Play it Again, Sam #19a: - "Purple Haze"

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Oh man, where to begin? We bought a bigger van, knowing that the water pump was going bad, and on Sunday, it finally did. Which means we have been busy scrambling to get money for a new one, and scrambling to get my wife to and from work. But Play it Again, Sam is back. As always, this is a two part discussion consisting of an original song followed by a cover of that song. We are at #19a, the "original:" "Purple Haze" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. "Purple Haze" was recorded in 1967 as the band's second single, and later was included on their classic debut album, Are You Experienced. And what a boffo single it was! Not only is it possibly Hendrix's best song, but the B-Side was "The Wind Cries Mary," so good in it's own right that it was released as the next single in the UK. According to producer Chas Chandler, Hendrix came up with the main riff in a motel room (based upon which, Chandler declared it as the next single,) and wrote the rest of the psychedelic classic in a London dressing room before a concert. Oddly, the single stalled at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100, but fared much better overseas, where it hit Top 20 status in five countries, including #3 in the UK, and #7 in both Norway and Austria. "Purple Haze" has been covered numerous times, but one, to me, stands out, and is very near and dear to my heart. Stay tuned! (Info verified by Wikipedia)