Skip to content
Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube

psychedelic Scene

psychedelic Scene Magazine

  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts
Navbar
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Categories
    • Music
    • Lists
    • Books
    • Art
    • Columns
    • Science
    • Film
    • Podcasts

The Psych Ward–Are You Experienced? by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

PrevPreviousChan Says & Other Songs by Caleb Nichols–EP Review
NextSea of Sorrow by Tombstones in Their Eyes–Album ReviewNext
  • Bill Kurzenberger
  • May 5, 2023
  • 8:48 am

The Psych Ward–Are You Experienced? by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Are You Experienced? was the debut album released in 1967 by the eponymous power trio The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This astounding LP introduced to the world the ingenious guitar wizardry of this budding 24-year-old and jettisoned him to stardom.

The initial mono releases of this album varied significantly by location. The U.S. version left out “Can You See Me,” “Red House,” and “Remember;” the U.K./international release omitted “Hey Joe”, “The Wind Cries Mary” and amazingly “Purple Haze.” The subsequent stereo releases present an aural panorama with Hendrix’s guitar or vocals often present only in one channel. I first experienced this classic on cassette in the late 1980s on a Walkman with headphones. It was the first psych album I ever heard, and it naturally blew my mind.

“Purple Haze” speaks for itself as definitive psychedelia with its immortal guitar riff; Hendrix describes the magenta-tinged vision that accompanies LSD consumption. ”Manic Depression” is driven by Mitch Mitchell’s rabidly percussive tom-driven beat and a musically hesitant hook.

More notable for its infectious instrumental walkup than its ill-advised lyrics, “Hey Joe” describes a tragic love triangle with its murderous protagonist fleeing from justice to Mexico.

Image of trio in fish-eye lens photo with yellow background and the band name and album title in purple lettering.

Forgotten in the winds of time are “Love and Confusion” and “I Don’t Live Today.” Noel Redding’s bass plays as prominent a role as the guitar, dueling intertwining fretboard lines. The last minute of “I Don’t Live Today” is mind-bending bliss, fading thrice while Jimi adds Morrison-esque musings.

Sublime and soothing, the underrated “May This Be Love” features some of Hendrix’s most melodic singing on record. Backed by a breezy accompaniment, “The Wind Cries Mary” showcases his poignant poetry. “A broom is drearily sweeping up the broken pieces of yesterday’s life.” Wow.

The raucous, provocative anthem “Fire” is as primeval as its title implies; perhaps the trio’s finest track. “Foxey Lady” describes a vivacious vixen catching the singer’s eye.

“Third Stone from the Sun” is the album’s most psychedelic foray. Initially slowing down Hendrix’s spoken word before revealing his vivid narration, describing mysterious mountains and majestic silver seas. It halts briefly to plunge into chaotic free-form jazz, punctuated by the fuzz-laden Stratocaster’s whammy bar.

Jimi Hendrix's handwritten lyrics for Purple Haze

The final and title track innovatively loops tape playback as a rhythm track while Jimi wails on. This standout sonic oddity musically and lyrically encapsulates the double meaning of the album’s quintessential query.

Are You Experienced? is startling and breathtaking, and it’s no wonder that it is considered one of the best psych albums of all time. Depending on the version you listen to, your trip may vary.

 

Related: The 100 Best Psychedelic Rock Albums of the Golden Age

The Top 200 Psychedelic Songs from the Original Psychedelic Era

Gallery

Recent Articles

Close up of two men--the one with white hair and a bowtie in front with the dark-haired man standing right behind him next to the metal wall of the cylinder

Metallic Life Review by Matmos–Album Review

•
June 20, 2025
An image of two hippies, one young man and one young woman sitting on beanbags smoking a banandine joint in a den with wood paneling..

Acid Lore: The Great Banana Hoax

•
June 16, 2025
Two film outtakes on a split screen--one with a guy dressed as a clown carrying a briefcase, the other with a woman with peroxide blonde hair smoking a cigarette

Movie Club Release New EP Black Mamba with a Short Film

•
June 15, 2025
PrevPreviousChan Says & Other Songs by Caleb Nichols–EP Review
NextSea of Sorrow by Tombstones in Their Eyes–Album ReviewNext
Loading...
  • Music, Reviews

Metallic Life Review by Matmos–Album Review

  • Pete Bratach
  • June 20, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Acid Lore, Columns

Acid Lore: The Great Banana Hoax

  • Paul Weatherhead
  • June 16, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Film, Music, Reviews

Movie Club Release New EP Black Mamba with a Short Film

  • Jeff Broitman
  • June 15, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Features

Good Vibrations and Farewell: Remembering Brian Wilson

  • Jason LeValley
  • June 12, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Music, Reviews

Glitch Wizard by Anton Barbeau–Album Review

  • Dominyka Mauliūtė
  • June 10, 2025
  • No Comments
  • Features, Podcast

Podcast: Dr. Gamble Hosts Psilocybin Therapist Bénédicte Mannix

  • June 7, 2025
  • One Comment

Gallery

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Sign up for our Newsletter

Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates on trending stories, featured music articles, artist highlights and much more!

Contact Us

psychedelic Scene

Magazine

  • Home
    Home
  • About Us
    About Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
    Contact Us
  • Art
    Art
  • Books
    Books
  • Music
    Music
  • Film
    Film
  • Interviews
    Interviews
  • Reviews
    Reviews
  • Lists
    Lists
  • Features
    Features
Copyright @ 2025 All Rights Reserved Psychedelic Scene Magazine

Designed & Developed by: SYNC Digital Management

psychedelic Scene

Magazine

Learn More About Psychedelic Sacred Sexuality

Buy The Book On Amazon