Rating: 
Summary: Papa's got a brand new bag!
Review: So you have a great musician, as Hendrix undoubtedly was, and you throw him onstage with a couple other musicians. Do you think that so-called band is going to be happy? Well, I don't. But that's what happened with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Not to say they weren't good, but Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchel were not who Hendrix wanted to play music with. Rather than a regular concert video, this video has interviews with members of the band about how the Band Of Gypsies was created and what it meant, as well as clips from the four concerts. The interviews are very interesting and you can learn a lot from them. You should be aware that these interviews are accompanied by black-and-white concert footage -- you read right -- black-and-white concert footage. It looks nothing like how it looks in color. Even he CD has some amazing color shots. Let me conclude by giving you a suggestion: For those of you who want to learn how and why the Band of Gypsies was created, as well as the concert clips, get this video. For those of you who just want a concert, get the double album "Live At The Fillmore East."
Rating: 
Summary: Historical live footage and a so-so documentary
Review: This DVD has two main sections 1) a recent hour+ long documentary covering Hendrix in his Band Of Gypsys phase and 2) an hour of black and white concert footage with Band of Gypsys from New Year's Eve 1969. There are also some color picture stills of the New Years' Eve show. Mainly consisting of interviews with folks like Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, Lenny Kravitz, Slash(!), the Ghetto Fighters and Eddie Kramer, the documentary is interesting and fairly well done, but not really all that insightful. The best parts are the Hendrix footage (unfortunately often interrupted) and the interview bits with Eddie Kramer. I especially like the footage of Kramer at the mixing board, playing tracks from "First Rays Of The New Rising Sun" while pointing out interesting bits or relating recording session stories. But too much of the documentary consists of unrevealing opinions of Hendrix. (Who really cares what Slash or Lenny Kravitz have to say about Jimi?) I give the documentary 2 stars. The concert footage from the New Years' Eve 1969 show with Buddy and Billy, recorded as a 2 camera shoot on prototype handheld Sony video recorders, is in fuzzy black and white and has only fair sound. Despite this, at least you get to see and hear the songs in uninterrupted form. This is a historical concert and I'm glad to have it captured on video despite its fair quality. 4 stars for the concert footage.If you love the Band Of Gypsys you will probably like this DVD very much, especially the live concert footage -- the documentary has a few great moments, but too much filler. If you are looking for a Hendrix DVD with great video and sound quality, get the Hendrix at Woodstock DVD instead.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible Interviews
Review: Ok... the back of the DVD fooled me by saying that this was the only black and white and color footage of the Band of Gypsys ar Fillmore East. I don't see any color! The black and white footage is a big dissappointment, especially when the camera man points the camera at the ceiling to show the lightshow thing, which you can't see because it's in BLACK AND WHITE!!! Ok again... JImi Hendrix was not an African American leader. He didn't want to be one. The people on the DVD have no business saying he was one. All Jimi Hendrix was was a great musician. He wasn't trying to make black people play rock n' roll, he was just doing his thing. It's kind of pathetic that they focus the whole interview on his race when they should be discussint the depth of his music, which only Jimi himself could understand (if he even could).
As my closing statement let it be known that this is a great show, but it means even more if you just listen to it. Buy the CD
Rating:
Summary: Hendrix, hold the fries.
Review: It's a shame that the producers of this video thought it necessary to put the black/white thing at the forefront of the presentation; also too bad that such an agenda determines how/what footage is revealed to the world (why won't the people in charge produce some of the miles of Experience footage???). Note too all: Skip the documentary. IF ANY DECISION-MAKERS SEE THIS: PLEASE GIVE US LIVE, UNINTERRUPTED JIMI. I'D PAY 10 TIMES AS MUCH FOR GREAT, UNTAMPERED FOOTAGE (and twice as much as that not to hear Lenny Kravitz and Slash, etc. talking during great footage that ISN'T included in the concert footage portion of the DVD). I did, however, like the sections with Kramer and Jimi's bandmembers. Here's a (sarcastic) idea: Why not re-release all of Jimi's albums and have Britney Spears give us a running commentary over every song Jimi plays? As you can see, I want more uncut Jimi! Read the reviews: SO DOES THE REST OF THE WORLD. What does one have to do to get some service in this place? 5 Stars because of Jimi's massive feedback.
Rating: 
Summary: it's ALL about Race.....
Review: Yes, this documentary, which could have been well produced and entertaining, was very nearly ruined by the producer's obsession with the whole boring, over-played, tired race issue. As an aside, Vernon Reid nor Lenny Kravitz, et. al., have any business commenting on Jimi...for any legitimate reason. The only significant draw in this video is the concert footage and a minimal amount of backround info. Also, as touched upon in the piece, we all know that Jimi was obviously correct to have fired and replaced Buddy Miles shortly after these historic gigs. Jimi could see that Buddy's skill level was not equal to the other two group members and the music itself. Don't expect too much other than some formerly unseen but remarkable concert footage. The double CD that goes with this is the real star.
Rating: 
Summary: I'd like more concert footage, but belive me, IT'S THERE!
Review: I own this DVD and the documentary is about 2 hrs if I'm not mistaken and is very informative. There is a separate part of the disc after the film is over where it goes back to the main menu under the heading of "Concert Footage." Yes, people, there is footage separate from the film! I know! A little attention goes a long way. It lasts about an hour and is in black and white. "Who Knows," "Machine Gun," "Changes," "Power of Soul," "Stepping Stone," "Foxey Lady," "Stop," "Earth Blues." Yes, there is uninterrupted concert footage. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.
Rating:
Summary: Hit the Nail: Just Not as Good as the CDs Already Released
Review: Get the "Jimi Hendrix" movie instead: it reduces the documentary value of this Gypsies DVD to nothing, the music isn't nearly as good (nor the same) as the original Band of Gypsies LP, and the basic thrill of seeing Hendrix live on the second DVD doesn't overwhelm these too-obvious flaws. Just don't bother. It isn't horrible, but it's uniquely disappointing considering how phenomenal the Band of Gypsies album is. Get "Jimi Hendrix": now that's a great movie, all around.
Rating: 
Summary: Video Overun by Interviews
Review: The Hendrix Family Money Trust has taken rare, decades old legally embroiled classic film footage of absolute historical significance and reduced it to unwatchable frustrating rubbish. After waiting 3 decades to watch this footage, my heart sank when I heard the likes of Slush or Slash or whomever talk over the Man and His Guitar. JUST SHUT UP AND LET THE MUSIC SPEAK! I don't believe anyone who would want to hear Jimi play gives a rats #*& what the interviewees have to say, talking over the man doing his thing. The Family trust should reissue this material, uncut, un-overdubbed with nonsense, and appologise to all who paid good money to listen to mediocre musicians pontificate about someone they have no right to comment on. Leave Slash and Lenny Krapvitz to comment on Brittany Spears, or some other commercial hack that they can more relate to. Skip the DVD and buy the 2cd Live at The Fillmore music instead!
Rating:
Summary: JIMI JAMS AT THE FILLMORE EAST
Review: Jimi Rock's the FIllmore East is what this video should be called. Rare footage shot on B/W video is not what one expects but the audio is GREAT and the energy between Hendrix , Billy Cox and Buddy Miles is so charged that I had to watch it three times because I didn' t know who to focus my attention on. I kid you not! The only bone I have to pick is with the Documentry part, which is too long on interviews that seemed self indulgent and grandizing the already influential Hendrix by old road managers, producers, lawyers, etc...the best parts are the moments with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Why? because they were right next to him in so many ways and they know how to articulate that very well.
Rating:
Summary: THIS ONE GOES OUT 2 THE SOLDIERS IN CHICAGO!
Review: "This one goes out to the soldiers in Chicago," speaks Jimi hendrix from the Fillmore East stage, December 1970. Hendrix was refering to the FBI witch hunt of the Black Panthers in Chicago..he then plays Machine Gun. Backed by Buddy Miles and Billy Cox...this power house trio's performance is captured on raw B/W video..but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of the video. The audio alone is excellent. In fact the only bone I have is with the documentry part. It's too long on grand-eye-see-ing! Yes, I brake it down to that because there is s much fodder coming from former Hendrix road managers, producers and radio announcers. The worst was Lenny Kravitz, who had very little to say...except...WOW!
The best interviews, however, are from the former Band of Gypsys members, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Both come of sincere and articulate about their time with Hendrix....One actually picks up on the fact that Miles(drummer) was not an ego maniac or any such thing but a great musician who with Billy Cox(bass) and Jimi Hendrix, were able to fuse R&B, Rock, Gospel and Jazz all in one. What we get is a great performance.
If you have a projector...I suggest you use it for the Band of Gypsys!
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