The Making of Are You Experienced? (Wonderland Records WLR-2095)
Disc One (72:15): 1. Foxy Lady (mono, Track vinyl, 3:11); 2. Foxy Lady (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:14); 3. Manic Depression (false start, mono, 0:05); 4. Manic Depression (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 0:23); 5. Manic Depression (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 4:31); 6. Manic Depression (sim stereo, sttp, 3:36); 7. Manic Depression (mono, Track vinyl, 3:31); 8. Manic Depression (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:39); 9. Red House (mono, pre-take chat); 10. Red House (mono, track vinyl, 3:45); 11. Red House (stereo, 1:26); 12. Red House (stereo, 1:42); 13. Red House (stereo, 3:02); 14. Red House (stereo, 3:50); 15. Red House (stereo, Smash Hits CD, 3:48); 16. Can You See Me (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:37); 17. Can You See Me (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 2:25); 18. Can You See Me (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:33); 19. Can You See Me (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 2:28); 20. Can You See Me (simulated stereo, sttp, 2:28); 21. Can You See Me (mono, Track vinyl, 2:30); 22. Can You See Me (stereo, Polydor CD, 2:29); 23. Can You See Me (simulated stereo, Legacy vinyl, 2:32); 24. Love or Confusion (mono, Track vinyl, 3:06); 25. Love or Confusion (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:10); 26. I Don’t Live Today (stereo, instrumental, oots, 2:22); and 27. I Don’t Live Today (stereo, instrumental, oots, 1:09).
Disc Two (70:35): 1. I Don’t Live Today(7)(stereo, instrumental, oots, 2:10); 2. I Don’t Live Today(4)(stereo, instrumental, oots, 4:18); 3. I Don’t Live Today(3)(stereo, oots, 4:19); 4. I Don’t Live Today(1)(mono, Track vinyl, 3:51); 5. I Don’t Live Today (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:47); 6. May This Be Love (mono, Track vinyl, 2:56); 7. May This Be Love (mono, Barclay single, 3:10); 8. May This Be Love (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:07); 9. Fire (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 0:45); 10. Fire (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 0:09); 11. Fire (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:07); 12. Fire (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:48); 13. Fire (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:49 +1:14); 14. Fire (mono, instrumental, oots, 2:34); 15. Fire (mono, Track vinyl, 2:32); 16. Fire (stereo, Polydor CD, 2:40); 17. 3rd Stone From the Sun (mono, double speed vocal, tape, 3:20); 18. 3rd Stone From the Sun (mono, Track vinyl, 6:31); 19. 3rd Stone From the Sun (stereo, Polydor CD, 6:38); 20. Remember (mono/sim stereo, instrumental, oots2/sttp, 0:30, preceded by f.s. 0:04 and followed by false starts );)7, 0:09); 21. Remember (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 2:29); 22. Remember (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 0:46, followed by false starts 0:07, 0:03); and 23. Remember (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:45).
Disc Three (72:03): 1. Remember (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 2:45, followed by false start 0:07); 2. Remember (sim stereo, instrumental, sttp, 2:46); 3. Remember (mono, Track vinyl, 2:44); 4. Remember (stereo, Smash Hits CD, 2:47); 5. Are You Experienced? (mono, backward guitar, Track vinyl, 2:49); 6. Are You Experienced? (mono, Track vinyl, 4:00); 7. Are You Experienced? (stereo, Polydor CD, 4:08); 8. Purple Haze (mono, overdub, 2:58); 9. Purple Haze (stereo, overdub, 2:39); 10. Purple Haze (mono, Track single, 2:45); 11. Purple Haze (mono, Reprise vinyl, 2:45); 12. Purple Haze (stereo, Polydor CD, 2:46); 13. Purple Haze (simulated stereo, Legacy vinyl, 2:42); 14. Purple Haze (simulated stereo, Symphony of Experience, 2:16); 15. Manic Depression (mono, Reprise vinyl, 3:32); 16. Hey Joe (stereo, sttp, 3:43); 17. Hey Joe (stereo, instrumental, sttp, 3:11); 18. Hey Joe (stereo, instrumental, sttp, 1:33); 19. Hey Joe (stereo, sttp, 3:29); 20. Hey Joe (mono, vocal slip up, Unsurpassed Masters, 3:04); 21. Hey Joe (mono, Polydor single, 3:19); 22. Hey Joe (mono, Reprise vinyl, 3:21); and 23. Hey Joe (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:22).
Disc Four (66:03): 1. Hey Joe (simulated stereo, Legacy vinyl, 3:20); 2. Love or Confusion (mono, Reprise vinyl, 3:08); 3.May This Be Love (mono, Reprise vinyl, 2:59); 4. I Don’t Live Today (mono, Reprise vinyl, 3:53); 5. The Wind Cries Mary (stereo, instrumental, oots, 3:29); 6. The Wind Cries Mary (mono, Track single, 3:23); 7. The Wind Cries Mary (mono, Reprise vinyl, 3:20); 8. The Wind Cries Mary (stereo, Polydor CD, 3:18); 9. Fire (mono, Reprise vinyl, 2:33); 10. 3rd Stone From the Sun (mono, Reprise vinyl, 6:32); 11. Foxy Lady (mono, Reprise vinyl, 3:16); 12. Are You Experienced? (mono, Reprise vinyl, 4:09); 13. Stone Free (mono, Polydor Swedish single, 3:30); 14. 51st Anniversary (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 0:36); 15. 51st Anniversary (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 0:36); 16. 51st Anniversary (simulated stereo, instrumental, sttp, 3:14); 17. 51st Anniversary (stereo, 3:14); ;18. 51st Anniversary (mono, MCA CD, 3:15); 19. Highway Chile (mono, War Heroes CD, 3:30); and 20. La Pouppee Qui Fait Non (stereo instrumental, 3:40).
Wonderland Records’ beautiful, glossy long box production called The Making of “Are You Experienced?” describes itself as follows:
This four-disc set has nearly every mix and take (recorded prior to 5/67) of the tracks that appeared on “Are You Experienced” (Europe and US) and the first 3 European singles. Vinyl, CD, and tape were used as sources. Outtake material from Out of the Studio, Out of the Studio 2, Olympic Gold, and Are You Experienced the Sessions was examined, and the best version of each take was used. This means stereo where available. In the case of Purple Haze, there are 2 unique mixes, so both were included. This set contains the complete AYE monos released on Track and Reprise. Although the mixes are the same on both releases, you may hear differences in the overall sound. Both of these are hard enough to find in good condition that it seemed better to include both. Which you prefer will be a matter of opinion. The vinyl tracks were manually declicked, and then subjected to a light automated de-crackle. There is still noise in places, but some types of vinyl noise are nearly impossible to remove completely. These tracks still sound pretty good, though. Besides channel averaging on the mono cuts, no other processing was done to the vinyl tracks.
It is fairly debatable that this release by Wonderland Records contains “nearly every mix and take” of the AYE songs recorded before May, 1967. For example, Rattle Snake’s marvelous 2007 release of The First Studio Sessions 1966/1967 (RS 203/4/5/6) contains takes of “Remember” from the February, 1967 AYE sessions not found on the Wonderland release. There may also be other releases with still more takes or alleged “mixes.” But there are also takes on Wonderland’s release not found Rattle Snake’s effort, such as a spellbinding version of “Are You Experienced?” featuring backwards looping and trippy guitar licks, thunderous renditions of “Purple Haze” with isolated and haunting vocal overdubs, and gorgeous instrumental and alternate takes of “Hey Joe” to name just a few. Both releases feature all songs in perfect studio quality, so when combined it’s hard to imagine if there’s anything more a student of the AYE album would need to study and learn about the group’s creative processes during those magical recordings.
Wonderland’s production includes a beautiful glossy booklet identifying the source of each track accented by a number of excellent pictures of the group, Jimi with Buddy Miles, and of Jimi in action. For fans and collectors of the sessions from this seminal rock album, Wonderland’s The Making of “Are You Experienced?” may in some respects be considered definitive. A collector wants to hear each iteration of the same song may also wish to pursue Rattle Snake’s release or possibly others for completeness. But there is no questioning that Wonderland’s title is one very much worth having and is highly recommended because of its thoughtful and classy production.
3 Comments
thankx, Hager. we had been hoping that the packaging would allow for the outer long-box to be stored separately from the actual discs themselves, but we got one anyway, and really love it! extremely recommended! and we just put the discs in paper sleeves so that we could store them with all our other CD titles and store the oversized long-box elsewhere
The discs sit in trays on opposing sides of the long-box, and there are two on each side. Those trays are affixed to the box, which opens like a book, and cannot be removed without destroying the box. I hope that answers your question.
thanx for this review. are the 4 discs packaged in inner jewel cases, digi-packs, or sleeves that can be removed from the outer long-box so that the long-box is separable from each disc and therefore the long-box can be stored away separately, or maybe even discarded? thanx to anybody who could tell me