The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Jimi Hendrix
Vocals, Guitar
Mitch Mitchell
Drums
Noel Redding
Bass, Vocals
Location: Westminster, London, England
Genre: Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock
Years Active: 1966 - 1970
Meaning of the Name: Forefronts Jimi Hendrix as the main attraction. Alludes to a "drug experience".
Way of Working: Led by Jimi Hendrix
Essential Releases
Are You
Experienced (1967)
Revolutionary debut album that reinvented guitar music by including elements of both blues and the psychedelic.
Electric
Ladyland (1968)
Sprawling double album that experiments with funk.
The best guitarist of all time died by choking on his own vomit at 27. Meeting a tragic end at the height of his fame in 1970, Jimi Hendrix was a violent man responsible for some of the best rock music ever recorded. Songs such as 'Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)', 'All Along the Watchtower', and 'Hey Joe' stand the test of time as classics, but the raw aggression that drives them is impossible to separate from their creator.
Forming The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967 in London, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell were specifically chosen as bandmates for Hendrix to amplify his enigmatic talent. Instead of merely keeping time, the drums engage in a discussion with the guitar, changing tempo at will and providing momentum. The bass enhanced this creative frenzy, sometimes doubling the guitar lines to create a sense of raw power, while also serving as a much-needed anchor during the spectacular solos.
The band's three-album run between 1967 and 1968 is frequently cited as one of the most important in music history because it proved that a trio could be as loud as a larger group and outplay them. At the time, traditional bands had four or more members.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (alongside Cream and The Who) shattered this paradigm by using amplification technology to fill a room with sound. Central to this was Hendrix's innovative use of "thumb-over" fretting, a technique that allowed him to play both lead and rhythm simultaneously, making one guitar sound like two, and giving him the power to stand next to a mountain and chop it down with the edge of his hand.
Through the warped cry of a wah-wah pedal, Hendrix expanded the popular notion of what a guitar could do, creating noises previously thought impossible, sometimes by using his teeth in place of a pick. This explosion of boundary-breaking creativity descended into performative violence when Hendrix smashed his guitars on stage, destroyed them with fire, or did somersaults while playing. Hendrix said of his fire rituals: "You sacrifice things you love. I love my guitar."
He also loved his girlfriend, and the violent tendencies exhibited on stage manifested in his personal life as well. It is widely accepted that Hendrix hit Carmen Borrero in the face with a vodka bottle in 1968, inflicting an injury that required stitches; a Swedish court found him guilty of criminal damage for destroying his hotel room during the same incident.
Paradoxically, Hendrix was a key figure in the peace-loving hippie movement and famously headlined the 1969 Woodstock festival, but he was also a former paratrooper in the 101st Airborne. This contradiction lies at the heart of his appeal. While such hostility initially seems to contradict hippie values, it's important to remember that the sub-culture arose as a response to the Vietnam War.
The brutal volume of The Jimi Hendrix Experience undeniably assaults the senses in a way that was cathartic for a young cohort of Americans who lived under the pervasive threat of enlistment. It also provided a soundtrack to the fears and hopes of a generation.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
95
Mental Impact
65
Originality
95
Artistry
85
Authenticity
45
Live
100
Production
70
Musicianship
100
Singing
70
Songwriting
85
Danceability
65
Fun
70
Consistency
100
Range
85
Cool
100
Charisma
70
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications >>>
- Are You Experienced - Platinum in the USA; Gold in the UK
- Axis: Bold as Love - Platinum in the USA; Gold in the UK
- Electric Ladyland - Platinum in the USA; Gold in the UK
Charts >>>
- Are You Experienced - Number 2 in the UK; Number 5 in the US
- Axis: Bold as Love - Number 3 in the US; Number 5 in the UK
- Electric Ladyland - Number 1 in the US; Number 6 in the UK
Critics >>>
- Rolling Stone - Are You Experienced - The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 30th
- Rolling Stone - Axis: Bold as Love - The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020): 92nd
- Rolling Stone - Electric Ladyland - The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): 54th
- The Times - Electric Ladyland - 100 Best Albums of All Time: 37th
