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
1 Jimi tears it up!!!
This is an awesome jimi concert, the set list is great and jimi preforms it well. This dvd should be in the hands of every true Jimi fan and if its not, you shouldnt call yourself a fan of Jimi Hendrix. The video quality is o.k but its the best your going to be able to get from concert footage from the late 60's.
Jimi is great although he is so wasted that he often forgets the words or skips verses. But hey, he aint known for his singing!!!
2 Very Dissapointed
I consider myself a pretty big Hendrix fan and can say this DVD was a huge let-down for me. I basically bought it just for the "Hear My Train A Comin'", this Berkeley performance is by far my favorite version of the song. I couldn't beleive they edited(very poorly I might add) this twelve minute blues masterpeice down to about two and a half minutes. Not to mention just about every other song is butcherd as well, "Lover Man" clocks in at around thirty seconds. I hope whoever edited this got fired. Im glad the Hendrix family is finding ways to rip us off and rake in the cash for themselves. Can you say ARE YOU EXPLOITED?
3 Jimi's Best Concert Butchered...AGAIN!!!
To be fair to new fans who may not have seen the Berkeley concerts on VHS, there are several definitive songs on this DVD that most will agree are among his all-time best live performances. These include an absolutely smokin' cover of Johnny B. Goode, An even more incredible Hear My Train A 'Comin (his best live blues performance, bar none) and a great version of Machine Gun that rivals the Band of Gypsies version. Admittedly, his performance is not so stellar on the second concert. The versions of Purple Haze, I Don't Live Today, and Voodo Child are erratic and he seems genuinely bored playing these songs, especially Purple Haze. But without a doubt, Hendrix the overworked guitarist is at his best playing in this power trio with nice guy Billy Cox on bass and the indomitable Mitch Mitchell on drumkit. This is Hendrix at his most relaxed (a bit too relaxed on a few tracks) and his creative energy, at the high points, seems to literally pour from his entire body into the guitar, to be chanelled out into the audience vis a vis the good ol' Marshall Stacks. This performance isn't marred by any of the lineup-related problems that make The Woodstock concert disappointing (in my opinion a vastly overrated performance), the lousy film quality that makes the Band of Gypsies less than it could have been (That and Buddy Miles incredibly annoying song), and The technical problems that trouble the Isle of Wight performance. The problem here isn't Jimi or the concert at all, it is the stoned film school hacks who threw this abominable "documentary" together. Fine, I get what they were trying to say with their cobbled-together footage of students rioting and being teargassed. Their original intentions were to make it timely and politically savvy. The problem is, now we just want to see Jimi. He's gone, and these performances are the best archives we have of him as an artist. In this regard, I don't see why the new management that Jimi's estate is under couldn't have completely remastered this concert and reinserted all the old footage that was cut out. As many other reviewers have mentioned, many of the songs are cut in half, including Hear My Train A Comin, one of his best live performances EVER, and the hot intro licks to Johny B. Goode. These omissions are inexcusable, and this is essentially a crappy repackaging of the VHS tape, albeit with better sound. Where's Hey Joe and Stone Free? Can it be that all this footage truly is lost on the cutting room floor forever? Nah, this is just an easy way out for the producers of this DVD to make a buck. Hopefully someday SOMEBODY will resurrect these amazing performances, cutting out all the hokey docu-crap, and finally give Jimi the respect he deserves.
4 Hendrix Amazes
This DVD is a great demonstration of the hard, cold fact that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player of all time. He truly amazes. Hendrix's control of his instrument, the power he wields when he plays his guitar, is inspiring. Many people who play their guitars let the guitar play them, but Jimi Hendrix plays his guitar. Whenever I watch this concert, I fall into a trance watching him play. Mitch Mitchell is an amazing drummer an I don't think he's appreciated enough- he really gives power to the songs, especially Machine Gun. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) is amazing. Hendrix does an excellent rendition of Machine Gun. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) sounds beautiful. Hendrix alone makes this DVD worth buying.
That said, the camera work is horrible. For some reason the camera kept focusing on the lights. At random points in the DVD, the scene will cut to rioters at Berkeley- while somewhat interesting, these scenes bear no relation that I can see to the concert. I'm sure people would rather watch Hendrix play. Also, some songs got cut off in the middle. The DVD should have just played the concert straight through to the end, including everything.
All in all, I highly recommend this DVD. The technical work is terrible, but Hendrix more than makes up for that.
5 good dvd
i got this dvd first before i got any other ones of his and all i had heard was the "are you experianced?" album wich i loved so i thought why not give this a try because i really wanted to see him live, since i wasnt born when he died. but this was very good i really liked it from the get-go, the only downpoint is that the actual concert footage isnt the complete set list which is included on the cd that comes with this.its still good, plus its by hendrix, that just makes it even better to see him workin his magic on the unsuspecting crowd.very good, buy it and see how modern day music as we know it started!!
6 The Short Jimi Plays Berkeley!
Jimi Hendrix plays berkeley is a short 49 minute concert that is by means uncomplete. If you saw the orginal berkeley concert then their is no reason to get this one because their the same content only on DVD. I would have thought Experience Hendrix (hendrix family company) would have researched more for good footage other than releasing the orginal Berkeley footage. The orginal footage is real bad they cut most of the songs including Hear My Train A Comin, Lover Man, I Dont Live Today, Machine Gun. The only complete songs are Star Spangled Banner, Purple Haze, and Voodoo Chile (slight return) but the problem with the complete songs is the shakey camera angles, supposly the guys filming where on heavy LSD. Their is the complete second set AUDIO on here as a bonus feature including the full performence. The upgrade for this concert is the new 5.1 surround sound. Their is also a booklet include with the DVD that explains the story about the short film JIMI PLAYS BERKELEY with some nice rare pictures of Jimi Hendrix. Enjoy!
7 Mesmerizingly Brilliant
OK, I'm a die hard Hendrix fan. I got and watched the DVD version of Berkeley (I've been watching the VHS version since 82') and wow - BOOM!. The sound quality is much improved. Great job Eddie. Hendrix and his strat shine through brilliantly and as one. Jimi is very relaxed. If only the cameras were rolling through the entire performance. Hear My Train A Coming, and particularly Voodoo Child (Slight Return), are themselves alone worth the price of this DVD. If you want to see where music starts and ends, sit down, dim the lights, get this DVD and listen carefully.
8 pretty good
Now, you didn't know this. On the dvd, you can listen to the whole live at berkely cd. So you don't need to buy the cd. Now, the music is good. But it's kinda short. And it's really intersting to watch them rehearse, sitting in the limousine. This is a good souvenir for fans.
9 Jimi Plays Berkeley DVD
Always great to watch Jimi play. DVD says it contains the complete second set which may only be partially true. Noticed a lot of chopped up parts, including some killer solos that are completely cut out. Not the best camera angles used. I've seen other versions of this video that contain more footage. Feels like this video is to short or incomplete.
10 Cool DVD
Wow, Hendrix was grumpy on this one. He looks irritated quite a bit in this documentary. There's a lot of riot footage, and also some things that forced me to remind myself that these are kids talking, so don't expect the wisdom of the saints.
There are some really weird shots, like the one towards the beginning of the film that focuses on Jimi's left foot for about 40 seconds or so. I guess the camera guy wanted to show us the wah manipulation, which is cool in it's way - sort of like showing just the tip of the bow moving for a violin player.
A girl gets hit in the head with a large rock or brick, and is subsequently knocked unconscious during one scene. That was sad. I've seen a lot of similar casualties at rock concerts.
This is an artistic film that I'd recommend for anyone who likes Jimi Hendrix or wants to get a better look at the college rioting and protests that occurred in the 60's.
11 FINALLY JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY ON DVD
This DVD is a favorite not just to me but alot of people out there Hendrix fans mostly. I ordered this DVD from amazon and recieved it a few days latter. I loved the DVD I mean of course it was just like the orginal JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY but the sound quality was unbelieveable. JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY was never released on DVD until now the music is so vibrant this is a must have for you Hendrix fans (including me). The bonus features are all audio but the thing that brings this DVD to 5 stars is not just the music but The booklet which gives you an inside on the filmmakers and the story behind JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY +plus very rare photos in the booklet hope you enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 Best moments make this worth the price of admission
Although the sound and video quality do leave a bit to be desired, this DVD is a good value, and if you enjoy watching Jimi display his musical and sexual powers in subtle ways, there are moments on this video which are priceless. For instance, about 44:45 in, watch Jimi drop to his knees to tease two 14 year or so old girls in the front row. Jimi has been wailing on an improvisational take of Voodoo Chile, and the girls are in ecstacy. On his knees directly in front of the two, one girl gestures with regard to the size of Jimi's anatomy, while the other nods in agreement. The fact that Jimi is directly in front of them, not 3 feet away, is simply coincindental. That's what is so great about the moment! Jimi is writhing, sexual innuendo emanating from his handling of the neck and body of the strat. He's probably secretly enjoying the moment as much as the girls. He caps it off with an oral display directly in front of the two, playing with his teeth/tongue with the body of the guitar in a horizontal position so they can see it all and can't possibly misconstrue the implications. To me its totally captivating and Jimi pulls it all off with absolute subtlety. Ah, to possess such power! And its all in E minor pentatonic. All you need is the musical and improvisational genius to go with it. Anyone know those two girls? They must be in their mid-late 40's now!
13 Jimi is great ....
....but whoever allowed this to be released in the butchered state that it's in should be shot!!!! I have waited for this complete show/movie to come out with good sound and uncut now for so many years, when I found out that they did this to it, my jaws just droped.... I will buy it but I am so angry that some of his best playing has actually been cut out.... Get your act together "the people who are in charge of Jimi's music" please, you are doing him a great diservice..... If Jimi was alive he would be doing the shooting himself....Enough said but the dvd is still worth it because of the 5.1 and stereo sound remastering.....(if it was not cut i would have given it a 5)...Buy it anyway it's still worth it..."Purple Haze" "Johnny B Goode" and what is left of "Hear my Train A Comin" alone are invaluable...ROCK ON JIMI (the undisputable master!!!!)
14 I Enjoyed It
This DVD was worth the price just for the audio only portion, which clocks in at about 67 min in 5.1 Surround mixed by trusted Hendrix sound engineer Eddie Kramer.
The price is less than the CD release (stereo only) of the same show, so with this DVD release they throw in the movie as a bonus and charge less.
I enjoyed both the video and audio on this great show and would recommend it to Hendrix fans.
15 I feel slightly cheated
This dvd could've been sooo great. From the different clips i've seen, this was a great show. the problem is.. the length of the footage from this dvd almost equals footage shown on other films. the way this show is butchered makes it seem like jimi came on, ran thru three songs for each show and left. the actual footage, with the performance, interviews, protest footage and other random stuff is a whopping 45 min.... yes 45 min.
on the bright side, jimi, mitch and billy play brilliantly for the short time they're shown. Also, the audio for the entire second show is included. hopefully one day, they'll release footage of at least one of the entire shows ala woodstock, blue wild angel and band of gypsies. films that truly illustrated why jimi was one of the greatest of our time
16 another slice of the electric pie...
Okay, so this is Jimi Hendrix at the Berkeley Community Theatre. Now we all know that the man can really tear it up on the "public Saxophone/guitar" -- it's just a given.
But whether you enjoy Jimi's music or not, there is no denying the fact that he has mastered his instrument. And though the tracklists are nothing new, they are delivered in a different fashion every time, and that makes all of his DVD's and albums unique. This one included.
So reviewing something like this is not a difficult task when it comes to rating the performance. Any person alive that plays the guitar or not can say that the performances are all amazing to witness because his skills are so complex and difficult. Okay.
Now - the DVD itself apart from the music. The sound is great, the picture could definitely use some work. There is a lot of shaky camerawork. Very home video, student filmy.
Overall, the music is top notch and so is the DVD. In the quest for more Jimi, here it is. And I'm sure, judging from the past 5 years, there will be more on the way from Ladyland. Thank God too, we gotta wake-up all those sleeping people out there.
17 I can't get enough of it.
There were very few concerts of Jimi's filmed, due to the high cost of camcorders back in the day, and that most professional tapes are either missing, destroyed, poor quality, etc. This album was actually filmed by 2 amateur cameramen/women hired by his producer saying it would make him rich by taping this concert. It shows a few minutes of tension outside the concert, people trying to break in, etc., a few minutes of them talking to protestors outside the building, a few minutes of his first set there (Johnny B. Goode, among others), and most of set two. Although the camera angles aren't the greatest, it's certainly good for the time. Even in the beginning it shows him getting out of his limo with a girlfriend of his, while drinking beer and smoking. The concert is smoking, he plays many great songs (including the classic, emotion-filled 'Machine Gun'). For the price, this is definitely worth it. I would've bought it even if it were more expensive, but for the price, pick it up!
18 Butchered
This DVD is not complete,several of the tracks have been grossly butchered.I don't remember the original movie being
this hacked up,whether the missing pieces were poor quality
or not I think most of Us would prefer having poor quality
video segments rather than none at all.Also in the original movie there is a scene in the limo where Jimi takes a drag off of a joint ,that has been cut out,is this an attempt to manipulate Jimi's posthumous image?If so I think it sucks!
The original movie presented things as they were and should
have been left as such in its transfer to DVD.
19 Great DVD, but to much editing...
I gave it 5 stars because it's Jimi, but it should really be about a 3. Why did they have to chop up the greatest performance of "Hear My Train A'Comin"? I've got this live version on the Blues album and the Voodo Child collection, and it is awesome. Why did they do that?? The song is originally over 11 minutes long, and they cut it down to a few minutes. Also, why can't they release the full concert? On every Jimi DVD they have partial concerts, why not release it all??? Oh well, I guess some is better than none. All in all it's a great DVD!!
20 take what you can get!
Jimi Hendrix is so good at playing the guitar! That alone makes this a 5 star show. With the limited amount of material out there of him, you just have to suck it up and ignore some of the little let downs (in light of the other reviewer). During Johnny B Good he takes charge and shows his moves (he was one with that guitar), and pulls off at all the stops with his bag of tricks. For the price it's well worth the buy.
21 Hodge-podge editing and no new surprises here
Clocking in at a woeful 56 minutes, this DVD represents only a fraction of the two concerts JImi performed on May 30, 1970. The packaging itself comes with a nice booklet that explains the background on how the concert was filmed, and the events that unfolded with it after JImi's unfortunate demise. The only 'real' bonus footage is a complete 5.1 surround sound audio for Jimi's second concert (which is essentially a different mix to the newly released Jimi Plays Berkeley CD, also available.)
In all fairness, the sound for the video has been substantially overhauled. But, the haphazard edits and shaky camera movements that plagued the original documentary (rockumentary?) still exist. One would have figured that today's technology could have at least fixed the 'shaky camera' problems, but I digress.
Pciture quality is clean - though one can clearly see the limitations of the original equipment used to record the show. Given that it's one of only a handful of live Hendrix videos available, one can't be too picky I suppose. Highlights include Jimi's screaming rendition of "Johnny B. Goode", "Star Spangled Banner/ Purple Haze", and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", only because these songs are more or less complete. The other songs on the DVD are all significantly edited down from their original length.
One interesting tidbit gleaned from the accompanying booklet is that Experience Hendrix was not able to include any outtakes because they haven't been turned over 'by the previous administration' that controlled the guitarist's legacy. Which probably means that Alan Douglas or Michael Jeffery's estate is probably sitting on the rest of the film.
Jimi's performance itself warrants 5 stars, but given the sheer lack of extra material, my rating stays firm at 3 stars for this release. Mildly recommended.
22 cut or uncut
the vhs does not give the minutes. i bought this tape around 7 years ago because i new it was his best live performance on film next to monteray pop, but i was disapointed when i played the tape because a lot of songs were cut. i mean the middle of these songs were cut out and it was such good guitar playing. if you have hendrix in the west you know what i mean or one song on rainbow bridge. the tape i bought runs about an hour and is cut up. i did see this tape somewhere else and it ran for a lot longer like 1 and 3 quarter hours or something like that. mabey its the uncut verson
23 Jimi at his Best
With old friend Billy Cox on bass,and Mitch Mitchell keeping things interesting on drums, Jimi can cut loose and JUST DO IT!
Set against the backdrop of unrest in this radical university town, Hendrix' magnum opus "Machine Gun" is the highlight of this film, spliced in with clips of students battling with riot police during the height of the Vietnam war. Some interesting clips of freaks and "hardhat" types interacting on the streets outside add to this time capsule.But the music is what Jimi was all about, and there is not one "bad" version of any of Hendrix' songs here."Star Spangled Banner", Purple Haze, I don't Live Today, Voodoo Chile, they are all great versions. Johnny B. Good is the ultimate version, no one else should even try. My one problem with this movie is that some great songs are edited, especially "Hear my Train A Comin", possibly the best blues song he ever played has the middle cut out of it.If your a fan, you MUST have this Video. If your curious about what this guy was all about, this is a good place to start.
24 JIMI IS AMAZING
JIMI HENDRIX is Without a Doubt One OF THE GREATEST TALENTS EVER.He Sounds Fantastic Here.The Man Had Vision&A Strong Vibe About Him.His Tones Could Be Used in So Many Forms.When He Plays Or Performed You Almost Forgot who was Around.He Had that Kind Of Impact.A True Original.
25 Berkeley is not his best, but really good
The gem of this video is "Hey Baby Land of the New Rising Sun". The reason this does not get 5 stars is the idiots who filmed this. Jimi's playing is awesome as always, but the camera work is too big of a distraction on "Hear My Train a comin'" & on "Machine Gun". Shaking the samera for effect, showing Jimi sideways on the screen...what is that all about? Sorry to dwell on the negative, but other than those minor points, this is a great video.
26 Awesome Video. Lots of Hendrix.
In 1974, I went to a movie theatre in Boston to see the film on which this video is based. It was my first exposure to Jimi Hendrix performing, after listening to him for years. I was completely messmerised, as was the entire audience. It seemed as if we were all at an actual concert. This is a great Hendrix video, especially for those who have never seen him perform, only heard him. I sincerely hope that it becomes available again.
27 Hendrix at his best...
Jimi's Berkeley performances are, without a doubt, true examples of some of his best work available on commercial video. Johnny B. Goode, Purple Haze, Hear my Train a Comin, and Voodoo Chile bring the house down!
28 Worth the price of admission!!
Jimi Hendrix on a good night in Berkley California. A good example of his talent and showmanship. A trivia question for you all. ""Who is the bass player singer filming this video?"" He appears at the end of the video in the front row. (HINT) he rodied for both Hendrix and Pink floyed
29 Johnny B Goode worth the whole video
It may be incomplete but it's the incomparable Hendirx and seeing him play Johnny B Goode the way Chuck B. wished he could play it is worth the price of the whole video. Ooooh that man could play just like a ringing old bell.
30 Incomplete but amazing nonetheless
Tracklist: Johnny B. Goode (missing the spoken intro heard on "In The West"), Hear My Train A-Comin', Star Spangled Banner, Purple Haze, I Don't Live Today, Hey Baby (New Rising Sun), Lover Man, Machine Gun, Voodoo Chile The video has been edited from two performances that day, and some of the songs have been cut down in size. Whole thing runs under an hour. The concert footage is dark, but watchable, and there is also footage of the Berkeley riots. But if you're new to Hendrix, go for Monterey or Woodstock first.
