The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Are You Experienced?” (1967)

Best Song – “Purple Haze”

Rating: 9.5

If one has any interest in classic rock at all, it’s hard not to be kind of awestruck by the track listing of this album (I’m reviewing the US version). I’m pretty sure something like seven or eight of the 11 songs on the album would qualify as rock radio staples. “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe,” “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Fire,” they’re all here! And this is also one of those occasions where much as I’d like to be snide and dismissive, it’s hard for me to avoid the conclusion that the reason these songs are still familiar today is the same reason that the Beatles and Stones are still so widely played: because they’re really really good.

Honestly, I rarely find myself in the mood to listen to this album, but I think it’s only because I was already so familiar with half the songs before I ever even heard them in an album context. As good as AYE is, it never had a hope of providing me with that intoxicating thrill of new discovery, something that is hardly Hendrix’s fault, but makes it feel like it’s not one of ‘my’ albums. But when I put it on, it’s hard not to get swept away from the opening power chords of “Purple Haze.” It’s a simple enough intro and riff but the sound of it is still as titanic to my ears as I imagine it was in 1967, and at its core, it’s a great pop song too. On one level, simple and catchy, but on another level, hardly obvious, and there's all kinds of neat parts throughout (my favorite part is the ringing high guitar notes Jimi plays in the coda).

I can’t really remember whether “Manic Depression” and “Love or Confusion” get played on the radio, but if they don’t, then you ought to hear them, since they’re as good as everything else. I particularly am fond of “Manic Depression” with its pounding, hazy rhythms and jagged, psychedelic guitar solos, whereas “Love or Confusion” is a cool, dreamy comedown after the murderous “Hey Joe,” at least until that squealing guitar solo that suddenly shifts the song to a darker place.

I could go on, but the point is that right here on his debut, Jimi struck the perfect balance between great pop songs and sonic experimentation. There is enough interesting guitar playing here to reward many, many listens but even if you stripped it all away, you’d still have some great songs, which is something I can’t really say about his later albums. There are varying versions of the album floating about, such as the original UK version missing some of the essential singles, or the extended 17-track version including songs from the original UK version that were dropped. These are still worth hearing, but the 6 tracks left out here range from decent to pretty good, while the 11 included range from pretty good to great, so this is the version I will return to.