Ultimate Experience

Jimi Hendrix | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OOG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,090 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. All Along the Watchtower

2. Purple Haze

3. Hey Joe

4. The Wind Cries Mary

5. Angel

6. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

7. Foxey Lady

8. Burning of the Midnight Lamp

9. Highway Chile

10. Crosstown Traffic

11. Castles Made of Sand

12. Long Hot Summer Night

13. Red House

14. Manic Depression

15. Gypsy Eyes

16. Little Wing

17. Fire

18. Wait Until Tomorrow

19. Star Spangled Banner [Live]

20. Wild Thing [Live]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That Is How the Records Must be Remastered, February 5, 2006

By 

Sergey Lenkov "Serge" (Mother Russia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Experience (Audio CD)

I wouldn`t tell you much about the music itself - it is best collection to start your acquaintance with the music by Jimi Hendrix. I`m also the man of the 80s, so this CD for me was an openinig of the unknown land.
But if you had heard almost all music by Jimi - this CD could be interesting for you too. This remastering by CHOP EM OUT is like restoring of the picture by the old artist. While listening to this CD, you could think: "That is how albums by Jimi must have sounded". On this CD you could hear his playing in detail, and you starting to see his songs as impressionistic work by the artist.
Sound on remastered classic albums by Jimi is much worse. By the way this CD is one the best remasters which I ever heard.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scuse me, while I review this disc, December 10, 2003

By 

Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Experience (Audio CD)

I don't know if there's anything I can add to what's already been said about Jimi Hendrix and his legendary guitar-playing. In addition to his psychedelic and electrified rock, Jimi was foremost a blues man of the late 60's. His influences included John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan, and Earl King, to name a few, and with such inspiration, what music he made during his short career. Here are the highlights of the Ultimate Experience, which should be enough for those wanting the creme de la creme.

"All Along The Watchtower" is one of his three biggest hits of Hendrix's career, as it peaked at #5 on the UK charts. Yes, this was a cover of a Dylan song from John Wesley Harding, but Dylan complimented Hendrix by adopting Jimi's version in future concerts.

"Excuse me, while I kiss the sky!" The second of the big three, the UK #3 "Purple Haze", was the followup single to "Hey Joe" and features the classic fuzz distortion that causes Jimi's guitar to be somewhat muddled. During the solo before the final verse, the blues influence is apparent.

The dark "Hey Joe" is one of my favourites, and it was after all, Hendrix's first hit single, as it hit the #4 in the UK. The story is a simple song about a man who shoots his woman because he caught her with another man. "And that ain't too cool." Oh, this was a cover song, originally done by the Leaves.

"The Wind Cries Mary" was inspired by a fight Jimi and his girlfriend had, where the latter left in a rage. The song was written after she returned.

Then, two songs with eerily foreshadowing lyrics. The sweet ballad "Angel", originally part of the posthumous Cry Of Love, is a portrait of a celestial and ideal woman. "Fly on my sweet angel fly on through the sky/fly on my sweet angel/tomorrow I'm gonna be by your side." Given his untimely death...wow!

"If I don't meet you no more in this world/Then I'll see you in the next one. Don't be late." That's one of the last lyrics in "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" a heavily electrified Delta blues tune with mythological and superhero overtones that has been covered by Stevie Ray Vaughn. The third of the big three songs.

"Foxy Lady" is supposed to have been inspired by Heather Taylor, who later became Mrs. Roger Daltrey, whom he dubs a "cute little heartbreaker" and "sweet little lovemaker."

Another favourite is the bitter and ironic "Castles Made Of Sand", about the cruel tricks fate plays, such as a war-ready Indian who's killed in his sleep at night, and the crippled girl whose "heart was a frown" and dies after seeing something worth living for. Sigh, how "castles made of sand melt into the sea, eventually."

"Red House" is a blues purist's dream come true, 12-bar blues tune about sensual love and how when he gets there, he gets a nasty surprise, "but that's ok, I still got my guitar." Thank goodness he does, as this is the one reason why Hendrix's middle name is virtuoso.

Other songs like "Fire" and "Little Wing" have been covered, the Chili Peppers on the former, the Corrs and Sting on the latter.

The two live songs here demonstrate Jimi's virtuoso guitar playing, the psychedelic and wildly done Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock, which was the debut of the Band of Gypsies, and his cover of the Troggs' "Wild Thing", where he set his guitar on fire at Monterey, smashed it, and entered immortal legendhood.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is where it all began for me..., July 31, 2005

By 

William Smith (Fontana, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Experience (Audio CD)

I'm *GASP* 37, more of the Ozzy/Kiss/Queen era I guess, as a beginning to music for me. Though I love/worship the Beatles, almost by default there are many, many of theses "old school" rockers I had never dabbled in.

A friend turned me onto a Jimi documentary of sorts and Jimi just appealed to me. Even the actor who played him. Jimi was Jimi. Genuine. It even comes through an ACTOR playing him. Genius. No doubt about that fact. I bought this cd about a week after seeing the documentary and it hasn't left my cd player for about a month or so I guess. With maybe only a song or two I don't care for it has really opened my eyes to the origin of the guitar. Sure, I'll still love Randy Rhoads, I can worship Joe Satriani, but now I know where life began.

If I had a minor beef it would be with the uneveness of the production quality. Some songs sound quite good (Angel, Voodoo Child), while others just sound a bit on the ratty/bassy side (Foxey Lady). Still, this is a minor gripe by an adoring fan.