•
Rating: After the enormous success in sales achieved with the previous four "45s" (Hey Joe, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary, and Burning Of Midnight Lamp), the Experience reached their peak of fame in May 1967 with the release of the album Are You Experienced?, which immediately entered the UK charts, reaching third place in October.
In Are You Experienced? Hendrix is discovering the infinite possibilities of the electric guitar, his genius is not yet worn out by the continuous performances demanded by the fans and the mystical aura that surrounded him, allowing him to freely express his emotions and simply be himself to compose the album that made rock history and with which he created a style imitated by all who followed. Are You Experienced? I don't think it’s fair to label it simply as a psychedelic rock album because it doesn't have a precise genre, but it can be defined as a concentrate of rock, pop blues, jazz, soul, and psychedelic experimentation. The songs are indeed very disconnected from each other, making the album a collection, the only common factors between the pieces being the emotions and the splendid solos Jimi gives us with his Strato.
The tracks are all generational anthems: the overwhelming hard rock of Purple Haze, in which Jimi tells of his dream where all this purple haze surrounds him, the innate soul of Fire, the psychedelic sensuality of Foxey Lady, the classic blues of Red House, the extraterrestrial jazz of Third Stone From The Sun (the pinnacle of sound exploration, especially from this piece you can understand how he was also a great composer besides being the guitarist we all know for his skills), the moving ballad The Wind Cries Mary, and obviously the legendary Hey Joe (a blues by Billy Roberts) and the title track Are You Experienced?, where afro rhythms and psychedelia intertwine to launch the “universal message” and break down the barriers of psychic and physical conformity.
But let's not forget the other masterpieces such as I Don’t Live Today, Manic Depression, Can You See Me, May This Be Love, Stone Free, 51st Anniversary, Highway Chile, Love Or Confusion. The only song that I personally find less convincing and consider a step below the others is Remember.
The album thus comes close to perfection, which, in addition to being a milestone, is together with Electric Ladyland one of the most influential albums in rock history.
Recommended to anyone who appreciates music in all its genres.
“If God exists, he is a hippie and plays the electric guitar”
Loading comments slowly
