Guide to British Music of the 1960s

July 2000

CD Review

The Jimi Hendrix Experience -  Are You Experienced?

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Jimi Hendrix was already gaining a reputation for his innovative guitar playing and was highly respected not just by his audience but also by fellow musicians. Are You Experienced? was the debut album from the Jimi Hendrix Experience and it includes most of his best-known tracks. This is emphasised even more with the CD reissue that add in some singles not available on the original vinyl. Hey Joe and Purple Haze had been released prior to the LP and are included alongside a number of other singles. The likes of Stone Free and The Wind Cries Mary turn the album from outstanding to.... well what's the next superlative? 

Are You Experienced? covers a range of styles and this becomes more apparent with every listen. There is the heavy sound of Foxy Lady to the blues of Red House and the pure psychedelia of the title track. Far from being the birth of heavy metal, Are You Experienced? mines a rich seam of sounds, offering the listener an aural glimpse into a colourful world of music.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was more than the guitarist alone. Without Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, on bass and drums respectively, there would not have been the platform from which Jimi could launch himself. However, it is the inventiveness of the guitar sounds that distinguishes Hendrix from his contemporaries. The album makes you either want to pick up the guitar through its sheer inspiration or you have to put the guitar down as you cannot compete.

An essential 1960s guitar album. Why didn't it reach number one in the charts? A simple answer - Sergeant Pepper.

Essential Tracks:

• Fire

• Are You Experienced?

• Purple Haze

Track Listing:

1. Foxy Lady
2. Manic Depression
3. Red House
4. Can You See Me
5. Love or Confusion
6. I Don't Live Today
7. May This Be Love
8. Fire
9. 3rd Stone From The Sun
10. Are You Experienced?

Additional tracks on CD-re-release

1. Purple Haze
2. Hey Joe
3. Stone Free
4. 51st Anniversary
5. The Wind Cries Mary
6. Highway Chile
7. Remember