Reviews

The fifth month of 1967 was a complex and vibrant time musically. All eyes were on The Beatles, and the psychedelia of Sgt. Pepper would see the light of day in just under a month. The times were a-changin', and many albums over the next year would change the rock landscape forever. One of those was the arrival of Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Fronted by American born Jimi Hendrix, a guitar virtuoso like no one had ever seen before - or ever would again, the power trio was the talk of the London underground at the time of their debut album's release. Recorded in dribs and drabs over a 6 month period as the songs appeared and the money accrued, it was at the forefront of the musical change brewing. Although it sounds dated at times today, it still holds its place as an essential album. It is amazing to think that upon its release in the U.K. it was only available in mono, and stereo mix did not appear until 1970! Although the album does suffer somewhat from the one dimensional sound mono produces, the album still manages to build excitement. The album opens with a burst of feedback and 'Foxy Lady' rumbles out the speakers. These days the song is a staple of classic rock, but in 1967 this rough and ready song must have sounded like it was coming from outer space. The bassline weaves in and out of the guitar riff and the whole track drips with a slinking sexiness. 'Manic Depression' really kicks the album into gear, and the song is more proto-heavy metal than anything Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin ever produced. Its rhythm drags you along for the ride, and Hendrix now really starts to showcase his chops with a shredding solo like nothing else in its time. The blues of 'Red House' are an even better case for the skills of the guitarist, but it could be said that blues licks like these were everywhere in London at that time, with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page both showing this type of skill in many a club on any Saturday night. The charm of the song really lies in the delivery, with Hendrix pining for his lost love, only to then casually mention her sister will probably be interested anyway. It is great window into his cheeky personality. 'Can You See Me' is another great rock song, bristling with energy. 'Love Or Confusion' slows the pace a little, and shows that the band aren't one trick ponies. The song has more depth, both musically and lyrically. It is also one on Jimi's best vocal performances on the album. 'I Don't Live Today' jolts you back into the chaos, and closes side A with a great track that really showcases the psychedelic side of the band. Even the solo is uncontrolled and free, and is probably the least technical of any solo on the album, showing that even though anything was possible Hendrix still believed in restraint. It all ends in a burst of controlled feedback - or a 'freak out' if you had heard it on release. The gentle 'May This Be Love' opens side B, and is an amazingly crafted ballad. The melody bounces as if on streams of air, and the guitar tone never approaches anything too jagged, instead keeping a perfectly balanced sound throughout. The solo is flowing and tasteful in a way that only a master could construct it, and weaves itself into being part of the composition. 'Fire' is another well-known classic, but here it is a welcome return to the band's heavier side after such a beautiful sonnet. It has been placed here deliberately so its effect can hit with full force, and it does. The lengthy '3rd Stone From The Sun' is instrumental (if you ignore the warped and distorted 'alien' voices and spoken passages that were dubbed in later). It all starts a little drab, but lifts once it finds its groove. As one of the earliest compositions attempted at the album's sessions it was obviously near and dear to Hendrix's heart (he was an avid fan of science fiction), and his electric soloing carries it from being average. It is often noted as potentially the only filler on the album, but it does feature certain compositional moments that are worth paying attention to, such as the double-speed middle section. 'Remember' leads the album toward its conclusion and is a somewhat throw-away blues number. The U.S. version of the album (that featured a very different track list) chose to emit this track, and probably for good reason. The album's title track brings it all home, with a its weird tone (created using backward tape loops). This is psychedelic Hendrix at his best, both lyrically and musically. The guitar solo is even played backwards, but still fits compositionally, something only the brain of Jimi Hendrix could possibly devise. Restrained by both the studio limitations of the era and the mono mix these songs feel like there is more potential here than is realised. Add to this the buzz around Hendrix in London at the time (he had already outplayed Clapton while guesting with Cream) and the guitar work must have sounded somewhat muted. Make no mistake though, as it was obviously devised that way. The stage was where The Experience would really make a name for themselves, especially in those early days of destroying guitars and playing with teeth, but Hendrix knew that an album would last forever, and he had no intention of making it a showcase of gimmicks. Although not every track here is gold standard, it shows a man (who less than six months earlier had never written a song) finding his place and his muse. The future would see more ambitious compositions, but like every debut album by any artist, this album alone holds a certainly charm Hendrix never again achieved on tape. Move over Rover, let Jimi take over.

Continuing my One Listen Slingshot review exercise, I've chosen to apply this latest release from Armored Saint. It seems a little ironic that I have grown to take an interest in this band post lead singer John Bush being involved in the greatest betrayal in heavy metal history - replacing the metal voice legend, and Anthrax soul in Joey back in the 90's. Turns out John Bush is an O.K. bloke, although I'll never listen to his Anthrax releases. Right, now that is over let's move onto the album. I'm a casual follower of the band, although I now realised, from reading what they have been up to, it might be less casual. La Raza from 2010 was the last release I really loved through multiple, multiple listens. I do need to reacquaint myself to activity between then and now but let's focus on now. EMF is a 11 song 47-minute effort which is very much to my liking. The first track 'Close To The Bone', starts with a heavy fast paced tempo, along with the easily recognisable Bush vocal. Pete Sandoval continues to be a beast on those solos. So far, a great start for me and now I want to learn more. The following track keeps the pace up somewhat but don't seem to be as catchy as the opening track. Having said that it is far away from saying the tracks are throwaway material. Far from it. I've always liked the middle, where a band has its thrash heritage but links it with what you could call hard rock sound. It's nothing that has a direct line of it being easy to notice which side of the line a band might live on. The blend of the two is something I really enjoy. Particularly when we talk of such a legendary band which has members well respected for their chops. It is also worth pointing out they are one of the few bands that had a revolving door of ins and outs of the band. Current lineup consists of a band that all played together in the late 80's and have been back together for almost the past 20 years. Impressive stuff. If I am to call out a song as being sub-par, It's a 'Buzzkill' is not all that inspiring and doesn't offer anything to the listener apart from considering it a fill-in track. Moving on, by now you get the hint that while you had early hope maybe, it isn't their best work. However, as I said I don't mind a band like Armored Saint still putting out hard, punchy tracks. Seems though they were a few tracks short of having a memorable album allowing the fillers to bring the quality of the release down.