Are You Experienced (album)

Are You Experienced was the debut album by

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The Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in 1967 (see 1967 in music). The album highlighted Jimi Hendrix's psychedelic, feedback-laden electric guitar mastery, and launched him as a superstar.

Related Topics:
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - 1967 - 1967 in music - Jimi Hendrix - Psychedelic

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After arriving in England in September 1966 and being taken under Chas Chandler's wing, they formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass. After singing with Polydor Records and quickly switching over to The Who's label, Track Records, the group released three classic Top 10 hit UK singles: "Hey Joe"/"Stone Free" (December 1966), "Purple Haze"/"51st Anniversary" (March 1967) and "The Wind Cries Mary"/"Highway Chile" (May 1967). During the making of these singles, The Jimi Hendrix Experience cut their debut album, with Chas Chandler producing. Released in England that May without the three singles - as was the custom in the UK at that time - Are You Experienced and The Jimi Hendrix Experience quickly became a sensation all across Europe, with the album reaching #2 in the UK, behind The Beatles' unmovable Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Many of Jimi Hendrix's aficionados regard the UK edition of Are You Experienced as the definitive version.

Related Topics:
England - September - 1966 - Chas Chandler - Mitch Mitchell - Noel Redding - Polydor Records - The Who - Track Records - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

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It was after the band's show-stealing performance at the Monterey Pop Festival that June that his US label Reprise Records prepared the album for release, but with some significant changes. The UK cover, admitedly, was not sensational, so a more colorful design was devised. Secondly, and more crucially, "Red House", "Can You See Me" and "Remember" were all removed - in order to make way for the three UK hit singles, with the running order being shuffled in the process. This time the running order was selected by Hendrix himself, but "Red House" was excluded from the album against his wishes. He was told that "America does not like the blues". In August, the US version of Are You Experienced saw issue and became a strong and enduring seller. Indeed, Jimi's own follow-up, ', out that December in the UK, had to be detained for 6 weeks due to his debut's stellar sales (and it still wouldn't reach its peak of #5 until October 1968).

Related Topics:
Monterey Pop Festival - Reprise Records

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After Jimi's father, Al Hendrix won back the rights to his son's musical catalogue, Are You Experienced was re-issued, now on Universal Records worldwide, preserving the UK and US versions in their respective territories and including the extra tracks missing from the respective editions.

Related Topics:
Al Hendrix - Universal Records

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Long considered by many to be perhaps the greatest debut album of the rock era, the TV channel VH1 named Are You Experienced? the 5th greatest album of all time in 2003.

Related Topics:
TV channel - VH1 - 2003

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