Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix

Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix is a compilation album of songs by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix, released in 1997 by Legacy Recordings. The single compact disc collects 20 songs spanning his career, from his first recordings with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966 to his last with Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell in 1970.

Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
Greatest hits album by Jimi Hendrix
Released	1997
Recorded	October 1966 – October 1970
Genre	Rock
Length	73:32
Label	Legacy
Compiler	Janie Hendrix John McDermott
Jimi Hendrix chronology
First Rays of the New Rising Sun (1997) Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (1997) South Saturn Delta (1997)

Experience Hendrix is the first comprehensive collection of Hendrix's songs overseen by Experience Hendrix, a family company that took over management of his recording legacy in 1997. Fifteen songs with the Experience are included, as well as five with Hendrix's later backing musicians. No songs from the Band of Gypsys lineup with Buddy Miles are included.[1]

Reception and charts

In a review for AllMusic, Bruce Eder gave the compilation four out of five stars.[2] He felt that the collection "just misses being the perfect single-CD Jimi Hendrix anthology": while the compilation includes some of Hendrix's noteworthy later work, it lacks several songs from his earlier Smash Hits compilation.[2]

The album reached number 18 in the UK[3] and number 133 in the US.[4] In 2006, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as "2× platinum" for shipping two million copies.[5]

Track listing

The titles and running times are taken from the original Experience Hendrix CD US release.[6] Other releases may show different information. Entries under "Original release" are for both the US and UK, unless otherwise indicated.

All tracks are written by Jimi Hendrix, except where otherwise noted.

Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"Purple Haze"	Single A-side	2:51
2.	"Fire"	Are You Experienced	2:43
3.	"The Wind Cries Mary"	Single A-side (UK), B-side (US)	3:20
4.	"Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts)	Single A-side	3:29
5.	"All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan)	Single A-side	3:58
6.	"Stone Free"	Single B-side of "Hey Joe" (UK)	3:35
7.	"Crosstown Traffic"	Electric Ladyland	2:19
8.	"Manic Depression"	Are You Experienced	3:42
9.	"Little Wing"	Axis: Bold as Love	2:25
10.	"If 6 Was 9"	Axis: Bold as Love	5:34
11.	"Foxey Lady"	Are You Experienced	3:18
12.	"Bold as Love"	Axis: Bold as Love	4:11
13.	"Castles Made of Sand"	Axis: Bold as Love	2:47
14.	"Red House"	Are You Experienced (UK edition)	3:50
15.	"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"	Electric Ladyland	5:12
16.	"Freedom"	The Cry of Love	3:25
17.	"Night Bird Flying"	The Cry of Love	3:50
18.	"Angel"	The Cry of Love	4:22
19.	"Dolly Dagger"	Rainbow Bridge	4:45
20.	"Star Spangled Banner" (adapted by Hendrix[7])	Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More (1970)	3:46

Bonus disc

The album was also released in a two-CD limited edition. The bonus disc contains eight tracks, taken from The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set (2000).[8]

All tracks are written by Jimi Hendrix, except where otherwise noted.

Experience Hendrix bonus disc

No.	Title	Original release	Length
1.	"Highway Chile" (alternate recording)	The Jimi Hendrix Experience	3:41
2.	"Gloria" (Van Morrison)	bonus single with The Essential Jimi Hendrix (UK)	8:54
3.	"It's Too Bad" (jam recording)	The Jimi Hendrix Experience	8:53
4.	"Spanish Castle Magic" (rehearsal recording)	The Jimi Hendrix Experience	5:50
5.	"Hear My Train A Comin'" (rehearsal recording)	The Jimi Hendrix Experience	6:58
6.	"Lover Man" (demo recording)	The Jimi Hendrix Experience	2:58
7.	"I Don't Live Today" (live)	Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story bonus disc	6:34
8.	"Purple Haze" (live)	Stages disc three	4:03

Personnel

Personnel information is taken from the original Experience Hendrix CD US release;[6] other releases may show different information.

Musicians

• Jimi Hendrix – guitar, vocals; bass on "All Along the Watchtower"; piano and kazoo on "Crosstown Traffic"; glockenspiel on "Little Wing"; bass and harpsichord on "Bold as Love"; piano on "If 6 Was 9", "Freedom"
• Mitch Mitchell – drums: all tracks, except "It's Too Bad"
• Noel Redding – bass guitar: all tracks, except 5, 12, 16–20, bonus tracks 3, 6; backing vocals on "Purple Haze", "Fire", "Crosstown Traffic"
• Billy Cox – bass guitar: 16–20 and "Lover Man"
• Buddy Miles – drums: "It's Too Bad"
• Juma Sultan – percussion on "Freedom", "Dolly Dagger", "Star Spangled Banner"
• Jerry Velez – percussion on "Star Spangled Banner"
• Larry Lee – rhythm guitar on "Star Spangled Banner"
• The Breakaways – backing vocals on "Hey Joe"
• Dave Mason – acoustic guitar on "All Along the Watchtower"; backing vocals on "Crosstown Traffic"
• Arthur & Albert Allen – background vocals on "Freedom", "Dolly Dagger"

Cover image

• David Montgomery – photographer (front cover)

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[9]	Gold	30,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[10]	Gold	25,000^*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[11]	Gold	25,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)[12]	Platinum	300,000
United States (RIAA)[13]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "It's Too Bad" was recorded with Buddy Miles and Larry Young without Billy Cox.
2. Eder, Bruce. "Jimi Hendrix: Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
3. "Jimi Hendrix – Albums". Official Charts. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
4. "Jimi Hendrix – Chart History Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
5. "Gold & Platinum Search – Jimi Hendrix". RIAA. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
6. McDermott, John (1997). Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (CD booklet). Jimi Hendrix. Universal City, California: MCA Records. MCAD-11671.
7. Experience Hendrix credits Hendrix, although John Stafford Smith composed the music (no lyrics are used).
8. Experience Hendrix – Bonus 8 Track CD (Album notes). Jimi Hendrix. EU: MCA Records. 2000. Back cover. MCD 116671.CS1 maint: others (link)
9. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
10. "Italian album certifications – Jimi Hendrix – Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 23, 2019. Select "2016" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
11. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
12. "British album certifications – Jimi Hendrix – Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 14, 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
13. "American album certifications – Jimi Hendrix – Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 23, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.