JimmI Hendrix | Are You Experienced?
The debut album from guitar God Jimi Hendrix is widely considered to be one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music. The year was 1967 and Hendrix innovative approach to songwriting and electric guitar playing established a new direction in psychedelic and hard rock music.
Recorded over a five-month period, the album did its best to capture Hendrix’s desire to play as loud as possible. He refused to turn his amplifier down despite studio personal begging him to try and control his volume. His Marshall Stacks were so loud no on in the band could even stand in the same room as them while he was playing. Microphones were placed twelve feet away from the blistering wattage to avoid blowing up. For all the accolades and praise the album has received over the years, the crew spent no more than 30 minutes mixing each track working completely in mono.
Jimmi’s use of overdrive and distortion was never distasteful or abusive and served as the groove glue that bonded the songs together. Playing at such high volumes was something Hendrix understood as something to bring out the harmonic nuance of his craft. When the record company send the master tapes for “Purple Haze” for remastering, they wrote on the tape: “Deliberate distortion. Do not correct.”
The album is steeped in a variety of music genres, from rhythm and blues to free jazz, to folk exploration, to hard rock. “Foxy Lady” was written about a female rocket socialite who later married the Who’s Roger Daltry. Its opening fade-in on the F-note bend shimmies with sexual anticipation like a lustful tiger waiting to be let out of its cage. It’s impossible not to head bang along to the groove when the band starts stomping. Hendrix promises trust in the lyrics “I wanna take you home, I won’t do you no harm no” while the slinky, sexy, and dirty riffing gives away his true deception revealing his seedier intentions. This was a time where psychedelic rock misogyny was praised and adored, as later acts like Led Zeppelin would further explore and raise the bar to. Considering the vast amounts of female groupies lining up in the studio during the Experience’s sessions, there was little resistance to the sleazy testosterone-fuled-filed come ons.
The lyrics to “Purple Haze” could easily by dismissed as an acid trip but are really an interpretation of a dream Hendrix had about being underwater. It’s said Hendrix had not yet taken LSD at the time of the song’ writing, which may disappoint many but shows a refreshing innocence to his work. It opens with a guitar/bass harmony in the interval of a tritone that was prohibited by catholic composers for the stigma that it was like ringing Satan’s doorbell. Rightfully so the riff is now synonymous with rock’s essential vocabulary.
“Third Stone From The Sun” touches on space alien sci-fi, while Manic Depression offers fantasy about trading boring female partners for the more luscious love of music. “The Wind Cries Mary” is the first ballad the band recorded, written after an argument with his girlfriend in which he smashed plates and through a tantrum. “Fire” burns a playful rock riff and vocal performance against tightly coiled drums speaking their own language around the distortion textures. “Red House” is firmly situated in its traditional blues roots and gives Jimi a chance to open his Stratocaster up and cry a little.
The album cover almost comically personifies the era, and is an iconic encapsulation of psychedelic rock right down to the purple font characters. It’s funny how the shape of text can conjure up specific connections to different time periods. Any modern band who has used the Experienced font since is completely invested in being stereotyped for which drugs they’re likely obsessed with.
“Are You Experienced” is a landmark album having introduced acid rock, classic rock, and heavy metal into the mainstream. It forever remains a burning desire to rock lovers young and old.
Purple Haze
2 oz Empress Gin
1/2 oz Galliano
1/2 oz Blue Caraco
2 oz pineapple juice
.25 oz lime juice
6 fresh blueberries
*Muddle fresh blueberries at the bottom of the shaker. Add ingredients, ice, and shake well. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a pineapple slice.