10 Trippy Albums You MUST Hear Before You Die

Frequently gracing “greatest album” lists, The Experience’s second album represents the best of sixties psychedelia, perfectly showcasing Jimi Hendrix’s song writing abilities, as well as the musical talents of band members Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding.

Fuelled by LSD and a vivid imagination, Hendrix was able to combine experimental, often cacophonic guitar sounds with poetic lyricism and kaleidoscopic imagery. From the harsh sounding intro “EXP”, which includes a mock interview about flying saucers and space people, to the social commentary of “If 6 Was 9”, and the other-worldly dreamscape of “Little Wing”, featuring the opening lines, “Well she’s walking through the clouds/With a circus mind that’s running wild”, the Experience aims to take the listener on a journey from reality, to the subconscious and beyond.

Musical lore also has it that Hendrix was not initially impressed by the album’s cover, which depicts the band members’ heads superimposed on the Hindu deity Vishnu, as he would’ve preferred the art to pay homage to his Native American ancestry (not Indian, as the designers had incorrectly assumed). Though the album cover has since come under fire for its appropriation of Eastern religious symbolism, it remains one of the most recognisable psychedelic art pieces of the time, easily fitting the mystical nature of the music.