Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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136 of 142 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Album Gets Classic Treatment, February 25, 2002
The overview, for those who have recently arrived from Mars and never heard of Jimi Hendrix, or who have recently started studying rock history and never heard of ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?: In his liner essay to this CD, Dave Marsh calls this "the greatest, most influential debut album ever released," and it's hard to counter his praise. Hendrix is one of the few 1960s rock gods who is worshipped as much by the children of those who grew up with his music as by their parents. This was the world's introduction to his psychedelic guitar, trippy lyrics and throbbing basslines, and his voice was clear from the start. It's rare to find more than one or two signature songs on a debut -- even Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones needed a running start to become the artists we think of today -- but Hendrix has five: "Purple Haze," "Foxey Lady," "Fire," "Hey Joe" and "The Wind Cries Mary." Thirty-five years after its initial release, ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? is prized both for its historical significance and its rocking sound, perfect for summer road trips or dorm room parties.With this CD release, the classic has been given its due. The remastered sound brings out every whine and whistle of Hendrix's guitar, every reverberation of Mitch Mitchell's drums, every "plunk" of Noel Redding's bass, restoring to the sound the layers it was intended to have. Marsh trips over himself to praise the album -- at one point, he suggests the Universe was created for the sole purpose of producing it -- but in his four pages he adequately places the album in its historical context. In selecting the six songs (Tracks 12-17) to add to the album's original 11, MCA and Experience Hendrix did a bang-up job of adding to the classic without breaking up the flow. The casual observer who's never heard the original vinyl would barely notice anything was changed, which is quite a feat, given how carefully crafted the album was. Rock fans will groove to Hendrix's vision and guitar-playing. Die-hard Hendrix fans and music historians will love the CD, making it a must-have for anyone's collection.
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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get Experienced, June 8, 2001
Are You Experienced? is the debut album from the original guitar god, the late, great Jimi Hendrix. Along with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, he created one of the most original sounds in music and laid down guitar work that has yet to be duplicated. The album opens with one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in music history, the opening line to "Purple Haze". The song became an anthem of the psychedelic rock sound and coupled with "The Star Spangled Banner", punctuated Mr. Hendrix's performance at Woodstock. "Hey Joe" is a cover song that Mr. Hendrix adds a subtle yet powerful guitar. "The Wind Cries Mary" is a quiet, reflective song that is followed up by a complete 180, the manic and reckless "Fire". "Stone Free" is rollicking song while "Foxy Lady" has a start stop, punchy sound. The album's finest song, and probably the best thing he recorded, is the title track. A swirling, shuffling, cornucopia of sounds with a razor blade guitar, the song is everything that makes Mr. Hendrix great. Are You Experienced? spent almost a year in the top ten and brought the Seattle born artist world wide acclaim.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The debut that lit the world on fire, October 26, 2002
Many artists have released excellent debut albums, but this is probably the debut that stunned the music world the most. It introduced the world to a 24-year-old gypsy named Jimi Hendrix, and his rather unique mix of blues, Bob Dylan, avant-garde experimentations and the Beatles. ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? definitely is one of the most essential albums in rock history. A lot of the songs are still played on the radio to this day ("Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," "Wind Cries Mary," "Fire," etc.) and it has influenced a countless amount of people to pick up guitars and just rock out.
In terms of songwriting, a few rival with Hendrix. From the beauty of "may this be love" to the chaos of 'i don't live today' and the On The Road-esque 'highway child,' Hendrix, besides being probably the best guitarist of all time, was an excellent and prolific writer, who used sound effects and chords at all of the right times.
My personal favorite track on this album is the 7-minute psychedelic/avant-garde jam "Third Stone From the Sun." With the experimentation of weird voices, weird poetry, jazz, and of course, Hendrix's legendary guitar distortion, it's an underrated track, but embodies basically everything Hendrix could do.
If you want to get into Hendrix, this is the place to start, and in my opinion, this is his best album. Now with music worse than ever, where's Hendrix when you need him?
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