Rating: 
Summary: cut or uncut
Review: the vhs does not give the minutes. i bought this tape around 7 years ago because i new it was his best live performance on film next to monteray pop, but i was disapointed when i played the tape because a lot of songs were cut. i mean the middle of these songs were cut out and it was such good guitar playing. if you have hendrix in the west you know what i mean or one song on rainbow bridge. the tape i bought runs about an hour and is cut up. i did see this tape somewhere else and it ran for a lot longer like 1 and 3 quarter hours or something like that. mabey its the uncut verson
Rating: 
Summary: I can't get enough of it.
Review: There were very few concerts of Jimi's filmed, due to the high cost of camcorders back in the day, and that most professional tapes are either missing, destroyed, poor quality, etc. This album was actually filmed by 2 amateur cameramen/women hired by his producer saying it would make him rich by taping this concert. It shows a few minutes of tension outside the concert, people trying to break in, etc., a few minutes of them talking to protestors outside the building, a few minutes of his first set there (Johnny B. Goode, among others), and most of set two. Although the camera angles aren't the greatest, it's certainly good for the time. Even in the beginning it shows him getting out of his limo with a girlfriend of his, while drinking beer and smoking. The concert is smoking, he plays many great songs (including the classic, emotion-filled 'Machine Gun'). For the price, this is definitely worth it. I would've bought it even if it were more expensive, but for the price, pick it up!
Rating:
Summary: I feel slightly cheated
Review: This dvd could've been sooo great. From the different clips i've seen, this was a great show. the problem is.. the length of the footage from this dvd almost equals footage shown on other films. the way this show is butchered makes it seem like jimi came on, ran thru three songs for each show and left. the actual footage, with the performance, interviews, protest footage and other random stuff is a whopping 45 min.... yes 45 min. on the bright side, jimi, mitch and billy play brilliantly for the short time they're shown. Also, the audio for the entire second show is included. hopefully one day, they'll release footage of at least one of the entire shows ala woodstock, blue wild angel and band of gypsies. films that truly illustrated why jimi was one of the greatest of our time
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY ON DVD
Review: This DVD is a favorite not just to me but alot of people out there Hendrix fans mostly. I ordered this DVD from amazon and recieved it a few days latter. I loved the DVD I mean of course it was just like the orginal JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY but the sound quality was unbelieveable. JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY was never released on DVD until now the music is so vibrant this is a must have for you Hendrix fans (including me). The bonus features are all audio but the thing that brings this DVD to 5 stars is not just the music but The booklet which gives you an inside on the filmmakers and the story behind JIMI PLAYS BERKLEY +plus very rare photos in the booklet hope you enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Hendrix Amazes
Review: This DVD is a great demonstration of the hard, cold fact that Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitar player of all time. He truly amazes. Hendrix's control of his instrument, the power he wields when he plays his guitar, is inspiring. Many people who play their guitars let the guitar play them, but Jimi Hendrix plays his guitar. Whenever I watch this concert, I fall into a trance watching him play. Mitch Mitchell is an amazing drummer an I don't think he's appreciated enough- he really gives power to the songs, especially Machine Gun. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) is amazing. Hendrix does an excellent rendition of Machine Gun. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) sounds beautiful. Hendrix alone makes this DVD worth buying.
That said, the camera work is horrible. For some reason the camera kept focusing on the lights. At random points in the DVD, the scene will cut to rioters at Berkeley- while somewhat interesting, these scenes bear no relation that I can see to the concert. I'm sure people would rather watch Hendrix play. Also, some songs got cut off in the middle. The DVD should have just played the concert straight through to the end, including everything.
All in all, I highly recommend this DVD. The technical work is terrible, but Hendrix more than makes up for that.
Rating: 
Summary: Butchered
Review: This DVD is not complete,several of the tracks have been grossly butchered.I don't remember the original movie being
this hacked up,whether the missing pieces were poor quality
or not I think most of Us would prefer having poor quality
video segments rather than none at all.Also in the original movie there is a scene in the limo where Jimi takes a drag off of a joint ,that has been cut out,is this an attempt to manipulate Jimi's posthumous image?If so I think it sucks!
The original movie presented things as they were and should
have been left as such in its transfer to DVD.
Rating:
Summary: I Enjoyed It
Review: This DVD was worth the price just for the audio only portion, which clocks in at about 67 min in 5.1 Surround mixed by trusted Hendrix sound engineer Eddie Kramer.
The price is less than the CD release (stereo only) of the same show, so with this DVD release they throw in the movie as a bonus and charge less.
I enjoyed both the video and audio on this great show and would recommend it to Hendrix fans.
Rating:
Summary: Jimi's Best Concert Butchered...AGAIN!!!
Review: To be fair to new fans who may not have seen the Berkeley concerts on VHS, there are several definitive songs on this DVD that most will agree are among his all-time best live performances. These include an absolutely smokin' cover of Johnny B. Goode, An even more incredible Hear My Train A 'Comin (his best live blues performance, bar none) and a great version of Machine Gun that rivals the Band of Gypsies version. Admittedly, his performance is not so stellar on the second concert. The versions of Purple Haze, I Don't Live Today, and Voodo Child are erratic and he seems genuinely bored playing these songs, especially Purple Haze. But without a doubt, Hendrix the overworked guitarist is at his best playing in this power trio with nice guy Billy Cox on bass and the indomitable Mitch Mitchell on drumkit. This is Hendrix at his most relaxed (a bit too relaxed on a few tracks) and his creative energy, at the high points, seems to literally pour from his entire body into the guitar, to be chanelled out into the audience vis a vis the good ol' Marshall Stacks. This performance isn't marred by any of the lineup-related problems that make The Woodstock concert disappointing (in my opinion a vastly overrated performance), the lousy film quality that makes the Band of Gypsies less than it could have been (That and Buddy Miles incredibly annoying song), and The technical problems that trouble the Isle of Wight performance. The problem here isn't Jimi or the concert at all, it is the stoned film school hacks who threw this abominable "documentary" together. Fine, I get what they were trying to say with their cobbled-together footage of students rioting and being teargassed. Their original intentions were to make it timely and politically savvy. The problem is, now we just want to see Jimi. He's gone, and these performances are the best archives we have of him as an artist. In this regard, I don't see why the new management that Jimi's estate is under couldn't have completely remastered this concert and reinserted all the old footage that was cut out. As many other reviewers have mentioned, many of the songs are cut in half, including Hear My Train A Comin, one of his best live performances EVER, and the hot intro licks to Johny B. Goode. These omissions are inexcusable, and this is essentially a crappy repackaging of the VHS tape, albeit with better sound. Where's Hey Joe and Stone Free? Can it be that all this footage truly is lost on the cutting room floor forever? Nah, this is just an easy way out for the producers of this DVD to make a buck. Hopefully someday SOMEBODY will resurrect these amazing performances, cutting out all the hokey docu-crap, and finally give Jimi the respect he deserves.
Rating:
Summary: Incomplete but amazing nonetheless
Review: Tracklist: Johnny B. Goode (missing the spoken intro heard on "In The West"), Hear My Train A-Comin', Star Spangled Banner, Purple Haze, I Don't Live Today, Hey Baby (New Rising Sun), Lover Man, Machine Gun, Voodoo Chile The video has been edited from two performances that day, and some of the songs have been cut down in size. Whole thing runs under an hour. The concert footage is dark, but watchable, and there is also footage of the Berkeley riots. But if you're new to Hendrix, go for Monterey or Woodstock first.
Rating:
Summary: Jimi at his Best
Review: With old friend Billy Cox on bass,and Mitch Mitchell keeping things interesting on drums, Jimi can cut loose and JUST DO IT!
Set against the backdrop of unrest in this radical university town, Hendrix' magnum opus "Machine Gun" is the highlight of this film, spliced in with clips of students battling with riot police during the height of the Vietnam war. Some interesting clips of freaks and "hardhat" types interacting on the streets outside add to this time capsule.But the music is what Jimi was all about, and there is not one "bad" version of any of Hendrix' songs here."Star Spangled Banner", Purple Haze, I don't Live Today, Voodoo Chile, they are all great versions. Johnny B. Good is the ultimate version, no one else should even try. My one problem with this movie is that some great songs are edited, especially "Hear my Train A Comin", possibly the best blues song he ever played has the middle cut out of it.If your a fan, you MUST have this Video. If your curious about what this guy was all about, this is a good place to start.
|
