This special, expanded edition of Jimi Plays Berkeley showcases some of Jimi's finest ever performances filmed over two concerts at the Berkeley Community Theatre on May 30, 1970. The film documented the political unrest and student uprisings in Berkeley juxtaposed against such legendary Hendrix live performances as "Johnny B. Goode," "Star Spangled Banner," "I Don't Live Today" and "Purple Haze."

Also includes:
A new, digitally restored transfer from the original 16mm negative. More than fifteen minutes of newly discovered, previously unseen documentary and performance footage of such classic songs as "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "Machine Gun" and "Hear My Train A Comin'" not featured in the original film release. Release date is 10 July 2012.

http://tinyurl.com/bumzjgq

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Tony Houston

Any mention if the new performances are the "whole" song or just snippet?

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

I think they're entire versions, I'll know more soon.

Apparently when Hendrix's manager Michael Jeffery did the editing, he didn't have all the footage that Peter Pilafian filmed, or Pilafian didn't give Jeffery all the footage due to the fact that Jeffery owned him money.

I think that's it's the latter. Pilafian filmed Jimi the entire day, starting with Jimi at the hotel, the limo ride to the hall, the entire soundcheck and both shows. But Jeffery in his haste to release the film (after Jimi died), and with no film editing experience, literally left footage on the 'cutting room floor'.

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Tony Houston

I am looking forward to seeing more of these classic concerts.

I don't know why they haven't released the audio of the first show.
I do have bootleg vinyl of it: I'll have to transfer it to CDR to tide me over.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Me too, I know that Experience Hendrix will release either JHE at Newport Pop Fest http://youtu.be/msX9VCW1SqQ or Royal Albert Hall http://youtu.be/LkQVOUmmIQc on his birthday. Having Sony Legacy helping with the catalog is making all this happen.



I think it has to do with the recording contract with Capital at that time, although they've add the entire second show audio on the disc. I ripped it from the original re-release 'Jimi Plays Berkeley' DVD.

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Tony Houston

I have the original Berkley concerts on VHS and DVD but I'm really very reluctant to buy anything from Experience Hendrix because Janie hendrix gets the profits while brothers Leon and Patrick and his sisters Kathy and Pamela who are true blood relations get nothing.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OJqYCgl1z0

This the Berkeley I'm thinking of?

Best performance of Purple Haze I've ever heard.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

How do you know this fact? When Ms Hendrix took over after winning back the rights to Jimi's music, the estate was in the hole for over $20 million, no one really got any money at first. They are now getting a portion of the profits.

Now under her guidance, the estate (Experience Hendrix) is making money due to the bidding 'war' to release Jimi's music. The money from the profits also pays Eddie Karmer to remaster the music. The money also pays John McDermont's salary and to hunt down and buy 'lost' recording and video footage.

She also had Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding and Billy Cox on a 'salary'. Mitch & Noel both had signed away their rights to any sells of Jimi's recording for $100,000 each back in the '80s to the lawyer Ms Hendrix sued to back Jimi's rights.

Billy Cox didn't get a dime, he had went back to fixing TVs. I saw him '71, when he was playing bass for Charlie Daniels, after the show I talked with him for a little while, he was just getting 'by'.

I was Seattle in '91 and just by luck when we drove by Al Hendrix's home, Mr Hendrix was sitting out. I stood at the end of the driveway and spoke to him, he invited me up. He had a room dedicated as a museum of sorts to Jimi. Noticeably missing on the wall were a few gold records. A 'close' certain family
had supposedly sold them at a pawnshop for drugs.

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Tony Houston

My Blu-ray copy came yesterday, I immediately put in the player and grabbed my '72 Strat to play along with the show.

First item, this new expanded version may not needed if you the original DVD, although Jimi's playing on "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" from the first show is outstanding, but it's not the entire song.

Still, mostly the original 16mm footage is used, the new footage has interviews that were to included in the documentary, note here I wrote 'documentary'. After reading the new liner notes I saw that Michael Jeffery tried to turn/edit the film into a concert film after Jimi died, but the entire concert wasn't filmed because they ran out of film.

Second, the new audio mix by Eddie Kramer is outstanding! The audio from entire second show is included as a special feature and is mixed in 5.1 surround sound.

But, the third item is that pitch of the songs seemed to has changed. I keep my '72 Strat tuned to Eb, Jimi mainly tuned to 'Eb' or there abouts, and I know that when Jimi played 'Johnnie B, Goode' that he played it in 'B', when I played along with the footage, it was sharp to 'C'. In fact all the tracks were sharp.

I can't find my original 'Jimi Plays Berkeley' DVD (I think my grandson has it) to compare the tuning. I did email my friend at EXP Hendrix to see if he had any thoughts on this subject.

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Tony Houston

I had read elsewhere the same thing about not having entire footage for the songs. A sign of the times when it was shot unfortunately.

Having Eddie Kramer doing the mix is a PLUS!

Will have to check it out. Thanks!

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

Ok, Billy Cox said that in those later gigs, they were tuned to 'E' natural. I'm going to put on 'Jimi plays The Atlanta Pop Fest' later and check the tuning.



Yeah, that is essentially what happened, I guess we should be happy that any of the show was filmed.

I'm still impressed that Jimi changed clothes for the second show.

Also in the limo footage that's Devon Wilson, Colette Mimram and Jimi's friend Vishwa. You can clearly see the pecking order with Devon sitting next to Jimi. You can see these foxy women at this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/53911892@N00/2308444396/.

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Tony Houston