Move Over Rover And Let Jimi Take Over

As the memory fades ever more into the distance and the tired old clips of setting fire to his guitar and changing the song to Sunshine Of Your Love on the Lulu show are trotted out yet again, it is easy to forget that Jimi Hendrix wasn't just a flamboyant if unpredictable live performer and ultimate rock guitar virtuoso but he also made four hugely imaginative studio albums. This disk is the debut, Are You Experienced ? Released in 1967, soundtrack to the Summer Of Love and a very varied set ranging from pure blues to hard driving rock to left field trippiness to the modal highlight that is the title track. Half a rain forest worth of print has been written about Hendrix the legend, so not much point in adding to cyber clutter by saying much more on this blog. But just a few more random thoughts. The production on Are You Experienced ? is way ahead of most at the time with obvious George Martin exceptions and this is even more noticeable on this disk, where the original album is padded out with the first three singles plus their b sides. These singles, the freak out of Purple Haze and beauty of Wind Cries Mary notwithstanding, sound monochrome alongside the album proper. And the final point I'd like to make is that the Experience were a band and Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell's contributions shouldn't be overlooked. "Not necessarily stoned but beautiful".