Rating: 
Summary: Superb Documentation Of Hendrix
Review: As far as film accounts of Jimi Hendrix go, this is absoluetly the best from every conceivable perspective. Camera work is terrific: none of the poor lighting that mars Berkley or Band of Gypsies, none of the dental examination that comprises all but a few minutes of Woodstock. The opening sequences are informative. Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox give a very solid account of how truly beyond pop stars they had become by that point, heading towards a jazz-blues fusion that only Miles Davis and John McLaughlin would be able to assume with any respectability.
It is very clear from backstage chatter thru the comments of his tour manager and band mates that Hendrix was not keen on performing at this concert and had begun to feel that he was, in fact, beyond rock and its infantile approach to artists. That said, he had enormous respect for the people who had paid money to see him and so tore into this concert with enormous brio. His fingerwork is among his most dazzling. The camera crew captures three men feeding off each other with visual ques that also point to how sober, clean and focused Jimi was by this time. He and Mitchell were as in sync with each other as Coltrane and Elvin Jones. Cox has been unfairly glossed over in music and this film and soundtrack illustrate that he was the best bass player for the best guitarist of all time.
If you are a fan, pick this up. If you are curious, I'd suggest this as theplace to start. Many thanks to the Hendrix family for releasing an incendiary performance. In a matter of weeks, Jimi would be dead. You'd never guess it from here: one listen to Voodoo Chile would convince you.
I might also add that this DVD is far superior to the CD, whose sequencing made no sense and gives the listener the impression that Hendrix wants to get out as soon as possible. For the future: stick with Jimi's sequencing. He knew what he was about, and this DVD proves it.
Rating: 
Summary: It's like being on stage at a Jimi Hendrix concert!!
Review: At last, Experience Hendrix does justice to this often-maligned concert. This release is infinitely better than the previous "Live at the Isle of Wight" DVD. First, we are presented with some informative interviews with Gerry Stickells (Hendrix's road manager), Mitch Mitchell, and Billy Cox. This segues into the concert itself, with Jimi backstage, ready to go on. The songs all appear in proper order. Bear in mind, this isn't the ENTIRE concert (Hey Joe, Hey Baby, and Midnight Lightning weren't filmed, according to Experience Hendrix), but all the songs contained on the video are complete, and there's even some nice between-stage banter that's preserved. It's the small details, like that, which makes this film stand out from most of the other commercial JH video releases. As far as the music itself, it's incredible -- check out the mind-blowing versions of "All Along the Watchtower", "Freedom", "Machine Gun", and even "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". The other tracks are great too -- most notably "Red House". The sonic quality is vastly improved, with a Dolby 5.1 surround mix.
In short, if you're a Jimi Hendrix fan, what are you waiting for?? You NEED to buy this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: It's like being on stage at a Jimi Hendrix concert!!
Review: At last, Experience Hendrix does justice to this often-maligned concert. This release is infinitely better than the previous "Live at the Isle of Wight" DVD. First, we are presented with some informative interviews with Gerry Stickells (Hendrix's road manager), Mitch Mitchell, and Billy Cox. This segues into the concert itself, with Jimi backstage, ready to go on. The songs all appear in proper order. Bear in mind, this isn't the ENTIRE concert (Hey Joe, Hey Baby, and Midnight Lightning weren't filmed, according to Experience Hendrix), but all the songs contained on the video are complete, and there's even some nice between-stage banter that's preserved. It's the small details, like that, which makes this film stand out from most of the other commercial JH video releases. As far as the music itself, it's incredible -- check out the mind-blowing versions of "All Along the Watchtower", "Freedom", "Machine Gun", and even "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". The other tracks are great too -- most notably "Red House". The sonic quality is vastly improved, with a Dolby 5.1 surround mix.
In short, if you're a Jimi Hendrix fan, what are you waiting for?? You NEED to buy this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: THE TRUTH IS REVEALED!!!
Review: Based on what I saw from the earlier Image Entertainment version this wasn't one of my favorite Hendrix concert but after seeing BLUE WILD ANGEL that opinion has totally changed because there is so much going on here. This may be about as much of this concert as you'll see possible. Added to this DVD that wasn't on the Image Entertainment version is "LOVER MAN" , "FOXEY LADY" , you see the actual performance of "MESSAGE TO LOVE" where in the Image Entertainment version you just hear the song during the intro of the program while footage of the daytime audience is being shown. You get "EZY RYDER" , "PURPLE HAZE" , and the unedited versions of "MACHINE GUN" , "RED HOUSE" , and "VOODOO CHILD (SLIGHT RETURN)". I have no idea why in the Image Entertainment version of this concert that VOODOO CHILD is edited because the BLUE WILD ANGEL version reveals that the prophetic line "..if I don't see you no more in this world I'll meet you on the next one and don't be late..." is cut out of the Image version! As a matter of fact , Hendrix says "...if I don't see you know more in this world..." 4 times dramatically building up to the lines "...I'll meet you on the next one...". Thats the first time I've ever heard Hendrix do that with "VOODOO CHILD". When you keep in mind Hendrix's unfortunate fate that part is chilling , dramatic , and sad to see so why edit that out? In "BLUE WILD ANGEL" you see this part. Also "BLUE WILD ANGEL" shows more of the bantering during songs over technical problems but it also shows it was a better show than what the Image version showed. There is a segment leading to the end of the concert where Hendrix hits the crowd with non-stop music. They played "MESSAGE TO LOVE" , "EZY RYDER" , "PURPLE HAZE" , "VOODOO CHILD" and "IN FROM THE STORM" (minus Hey Baby & Hey Joe on DVD) without stopping until the end. You just sit back and go along for the musical ride. There is a cool picture-in-picture feature in this DVD. The P.I.P. is used on 4 songs; "SPANISH CASTLE MAGIC" , "MACHINE GUN" , "RED HOUSE" , and "FOXEY LADY". Very cool! The Image Entertainment version obviously edited the concert footage to 'clean it up' and make it seamless but they hurt the integrity of the concert. In other words what you see isn't how things happened and why mix up the order of the songs? The concert was fine the way it was! Go figure. Anyway , you see this concert in its actual chronological order and in its entirety minus "MIDNIGHT LIGHTNING" , "HEY BABY (NEW RISING SUN)" , and "HEY JOE". You can hear the concert in its entirety with these 3 missing songs on the new double disc version of "BLUE WILD ANGEL". And in the end of the concert when he just drops the guitar and walks off stage he wasn't upset but he was just tired. He seemed to enjoy himself more on stage in this concert than what I got the impression of from the earlier Image Entertainment version. So thats a good thing to know. FUNNIEST MOMENT : Based on Billy Cox's recollection Jimi split his pants during "FOXEY LADY"! You never see the split in the pants but you see Jimi disappear behind the speakers and amplifiers while Mitchell and Cox played on (incredibly Jimi still played his guitar throughout this moment). Then when Jimi comes back on stage he gives Billy a look of relief and a smile as if to say "Woo! That was close." A pretty funny moment and , on top of that , it was a fierce version of "FOXEY LADY" with the guitar teeth playing then you see him clearly play the guitar with his tongue for a few seconds and then between his legs putting on a show. Awesome stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Good But Not Without Flaws
Review: Blue Wild Angel is easily worth the [price], but it does have many flaws! First and most annoying is that the complete performance is out of sync, some songs much worse than others (Other reviews state that only a couple of songs are out of sync, trust me they all are to some degree). The DVD booklet also mentions the "skilled crew of British cameramen" that captured the event. Well if you like out of focus cameras, shots of the back (not the front) of Jimi's fret board hand, extreme closeups and awkward camera angles then you might consider these cameramen skilled (They were filming for five days straight, fatigue must of been a factor). The PIP feature gives you a good idea of what it could of looked like had the film been better edited. The film print also has many scratches on it. Last but not least is the boring 5.1 mix credited to Eddie Krammer. With that said I think the music rocks, especially the newer songs and for the Jimi fan it's a must have.
Rating: 
Summary: I Can't Watch
Review: Coming from someone who loves Hendrix and owns nearly all of his releases, this really is terrible. the technical difficulties are real, the performances are uninspired and forced, nothing seems to go right at this show. I give it three stars because after all it is hendrix, but it is still hard to watch given how much i love him. the technical difficulties really seem to take him out of the show, which is a big deal for someone who is able to channel so much otherworldy grace on releases such as band of gypsys. i found the albeit inferior video and sound quality of live at berkeley to reveal a much better performance. For those who truly love hendrix, avoid watching him in such a painful performance.
Rating:
Summary: There are no lip sync problems. Pay closer attention, guys!
Review: Darryl and Erik, perhaps you need to check your home theater systems or the prescriptions for your glasses. There are no lip sync problems on this DVD. Perhaps you don't realize that Jimi was in the habit of madly chewing gum while he played, and that can lead a neophyte into thinking that he's singin' when he's really chompin'. Pay attention to other clues in the frame like the fact that Mitch Mitchell's sticks are precisely on beat, or what Jimi's hands are doing. Also, remember that unlike your favorite MTV Music Videos, there was only one take of this historic performance. It may have indeed been the editor's intent to show a camera pan, zoom, or rack focus in the middle of a clip to convey the immediacy or chaos of such an affair.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: Dear hendrix fans, I will not argue that hendrix was a great guitarist, and a huge inovator, but as a live guitarist, he was out of control, and not in a good way. I am a guitarist, bassist, drummer, singer, and song-writer, and as an experienced musician I was terribly disapointed in the bands performance. Mitch Mitchel(drums) made a mockery of himself as he played like a five-year-old holding his first pair of drumsticks. And jimi's guitar playing was nowhere near the quality of his album work. The only song worth seeing on this whole DVD is red house. If you are a skilled musician who likes watching skilled players, don't buy this DVD!
Rating:
Summary: The Full Concert, Finally!
Review: Finally, the complete film footage of the last major concert performance by Jimi Hendrix at the 1970 'Isle Of Wight' festival is now available. This historic show has been available through the years under different names and permeations, but never as the complete concert and in proper sequence. This errors have now been thoroughly corrected with the release of the superb DVD "Blue Wild Angel". Reputedly, this is supposed to be a sub-par performance by a tired and burnt-out Hendrix, and if that's the case, even a sub-par Hendrix is still a marvel to behold. Regardless of his physical and mental conditions that night, Jimi still managed to deliver scintillating versions of "All Along The Watchtower", "Red House", and the always inspiring "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". The ferocious, anguished "Machine Gun" alone makes this DVD essential. Finally, there's the rare, and to best of my knowlege, unavailable elsewhere, live renditions of "Freedom", "Message To Love", and "In From The Storm", great new compositions that pointed the musical directions Hendrix was headed just before he sadly died. The sound and picture quality are very good for a film this old and just recently restored. I would have enjoyed the footage a bit more if there was less facial close-ups and fast-cut editting, especially during the guitar solos, but overall it's still enjoyable, especially if you're a Hendrix fan. Overall, "Blue Wild Angel" is the best Jimi Hendrix concert film capturing one of the true guitar geniuses of all time in a last performance. No Jimi Hendrix fan should be without this DVD. April 22, 2003 lr** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD
Review: Has some behind the scenes footage and "where are the now" additions. The sound quality is second to none. you can see hendrix the audio perfectionist 1st hand as he constantly struggles to maintain good sound.
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