JIMI HENDRIXOfficial DVD, 1975-2004, Warner, 2xDVDIf any artist deserved a hagiography it was Jimi Hendrix, and Joe Boyd's 1973 authorized tribute adequately sanctifies the legend. Perversely for a documentary, it achieves this simply through well-chosen concert footage rather than through the insights of the various talking heads. Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, and Germaine Greer are all wheeled out to wax lyrical about their days with Jimi, but nothing is more eloquent than watching and listening to him play. From "Hey Joe" in grainy black and white on the Ready Steady Go TV show, classic footage of Monterey, Woodstock and the Isle of Wight festivals to an acoustic 12- string rendition of Hear My Train a' Comin', Hendrix the musician speaks for himself. But if Hendrix the musician shines through, this is not the most insightful profile of Hendrix the man. The circumstances surrounding his death, for example, are hardly touched upon. Interview footage with Hendrix himself plus some occasionally rambling and incoherent comments from such intimates as his father, army buddies, ex-girlfriends and fellow musicians all take second place to the music itself. The most sensible quote comes from Little Richard, who proves once and for all that he's utterly bonkers when he says of Jimi's music: At times he made my big toes shoot up into my boot.
RAINBOW BRIDGE 1970Official DVD, 1996, Eagle Vision, 02:05:00
This movie is a loose mystical voyage story built around Jimi Hendrix's final concert performance at Rainbow Bridge, Hawaii. Not merely a concert film, however, the fictional drama spends most of its time following actress Pat Hartley, who travels to Hawaii and absorbs the local counter-cultural community firsthand. The film culminates in Hendrix's performance atop the enormous Haleakala Volcano, where fans are treated to yet another dazzling display of guitar virtuosity. Tragically, Hendrix died only months after shooting this concert, adding to the film's historical allure. Including such hits as
Purple Haze,
Foxy Lady,
The Star Spangled Banner and more, Rainbow Bridge is yet another testament to the genius of Jimi Hendrix.
JIMI PLAYS MONTEREYOfficial VHS, Pennebaker, 00:48:03Live at Monterey Festival 18-06-1967: Can You See Me / Sgt.Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band / Wild Thing / Monterey / Killing Floor / Foxy Lady / Like A Rolling Stone / Rock Me Baby / Hey Joe / The Wind Cries Mary / Purple Haze
LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT 30-08-1970Official VHS, BMG, 00:55:57Message To Love / God Save The Queen / Sgt.Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band / Spanish Castle Magic / All Along The Watchtower / Voodoo Child / Freedom / Machine Gun / Dolly Dagger / Red House / In From The Storm
LIVE AT ATLANTA POP FESTIVAL 04-07-1970Official VHS, BMG, 00:58:20Fire / Spanish Castle Magic / All Along the Watch Tower / Foxy Lady / Purple Haze / Hey Joe / Red House / Stone Free / Star Spangled Banner / Straight Ahead / Voodoo Child
