Re: Devonshire Downs, just exactly how much footage and audio has turned up over the years? I hadnt ever seen that clip before posted above. I know there is some clip of "The Sky Is Crying," iirc, and EH uses little silent clips here and there in their various documentaries and such. It seems like at least 3-4 cameras were on the scene, both professional and amateur. I dont really think this was his best moment here jamming, but I'd really be interested in seeing all surviving elements in order, in sync, cleaned up, etc.
This is also the shot where Jimi leans back to play on his back and the girl on the far right of the photo notices his crotch, makes a hand gesture as to the size of his package, and then the other girl next to her acknowledges it. I always thought that was hilarious. Two teenaged girls, innocent I bet, getting into the rock star moment.
The same or very similar photo appeared in the special "Hendrix Lives" Guitar Player (or was it World), magazine in 1985.
February 4th, 1967, London, England, The Flamingo Club Kontext: Jimi Hendrix had only been in England for a little under 5 months on the night of this gig. Kontext: The day before the show, On February 3rd, 1967, Jimi Hendrix met Eddie Kramer for the first time, as they further refined "Purple Haze" at Olympic Studios. Kontext: This is the earliest extant full show by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, not counting the three-song show on October 18th, 1966 in Paris. Kontext: The patent for the Cylinder Phonograph is awarded to Thomas Edison on February 19th, 1878, almost 89 years to the date that Jimi plays the Flamingo Club in London. If you've ever heard a wax cylinder phonograph playback, that is the way this show sounds: clear, yet with a slight warble, exciting, though two-dimensional. In short, I found it highly listenable, only the recording sounded much older than 1967. Think 1910 and you'd swear it was that date. What's ultimately marvelous about this show (besides that we have it at all) is that it simultaneously demonstrates the sound of a band growing, yet they are remarkably tight at this early stage. Moreover, even though we hear some standard versions of classics, there is a jam-band experimentation that permeates a number of tracks, in contrast to what we would hear months later at Monterey, where the overall performances tops this one, only it's not as experimental stateside. So, if you dig on hearing wax cylinders, like I do, I think you'll enjoy this show (allegedly the second venue that the JHE played that night). My source was FD's cleanup. “Killing Floor” – It’s only a minute and change, but you know, maybe it’s just my imagination, but this could be a smoking version. Either the tape hadn't started yet, or there was damage to the beginning of the song, so it's presented here as a fade-in. 1:38 “Mercy Mercy” – A rarity. Jimi does some tasty licks in that first verse, but otherwise not really a good vehicle for Jimi’s magic. He could have made it so, but here they play a standard version, sans a guitar solo. I can see those go-go dancers just shaking it to a standard like this. Of course this tune was used just to fill out their set. Great vocals by Jimi, though, and some fills that aren’t without merit. 4:05 “Can You See Me?” – A great version. In that first verse either the mic goes out or Jimi stops singing; nonetheless, this music is killer, and Jimi goes off. In fact from 1:22-1:35 Jimi has this crazy sustain going into the solo. Amazing! The rest of the solo isn’t quite as tasty, nevertheless fiery and slightly jerky. Great licks in the verses, too. Just high energy with a little slop, but banging for a version that we don't have many live takes of. 4:09 “Like a Rolling Stone” –To start, very safe and clean, though extremely heartfelt. Such beautiful vocals all the way through. 2:51 to 2:58 dips into some Egyptian territory, and beautifully played. For the second verse Jimi’s playing is a little less safe and more inventive. The last verse also has some nice smooth Hendrixan licks, as well. And then it closes with some super good licks. So, overall pretty damn good, and probably akin to what Chas heard from Jimi back in New York. Well worth the listen. 8:38 “Rock Me Baby” – Again a rather standard version…but tight! That first half of the solo, from 0:59 to 1:17, is as smooth as a baby’s bottom, but loses it due to Jimi’s showboat biz. He has those teeth picking that guitar. Jimi may lose the solo a little, but it can’t be said enough how tight this take is. Very good. The audience is really into it. 3:33 “Catfish Blues” – The most unique intro to this song I’ve ever heard. Jimi controls that tone now. A perfect intro, even! Blazing! The vocals are really in the pocket, too. Then at 2:41 the solo comes in, a plaintive Indian song of mourning, as Jimi mixes the blues with his Native American heritage. Then the band kind of goes off in different directions, coming back to have Hendrix do those slide guitar figures, without a slide, making this an early psychedelic romp into the mystic. The sound of a band growing into what would later shine on the band's first album. Brain melting. So yeah, between the noise and adventurous playing from Jimi, this is less of a blues number than they had played it before. Oh, it gets back to the blues, yes, but then soon goes into another extended jam, pulling a bit from “Driving South.” Some shades of the jam band that would come. I can’t even imagine what the audience was thinking when they heard this in early 1967. Highly recommended if you like spaced-out noise jams. It makes the other versions of "Catfish Blues" from September and October of '67 sound tame (see, more traditional) 7:47 “Stone Free” – The sound of a tight band! Standard, yet fierce! “Turn me lose, baby” The solo is creamy, just amazing improv from Jimi. A spirited and early take, again highly recommended. 3:24 “Hey Joe” –You know, I wrote a lot about this version, but then deleted it. There is some good, and some bad, but really I don’t like my “Hey Joe” this driving. I like mine a bit more laid back. A lot of showbiz here, but that's okay. Still enjoyable, but nothing mind-bending. 4:39 “Wild Thing” – Jimi plays a wild intro, which sends the guitar out of tune. I’m not sure I would know this song if the guitar was ever in tune. 1:58 to 2:48 = beautiful, beautiful fluid-like, soft-water soloing. The solo is worth the price of admission, alone. Oh, but it’s not like the whole solo is good, as Jimi loses his notes in a wash of feedback for some reason. Next we've got a bit more flexing, and then finally a grunge-like bit of “Day Tripper.” At last we’re simply followed by the noise of Jimi ****ing the amps. In context, really, the perfect closer, as everything about this show is integral to the whole. 7:47 I really like this show. Granted, like several rougher audience tapes, I had to sit on the floor by one of the speakers to grab all of the nuances, but after two times through (on separate nights), I felt I had a great grasp of the show and how the audience must have heard it that night. Again, I really, really liked this show. Ultimately, it's a shame that we have so few 1967 shows. It makes me want to cover the BBC stuff, as live in front of a studio audience, as well as the concert houses of '67. Other Hendrix Show Reviews: Isle of Wight Pt. I 08-30-1970 Isle of Wight Pt. II 08-30-1970 Monterey Pop Festival 06-18-1967 Winterland 10-10-1968 Winterland 10-11-1968 Winterland 10-12-1968 Winterland 10-12-1968 Jimi Bat Hollywood Bowl 09-14-1968 Vancouver 09-07-1968 Berlin 09-04-1970 DTK Royal Albert Hall 02-18-1969 Royal Albert Hall 02-24-1969
I never caught on that's what they're giggling about. I thought it was his incredible display of virtuosity. Women .
Ha! I'm sure of it. The one girl makes a gesture with her hand wide apart and then they both look at his junk. I saw that like 30 years ago!
These two were the highlight of the show for me. It's too bad he didn't do CYSM like this at Monterey, I like the expansiveness of it, like how he did Manic Depression at Winterland. Speaking of the BBC, too bad he didn't do a version of this at his first session in January, I can almost hear it with that BBC "sound". Thanks for the review!
Question about Live at Berkeley. Is the audio-only 24/48 stereo version on the DVD release (Jimi Plays Berkeley) identical to the 2003 CD? I hear it's less compressed. But is it just a folddown of the 5.1?
There is a shot of him in the film where he is having "technical issues". He starts banging on the camera to get it to work. (More) Proof that the filming of the Berkeley shows was a mess.
