The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live At Monterey [1967]

But if Hendrix the musician shines through, this is not the most insightful profile of Hendrix the man: the circumstances surrounding his death, for example, are hardly touched upon (girlfriend at the time Monika Dannemann gets only a few seconds screen time). Interview footage with Hendrix himself plus some occasionally rambling and incoherent comments from such intimates as his father, army buddies, ex-girlfriends (including Linda Keith, who "discovered" him in New York and brought him to England) and fellow musicians all take second place to the music itself. The most sensible quote comes from Little Richard, who proves once and for all that he's utterly bonkers, when he says of Jimi's music: "At times he made my big toes shoot up into my boot."

On the DVD: This is a dual-layer disc, with a widescreen (1.85:1) print on one side and a standard (4:3) ratio version on the other--although watching in widescreen is redundant, as the film is shot in 4:3 anyway. There are no extras other than a theatrical trailer (despite being advertised as such a menu and scene access surely don't count as "special features": what use is a disc without them?) --Mark Walker

So don't look at this dvd as authorative. But if you look at it as a snapshot, a brief moment in the life of, this dvd succeeds.

The image quality isn't great. It seems as if everything was filmed on home movie cameras. But that's okay, because this all did happen in the sixties, remember? But what does bother, is the sound quality. One underestimates the importance of sound quality when half a dvd consists of interviews, but what's the point of an interview if you can hardly hear what the "cats" are saying anyway. (Am I supposed to READ all those subtitles?)

And yet: this is a good dvd. It has entertainment value, but is not half as informative as I hoped it to be. This is probably not a good starting point for a Hendrix noob, but could be required viewing for fans. If you're a noob, check out "Jimi Hendrix plays Monterey" (and weep). Now 'Scuse me


MIND BLOWING! HOW DID HE HAVE ALL THAT ENERGY?!   February 6, 2004
M. Snell (Stevenage UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

i think that hendrix live at monterey will be my most favourite performance ive seen yet!, he had the crowds eyes startled and confused wondering how he made that guitar come out with so much (BLAST) there wont be no other like his performance, my favourite was wild thing! expecially wen he rolled backwards still making that machine of his curl the sound around him, giving so much feedback like his guitar was giving a message "help me help me!" ha ha ha ha ha, i think every fan out there will never forget "Jimi Hendrix plays Monterey Pop Festival" the man had everything going for him, Jimi still rocks on inside other artists today and still the legend lives on.


Too much talk and too little music   February 13, 2003
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

I'm really af Hendrix fan, and I've been so since the late sixties. But I would prefer more music and less talk. The interviews with Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Jimi's father and all the others may be interesting, but I prefer music from concerts. I don't like when somebody talks when the music's playing or a song is interrupted before the end. And unfortunately this happens again and again. Of course the DVD also contains Jimi Hendrix playing some of his songs as a hole and he was indeed fantastic. The 3 stars are for his excellent performance. My conclusion: I should have bought the concert DVD's before this one.


Sex, Drugs & Rock n' Roll - Hendrix at his Best!   March 1, 2002
25 out of 27 found this review helpful

Shot in 1973, this film captures the effect that Jimi Hendrix really had on the world. From the interviews with a young Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Lou Reed, Mick Jagger it is easy to see how Jimi changed their perception of the guitar and of music as he is still so fresh in their minds. They can be nothing but humbled by the fact that they were around to experience such originality in the flesh. There are no bloated egos on display here. The film also contains rare inteviews with Al Hendrix (Jimi's dad) as well as bandmates, friends and ex-girlfriends which give a great insight into what jimi was like off stage.

The film is completed by some mind-blowing footage of Jimi onstage, which is after all what it's all about. Highlights include the Monterey footage where we see the legendary 'Wild Thing' flaming guitar massacre. However as Jimi himself explains, it's not about the gimicks and my favorite perfomance is the acoustic version of Hear my train a comin' where there's just Jimi and his 12-string sat in a white room, shy and funny, but at the same time sure of his ability, Jimi shows us all how it's really done. This man is a pure genius.