Counterbalance No. 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - 'Are You Experienced?'

Before Jimi Hendrix, face-melting guitar solos were all too rare. His 1967 debut album Are You Experienced? blew the lid off the unmelted face market and rock was never the same.

                                      
Music
    
        The Doors' 'Soft Parade' Gets the Deluxe Edition Treatment and a Chance for Reassessment
    
Chris Ingalls

        07 Nov 2019
    
Music
    
        The Rolling Stones Roll Out a Deluxe Edition of 'Let It Bleed'
    
Chris Ingalls

        05 Nov 2019
    
Music
    
        The Darkness' New Album Is a Rock Jukebox Musical
    
Brice Ezell

        01 Nov 2019

Recent

Music

'Live at the Fillmore East 1968' Shows a Who That's Almost There Yet Already There

This 1968 concert from the Who vaults reveals both a devastating live show and a revealing bit of history.

Music

Celebrating 50 Years of the Doors' Experimental 'Strange Days'

The 50^th anniversary reissue of the Doors' second album, Strange Days, offers a direct, no frills edition that emphasizes the dynamic, solid music.

Music

Yesterday's Jukebox: Jackson Browne - 'Running on Empty' (1977)

When that last guitar's been packed away: Forty years ago, Jackson Browne introduced a new kind of concept album.

Music

The Rolling Stones: Their Satanic Majesties Request (50th Anniversary)

Despite (or perhaps because of) the outside pressures the Rolling Stones faced in recording Satanic Majesties, it stands 50 years later as arguably the most experimental, tongue-in-cheek, and underappreciated album of their long history.

Music

Foreigner: 40

40 is a well-rounded overview of hits that would make even the most jaded indie music fan admit that Foreigner songs have an ability to really sink in their hooks.

Reviews

'Freddie Mercury': The Stories, Fables, Parables, and Odysseys of the Man and the Band

Nearly anyone who picks up An Illustrated Life will have a predefined idea of Freddie Mercury; Blake's book is a marvelous document of how we came to accept that idea as truth.

Music

Van Morrison: The Authorized Bang Collection

Van Morrison's Bang sessions have been bootlegged and shamelessly repackaged for 50 years. This collection brings it all together the right way.

Music

J. Geils: 1946-2017

Hard Drivin’ Man: J. Geils brought blues, jazz, soul -- and his name -- to one of rock’s great bands

Music

The Answer: Solas

Irish rockers return with a varied, resolute record meant to carry us out of the darkness and into the light.

Music

Jacuzzi Boys: Ping Pong

Jacuzzi Boys' new album, Ping Pong, enters swinging. This little garage rock band of boys might have matured a bit.

Music

Drugdealer: The End of Comedy

Michael Collins & Co. reference musical views of both past and present on The End of Comedy, and in doing so provide listeners a sonic smile.

Music

Young Mister: Young Mister

Young Mister's readiness to draw so authentically on a wealth of different styles make you think that this outfit really aren't as young as they claim to be.

Music

Earl Burrows: No Love for the Drowning

Earl Burrows is an intriguing, polychromatic, rock and roll entity. No Love for the Drowning, the band's debut, sports an astute, introspective nature, and an adventurous, exploratory urge.

Reviews

A Look Back at the Only Lynyrd Skynyrd That Matters

A sometimes eerie and often revealing examination of Lynyrd Skynyrd's initial run and the unfortunate events that sealed the band's place in history forever.

Music

Deep Purple: Long Beach 1971

From this rare live recording, listen to the MK II lineup of Deep Purple blaze and jam through 70 minutes of their now-classic tunes on Long Beach 1971.

Music

Counterbalance: Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small, and the 179th most acclaimed album is this week's Counterbalance. Remember what the dormouse said: Feed your head with a 1967 psychedelic classic.

Music

Ace Frehley: Space Invader

Former KISS guitarist breaks no new ground with latest release. Although he can still solo, he still lacks ace material.

Music

Big Star: #1 Record / Radio City

If you don’t have these two albums, your record collection has a massive hole.

Music

The Who: Quadrophenia Live in London

The Who, however it survives, repeats that that youthful concerns and ideals matter, no matter how long the band or we endure.

Music

PS I Love You: For Those Who Stay

Some might be enamoured by the nods to classic rock, and some might not, but what you get in the end is an album of little significance.

Music

Ahmed: Dhaalu Raa

When he tenses up for hard rock, he sounds gawky, but relaxation turns him intense.

Music

The Men: Tomorrow's Hits (take 2)

A big hearted bear hug of rock' n’ roll, country and classic rock.

Music

Dexateens: Sunsphere EP

This is a platter of pretty good deep-fried rock that feels like the anthems of many a trucker cruising the roads of the Confederacy.

Music

Bruce Springsteen: High Hopes (take 2)

On this, Bruce Springsteen's most unsteady album, Tom Morello demonstrates how a backing player can nearly ruin the proceedings.

Music

The Alan Parsons Project: I Robot (Legacy Edition)

There's some great, if hokey, material to be had on I Robot, and yet it is also hugely entertaining and a must have for geeks interested in the late '70s sci-fi landscape

Music

The Holy Trinity: Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull have always confounded critics, and despite albums sales, hit songs, influence and longevity, it is above all the brain of frontman Ian Anderson that ensures they will remain forever on the outside, looking in.

Music

Eric Clapton: Old Sock

If nothing else, Old Sock proves that Eric Clapton is comfortable being Eric Clapton.

Music

More Cowbell: Looking Back at Blue Öyster Cult’s 'Career of Evil'

So, sure, young people really don’t get or know the real Blue Öyster Cult it seems. Which is a bit of a shame, as the band delivered a number of solid, consistent albums that rank up there in the metal and hard rock/classic rock pantheon.

Music

The Album Remains the Same: Led Zeppelin - "D'Yer Mak'er"

"D'Yer Mak'er" concludes the controversial middle section of Houses of the Holy in an uproarious fashion. With this song Led Zeppelin proves that for every Tolkien reference, there's a corresponding joke—and a pretty damn good one at that.

Music

Aerosmith: Music from Another Dimension!

In the storied halls of rock and roll, Aerosmith's Music from Another Dimension! resides in the geriatric wing.

Music

Yukon Blonde: Tiger Talk

Yukon Blonde take us back to the late '60s and '70s on their second full-length release, Tiger Talk. A classic-rock revival of fat guitar riffs, big choruses thick with vocal harmonies, loud drums, and some tricky changes: This is music for car rides.

Music

Zeus: Busting Visions

Busting Visions is the sound of four rock historians picking up their instruments and just playing.

Music

Van Halen: A Different Kind of Truth

A Different Kind of Truth is a return to form, but that doesn't mean it captures the brilliance of Van Halen's early recordings.

Music

Justice: Audio, Video, Disco

Feeling like a classic from beginning to end, Audio, Video, Disco is a brilliant change-up from the brilliance of Cross, as well as a promising new direction for the band.

Music

Foreigner: Feels Like the First Time

Foreigner's skill at cloning past compilations with a new disguise hasn't faded with time. While it may be good for the band's pocketbook, it's hardly that for anyone else.

Brice Ezell

Music

Graveyard: Hisingen Blues

The Swedish retro-rockers return with a an assured, surprisingly nuanced second album.

Reviews

Collapse Expand Reviews

BROWSE ALL ALBUM REVIEWS

Features

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 So Far

Animated 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Is a Pop-Art Masterpiece

Collapse Expand Features

PM Picks

Collapse Expand Pm Picks

Before Jimi Hendrix, face-melting guitar solos were all too rare. His 1967 debut album Are You Experienced? blew the lid off the unmelted face market and rock was never the same.

This 1968 concert from the Who vaults reveals both a devastating live show and a revealing bit of history.

The 50th anniversary reissue of the Doors' second album, Strange Days, offers a direct, no frills edition that emphasizes the dynamic, solid music.

When that last guitar's been packed away: Forty years ago, Jackson Browne introduced a new kind of concept album.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the outside pressures the Rolling Stones faced in recording Satanic Majesties, it stands 50 years later as arguably the most experimental, tongue-in-cheek, and underappreciated album of their long history.

40 is a well-rounded overview of hits that would make even the most jaded indie music fan admit that Foreigner songs have an ability to really sink in their hooks.

Nearly anyone who picks up An Illustrated Life will have a predefined idea of Freddie Mercury; Blake's book is a marvelous document of how we came to accept that idea as truth.

Van Morrison's Bang sessions have been bootlegged and shamelessly repackaged for 50 years. This collection brings it all together the right way.

Hard Drivin’ Man: J. Geils brought blues, jazz, soul -- and his name -- to one of rock’s great bands

Irish rockers return with a varied, resolute record meant to carry us out of the darkness and into the light.

Jacuzzi Boys' new album, Ping Pong, enters swinging. This little garage rock band of boys might have matured a bit.

Michael Collins & Co. reference musical views of both past and present on The End of Comedy, and in doing so provide listeners a sonic smile.

Young Mister's readiness to draw so authentically on a wealth of different styles make you think that this outfit really aren't as young as they claim to be.

Earl Burrows is an intriguing, polychromatic, rock and roll entity. No Love for the Drowning, the band's debut, sports an astute, introspective nature, and an adventurous, exploratory urge.

A sometimes eerie and often revealing examination of Lynyrd Skynyrd's initial run and the unfortunate events that sealed the band's place in history forever.

From this rare live recording, listen to the MK II lineup of Deep Purple blaze and jam through 70 minutes of their now-classic tunes on Long Beach 1971.

One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small, and the 179th most acclaimed album is this week's Counterbalance. Remember what the dormouse said: Feed your head with a 1967 psychedelic classic.

Former KISS guitarist breaks no new ground with latest release. Although he can still solo, he still lacks ace material.

If you don’t have these two albums, your record collection has a massive hole.

The Who, however it survives, repeats that that youthful concerns and ideals matter, no matter how long the band or we endure.

Some might be enamoured by the nods to classic rock, and some might not, but what you get in the end is an album of little significance.

When he tenses up for hard rock, he sounds gawky, but relaxation turns him intense.

A big hearted bear hug of rock' n’ roll, country and classic rock.

This is a platter of pretty good deep-fried rock that feels like the anthems of many a trucker cruising the roads of the Confederacy.

On this, Bruce Springsteen's most unsteady album, Tom Morello demonstrates how a backing player can nearly ruin the proceedings.

There's some great, if hokey, material to be had on I Robot, and yet it is also hugely entertaining and a must have for geeks interested in the late '70s sci-fi landscape

Jethro Tull have always confounded critics, and despite albums sales, hit songs, influence and longevity, it is above all the brain of frontman Ian Anderson that ensures they will remain forever on the outside, looking in.

If nothing else, Old Sock proves that Eric Clapton is comfortable being Eric Clapton.

So, sure, young people really don’t get or know the real Blue Öyster Cult it seems. Which is a bit of a shame, as the band delivered a number of solid, consistent albums that rank up there in the metal and hard rock/classic rock pantheon.

"D'Yer Mak'er" concludes the controversial middle section of Houses of the Holy in an uproarious fashion. With this song Led Zeppelin proves that for every Tolkien reference, there's a corresponding joke—and a pretty damn good one at that.

In the storied halls of rock and roll, Aerosmith's Music from Another Dimension! resides in the geriatric wing.

Yukon Blonde take us back to the late '60s and '70s on their second full-length release, Tiger Talk. A classic-rock revival of fat guitar riffs, big choruses thick with vocal harmonies, loud drums, and some tricky changes: This is music for car rides.

Busting Visions is the sound of four rock historians picking up their instruments and just playing.

A Different Kind of Truth is a return to form, but that doesn't mean it captures the brilliance of Van Halen's early recordings.

Feeling like a classic from beginning to end, Audio, Video, Disco is a brilliant change-up from the brilliance of Cross, as well as a promising new direction for the band.

Foreigner's skill at cloning past compilations with a new disguise hasn't faded with time. While it may be good for the band's pocketbook, it's hardly that for anyone else.

The Swedish retro-rockers return with a an assured, surprisingly nuanced second album.

The 50^th anniversary reissue of the Doors' second album, Strange Days, offers a direct, no frills edition that emphasizes the dynamic, solid music.