were a pseudonymous supergroup that included the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir, uber-strangeoid guitarist Henry Kaiser, and guitarist Glenn Phillips. (By the way, Phillips was the guitarist for notorious '60s fringe freaks the Hampton Grease Band).
Other artists who have covered this tune: Todd Rundgren, NY jazz clarinetist Don Byron, Funkcronomicon (a Laswell supergroup featuring many original members of Funkadelic), Keith Levene, Roy Buchanan, Lenny Kravitz, and a special edition of '80s NY avant-funk band Defunkt.