Jimi Hendrix
- Celebrating Monterey
Live DVD, screening & simulcast
Forty years on from the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s explosive ‘homecoming’ show at the Monterey Festival in California, fans old and new have the chance to re-live the whole shebang. The end of October sees the release of an all-formats concert souvenir – yes, that’s DVD, HD DVD and CD !
In a nutshell, Jimi had been plucked from playing in downtown New York in a lil’ quartet with a mid-teen Randy California by ex-Animal and beefy geordie Chas Chandler and whisked over to England. Teamed up with guitarist-turned-bassist Noel Redding and astonishing versatile drummer Mitch Mitchell, Jimi cut some singles for Track exploring a new funky electric guitar-led sound that rocked the clubs like the Bag of Nails. Aided by electronics genius Roger Mayer, a straightforward Londoner creating fuzzboxes and octave splitting devices, Hendrix tunes like ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Burning of the Midnight Lamp’ had even great musicians shaking their heads in disbelief. Blues roots, rock fire and ideas aplenty fuelled Jimi for a series of amazing albums.
But live on stage was where this natural showman came into his own.The Experience were able to keep a tight, booming motor running behind whatever outrageous sounds Jimi felt like producing. And when invited by Byrd David Crosby and other US alumni such as Lou Adler to perform at the Monterey festival, Hendrix came out with a dazzling show exemplified by a tourdeforce take on Chip Taylor’s grinding rock tune ‘Wild Thing’.
On the one occasion I saw Hendrix live, I was struck by the sheer mischievousness of his playing and then the depth of his musical knowledge when he strapped on a Gibson flying-V guitar for a lengthy ‘Catfish Blues’.
At Monterey, the trio made a huge name for themselves by holding nothing back and probably the best description of the whole show would be ‘electrifying’. Captured on this film, it is no exaggeration to say that this performance changed lives – many musicians’ flames were lit by the creativity and drive of what happened here.
To ice the cake, when this version of the performance film premiered at London’s Hippodrome Club on Thursday 25th October 2007 it was followed by a tribute live simulcast featuring star musicians such as Gary Moore, Mitch Mitchell, Dave Bronze (Clapton/Trower/Eric Bibb bassist) and Band of Gypsies bassman Billy Cox, an old Army buddy of Jimi’s from his paratrooping days. Rock royalty indeed !
The DVD : beautifully put together and boasting a booklet, colour contemporary photo’s and memorabilia PLUS fabulous sound quality and quality visuals, this deserves its jacket description of ‘The Definitive Edition’. The sleepy town of Monterey is seen hosting this stellar bill and interview snippets are included. A tinge of sadness is inevitable as several figures speaking are no longer with us – John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, Noel Redding….also many of the acts are gone – Al and Bob of Canned Heat, young Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, not to mention Chas Chandler of course.
But this video does show the Experience taking no prisoners having been bumped along the bill to follow The Who by a bolshy Pete Townshend. The late Brian Jones introduces the band with an enigmatic, beatific smile and the Experience tear into Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Kiling Floor’. I remember reading the first reports at the time and being pleased that they chose a song by one of Chess’s finest artists and then asking Wolf about it when I saw him here in England a few months later. “That was cool”, he growled…
Jimi in his feather boa pushes several chord patterns out at once on a black-body/white scratchplate upturned Strat and Mitch beats hell out of his drumkit. Outrageou bent hammer-ons and a confident breathy vocal do justice to this great blues tirade. The ‘Foxey Lady’ the track that had teased us into turning up the volume on the first Hendrix album closes the net on the spellbound audience. Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ gets a harsh-but-tender delivery and haunts the listener’s memory cells, with its lovely narrative vocal delivery and emphatic redding basslines.
An edgy ‘Rock Me Baby’ sees Jimi playing with his teeth ; now they are truly warmed up and the jumpy groove of ‘Hey Joe’ weaves its magic..electric troubadours indeed…
The wondrous ‘Wind Cries Mary’ is beautifully paced and its gentle twisting coda is still one of rock’s finest moments. A triumphant ‘Purple Haze’ is played and then a psych-painted guitar is given a good beating, via a snatch of Sinatra tune ‘Strangers In the Night’. The ‘Wild Thing’ version is the one that included Jimi immolating the guitar with lighter fluid (what a shame this can’t be done at the start of all Oasis concerts, to all the instruments and spares) and the freakout ending leaves its mark, ensuring conservatives’ disdain. To be honest, I hate seeing quality instruments destroyed, think of the craftsmanship..but this was showbiz and nobody died.
All credit to director Bob Smeaton for capturing this show so well. History says it’s an outrageous performance but to this writer the set played here is all about rhythm and how a trio can make songs dance, if enough energy is available. Great to have it in this form, well done all.
The CD – as above but you get different pictures AND !! additional cut ‘Can You See Me’
Oh yes…at the screening I did hang on to see the after-film live show. However, forty seconds of Gary Moore’s hideous Black and Decker tone, far-too-loud guitar bashing and flat vocal had me running for the exit. A bit like chatting to Gore Vidal, then conversing with Stallone ! But the film had me smiling all the way home.
Pete Sargeant
