Album Review: Are You Experienced—The Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1967

For guitar players like me, the blazing riffs and soloing on "Foxy Lady", "Red House", and "Purple Haze" mean everything to us. They are simply tunes of worship; iconic blues and psychedelic rock masterpieces that influence fundamental areas of our own playing. It is undoubtedly true that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player to ever live, and that we are all grateful for the gifts that he granted us through his band’s debut record. 

For a while, that seemed to be the story of Are You Experienced. For a while, those three songs were the only songs from that album that I had on my playlist. But in truth, Jimi's dazzling entrance to the London blues scene is much different. 

From my first listen, Are You Experienced has always been the perfect musical representation of Willy Wonka's chewing gum: a stunning course meal of savory, fresh, and sweet that presents all areas of his expertise in genre, musicality, and songwriting. Throughout the album, Jimi is not afraid to showcase his genius. The first track, "Purple Haze", rips through like a fire hose. Mitch Mitchell thrashes his drumsticks against the toms, Noel Redding thumps on bass, and Hendrix's upside-down Strat cuts through it all like angry metal.

Multi-genre albums like these are extremely difficult to dissect piece by piece. But Experienced is especially difficult to do, because the styles our ears are familiar with are smothered with a certain cosmic sharpness that is present in every track. 

If we were to separate tracks by style, well, first there are the rockers, like "Fire", "I Don't Live Today", "Manic Depression", and "Stone Free" (my favorite track). The rhythm section stands out in these songs, I feel. Mitchell and Redding are able to showcase their abilities without becoming back-ups for Jimi. They reflect his energy, constantly feeding back to his playing, and this is consistent throughout the rocking tracks. 

There are the more bluesy tracks, like "Red House" and "Hey Joe", but they are amplified immensely by Hendrix's expert blues tone, which still manages to cut through the mix and shine like a violin solo in an orchestral piece. And still, the rhythm section remains strong when they need to. 

And there are the ballads, like "The Wind Cries Mary", and "May This Be Love", which showcase Jimi's wonderful vocals, which serve as the highlight of these tracks in my opinion. To think that Jimi hated the sound of his own voice.  

But I think the tracks that really shine in "Are You Experienced", which prevent the album from fizzling out, are what I categorize as "the Experience". Songs that not just create hits, but present a clearer picture of Jimi's mind. These tracks are not necessarily tunes that people will immediately groove with, nor the songs we all know and love, but really ask the question, "Are You Experienced?"

An expert example of this "Experience" portion of the album for me is "Third Stone From The Sun", Hendrix's view of Earth from the perspective of aliens exploring Earth. As much of a guitarist he is, Jimi also proves that he is a songwriter, tying space imagery and science fiction together with psychedelic accompaniment. The rhythm section, once again, shines in this track. Mitchell explores jazzy rhythms while Redding trails behind in his own melodies. Tracks like "Third Stone" are really what sell the album for me. 

I think out of the three albums in The Jimi Hendrix Experience's short discography, Are You Experienced displays all aspects of his genius. Sure, Axis: Bold as Love or Electric Ladyland have more concrete concepts, but Experienced provides a good bunch despite being more loosely tied together. Through his first album, Jimi gave out all he had on his mind: his eclectic lifestyle, his thoughts on space, and his technological aspirations. For listeners in 1967, it must have been the backwards playing, odd effects, and ear-splitting feedback that really stood out. 

Though Are You Experienced is far from a gentle invitation, it is a letter filled with angry yet pleasant metal whining that captivates us to read from beginning to end.