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Class 6(66)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are you experienced?
04/05/10 || Daemonomania
Introduction
Imagine yourself as a stoned hippie circa 1967. Someone hands you a record from a band you’ve never heard of, and you place it upon the turntable. The first riff of “Purple haze” leaps from your speakers and enters your ears. BAM. Your brain explodes right out of your fucking head, smashes through a nearby window, and splatters all over the windshield of a passing VW bus. You are officially experienced.
Indeed, pre-Sabbath, pre-Motörhead, even pre-metal Hendrix and crew were the heaviest ticket in town. Nowadays everyone has heard most of these songs a million times. Hell, Six Feet Under covered “Purple haze” with hilarious consequences. But I would strongly urge modern metalheads to get “Are you experienced” and listen to it as a complete album. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. If you want the roots of riff-heavy ass kicking music that hits like a ton of lead, start at the beginning, young Padawan.
Songwriting
You’ve got it all on here – straight-ahead rockers, more introspective but still driving numbers, interplanetary jams, slow and mysterious “ballads”. Not to mention that the placement of the abovementioned song types in the line-up, at least on my version, is perfect. There is rarely a dull moment throughout. Actually, the over six minute “Third stone from the sun” has lesser replay value than the rest. Sorry, minus 0.5.
Talking about songwriting on a classic like this is a bit difficult. People who love Hendrix KNOW these songs like the back of their penis. All these years later, they’re happy to come back and enjoy it again and again. Words like immortal, eternal, unvanquished spring to mind. Whoops, heh, let me just slip out of this tunic, put down my ale horn, and wash off the corpsepaint. What I’m trying to get at here is that the songwriting is comprised of gallons of beer. The most luscious of titties. And a season’s worth of touchdowns. The album could have easily just been Hendrix going all Yngwie on us and soloing for a straight hour. Which would have been huge anyway. But instead the wise choice was made to bring in a band to support him and to craft actual tunes. Tunes that will be played until the earth freezes into a big ball of ice or we pollute ourselves to death – whichever comes first. 9.5.
Production
While this has probably been remastered so many times it sounds like a Britney Spears albums now, I’m perfectly content with my copy that still sounds like it came from the 60’s. Digitally processed. They say you can never match the tone of actual vinyl, and having heard “Are you experienced?” on a turntable I’d have to agree. In my lame CD version the guitars and drums are up front, while Hendrix’s vocals are detached – like they were recorded elsewhere and at a later date. Aside from that everything is raw and quite REAL. This album should help scrub some of the shiny wax accumulated by current tech-death computerfests right outta your ears. A 8 well deserved.
Guitars
Seriously, what the hell can I say here that hasn’t already been said a billion times? Upon Hendrix’s guitar was built a cornerstone in the archway of the foundation of heavy music. An orgy of phallic-symbol riff machine output awaits the listener. Forget Hellhammet. Hearing these tunes should convince any aspiring guitarist to call it quits. You will never, ever be this good. Few ever were. 11. No wait, 1 million.
Vocals
While Jimbo is not the most gifted vocalist of all time, there’s no doubt about the passion he brings to his performance. Plus he injects plenty of “yeahs” and “ooohs” – using them to particularly salacious effect on “Foxey lady”. On the slower songs his more somber tone really hits home – tell me anyone else could sing “The wind cries Mary” and not sound like a reject from American Idol. Hendrix had a one-of a kind voice – the kind you hear and instantly recognize. By the way, fuck off and die Lenny Kravitz. Fuck off and die.
Oh yeah, and the strange studio-processed muffled monotone that flits in and out of “Third stone from the sun” is also Hendrix. He credits himself as the voice of “Star Fleet”. Sure thing pal. 7.5.
Bass
You can hear it. Amazing. Dude had to be good to be in this band, but bass is not the star here. Hendrix could pull forth such a low and dirty tone from his axe that a bass seems somewhat secondary most of the time. Good job nonetheless. Of course some ‘60’s bass aficionado will probably jump down my throat and say Noel Redding was the greatest unsung master of the kiddie guitar since time began. I’ll continue calling it like I see it – 6.5.
Drums
He of the splendid name, Mitch Mitchell, works overtime on each track and certainly deserves to have his moniker in slightly smaller letters under Hendrix himself. Thankfully high in the mix, Mitchell’s drumming is creative and powerful. ‘Tis not hard at all to draw a line between the interplay between Jimi’s massive riffs and the driving force behind the kit directly to the dark world of fill-happy metal. If you want to get all technical about drumshit, stroll on over to Wikipedia and read this fucken paragraph. If not, just sit back and enjoy a gifted old-school motherfucker laying it down. 9.5.
Lyrics
Drugs. Bewilderment. Sex. Depression. Killing your cheating girlfriend. Scattered bits of weirdo poetry. The voice of Star Fleet. What more can you ask for? 9.
Cover art
The Experience standing around, decked out in their scarf-based garb, magical colors swirling everywhere. Surrounded by a mustardy miasma. Being that this was their debut, it is always a good idea to show your audience who is in the band. Then they can personally identify with who they’re listening to. Unless, of course, you’re in this rad band. Then please do not put yourself on the cover. In fact, save yourself the question of what you will put on the cover by not releasing an album.
Douchiest band photos aside, while this cover does the job there’s nothing miraculous going on. 5 methinks.
Logo
Whoa, dude, when you turn it upside-down it says “you’ll never hear surf music again”. Chew on that for awhile, boss. 6.
Booklet
My copy of this CD is old. Maybe the original record came with a sleeve that was made out of LSD tabs. That would be awesome. For that possible but unlikely acid sheet sleeve I award a 10. Over the course of the reissuing process it is most likely that they included more photos, fun facts, and other extras. But subtract the hallucinogens from the experience and you’re left with a 6.
Overall and ending rant
While I doubt there’s anyone reading this who has never heard of Jimi Hendrix, the point of reviewing it on GD is to get you fucken numbskulls to pick up the whole album and listen to it from front to back. These days the songs contained herein have moved from revolutionary to iconic to plain rock and roll staples. Placing yourself in the year 1967, however, you can easily see how much impact they had. Seriously, you watched your buddy’s brain fly out and explode like a water balloon!
Imagining aside, what is truly remarkable is that any fan of hard, guitar-based music can still find inspiration and joy in these tracks over 40 years later. Good luck replicating this feat, today’s barely alive mainstream rock and roll scene. Calling this classic rock is almost dismissive. “Are you experienced?” is still alive and kicking…even if Hendrix himself drowned suspiciously in a few gallons of wine. Wish he were still around. He’d certainly have immolated the White Stripes and their ilk and punched Kravitz’s stupid guts out the other side of this stomach. The world would be a better place.
- Information
- Released: 1967
- Label: Track
- Website: www.jimihendrix.com
- Band
- Jimi Hendrix: guitars, vocals
- Noel Redding: bass
- Mitch Mitchell: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Purple Haze
- 02. Manic Depression
- 03. Hey Joe
- 04. Love or Confusion
- 05. May This Be Love
- 06. I Don’t Live Today
- 07. The Wind Cries Mary
- 08. Fire
- 09. Third Star From the Sun
- 10. Foxey Lady
- 11. Are you Experienced?
