Are You Experienced? [US]

1	Purple Haze 2:50
2	Manic Depression 3:42
3	Hey Joe 3:30
4	Love or Confusion 3:12
5	May This Be Love 3:10
6	I Don't Live Today 3:54
7	The Wind Cries Mary 3:20
8	Fire 2:43
9	Third Stone from the Sun 6:44
10	Foxey Lady 3:18
11	Are You Experienced? 4:16
12	Stone Free Bonus Track 3:35
13	51st Anniversary Bonus Track 3:15
14	Highway Chile Bonus Track 3:32
15	Can You See Me Bonus Track 2:32
16	Remember Bonus Track 2:48
17	Red House Bonus Track 3:51

Barnes & Noble

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix offered up Are You Experienced? (and played the guitar with his teeth), knocking Clapton and Townshend right off their guitar-god pedestals. This explosive debut, released just before Hendrix returned to the U.S. from London to play the Monterey Pop Festival, established him not only as a supersonic marvel, but as an innovative and sophisticated composer. This cosmic classic contains many of Hendrix's biggest hits, and their impact remains: the velvet aggression of "Purple Haze," the moody, waltzing "Manic Depression," the worshipful "Foxey Lady," the blues-powered "Fire," and the rueful "Hey Joe." With his gut-wrenching guitar playing and introspective lyrics, Hendrix casts a mystical spell; what kind of rock musician paints shimmering six-string waterfalls ("May This Be Love") or appoints wind, sky, and water as spiritual guides ("The Wind Cries Mary")? By the time Jimi escorts us out of our "measly little world" with "Are You Experienced?" -- which, with its backward-looped drums and scratch guitar, sounds prophetically hip-hop -- we're convinced this guy is from outer space. The 1997 reissue, part of the excellent Experience Hendrix series created by Jimi's family, is worthwhile not only for the crisply remastered Experienced, but for six bonus tracks: "Stone Free," "51st Anniversary," "Highway Chile" (British single B-sides), and "Can You See Me," "Remember," and "Red House" (from the original British LP). Steph Paynes

All Music Guide

One of the most stunning debuts in rock history, and one of the definitive albums of the psychedelic era. On Are You Experienced?, Jimi Hendrix synthesized various elements of the cutting edge of 1967 rock into music that sounded both futuristic and rooted in the best traditions of rock, blues, pop, and soul. It was his mind-boggling guitar work, of course, that got most of the ink, building upon the experiments of British innovators like Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend to chart new sonic territories in feedback, distortion, and sheer volume. It wouldn't have meant much, however, without his excellent material, whether psychedelic frenzy ("Foxey Lady," "Manic Depression," "Purple Haze"), instrumental freak-out jams ("Third Stone From the Sun"), blues ("Red House," "Hey Joe"), or tender, poetic compositions ("The Wind Cries Mary") that demonstrated the breadth of his songwriting talents. Not to be underestimated were the contributions of drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, who gave the music a rhythmic pulse that fused parts of rock and improvised jazz. Many of these songs are among Hendrix's very finest; it may be true that he would continue to develop at a rapid pace throughout the rest of his brief career, but he would never surpass his first LP in terms of consistently high quality. The British and American versions of the album differed substantially when they were initially released in 1967; MCA's 17-song CD reissue does everyone a favor by gathering all of the material from the two records in one place, adding a few B-sides from early singles as well. Richie Unterberger