Are You Experienced

Look, I’ve been pretty hard on some of the “classic”, “greatest-of-all-time” records that appear on this list and there are very few that I plan on giving five stars. It’s not without good reason…a lot of those “classic” records, we’re just supposed to accept they’re classics because they sold a lot of copies or we’ve been told by the music press for decades that they’re important. I don’t think Rumors is a 5 star record…shit, I don’t even think Sgt. Pepper’s is a five star record. They both have their flaws to me and I’m not going to ignore them because everyone else thinks they’re perfect. Now I’m going be a little hypocritical. Are You Experienced? is not a perfect record, but it is a 5 star record. Why, you ask? Well, and here’s where I’ll be a little hyperbolic, it’s because no one on earth, since Jimi Hendrix, has had as much of a long lasting impact on music. This is a record that changed the world and continued to change the world for many decades after its release. There is rock music before and after Hendrix. He is the line in the sand, so to speak. He completely changed the way the guitar is played and used in rock music. The man basically created a new language for everyone else to learn and figure out. He is without a doubt the greatest of all time. You can track his influence all over the music that was released in the years, decades, half century following his debut. As an example, go ahead and listen to “Third Stone from the Sun” and try and tell me you can’t draw a straight line to the guitar squall and experimentation of Sonic Youth. Or listen to Eddie Hazel’s solo on Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” or his playing on their ‘74 record, “Standing on the Verge of Getting it on” Or Stevie Ray Vaughan Or J Mascis Or Prince Or John Frusciante Or read about how Eric Clapton walked off stage the first time he saw Hendrix play. I believe “Is he really that fucking good?” was Clapton’s response to Chas Chandler right after he left the stage.(TBH, Jimi gets 5 stars just for knocking Clapton down a peg) Jimi Hendrix was so influential that Miles Davis started playing his trumpet through a wah pedal. I mean, I could keep naming musicians here, but you get the point, right? There is a pretty good chance that whichever guitar player you like wouldn’t be the player they are without Hendrix. I don’t think an album with the wealth of influence that Are You Experienced? left behind deserves anything other than 5 stars.

Sometimes you just gotta toss your 5 stars to the wind and let Jimi take over. Genre-bending, passionate, energized, psychedelic. Incredible album from a powerful trio. Fantastic drumming, impeccable guitar work. If I wasn't wading through clouds of drywall dust while feeding a baby and keeping a barking dog at bay I'm sure I could opine for hours on how much I enjoy listening to this album. It never gets old.

The songs are still brilliant. It is easy to get caught up in Jimi's excellent guitar work but the other pieces of the band are just as great. There is a rawness to the guitar though that is so difficult to replicate that I once described as a imprecise precision. Jimi never misses a note and you get the feeling that he hits everything just as he wanted and yet there is a feeling of searching in the melody, like an artist sketching out a drawing. I once listened to someone play a Hendrix song and commented while they played well, that they played too well. Their cover was too clean and it lost the energy of the original. That is on no better display than on this album. The album contains some of my favourite Hendrix songs including The Wind Cries Mary and Are You Experienced. However, the songs do form a random collection of tracks and lack a sense of cohesion to tie them together which I think is a missed opportunity.

I imagine Hendrix sounded amazing when he arrived on the scene, unlike anything else. Now though, so many people have done so much better. He's obviously a legend and all, can't dispute that, but I struggle to listen to him for too long without finding it annoying. A couple of tracks here are fine, a whole album is too much for me.

Ce que j'ai reproché au précédent album de Jimi à propos de l'emplacement de ses "tubes" dans la chronologie du projet n'est pas tombé dans l'oreille d'un sourd, et c'est une bonne chose. Vous savez probablement que j'ai fêté la semaine dernière le premier anniversaire du jour où je me suis fait licencier de mon premier cabinet d'avocats. Je vous dois la vérité sur cet épisode. Alors que je m'y rendis un matin avec le même entrain qu'habituellement, ma tutrice me convoqua dans son bureau. "Ferme la porte" me dit-elle une fois que j'eus franchi celle-ci. Je m'assis en face d'elle et c'est alors qu'elle débuta son laïus truffé de reproches : - Robserpillère, cela fait maintenant trois semaines que tu travailles chez nous et plusieurs de tes agissements nous poussent à nous interroger sur ta présence ici. - Quoi ?! - Nous t'avons plusieurs fois demandé de décrocher les posters de Hugh Masekela que tu as fixés sur les murs de la salle de réunion, tu n'en as pas tenu compte. - Mais hein ?! - Vendredi dernier, alors que j'étais en rendez-vous avec un client très important, tu as allumé ton enceinte et diffusé l'album O.G. Original Gangster d'Ice T dans le couloir. C'était extrêmement inapproprié. - Ta gueule ?! - De plus, tu as pris pour habitude de débrancher l'aspirateur de notre femme de ménage car cela t'empêche apapremment d'écouter ton album du jour. Ce comportement est inacceptable. - Pardon ?! - Tu es viré, Robgazinière... Voilà, vous savez tout désormais.

I'm embarrassed to admit that while I've heard many songs from this album, this is the first time I've listened to the album outright. So, *now* I can say I'm experienced, I suppose. And what a great experience! Not every song can be as contagious or definitive as "Purple Haze" or "Foxey Lady", but even today it's not all that hard to understand how revolutionary the whole album was (or why it was so immediately popular). The Wikipedia entry for the album is a great read too (even if it's a little too long in the tooth at times). And now I know why Jimi Hendrix's sound is so distinctive on the album, given that he was literally blasting everyone out in the studio (and even causing computers above one of the studios to mess up). I'm really glad to know that Chas Chandler played a significant role in helping Jimi Hendrix bring his genius to the world. Finally listening to this album in its entirety only makes me even more baffled that the high school in Seattle I went to, and where he (briefly) attended much earlier than I did, had only a small, unlabeled bronze bust of Hendrix buried deep in the high school library, and nothing else to celebrate a brilliant musical artist.

Fantastic album that blew my mind the first time and still does. Manic depression is one of my favorite Hendrix songs.

The 1968 Bob Gibson season of albums. Even in the so-called "Year Of The Pitcher", Gibson having an ERA of 1.12 is just insane. So are 28 complete games and 13 shutouts. It's similar to an original album that contains Purple Haze, Hey Joe, May This Be Love, The Wind Cries Mary, Fire, however you want to spell Foxey Lady, and of course, the title song. There will never be another Bob Gibson. And there's never been anyone like Jimi Hendrix.

It's been a few months since I last listened to Jimi Hendrix. Thus, I'm not sure if my enjoyment of the debut is different because of context or just because it's a better record. This is immediately obvious, virtuosic guitar music of the highest caliber. The vocals are tucked back in the mix, because they aren't the focus of the music. But they also can be there because the meaning is crystal clear with the instruments in front of it. The hour flies by with the album in the background, but each song stands up to closer listening as well. There's simultaneous appreciation of rock history and creative innovation.

The great tracks we all know and the other great tracks. Nearly loses a point for some of the lyrics.

Hits right in that sweet spot between blues rock and psychedelic. Are you experienced? You will be after this. I recommend going for the UK track listing rather than the US, feels more cohesive to me but YMMV. Both digital versions contain the same tracks regardless.

How could you go wrong with Jimmy Hendrix on the experience… Every single song on this album is five stars. It’s blues, rock, psychedelic, everything you ever imagined anymore. Must listen.

Hey, wait, which of the dozen different versions of this album are we meant to be listening to? Think I'm fine with the 17 tracks on my hard drive, a rare case of the bonus tracks being essential - Hey Joe and Purple Haze feature. I expected to be torn over this. Many of these songs are foundational to me, my dad inculcating a love for the band, whom he'd seen in Chelmsford as a teenager. Recent dips into Hendrix's work have provided a patchy harvest; Electric Ladyland might be a more challenging assignment. But scanning the track listing, the first five tracks I didn't need to listen to again (though I did) to know they're incredible, and most of the rest is similar. His guitar never gets dull, and he had the most beguiling singing voice of his contemporaries, a seductive conversational tone. Misogyny is impossible to ignore, particularly after hearing the bonus track 51st Anniversary. To paraphrase Norm MacDonald, that Joe was a real jerk! But Third Stone From The Sun! Feel like that’s a path that was never successfully followed, apart from by Right Said Fred, as pointed out by my dad, angry and tipsy one NYE when “ I’m Too Sexy” emerged on Capital Radio’s Listeners’ Best Songs Ever countdown, and my dad furiously sought out his original LP…

Most people agree, the 1001 ratings scale should top out at 11. This survey says it all. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/92Y86QN

So this has easily three of the most powerful and potent Hendrix songs. Not only that, but it is the debut! Fucking nuts.

He really is one of the greatest guitarists. This album can’t be overrated.

Hendrix first album one of the greatest. Can listen to it over and over again. Not a bad song on it.

An undisputed essential in rock history. In many ways, this is not only Hendrix at his best, but 60s rock at its most far out, psychedelia at its peak, the electric guitar at its most expressive. It's blues, soul, R&B, psychedelia and pop all crammed into a 40 minute package, and I had so much fun hearing it again for the first time in years. I've gone between the different track listings of the UK and US versions when listening to this album (US adds three singles, including the iconic "Purple Haze", but removes "Remember", "Can You See Me" and "Red House"). For me, the US version wins out on a song-by-song basis, but the UK is structured more comfortably as an album, with more ebb and flow between the hard-edged rock and the lush ballads. As far as individual tracks, they're all winners, though I'd single out the instrumental "Third Stone From The Sun" as a blissful freak-out, full of guitar effects, feedback and intricate drum patterns, held together by a hypnotic three note bassline. The main guitar riff in this track, vibrato and all, is one of my favourite Hendrix moments on the record. "Are You Experienced" is another classic, all hinged around one chord, intoxicating marching snare beat and the insistent one-note piano refrain solidifies the band as a force to go down in history. "Red House" is the most forgettable track for me, leaning too far into a standard mid-tempo blues than the other songs on offer. There's little else I can add to the heaps of praise already given to this album, other than: Hendrix's voice suits the songs beautifully- it's bluesy husk is perfect and underrated. Noel Redding's bassline in "Fire" is exceptional. The ballads on offer are sublime and deserve as much credit as the rockers: "The Wind Cries Mary", "Remember" and "May This Be Love" all have beautiful melodies that cascade around the guitar lines. So it's a real classic and essential listening for rock music fans. Some of the techniques used might be dated now (trippy stereo panning, backmasking, wah pedals) but they only serve to capture the Jimi Hendrix Experience as true pioneers in 1967, riding the wave that would ultimately be too large even for them.

Jimi Hendrix is glaringly the greatest, most charismatic, most talented artist of the 60s, and here we have his debut. In truth, this is not so much structured as an album but rather as an assemblage of Hendrix songs, showcasing what voodoo mojo geetar freakoutery he could do. But what a showcase! Virtually every moment and every aspect stuns the listener. Since everyone knows Hendrix's guitar virtuosity (he was quite good, apparently), I shall instead talk about his voice. Hendrix himself was rather disparaging about his voice, and was very self-conscious about it. To every other listener, Hendrix's dismay is baffling. His voice is somehow warm and seductive yet simultaneously masculine and fiery. Another aspect perhaps overlooked, though to a lesser extent, is the range of styles Hendrix adopts and mutates into his own; the rock, ballad, blues, raga, soul, R&B and psychedelia displayed here all bend towards Hendrix's star, a process sustained in his later albums. Hendrix had talents far beyond the guitar, and this album is proof. Why aren't you listening to this now?

Favs: May This Be Love and Manic Depression are personal favorites. The Wind Cries Mary. Fire. Hey Joe. Foxey Lady. Purple Haze. Mehs: No mehs on Jimi albums. I guess Third Stone From the Sun is my least favorite, but it's still good Hendrix's guitar work is still a mind blowing display of blues guitar. You get that with Mitchell's great drums, and you still get the clever lyrics: "You can hear happiness staggering on down the street Footprints dressed in red." Great stuff.

Where modern electric guitar began.

Hell yes. It's a perfect album. Beautiful soft balllads, explosive songs, trippy arrangements, huge hooks too. Even just they way this album sounds is perfect. The warm tape. It must've been recorded together live rather than track by track. A goddamn masterpiece. At one point I thought, maybe it's too long, but then realized Spotify added 6 songs to the end and doubled the album lenght! Favorite tracks are the trippiest - Third Stone and Are You Experienced. I had a quintessential stoner moment with that song, just the right slight high and pulled into my driveway and it came on. Sounded so good I put it on repeat, louder and louder, until Rico came outside a bit worried. We all know Jimi's considered the greatest guitar player, largely on the back of his soloing. I think more music critic ink needs to be spilled on his rhythm guitar chops. He would curl his thumb over the top of the neck to fret the low E and do these percussive melodies with the other four fingers below the neck. MASSIVE HANDS. A+

Uhh, best guitar player ever (arguably) and Matt’s favorite drummer playing psychedelic rock, yeah, you’re asking for Matt to hand out his first 5. The album is filled with banger after banger, no bad songs. I’ve always thought of this as a Jimi Hendrix Psychedelic album, now I realize it’s an album where Jimi spans like 5 genres and adds his magicians Psychedelic touch to each of them. I’m hearing R&B, folk, blues, rock, rockabilly, bebop and proto-funk—which is essentially what Jimi Hendrix is, a holy amalgam of skills, experiences and his time and setting spanning these genres to create psych rock. This album sets the stage for so many albums which follow it. This band might just be the perfect 3 piece, an insane guitar player with a really tight rhythm section. Every song has a great lick and impressive groove. Enough has been said about Purple Haze, it’s the single off an album that is made up of singles. The groove on manic depression is incredible. Hey Joe is perfect—misogynist lyrics notwithstanding. Wind cries Mary is perfect. Let me stand next to your Fire bangs. Third Stone is a solid jam session. Are you experienced is Jimi doing a Beatles’esque hippie anthem. Stone free is a great mix of R&B-psych. The only strike on this album, as with many Hendrix songs, there are some egregious fade outs, you want the song to keep going, he’s set the table for a breakdown and it just fades out. Stone Free and 51st Anniversary are the two worst offenders in this, though nothing will be as bad as bad, give you bigger rock blue balls than Little Wing (different album). Love that Hendrix ties it all together at the end with a solid blues cover, paying homage to the forebearers—note the Easter egg fart (distortion blip) at 3:14 on this song. Amazing album, long, love it even though I’ve heard it about 1 million times and it was my first real classic rock exposure at 12, doesn’t matter still tapping my feet to it at 36.

One of my favourites and first got me into psychedelic music. The bass line and guitar coming in and out on Third Stone is what sold it for me. Foxey Lady is just such a great song

Been a while since I’ve Jimi’d

Excellent Album -- Masterclass in electric guitar and blues rock.

There's some fantastic guitar playing on this album, as you might expect. It really feels like something from ten years ahead of when it was recorded. Jimi changed the way that rock bands did guitar. Most surprising was learning that part of I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred was lifted direct from a riff on Third Stone from the Sun.

Now Jimi played guitar Jamming good with Weird and Gilly And The Spiders from Mars He played it left hand But made it too far Became the special man Then we were Jimi's Band Jimi really sang Screwed-up eyes and screwed-down hairdo Like some cat from Japan He could lick 'em by smiling He could leave 'em to hang He came on so loaded, man, Well-hung, snow-white tan So where were the spiders While the fly tried to break our balls? Just the beer light to guide us So we bitched about his fans And should we crush his sweet hands? Oh yeah Jimi played for time Jiving us that we were Voodoo The kids was just crass He was the naz With God-given ass He took it all too far But boy, could he play guitar Making love with his ego Jimi sucked up into his mind (ah) Like a leper messiah When the kids had killed a man I had to break up the band Jimi played guitar

ooOOoo foxey lady

Always a great album to check out. Not one of my favorites but it is good.

back in like 2008 I ran across a guy called Purple Haze on MW2 and, being the child I was back then, thought this was one of the coolest names that I had seen in a while and decided to copy it with my own twist. I ended up running with the name Pink Haze for a month or so until my next fad name came around. It wasnt until a decade had passed and I had started to get more into listening to music that was foreign to me that I found out that Purple Haze was the name of a Hendrix song / a strain of weed. With that said, I don't vibe too much with the album. Unsure if its a 3 or a 2 but since I have heard much worse albums that I have rated a 2 I will give it a halfway rating

Vous n'êtes pas sans savoir que je possède 3 générateurs pirates en plus du générateur des 1001, afin d'étendre au maximum ma culture musicale. Aujourd'hui, robpenitencière, qui avait déjà réussit le tour de force de s'incruster dans mon aventure des 1001, a réussi à dénicher le lien menant à mon gigantesque fichier Excel proposant ces 3 générateurs clandestins. A peine arrivé, il tente déjà de remodeler le fichier selon ses préférences, alors même que la communauté pirate vivait jusqu'alors dans une parfaite harmonie musicale. Il détruit les classements des uns et les commentaires des autres, ne laissant que fumée et pleurs sur son passage. La communauté des générateurs clandestins prépare une réponse à cette intrusion, je vous tiendrai au courant dans une prochaine review des avancées de la rebellion.

Imagine hearing this when it first came out. It's slightly harder to wrap your mind around what that would have been like only because you've been hearing it and all the others inspired by it for so long, but it's still a mind bending experience to hear this for the first time in its entirety no matter the age or year.

Non c’è nulla da aggiungere

Le 5 stelle più facili del mondo.

Another what can i say that hasn't been said album. It's place in history is set. And it's been on my rotation list heavily for awhile

Purely belter

The American release is way superior to the UK release. However, there's a few great tracks missing that were only on the UK release originally. Spotify has this covered with the extended American version that pretty much has everything in one place. It's a fantastic album from start to finish. Even though some of the songs here have been played to death, they still retain their original sparkle. It has to be a full five stars for this amazing debut.

CLASSIC.

Imagine that you are in 1967 and the guitarists you are used to listening to are Eric Clapton, George Harrison, BB King... You turn on the radio and suddenly the first thing you hear are the first notes of Purple Haze... That changes everything! There was Rock Music before Hendrix and after Hendrix. Even today, if a kid decides to learn to play the guitar, he will come across Hendrix at some point in his learning. That's how great this guy was for music... And this album is the pinnacle of his work. An album that perfectly summarizes and presents him as an artist. 5 stars, of course.

Final Jimi Hendrix album on this list. All 5 stars

Another 5 for Jimothy. Consistently great.

I appreciate this album so much. First of all, it's just so good. Second of all, I think so many of the bands I love that use a lot of fuzz, wah, and feedback pedals can be traced back to Jimi Hendrix and this album.

I love this record. No one really played guitar like Jimi Hendrix did. Its not the electric blues, its almost the fuzzy blues. Even beyond the effects on his guitar, its fuzzy. The lyrics are fuzzy and then just the style in which he plays is really fuzzy. It's certainly not linear. Its different from say, Jerry Garcia's take on the blues, where he's kind of playing inverted scales with slight key changes. Jimi is kind of playing traditional blues, soul, gospel, rock n' roll, but then you kind of get lost in it the longer that he goes. Maybe its the combo of bends, slides and wah that he's using, but it kind of just takes you on a journey where its very easy to get lost. Its brilliant. Maybe its that his band is really small, and there are no keys? Its so heavy on guitar, but he uses it for such a large sound that you don't really need anything else. His style doesn't really sound like anyone else. You can hear all of the influences but its more like ingredients that got mixed into something totally different. I think one of the biggest tragedies in modern music is that we lost Jimi Hendrix so young.

I've always encountered Jimi Hendrix in almost every context except his studio albums. Individual tracks, live performances (Monterey, Woodstock, namely) and even a posthumous release ("Valleys of Neptune"). Hell, I first heard "Spanish Castle Magic" in the original "Guitar Hero" as an instrumental and didn't know it had lyrics until later. But I've always loved Hendrix, and loved what I've heard. Some of my favorites of his are on this album, so I was excited. And he didn't disappoint. There isn't much new to say about Hendrix. He's one of those virtuosos that, especially since he died so young, has been talked about and dissected and analyzed and idolized in the 50-plus years since his death that, not unlike the Beatles, there's hardly anything original left to say. He's iconic, he's one of the best to ever pick up a guitar, and he's unforgettable. I would like to note here, though, that his stylistic range here both as a vocalist and a guitarist is amazing to witness. He can shred through something as wild and fun as "Fire," playing fast and with such incredible energy and conveying excitement with his voice in a way that is simply infectious. Then, on the same record and with just as much ease, he can play something as tender and soulful as "The Wind Cries Mary" with just as much passion and expertise. More still, he can absolutely demolish an audience with something as hard and unforgiving as "Purple Haze." The thread tying all these songs together, regardless of genre, feel, style, or tone, is precision. He plays everything with such precise intent to the point where you could tell me he could make a guitar quack like a duck and I'd believe you. Truly one of a kind. It's also more than worth calling out his band. In Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, Hendrix had a band that was almost on his level. I say almost because, well, Hendrix is talked about as a legend and, while the other two are certainly masters of their instruments, are not remembered quite the same way. Nevertheless, the energy they bring does match that of Hendrix and is vital to the success of the their sound. You need only listen to "Fire" for proof of this. The bass line on that song really drives everything underneath the guitar. The drums are absolutely manic and provide the kind of agile energy needed for a song titled "Fire" and with as quick a riff as it has. It's perfection. I couldn't have been happier with my 300th album for this project. I don't know what else to say. Five stars. Standout Tracks: Manic Depression, Hey Joe, Love or Confusion, The Wind Cries Mary, Fire, Are You Experienced?

Pure genius from a true musical wizard

Not disappointed to see this pop up. I know I rail on about being tired of this genre of music from this era...but this is Jimi, man! Starting out with Purple Haze is FIRE. Does it get worse after that? IT DOES NOT! The next two songs are Manic Depression and Hey Joe! Although it doesn't seem to get the same love as the other two, Manic Depression might be the best song on the album, for my money. But SURELY it falls off after that, right? Well, dear reader, do YOU consider songs like Love or Confusion, Fire, or Foxey Lady "falling off?" How about Are You Experienced or Highway Chile? This album spawns hit after hit after hit. If I were going to be nitpicky, I'd say the album doesn't *have* to be an hour and a quarter with 18 songs. So sure, there are a couple here that don't quite live up to the all-time greatness of the rest, but does that drop the totality of the album out of the 5 star stratosphere? Dear reader, it does not.

Wish I could give 6 stars. Mind blowing, timeless, forever changing electric guitar.

Welp. I listened to the UK version and I was going to A/B it to the US version I have... But no need... The UK is a five star banger anyway and no real need to campare fivers. I probably slightly prefer the US, maybe because it has more of the well known material or that I'm just used to that version. But quite frankly, my least favorite track on the set is on both versions "Love or Confusion" and it's not a dog by any means anyway. Not my topper most, but way up there (10) ★★★★★

This is an all time favorite for me. I got into Hendrix when I was in my teens -- probably like 15-ish. I bought a cassette that had Are You Experienced? on one side and Axis: Bold as Love on the other. I used to listen to it on my Walkman while mowing my grandma's lawn. In retrospect, it helped shape a lot of my musical tastes -- notably my appreciation of fuzz guitar, but also really got me into more music from the 60s as well as more blues based stuff. For being lumped into the blues rock scene, this is a surprisingly diverse album. Personal favorite track is "I Don't Live Today". 5 stars.

Hey man, this Hendrix chap is pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty,, pretty, pretty, pretty good. UK version with bonus tracks for the best sequencing.

Purple Haze Manic Depression Hey Joe I Don't Live Today The Wind Cries Mary Fire 3rd Stone from the Sun Foxy Lady Are You Experienced? Stone Free

It seems to me that this could easily be a greatest hits album. This guy was just in the zone creatively and fun to listen to track to track all the way to the end.

The best 60s psych album by miles. It combines deep roots in American electric blues & RnB, British flower-power aesthetics, genius pop rock songwriting, casually revolutionary guitar playing, high energy fuzz, trippy studio recording effects, and a dangerous dose of pure charisma.

One of the most influential albums, and it still holds up.

Are You Experienced is Jimi Hendrix's debut album. It is one of the defining albums of the psychedelic era, and regarded as one of the very best albums of all time. Hendrix was one of the true guitar virtuosos in rock music; his skillful playing style and extensive use of effects expanded the range of sounds made by the electric guitar. In addition, Hendrix was a gifted songwriter, whose work became a central part of psychedelic rock. Are You Experienced includes a few of Jimi's early hits, like the "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," and "The Wind Cries Mary." Jimi's intense, expressive guitar work would make any songs well known. The incredible songwriting has made these - and the rest of the tracks on this album - into among the most famous songs in popular music.

Literally more than half the album and classic rock radio staples. It’s amazing. And not just the guitar heroics - the range of music is remarkable.

This is the one album that everyone should hear before they die.

Has any artist ever produced a better maiden voyage than Jimi Hendrix? https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-are-you-experienced?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Fabulous. Welcome to the guitar solo...

I wore that record out! One of the few in my collection on Discogs rated in Fair condition!

One of the biggest challenges to learning the guitar (or any instrument) is to play with *feeling*. Rather than just hitting the right notes at the right times, you let your emotions, your life experiences, whatever is calling you to play these notes in this moment flow from your heart down your arm through your fingertips and into the instrument. Jimi Hendrix is second to none in playing with feeling. The soulfulness in each guitar lick, the endearing timbre of his talk-singing style, the stripped-back percussion that embraces the guitar without overpowering, all cultivate a liveliness, genuineness, and intimacy that one finds all too rarely in music. It feels like Jimi is here in the room, singing and shredding for me and me alone.

Nobody else has ever sounded like they can conjure an earthquake at a whim like Hendrix does.

My contrarian nature makes me reluctant to give a Classic Rock Classic full grades. But I have to speak my Guitar Guy truth. Nobody does it like Hendrix, to the point that I’m not sure I even consider him Influential in the way that we like to call some guys Influential. Has anyone ever really figured out how he did what he was doing and built on it? I don’t think so. It’s hard to imagine hearing this when it first came out. But it’s even kinda hard to imagine hearing it for the first time now, ya know?

I am experienced. No one has ever been able to catch the sound these 3 had. It’s Made unique not just by Jimi’s electric and idiosyncratic guitar style but also by the thunderous and cloudy backdrop of the rhythm section. It was a sound so just represented by these 3 musicians that anybody making music or playing guitar in a similar way is immediately identified as a copy.

I am happy to have this experience, the tracks are each well-crafted musically. Hendrix earns his position as one of the greats. Favorite track: "Purple Haze"

This may be too bold to say, but Jimi is decent at playing the guitar. Possibly underrated!

And so it seems that The Hendrix Experience finally clicked with me *today* - after just 45+ years of digesting and playing rock music.... I grew up on guitar-based music, have played professionally for decades, etc, I just never got into JHE songs at all. I honestly do think my dislike was heavily based around the lousy mix and the hits I know all too well immediately sound so much goddamn better than they ever did on ~Rock101 back in 1982 - holy hell. With this album having been remixed/remastered (which is too-often nothing at best and a shitty overly-compressed money grab at worst) it feels like I'm hearing it all for the first time, even though 5 or 6 of these songs have been big hits since before I was born. Not much else to say - it's awesome, the *band* were great, and there really was nothing like this before 1967 to prepare the world. It's not my favourite music of all-time but my all-time favourite music would not have been made without this. Ergo it has to be a 5... 9/10 5 stars.

¿El mejor debut de la historia? Posiblemente. ¿La mejor banda de la historia? Seguramente. ¿El mejor guitarrista de la historia? Sin duda. ¿El mejor disco de Hendrix? En absoluto, ese puesto se lo dejo a Electric Ladyland aunque este Are you experienced está a grandísima altura. Are you experienced presenta a Hendrix en estudio, en directo ya había causado estragos (que se lo digan a Eric Clapton, encerrado en el aseo con ataque de pánico al verle en tocar vivo). La lista de temas es impresionante: Hey Joe, el comienzo de todo (una canción ajena que ha tenido cientos de versiones desde Love a The Byrds pero esta de la JHE es la mejor, sin duda) Purple Haze es una obra de arte, con esa distorsión deliberada que tuvieron que proteger para que no se la borraran en la masterización. The wind cries Mary, en una sola toma, es otra maravilla. Thrid stone from the sun es una alucinante viaje... Are you experienced otro aún mayor. Foxy Lady, Manic Depresson, Fire... cualquier tema por simple que parezca (May this be love es una joya) está a años luz de la mayoría de temas de cualquier disco. La producción de Chandler y sobre todo de Kramer convierte el disco en una referencia de la época uq esigue plenamente vigente aún. La única pega es que se quedara fuera la versión de Like a Rolling Stone, por problemas de encaje en la banda. Stone free figura en algunas ediciones, la versión británica de Are You Experienced se compone íntegramente de canciones originales de Hendrix, la que suena en la lista de Spotify es la americana. Aún tuvieron tiempo de publicar en ese mismo año el fundamental Axis: bold as love. Otros excelentes debuts de ese mismo año fueron los de The Doors, Experience, Scott Walker, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, y también aunque menores los de Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Bowie, Nico, Electric Prunes o First Edition. Otras obras enormes editadas ese mismo año 1967: Sgt. Peppers y Magical Mistery Tour, Forever Changes y Da Capo, The Velvet Underground y White light/White head, Surrealistic Pillow,The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, The Who Sell Out, Days of Future Passed, Disraelí Gears, Bee Gees´ First, Younger Than Yesterday, Evolution y Butterfly, Safe as milk, I never loved a man the way i love you y Arrives, Something Else, Scott, Bee Gees´ First (en realidad el segundo), Wild Honey, Sunshine Superman o Happy Together...

Genius - great singing, great playing, wonderful songs, and massively inventive in terms of sound. Still a thrilling listen

A masterpiecee. A revolution. And it’s still my 3rd favorite Jimi record. After listening through for the first time in ages it may move back into second favorite just for Manic Depression and the title track. One of the things Jimi never got enough credit for was his songwriting and overall contribution beyond his guitar playing. That man wrote some incredible songs.

an album that makes you feel like a bad B

Yeah baby, instant feels of groooove!

Great! Want to listen again

Modern rock and roll as we know it would Not exist without Joni Hendrix

This may not quite hit perfect for me on a continuity and vision side. But damn if it isn't perfect for influence. Jiminy went solo, with this debut and changed the guitar. This sound in '67 blew everyone apart then and for generations going forward. Entire genres were formed because ears heard these sounds. Name one guitarist after this that wasn't influence. Jimi was a force unto himself and made everyone experience this one.

Great album. Lots of timeless hits on here as well.

Legendary

This is probably a 4 for pure enjoyment, but its significance and influence (and being a debut!) give it at least 1 bonus star.

This album not only broke new ground in exploring the sounds that it was possible to get out of an electric guitar, it pushed the boundaries of rock music genre mashups with the highlight being the sci-fi epic Third Stone From the Sun which veers wildly from acid rock to free jazz noodling to total freak out. Legend has it that Jimi liked to play so loudly in the studio that the neighbours complained about the noise. Another artist who died far too young.

I am experienced, indeed.

A personal favorite.

Apparently there are two versions of the album, an US and UK version. The Spotify album includes both versions' songs, while also adding three tracks not originally on any of the versions. The US version was better, and the review will focus on the original US version. This was my first time listening to Hendrix, and I've heard so much about his legendary guitar skills. I was blown away, and the psychedelic fused composition was perfect. His themes are both cosmic and very grounded, with great introspection and the use of clever metaphores. Best song: The Wind Cries Mary Worst song: Third Stone From The Sun

I've heard these songs so many times. Still takes me by surprise that is an album, not a compilation. It must have truly blown minds in 1967. The playing is off the scale. I'm listening to the UK version. May This Be Love stands out on this listen. Truly excellent.

Now this is the type of album this list was made for.

I was nervous going into this album because I was afraid it would fail to live up to the legend and even my memory of listening to it with my dad. I should not have feared. It’s brilliant. It was brilliant, and it still is. It’s raw, but precise. It sounds perfectly done without feeling overproduced. It is rock and psychedelic and real blues. I loved every minute.

1. Is it tomorrow or just the end of time? 2. I know what I want but I just don’t know 3. Where you’re gonna run to now? 4. My heart burns with feeling 5. Don’t ever change your ways, fall with we for a million days 6. Feel like I’m livin’ at the bottom of a grave 7. Will the wind ever remember the names it has blown in the past? 8. Let me stand next to your fire 9. Your people I do not understand 10. You make me wanna get up and scream 12. Not necessarily stoned but beautiful 13. Stone free to ride the breeze 14. You must be losing you sweet little mind 15. In love or war you can lose your glory 16. You better come home like you supposed to do 17. Kiss you for my supper

All time classic with banger after banger. Great album!

Of course I’m experienced ! (I say as a LIE 😈)

Easily the group's best album. Every song is phenomenal, Hendrix has ample space to showcase his incredible guitar playing and his songwriting abilities.

Goat 🎸🤘🐐

So cool. An obvious visionary.

It's a classic what can you say

You know, I’ve not traditionally been a Jimi guy - nothing against him, he just wasn’t regularly in my rotation - but I’ve really enjoyed both the albums I’ve got from him so far! Obviously he’s an innovator and virtuoso on the guitar, but I think I’ve learned that people also aren’t talking enough about how his music is FUN. These songs are just fun and catchy! It’s good pop music! I loved this album, I listened to it twice yesterday.

Wonderful 👍

One of the best albums ever? Yeah probably

One of the great guitar albums of all time, and well-structured melodies featuring very few musicians but lots of layers.

One of the best rock albums of the 60s. Jimi, Noel, and Mitch do Ana amazing job ob their debut. Although it is no Electric Lady land, this is still great and a classic for a reason. RIP Jimi, Noel, and Mitch.

Two Hendrix albums in a week? Not much else to add since it's all great. I like this album slightly more than "Electric Ladyland", so I'll give it a half-star over that one. Twenty-eight stars.

Days after I gave a shockingly low 2 star rating to Electric Ladyland, this album shows up to set the record straight. This one is a genuine 5 star effort.