Jimi Hendrix: Berkeley Live

Morning All

I am trying to make a 'Best Of Hendrix at Berkeley' compilation, can you help me take the best performances from both the concerts, to fill an 80min Cdr (Hear My Train from Set 1 is a definate BTW?

Show 1

1. Fire
2. Johnny B. Goode
3. Hear My Train A Comin'
4. Foxy Lady
5. Machine Gun
6. Freedom
7. Red House
8. Message Of Love
9. Ezy Rider
10. The Star Spangled Banner
11. Purple Haze
12. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)


Show 2

1. Pass It On (Straight Ahead)
2. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
3. Lover Man
4. Stone Free
5. Hey Joe
6. I Don't Live Today
7. Machine Gun
8. Foxy Lady
9. Star Spangled Banner
10. Purple Haze
11. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

My Cdr (So Far)

1. Fire (Show 1)
2. Johnny B Goode (Show 1)
3. Hear My Train A Comin' (Show 1)
4. Pass It On (Show 2)
5. Hey Baby (Show 2)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

 

Here are the definitive performances from Berkeley IMO.

From the 1st show:

Johnny B. Goode
Hear My Train A Comin'
Message Of Love (incredible version!)

Show 2

Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
Lover Man
Hey Joe
Machine Gun
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

 

R2-D2: how/where do you get the tracks from the 1st show?

 

forget it,just include both sets over a few cds with b suede shoes minus a foxy lady and freedom or get Randell`s Island Red House and all along the watchtower on there and delete red house or ezy rider
are you listening EH are you?
i`m sorry R2D2,had to get all that out of my system

 

They are out there on an unofficial Cd by the Mike Jeffereys estate and I also have 3 tracks on an official Cd which came with the VHS, why EH didn't put this out as a double like Isle Of Wight is totally beyond me!

 

Ok so far:

1. Fire (Show 1)
2. Johnny B Goode (Show 1)
3. Hear My Train A Comin' (Show 1)
4. Pass It On (Show 2)
5. Hey Baby (Show 2)
6. Lover Man (Show 2)
7. Message Of Love (Show 1)
8. Hey Joe (Show ??)
9. Machine Gun (Show ??)
10.
11. Voodoo Child (Show ??)

 

SSB > Purple Haze from the 1st Show - the Purple Haze is on the 1973 film (and, I think, the Jimi Plays Berkeley film) and just SMOKES!

How are you doing for playing time on this one now?

 

I would pass "Fire". It's not a very good version IMO. "Machine Gun" from the second set is as good as the definitve version on Band of Gypsys.

 

I would do something like this. I can't remember much about the differences between the 1st and 2nd show versions of Purple Haze and VC(SR) so feel free to mix and match those two. If this is too long I'd drop SSB/Purple Haze. Save for the first 3 songs I think the 2nd set is much better.


1st Show

1. Fire
2. Johnny B. Goode
3. Hear My Train A Comin'
10. The Star Spangled Banner
11. Purple Haze

2nd Show

1. Pass It On (Straight Ahead)
2. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
3. Lover Man
4. Stone Free
5. Hey Joe
6. I Don't Live Today
7. Machine Gun
11. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

 

Ok looking good so far:

1. Fire (Show 1)
2. Johnny B Goode (Show 1)
3. Hear My Train A Comin' (Show 1)
4. Pass It On (Show 2)
5. Hey Baby (Show 2)
6. Lover Man (Show 2)
7. Message Of Love (Show 1)
8. Ezy Ryder (Show 1 IF ROOM)
9. Hey Joe (Show 2)
10. I Don't Live Today (Show 2)
11. Machine Gun (Show ??)
12. Voodoo Child (Show ??)

So no 'Red House', I guess they are not essential when there are much better performances on La Forum, Albert and San Deigo, also I can not decide which version of 'Machine Gun' is best, perhaps if it is subpar to Hendrix standards that can be dropped for 'Freedom' or 'Ezy Ryder', hence making this collection more 'new' songs, and so a different listening experience to other Hendrix live Cds, your thoughts are all very much welcome??

 

Berkeley's Red House is a bit faster and shorter than usual. It's not bad at all, but not nowhere near as good as the 1969 versions you mentioned - or the version recorded at Randall's island.

Pass it On, Freedom and Ezy Ryder are not definitive IMO, but they are highly interesting renditions as they are still works-in-progress. Jimi's breaks a string on Ezy Ryder and Mitch plays a lacklustre drum solo. Am i wrong here, but did Mitch lost his ability to do a proper drum solo in 1970? His drum intro on the Berkeley version of I Don't Live Today is pretty bad. His drum solo on Machine Gun from Isle of Wight is amateurish. One of the worst drum solos i've heard by anybody, actually.

 

Interesting??? Anybody????

 

Really, if somebody played me the drum solos of Catfish Rising and IOW's Machine Gun i couldn't possible tell they were played by the same guy!

 

R2,does the soundcheck Blue Suede Shoes qualify?

 

No

 

On your CD, I would use the Hear My Train from EH's Voodoo Child release - this mastering of it doesn't have the echo and other effects that the :blues release does -- but then it doesn't include his fabulous spoken intro ... maybe you could edit that in ... just a thought.

 

The version on Blues is completely different - and inferior - mix done by Mark Linett with guitar in the centre and bass and drums on the sides. Plus the bass has unmusical clanging sound.

Both the vintage mix and the re-mix on the Jimi Plays Berkeley DVD by Eddie Kramer are tons of better.

 

What he said ... also, I would mention that there is a little known CD called Sacred Sources Vol. 1 that has three Jimi tracks from Berkeley -- I Don't Live Today, Fire, and Message to Love -- I think only I Don't Live Today is available elsewhere (on the EH Berkeley disk) -- the other two are unreleased otherwise ... the downside is that I think Mark Linett mastered these tracks using no noise... It's on the Cohiba label, I believe. Ought to be cheap on Amazon.

 

Version of Message to Love is my favourite. Full of energy and Billy Cox plays some mean bass on that one. Selections by Bob Marley and Stevie Ray Vaughan are incredible too. As is Marvin Gaye's Joy.

 

I was going to use the 'Hear My Train' from the Berkeley Show 1 Cd, which I believe to be slightly different mix to the other versions, but it matches up with the other songs etc?

 

I used to be a Hendrix nut 20 to 25 years ago (got my hands on everything I could find, boot or otherwise). But am only just getting back into him after a good 15 year break. That said...

I only picked up the legit "Live At Berkeley" CD for the first time a couple months ago. And "Pass it On" was completely new to me (embryonic "Straight Ahead"). What a facinating performance. Couldn't believe it the first time I heard it. Maybe not definitive, but DEFINITELY interesting, and VERY cool.

 

Aren't there also 2 Berkley performances on "Band of Gypsys 2"? I can't seem to remember what they are at the moment .......

 

Stone Free and Hey Baby. IIRC there were two different versions of it. I'll check it out later.

 

I think you may be off on one of those. I only say that because I know that one of the songs is NOT on the officially released "Live at Berkley" CD. I'm thinking maybe "Stone Free" & Ezy Rider" on "Band of Gypsys 2"?

 

According to Electric Gypsy there were two different pressings:

1. Voodoo Chile (Atlanta), Stone Free & Lover Man (Berkeley)

2. Hey Joe, Hey Baby & Lover Man (Berkeley)

Strange...