Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced? was released on this day 50 years ago (May 12, 1967). Released under the name The Jimi Hendrix Experience, the band's debut album was immediately acclaimed and is known as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Rolling Stone put together a list of 10 little known facts about the album. Some of the highlights include:
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience, with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums, had only been together a few weeks before recording of the album began.
- It took 16 recording sessions over five months to record Are You Experienced?
- None of the songs on the album had been performed live by the band before recording them and some of them were only rehearsed once before recording.
- "Purple Haze" isn't about an acid trip.
- "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze" both bombed on the U.S. music charts.
Head over to Rolling Stone to see the full list and more stories about the album.