LemonMelon
More 5G Than Man
To start things off, I'll admit, I have never been a huge Hendrix fan. Whether it be the lyrics, dated production values, or the relative thinness of the tunes, I couldn't get into his work for the longest time. That said, something has clicked. I listened to all of his first three albums in succession today, and was blown away. Maybe all it took was listening to more music from the era to truly appreciate just how important and brilliant he really was. Are You Experienced must have been absolutely thrilling upon release, and he just got better at crafting albums from there. I've made other best album polls, but this one should be especially interesting because he released so few studio albums before his death, all of them generally considered to be in the same tier quality-wise.
Here are some quick reviews to justify my vote:
Are You Experienced?
Though Jimi was an American, this is an unabashedly British record. It's not so much in step with the times sonically as it is in format. It was released in a very haphazard manner, like many early Beatles albums were, and as such, it is a very choppy record in the area of coherence. However, in my opinion, he never put together a better set of songs than this. Of the 11 tracks (17 if you have the reissue, like I do), only one or two are noticeably weaker than masterpieces like Purple Haze and Manic Depression. The production isn't fantastic, but it does suit the music. Sometimes, it sounds as if the tape is about to explode, and Hendrix's guitar sounds downright psychotic. A wonderful record, even if it never was released with a track listing that emphasizes how great these songs sound together.
Rating: A
Axis: Bold As Love
While lacking a bit in all-time classics (though you really can't do much better than tracks like Spanish Castle Magic, Little Wing, Castles Made Of Sand, and Bold As Love), Axis holds together very well. It comes across as a bit slight, but the album tracks hold up; Wait Until Tomorrow is desperate and yearning, yet extremely funky, She's So Fine is bracing British pop, and If 6 Was 9 is just bizarre. Overall, not my very favorite Hendrix record, but clearly a step in the right direction in many areas.
Rating: A-
Electric Ladyland
Generally regarded as Hendrix's most experimental and challenging record, it's also brilliantly-produced, providing the listener with guitar-crafted soundscapes, along with bristling rock. However, in spite of the sound, I can't quite get into this one. The melodies aren't quite as strong, the songs consistently stretch too long, and the all-time classics are, sadly, in short supply. Of course, they are present; only those lacking taste would look for something to hate about All Along The Watchtower, while Crosstown Traffic is badass funk, and Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) is more awe-inspiring than any 5-minute stretch during its longer incarnation. Elsewhere, Hendrix plays the blues he always did, but somehow it doesn't make the same impact for me that it did on previous albums. It's still fun, but next to bizarre outings like Burning Of The Midnight Lamp, and 1983, it just comes across as going back to what works. Of course, it still works, but it's not quite as thrilling.
Rating: B
So yeah, my vote is for Experienced. All three are very good, but the classics on that one are what won me over.
Here are some quick reviews to justify my vote:
Are You Experienced?
Though Jimi was an American, this is an unabashedly British record. It's not so much in step with the times sonically as it is in format. It was released in a very haphazard manner, like many early Beatles albums were, and as such, it is a very choppy record in the area of coherence. However, in my opinion, he never put together a better set of songs than this. Of the 11 tracks (17 if you have the reissue, like I do), only one or two are noticeably weaker than masterpieces like Purple Haze and Manic Depression. The production isn't fantastic, but it does suit the music. Sometimes, it sounds as if the tape is about to explode, and Hendrix's guitar sounds downright psychotic. A wonderful record, even if it never was released with a track listing that emphasizes how great these songs sound together.
Rating: A
Axis: Bold As Love
While lacking a bit in all-time classics (though you really can't do much better than tracks like Spanish Castle Magic, Little Wing, Castles Made Of Sand, and Bold As Love), Axis holds together very well. It comes across as a bit slight, but the album tracks hold up; Wait Until Tomorrow is desperate and yearning, yet extremely funky, She's So Fine is bracing British pop, and If 6 Was 9 is just bizarre. Overall, not my very favorite Hendrix record, but clearly a step in the right direction in many areas.
Rating: A-
Electric Ladyland
Generally regarded as Hendrix's most experimental and challenging record, it's also brilliantly-produced, providing the listener with guitar-crafted soundscapes, along with bristling rock. However, in spite of the sound, I can't quite get into this one. The melodies aren't quite as strong, the songs consistently stretch too long, and the all-time classics are, sadly, in short supply. Of course, they are present; only those lacking taste would look for something to hate about All Along The Watchtower, while Crosstown Traffic is badass funk, and Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) is more awe-inspiring than any 5-minute stretch during its longer incarnation. Elsewhere, Hendrix plays the blues he always did, but somehow it doesn't make the same impact for me that it did on previous albums. It's still fun, but next to bizarre outings like Burning Of The Midnight Lamp, and 1983, it just comes across as going back to what works. Of course, it still works, but it's not quite as thrilling.
Rating: B
So yeah, my vote is for Experienced. All three are very good, but the classics on that one are what won me over.
