Jimi Plays Berkeley

Starring:Jimi Hendrix
Studio: Mca
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

There is no denying it: Jimi Plays Berkeley ain't The Last Waltz. Visually, Peter Pilafian's direction and camerawork look like a student film compared to Scorsese's rock masterpiece. Instead of thanking fans and formally saying farewell to the road, Hendrix's manager Michael Jeffery created an exploitation film to simply squeeze as much cash he could out of the overworked guitarist. Despite the cheesy documentary footage, clips of silly protesters, butchered songs ("Hear My Train A Comin'" is literally chopped in half!), and the continuously shaky head shots, Jimi Plays Berkeley is great. Why? Because of Hendrix's flawless performance with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Billy Cox on bass. The band never sounded better live, and Eddie Kramer's 5.1 surround remix on the DVD really lifts the sound to a new level. In addition, the DVD includes the entire audio recording of Jimi Plays Berkeley: 2nd Set, arguably Hendrix's best live performance ever recorded. It's just perfect. --Rob Bracco

Customer Reviews:

5 stars but only because of the Berkeley second set as audio bonus.......2007-04-09

Together with the bonus live concert the price isn't bad then, although I'd hesitate paying full-price for this disc. That's because like others have mentioned the songs are really chopped up, so if you know these songs it can be a frustrating experience. Some great moments are here, like the complete 'Johnny B. Goode', most of a brilliant 'Voodoo Child', possibly the best song here, and some brilliant moments from a heavily abbreviated 'Machine Gun'. Possibly what disappoints most people is to hear and watch one of Hendrix's all-time brilliant performances, the great version of 'Hear My Train A Comin', jerking clumsily in a few minutes of horrible editing through it's complete 12 minutes or so. 'Lover Man' goes directly from intro to outro, possibly to include a short, blistering guitar solo at the end, and the editing of other songs is also quite shocking, enough that one could be forgiven for thinking one was viewing one of the failed entries in a student film competition where each entrant was given footage of two Hendrix concerts and asked to produce a 49 min film. However, I vote this 5 stars on the basis of it being one of Hendrix's best concerts with many great moments, as well as it being an interesting historical document nonetheless. Note that you need a DVD player for the audio, it won't play on a CD player. I tried to rip the audio to get it on a CD for more convenient listening and to convert it to MP3 but failed. Any ideas on how this can be done can be entered as a comment to me in the box below and will be greatly appreciated.

A reminder of the irreplaceable........2007-03-09

The best way to bring back the sixties and early seventies,the best time of my life, is to watch and listen to Hendrix and a few others. The sound on the new DVDs is incredible. Altogether an uplifting experience for the '68 generaton.

"JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY" CONTAINS SOME OF THE GREATEST PERFORMANCES IN ROCK N' ROLL HISTORY!.......2006-09-25

I will be doing a review on the historic legendary classic DVD concert entitled "Jimi Plays Berkeley" by the late great Jimi Hendrix. I will also be editing this review from time to time so that you the consumer will get the best and most accurate review possible. Before I begin, I would highly suggest that you read my other reviews on Jimi's historic landmark concerts at the "Monterey Pop Festival" on 18 June 1967, the "Woodstock Festival" on 18 August 1969 and the "Isle of Wight Festival" on 30 August 1970. They are all long reviews but they contain a lot of information on Jimi that you might find interesting. I do hope that you will read and enjoy all three. It would also help me shorten this long review and not have to add all that information from my previous three reviews in this review.

For me personally, this marks the fourth review I have written on Jimi Hendrix's legendary concert series which focus's on some of his most memorable and unforgettable performances in Rock n' Roll history. "Jimi Plays Berkeley" was one of at least four concerts that were either fully or partially filmed during Jimi's final 1970 tour. These films are as follows: "Jimi Plays Berkeley" 30 May 1970, "Live at the Atlanta Pop Festival" 4 July 1970, "The Rainbow Bridge concert" 30 July 1970 and the "Isle of Wight Festival" 30 August 1970. In my opinion, "Jimi Plays Berkeley" was the WORSE of the four in the since that this 49 minute documentary was unprofessionally filmed and badly spliced together. The ONLY thing that saved this film (and WHY I am giving this documentary 5 stars) was Jimi's two combined performances at the Berkeley Community Theater on 30 May 1970. I only wished that the camera crew would have had enough common sense and captured BOTH concerts in their entirety on film.

Jimi's live Berkeley performances on this DVD edition highlight some of the greatest versions of Jimi's songs that were ever recorded. Jimi would perform some of his most unforgettable non-stop SLOW AND EXPLOSIVE, KICKING AND FAST ROCKING songs such as: "Johnny B. Goode" (EXCELLENT! A REAL ROCKER! Jimi has arrived AGAIN! Jimi's great tribute to Chuck Berry. a KICKIN' song done the Jimi Hendrix way. Great solo.), "Hear My Train A Comin'" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! BREATHTAKING! Great slow Blues song with an unforgettable solo by Jimi.), "I Don't Live Today" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! Another GREAT ROCKER!), "Machine Gun" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! BREATHTAKING! Jimi actually brings the Vietnam war to the Berkeley audience and fires shots through his violent and explosive guitar which results in a special delivery of a great breathtaking solo to the crowd by Jimi.), "Purple Haze" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! A great version that TRULY ROCKS! Besides "Woodstock," this song may very well be the BEST version Jimi ever recorded. A "Purple Haze" in a "Daze" indeed.), "The Star Spangled Banner" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! UNFORGETTABLE! BEAUTIFUL! ANOTHER GREAT SOLO OF OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM done the Jimi Hendrix way.) and "Voodoo Child" (Slight Return) (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! One of my all-time favorites. Jimi wrote and sings this song with REAL meaning like he's really cursed.)

As an added bonus, in addition to the original "Jimi Plays Berkeley" documentary, this special edition features an AUDIO ONLY, NEVER BEFORE RELEASED PRESENTATION of Jimi's COMPLETE Berkeley second set performance mixed in full glorious 5.1 surround sound. The audio-only bonus concert recordings from Jimi's second Berkeley set contains the following songs: (1.) "Pass It On" (Straight Ahead) (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! Great song.), (2.) "Hey Baby" (New Rising Sun) (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! BEAUTIFUL slow song.), (3.) "Lover Man" (Jimi's answer to B.B. King's classic "Rock Me Baby." EXCELLENT! UNBELIEVABLE!), (4.) "Stone Free" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! A REAL ROCKER!), (5.) "Hey Joe" (EXCELLENT! One of Jimi's best versions ever recorded.), (6.) "I Don't Live Today" (OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! ANOTHER GREAT ROCKER!), (7.) "Machine Gun" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! INCREDIBLE! BREATHTAKING! A GREAT SLOW ROCKER! Jimi and his guitar present the Vietnam war to the Berkeley crowd in such a explosive and violent manner unimaginable resulting in firing machine guns through his explosive electric guitar and a explosive breathtaking solo by Jimi.), (8.) "Foxey Lady" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! Jimi's trademark song, a great version.), (9.) "The Star Spangled Banner" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! UNBELIEVABLE! UNFORGETTABLE! Another KICKING version of our National Anthem done as always, the Jimi Hendrix way.), (10.) "Purple Haze" (EXCELLENT! OUTSTANDING! INCREDIBLE! UNBELIEVABLE! Still left in a "Purple Haze" for many "Daze." Besides the "Woodstock" version, this may be by far the best live version Jimi ever recorded.) and (11.) "Voodoo Child" (Slight Return) (EXCELLENT! BREATHTAKING! UNBELIEVABLE! OUTSTANDING! One of my all-time favorites. GREAT BREATHTAKING solo by Jimi.) JIMI WAS DEFINITELY ON FIRE FOR THESE BERKELEY GIGS. Another great example of Jimi rising to another level and pushing the limits and beyond with his guitar resulting in producing some of the greatest sounds and unimaginable effects.

The "Jimi Plays Berkeley" documentary and the audio-only bonus concert does capture some of Jimi's greatest performances ever recorded. In my opinion, "Jimi Plays Berkeley" contains some of the greatest performances in Rock n' Roll history. Without a doubt, these memorable Berkeley gigs are DEFINITELY one of ROCK'S GREATEST MOMENTS DURING ONE OF ROCK N' ROLL'S FINEST HOURS. One of the many great talents that Jimi possessed was that all of the same songs he performed live over and over again at different concerts through the years, (songs such as "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady") NEVER SOUNDED THE SAME. This documentary film may not have shown both performances in their entirety, but it is all that is available to us for now. According to the attached liner book with this DVD edition, almost the last paragraph near the last page, "Unfortunately, none of the film's prized outtakes were turned over to the Hendrix family by the previous administration that had controlled the guitarist's legacy for more than two decades. Perhaps they may surface someday and help further reveal Jimi's extraordinary command and vitality."

In closing, Jimi Hendrix left his mark in Rock n' Roll history indefinitely and will forever always go down in music history as the GREATEST GUITARIST THAT EVER LIVED. There is no other. A rare naturally gifted SELF-TAUGHT guitar genius like Jimi comes along only once in a lifetime. There will NEVER be another Jimi Hendrix. Thanks for reading my long review and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for all of you. I also hope that you will read all of my other reviews when time permits. JIMI LIVES! LONG LIVE ROCK N' ROLL! Rock out always. Take care, J.L.

I was there..........2006-06-30

I was at this show (second set)...a 14-year old Berkeley hippy kid...and it was awesome!

This was one of the first rock concerts at the Berkeley Community Theater (which was also the auditorium for Berkeley High School), and security was minimal at best, which accounts for the scenes of people breaking windows to sneak into the sold out concert.

I remember arriving and waiting outside...when the first set let out, the audience was clearly blown away. The only thing I remember anyone saying is "wow..." And when the second set was over, our reaction was exactly the same.

So the movie doesn't show the whole concert, many songs are cut up, the camera work is jerky, etc. So what? This is a documentary of one of Hendrix's finest live performances. And the inclusion of the audio tracks from the second set is well worth it...you really get a chance to hear what an incredible blues guitarist Hendrix was.

About the Berkeley riot footage...the concert took place almost exactly one year after the battle over People's Park, when the cops fired buckshot at protestors in the street, killing one person, blinding another, and sending scores to the hospital. So there's something fitting about contrasting the riots with the bliss of the Hendrix concert.

As for the protestors outside the theater showing Woodstock...it never really stopped people from seeing the movie. The theater was right next to a little redneck bar, which explains the heated arguments outside the theater.

Bob Turnley's Review.......2006-06-09

Bob, I read your review. You're a total idiot. Jimi Hendrix is overrated?! You have perfect ears-no holes!!

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