Creativity Quote by Noel Redding

There is a particular kind of rueful humor in Noel Redding describing a band so in-demand, so perpetually in motion, that “rehearsal” quietly becomes the session. The line lands because it captures the 60s rock machine at its most casual and most predatory: the studio as both playground and factory floor, where magic is expected on schedule and tape is always rolling.

Redding’s phrasing is tellingly offhand, almost shrugging at a violation. “They” were setting up the sound. “They” would “actually record it.” The repeated distance marks an invisible power structure: engineers, producers, labels - the adult supervision around a young band - making decisions while the musicians are still treating the moment as provisional. “Without us knowing sometimes!” reads like a punchline, but it’s also a quiet indictment of how little control performers could have over their own labor. The exclamation point is doing work: astonishment, annoyance, maybe a trace of admiration for the stealth efficiency.

In the Hendrix-era context, it fits the mythology and the economics. Greatness is often narrated as spontaneity, but spontaneity gets monetized. Rolling tape during rehearsal doesn’t just “capture the vibe”; it captures ownership, credit, and a usable take before the artist can second-guess it. Redding is pointing at the blurred boundary between process and product - and at the unnerving feeling that your best moments might be harvested when you’re not even performing on purpose.