April 1967

During the month-long, much ballyhooed Walker Brothers U.K. tour, the Experience travel by bus and play theatres on a mismatched bill with the Quotations, the Californians, Cat Stevens, and Engelbert Humperdinck. Between shows, they shuttle back to London to record “Highway Chile,” “May This Be Love,” “Love or Confusion,” “Are You Experienced?,” and other enduring Hendrix originals. In the process, Jimi and engineers Eddie Kramer and Roger Mayer pioneer new sounds on record. By the time the band plays Liverpool, the Experience are greeted with pandemonium reminiscent of Beatlemania. In interviews, Jimi reveals that stagehands and theatre managers, declaring the band “obscene and vulgar,” are intentionally sabotaging their performances. Based on the band’s appearance, some hotels refuse to honour their reservations. Chas Chandler bucks tradition by rushing to release “The Wind Cries Mary” as “Purple Haze” is still climbing the charts.