Jimi Hendrix Experience — Are You Experienced

Authorized Hendrix Family Edition Remastered on 180-Gram Vinyl Widely regarded as one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music, Are You Experienced forever changed the concept of what a guitar could sound like. Jimi strapped on his “upside down” Stratocaster, punched his wah-wah peddle, and the world was never the same. This album is that revolutionary. The Experience had only been together for a few weeks in May of 1967 when they recorded Are You Experienced in London. They were also just a month away from their U.S debut, where Hendrix left the beautiful people of the Monterey Pop Festival absolutely gobsmacked by torching his guitar onstage. But The Experience wasn’t all Jimi. They were a superb power trio, with Noel Redding swapping his six-string for a bass and Mitch Mitchell attacking the drums with a ferocity that made Are You Experienced as much a revelation for drummers as it was for guitarists. Are You Experienced is shot through with surreal sonic moments, from backwards-masked drums to Jimi’s new guitar effect, the Octavia, which he used to add a higher-octave overtone to each note of his guitar solos, most notably during the album opener, “Purple Haze.” Are You Experienced features some of the band’s best-known songs, including the Experience’s first three singles, “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe” and “The Wind Cries Mary.” This 2014 edition is remastered from the original 2-track master tapes on 180-gram vinyl, for a sound that’s pure as “Fire.” Released: 7/29/14