...............................................album of the week

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - (1967) Are You Experienced?

Review by Richie Unterberger & Sean Wastergaard (AMG)

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his instrument, often with innovative amplification experiments that produced astral-quality feedback and roaring distortion. His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship -- he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire -- has sometimes obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter, singer, and master of a gamut of blues, R&B, and rock styles.

When Hendrix became an international superstar in 1967, it seemed as if he'd dropped out of a Martian spaceship, but in fact he'd served his apprenticeship the long, mundane way in numerous R&B acts on the chitlin circuit. During the early and mid-'60s, he worked with such R&B/soul greats as Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, and King Curtis as a backup guitarist. Occasionally he recorded as a session man.

· Track List:

01. Purple Haze
02. Manic Depression
03. Hey Joe
04. Love or Confusion
05. May This Be Love
06. I Don't Live Today
07. The Wind Cries Mary
08. Fire
09. Third Stone from the Sun
10. Foxey Lady
11. Are You Experienced?


· Personnel:

Jimi Hendrix – lead vocals, guitar
Noel Redding – bass, backing vocals
Mitch Mitchell – drums, tambourine


· About...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jimi_Hendrix_Experience

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix


·Video:

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Hey Joe

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze

...............................................album of the week

The Yardbirds - (1965) Having a Rave Up

Review by Bruce Eder (AMG)

The Yardbirds are mostly known to the casual rock fan as the starting point for three of the greatest British rock guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Undoubtedly, these three figures did much to shape the group's sound, but throughout their career, the Yardbirds were very much a unit, albeit a rather unstable one. And they were truly one of the great rock bands; one whose contributions went far beyond the scope of their half dozen or so mid-'60s hits ("For Your Love," "Heart Full of Soul," "Shapes of Things," "I'm a Man," "Over Under Sideways Down," "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"). Not content to limit themselves to the R&B and blues covers they concentrated upon initially, they quickly branched out into moody, increasingly experimental pop/rock. The innovations of Clapton, Beck, and Page redefined the role of the guitar in rock music, breaking immense ground in the use of feedback, distortion, and amplification with finesse and breathtaking virtuosity. With the arguable exception of the Byrds, they did more than any other outfit to pioneer psychedelia, with an eclectic, risk-taking approach that laid the groundwork for much of the hard rock and progressive rock from the late '60s to the present.

· Track List:

01. Mr. You're A Better Man Than I
02. Evil Hearted You
03. I'm A Man 04. Still I'm Sad
05. Heart Full Of Soul
06. Train Kept A Rollin'
07. Smokestack LIghtning
08. Respectable
09. I'm A Man
10. Here 'Tis

11. Shapes Of Things
12. New York City Blues
13. Jeff's Blues (Take 1)
14. Someone To Love (Part 1)
15. Someone To Love (Part 2)
16. Like Jimmy Reed Again
17. Chris' Number
18. What Do You Want
19. Here 'Tis
20. Here 'Tis (Version For RS)
21. Stroll On


· Personnel:

Jeff Beck – lead guitar
Eric Clapton – lead guitar
Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar
Jimmy Page – lead guitar
Jim McCarty – drums, backing vocals
Keith Relf – vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar
Paul Samwell-Smith – bass, backing vocals, musical director


· About...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yardbirds


·Video:

...............................................album of the week

Led Zeppelin - (1969) II


Review by Thomas Erlewine (AMG)

Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press detested the band. Consequently, the only connection the audience had with the band was through the records and the concerts. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound.

Led Zeppelin formed out of the ashes of the Yardbirds. Jimmy Page had joined the band in its final days, playing a pivotal role on their final album, 1967's Little Games, which also featured string arrangements from John Paul Jones. During 1967, the Yardbirds were fairly inactive. While the Yardbirds decided their future, Page returned to session work in 1967. In the spring of 1968, he played on Jones' arrangement of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man." During the sessions, Jones requested to be part of any future project Page would develop. Page would have to assemble a band sooner than he had planned. In the summer of 1968, the Yardbirds' Keith RelfJames McCarty left the band, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name, as well as the obligation of fulfilling an upcoming fall tour. Page set out to find a replacement vocalist and drummer. Initially, he wanted to enlist singer Terry Reid and Procol Harum's drummer B.J. Wilson, but neither musician was able to join the group. Reid suggested that Page contact Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle. and

· Track List:

01. Whole Lotta Love
02. What Is and What Should Never Be
03. The Lemon Song
04. Thank You
05. Heartbreaker
06. Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
07. Ramble On
08. Moby Dick
09. Bring It On Home


· Personnel:

Robert Plant – lead vocals, harmonica
Jimmy Page – electric and acoustic guitar, backing vocals
John Paul Jones – bass guitar, organ, backing vocals
John Bonham – drums, tympani, backing vocals


· About...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_Zeppelin


·Video: