Album: Are You Experienced?
Year: 1967
Of course, if the Jimi Hendrix Experience had just been a flash guitarist and a couple of other dudes, then they would have been, oh I dunno, Ten Years After. And had they been three ego-driven virtuosos, they would have been Cream.
Now I know that a whole bunch of y’all love Cream more than I do, and some of you might even love Ten Years After, but none of their records were even a patch on what The Jimi Hendrix Experience pulled off on Are You Experienced?, which remains one of the greatest debuts in the history of music. (Did I mention that?)
That’s because what Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding brought to Jimi Hendrix’s music was that rare combination of crazy-ass chops and the ability to stay within the confines of song they were playing. And nowhere was their dynamic more apparent than on “Fire,” which from the opening guitar riff was, well, fire.
With Mitch Mitchell pounding his kit like he was trying to send it to the center of the earth while Jimi’s guitar was leaving miles and miles of space for him to do his work, the verses of “Fire” always feel like they’re just seconds from completely falling apart into utter chaos, but just when they threaten to do so, Noel Redding’s bass swoops in and sends the song directly into the call-and-response chorus.
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Oh, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire)
Yeah baby!
In fact, Mitchell’s drum fills on the “Move over rover” section (which was always kind of embarrassing for me to sing when we did it in Feedback back in ’80 – ’81), are out of this fucking world.
With a restrained guitar solo, numerous Hendrix vocal interjections (“now dig this”), and a why-the-fuck-not modulation at the end, “Fire” comes across as the Jimi Hendrix Experience at their most joyous — three dudes looking at each in the studio and simultaneously surprised and delighted what they’re creating, but also not surprised at all.
With the joy, the band dynamics and the relentless combination of stop-and-start forward momentum, “Fire” is easily my favorite song on Are You Experienced?, and if an alien came down to earth and asked me to play some Jimi Hendrix, this is probably where I’d start.
Sorry, there doesn’t seem to be a decent version of “Fire” on YouTube, but here it is on Spotify, ugh
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