Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?

If mood music makes your Monday go down smooth - Jimi Hendrix makes your Monday the best day of the week. I think I've shown my colors for Jimi already on the B Side, but I love his music. Easily in the top 3 guitarists of all time - probably number one on most days and most lists. Way too talented to have died so young. Such was life in that decade though. 1967 saw the release of this album, which was the first for Jimi and his band The Experience. This is a SHOCKINGLY low 4x platinum in the states. Really? Boston (don't get me wrong, I enjoy Boston) is like 16x or something like that, and Jimi is 4? That sickens me a little bit. Anyway, if somehow you've never heard Jimi - and I guarantee you've heard at least 3 songs of this record, he has a very in your face and ballsy guitar riff in just about every song. He also has some of the most delightful lyrics on certain tracks. Lyrics that make you scratch your head and sing along. The short of it, this album is amazing. Is it my favorite Jimi album? I don't know. That's like asking if I want a new Mercedes or a new BMW - I'm happy no matter what. This is probably the best debut album of all time, and certainly in the discussion of best album of all time. Please listen to it. If you've never heard this whole thing, you need to check it out. And if you have, be like me today and listen to it again. It's still amazing. Happy Monday!

TRACK LISTING:
1. Purple Haze
2. Manic Depression
3. Hey Joe
4. Love or Confusion
5. May This Be Love
6. I Don't Live Today
7. Wind Cries Mary, The
8. Fire
9. 3rd Stone from the Sun
10. Foxey Lady
11. Are You Experienced?
12. Stone Free
13. 51st Anniversary
14. Highway Chile
15. Can You See Me
16. Remember
17. Red House

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Are You Experienced?
2. Hey Joe
3. Purple Haze

FINAL RATING:
5+ out of 5 stars

Jimi Hendrix - Valleys Of Neptune

The Experience Hendrix people decided to release a few previously unreleased tracks from Jimi this week. Valleys Of Neptune is just a compilation of some unseen studio stuff, similar to what Nirvana did with a disc of their box set. This didn't really jump hugely out to me, but it's nice. There is some neat stuff on here, and any time Jimi lays down some guitar - you have to respect it and listen closely. No one in the world plays like Jimi did...and you can hear it in everything he does. A couple tracks are songs you've heard before, but just jam session type stuff. Pretty neat to hear this what, 40 years later? My only real pet peeve, is Sunshine Of Your Love is covered, but it's just instrumental. I would have loved to hear Jimi really cover Cream. Regardless, still a great jam track. Big kudos to his family for releasing this stuff, and keeping the legend alive.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Stone Free
2. Valleys of Neptune
3. Bleeding Heart
4. Hear My Train A Comin'
5. Mr. Bad Luck
6. Sunshine of Your Love
7. Lover Man
8. Ships Passing Through the Night
9. Fire
10. Red House
11. Lullaby for the Summer
12. Crying Blue Rain

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Valleys Of Neptune
2. Sunshine Of Your Love
3. Crying Blue Rain

FINAL RATING:
4.25 out of 5 stars