Are You Experienced? is the debut album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and it was released on May 12th 1967. It was seen as being way ahead of its time both sonically and musically.
One of the most stunning debuts in rock history, and one of the definitive albums of the psychedelic era. On Are You Experienced?, Jimi Hendrix synthesized various elements of the cutting edge of 1967 rock into music that sounded both futuristic and rooted in the best traditions of rock, blues, pop, and soul.
It was his mind-boggling guitar work, of course, that got most of the ink, building upon the experiments of British innovators like Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend to chart new sonic territories in feedback, distortion, and sheer volume. It wouldn’t have meant much, however, without his excellent material, whether psychedelic frenzy ‘Foxey Lady’, ‘Manic Depression’, ‘Purple Haze’.
Ther were the instrumental freak-out jams ‘Third Stone from the Sun’, blues “Red House’, ‘Hey Joe’ , or tender, poetic compositions ‘The Wind Cries Mar’ that demonstrated the breadth of his songwriting talents.
Not to be underestimated were the contributions of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, who gave the music a rhythmic pulse that fused parts of rock and improvised jazz. Many of these songs are among Hendrix’s very finest; it may be true that he would continue to develop at a rapid pace throughout the rest of his brief career, but he would never surpass his first LP in terms of consistently high quality.
Tracklist:
1. Purple Haze
2. Manic Depression
3. Hey Joe
4. Love or Confusion
5. May This Be Love
6. I Don’t Live Today
7. The Wind Cries Mary
8. Fire
9. Third Stone From The Sun
10. Foxey Lady
11. Are You Experienced?
Photo Credit: Jason Hickey
