| Smash Hits | ||||
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| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | April 12, 1968 (1968-04-12) | |||
| Recorded | October 1966 – July 1967 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 44:31 | |||
| Label | Polydor/Track (UK) Reprise (US) | |||
| Producer | Chas Chandler | |||
| Jimi Hendrix UK chronology | ||||
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| Jimi Hendrix US chronology | ||||
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Smash Hits is a compilation album bythe Jimi Hendrix Experience.Track Records first issued it on April 12, 1968, in the UK and included all four of the group's singles (both A and B sides) released up to that time, plus four additional songs from the UK edition ofAre You Experienced.
Reprise Records did not issue the album in the US until July 30, 1969, with some different tracks. It included two songs fromElectric Ladyland and three tracks from the UK edition ofAre You Experienced, which were previously unreleased in the US (including a stereo version of "Red House" from a different take than the original mono album version).
Smash Hits has been reissued several times on CD; however, it has been largely superseded by more recent and comprehensive compilations, such asExperience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (1997).
Neither the UK or US edition ofSmash Hits contain any songs fromAxis: Bold as Love.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone |  [2] |
In a review forAllMusic,Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four and a half out of five stars. He notes "the main strength ofSmash Hits is that it contains the best-known big-name songs in one place. Maybe not enough to make the collection essential, but still enough to make it a representative, accurate sampler".[1]
Robert Christgau included the album in his "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published inChristgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981).[3]
The running times are taken from the 1980 Polydor (Europe) and 1979 Reprise (US) reissues; the originalTrack Records andReprise RecordsSmash Hits LPs did not include track lengths. Other releases may show different information. All tracks written byJimi Hendrix, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Purple Haze" | single | 2:44 |
| 2. | "Fire" | Are You Experienced | 2:35 |
| 3. | "The Wind Cries Mary" | single | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Can You See Me" | Are You Experienced | 2:33 |
| 5. | "51st Anniversary" | single (UK B-side) | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) | single | 3:26 |
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stone Free" | single (UK B-side) | 3:39 |
| 2. | "The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice" | single (UK B-side) | 4:22 |
| 3. | "Manic Depression" | Are You Experienced | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Highway Chile" | single (UK B-side) | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" | single (UK) | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Foxy Lady" | Are You Experienced | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Purple Haze" | single | 2:46 |
| 2. | "Fire" | Are You Experienced | 2:34 |
| 3. | "The Wind Cries Mary" | single | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Can You See Me" | Are You Experienced (UK) | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) | single | 3:23 |
| 6. | "All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan) | single | 4:01 |
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stone Free" | single (UK B-side) | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Crosstown Traffic" | Electric Ladyland | 2:15 |
| 3. | "Manic Depression" | Are You Experienced | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Remember" | Are You Experienced (UK) | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Red House" | alternate recording | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Foxey [sic] Lady" | Are You Experienced | 3:15 |
| Chart (1968–1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaRPM LP Chart[5] | 3 |
| Germany Charts[6] | 19 |
| Norway Charts[7] | 11 |
| UKOfficial Charts[8] | 4 |
| USBillboard 200[8] | 6 |
| USBest Selling Soul LP's[9] | 22 |
TheRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as 2× Multi Platinum[10] and theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) ceritifed it as Gold.[11]
