Customer Reviews

Ultimate Experience

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I used to own this album, but I traded it away. Why? Because Jimi is too talented for a compilation! This one was good enough to convince me that I need to invest in his real albums.

Like most Hendrix compilations, The Ultimate Experience actually only covers songs from Jimi's three albums with the Experience - `Are You Experienced', `Axis: Bold As Love' and `Electric Ladyland'. As such, though, it does an excellent job of putting together the Experience's hits and landmark tracks, and does well in also including two classic live tracks - `Star Spangled Banner' is Jimi's groundbreaking interpretation of the national anthem from his Woodstock performance, and his performance of the Troggs' `Wild Thing' from `Jimi plays Monterey' is the unforgettable concert in which he set his guitar on fire with lighter fluid. My only complaint about the song selection is as for certain misrepresentation of `Axis', which, to me, is his best album. Classic tracks like `If 6 Was 9', `Bold As Love', `Spanish Castle Magic' and `One Rainy Wish' are missing. That's quite all right, though, because once you have The Ultimate Experience, `Axis' is the next album to get.

At any rate, The Ultimate Experience includes all the classic tracks from `Are You Experienced' and `Electric Ladyland', that showcase his terrific singing and songwriting and of course his brilliant and groundbreaking guitar playing, be it a beautiful ballad (`The Wind Cries Mary), a heavy rocker (`Foxy Lady') or a ragged blues track (`Red House'). Many of the songs in the collection are by now timeless classics, and some of them, like `Little Wing' (my all time favorite Hendrix song) were covered time and time again. These songs influenced generations of musicians, but no other rock n' roller who imitated Jimi had his passion and his innovation. The songs on this collection are all, one by one, essential listening for music lovers, and it's the perfect introduction to the music of this one of a kind artist. But next you must get `Axis: Bold As Love' and also `Band Of Gypsys' to truly understand the genius of the man.

NO ONE CAN COMPARE TO THE LEGEND. THIS CD IS A GREAT WAY TO OPEN THE DOOR TO THE GREATEST RECORDING ARTIST EVER. LITTLE WING, VOODOO CHILD AND RED HOUSE ARE DEFINANTELY HIS GREATEST NON-COMMERCIAL SONGS.

If you have seen any of my other reviews, this is the only album that I have reviewed that is not a hip hop album. I had always heard a couple of Jimi Hendrix's songs, like American Woman, Voodoo Child, Purple Haze, and others, but I never gave any of his albums a listen until I just had some urge to hear his music. I guess I wanted to see why people thought so highly of him.

Well, I got a hold of this CD which was in my dad's collection and I gave it a good listen. And I am now a Jimi Hendrix fan. I can't stop listening to this CD and I have so much respect for this man and the music he has made.

If you are a rock music or blues fan you need this or your not a real fan. If you dont listen to this type of music, I suggest when your tired of hearing the same old crap on the radio and in your collection I suggest you pick up a Jimi Hendrix album and listen to it with an open mind, you will be surprised how much you like it.

And if you dont like it, im sure there wont be a problem finding someone to cop that CD from you!!! Give this CD a listen, its amazing.

JIMI HENDRIX-THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE: There are literally dozens of collections out there chronicling the pyrotechnic (in more ways than one) career of the original guitar god James Marshall Hendrix, but THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE has little trouble living up to its title. Twenty titanic tracks touch upon all the important bases, including psychedelic FM cornerstones FOXY LADY and PURPLE HAZE, the hopped-up blooze of RED HOUSE and VOODOO CHILE, and spaced out, cool-arse covers such as ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER, the most iridescent DYLAN ever waxed, and THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER, barely recognizable via Hendrix' twisted heatsinker vision. This is one of the best single disc history lessons imaginable, from the man who shook, rattled, and rolled rock music to its very core; the aftershocks are still being felt multiple decades later.

RATING: FIVE JAMS

There's not much to say about this album that will help anyone, but here's my 2 cents: This is the best Jimi Hendrix album there is, including all his classics and some of the underrated stuff as well. It's one of the few albums I own that I can let play all the way through without irritation.

The greats are here- Voodoo Child, Hey Joe, All Along the Watchtower and more. At the same time, it has some of the songs I adore that never got as much renown as the others; such as Manic Depression and The Burning of the Midnight Lamp (one of my absolute favorites).

With each song coming in nice and crisp and with a good solid length, there's nothing negative to say about this album. If you're a fan of searing guitar riffs and some of the best melodies of the 60s, this is a great purchase. I had to special-order it for 20 bucks half a decade ago- it's a steal now!

Now out-of-print, "The Ultimate Collection" lives up to its title. This is absolutely the best of Jimi Hendrix; there's nothing missing that the casual fan actually needs. If you're just looking for a single-disc sampler, try to find a copy of this one.