Play on Jimi

Some of my earliest childhood memories involve music. Before I was even a teen, I remember listening to the oldies station on a little radio in my room. The 50's crooners, the Motown Sound of the 60's, the guitar rock of the 70's...I can almost hear my little crackly voice singing along to "Signs" by the Five Man Electrical Band.

"You can't even watch, no you can't eat
You ain't supposed to be herrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee
The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside
Ugh!"

Then, one day, I ventured into my dad's record collection. Mom and dad had a turntable (still have it) but for some reason one of the speakers didn't work, and for some reason, if you had the headphones on, one ear didn't produce sound. Didn't matter though, you could hear everything you needed to in one ear, right?

Well, for the first album I chose, that was true. Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits. The Big O recorded a lot of his earlier stuff in mono, so having one speaker didn't matter. During this oh so impressionable phase in my musical life, I had a four album rotation...Orbison's Greatest Hits, The Doors - Stange Days, The Beatles - White Album, and an album called Smash Hits by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Those of you who know me, know I am a big Bealtes guy. Some say you're either a Beatles fan or a Stones fan...well, my friends, I am a Beatles fan. Still love Orbison, too...but my all-time favorite has and always will be James Marshall Hendrix.

You want to know why?

Cause the first time I listened to a Hendrix album in stereo, the dude nearly blew my mind! You cannot, I repeat CANNOT listen to Hendrix out of one earphone. This guy had the mix flying from one ear to the other in the headphone, and musically, he did things that actually made guitar gods like Clapton and Pete Townshend (of The Who) declare "this is the guy that's going to put us out of a job."

Today, November the twenty-seventh, would have been Jimi's 65th birthday. He was born in 1942, but died an untimely death in 1970, 2 months short of his 28th birthday. The man did more for music in that short life, than many can accomplish in a lifetime...think of the songs...

Purple Haze...Foxey Lady...Hey Joe...Fire...The Wind Cries Mary...Stone Free...

And all of those are off of his first album! So, I decided at lunch today to pay tribute to my all-time fav, by putting on his first studio album, 1967's Are You Experienced (ranked #15 on the Rolling Stones all time greatest albums) and enjoying the ride.


(Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix Experience - released in August of 1967 - original tri-colored Reprise labeled lp, catalog number RS 6261 (for you record geeks out there, like me.)

Here's a few other pictures I snapped today for everyone to enjoy.


(Here is my display of Hendrix album re-issues...all factory sealed, along with all 3 of his 45 rpm box sets (45 rpm picture sleeves on top shelf, boxes on the ground next to case).


(Closer view of the 45 rpm picture sleeves.)


(Closer view of the sealed albums (except the purple box set at the top right...it is unsealed.) 17 great lp's...hard to believe that Jimi only released 3 while he was alive! You can see them on the top shelf, left side...Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland...I recommend you ALL go seek out these three albums, CD's, or downloads.)

Ah, play on Jimi...