Search - Jimi Hendrix :: Jimi Plays Monterey

The Music Stands On Its Own

Mad Dog | TimbuckThree, Tennessee | 12/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many people seem to think that the visual aspect of Jimi's performance at Monterey was all that mattered. I won't try to deny the impact of the burning guitar or the sum total of the Experience's presentation, but I would ask a simple favor of the seeker of truth: JUST LISTEN TO THE MUSIC. If I remember correctly, the vinyl of the original release (which had a side by the JHE and a side by Otis Redding) appeared in '70. I remember soaking it all up as a young teen, before I'd heard anything about the legend. And you wanna know something? The music stands on its own just fine.This CD contains more Experience tunes than the original vinyl did, but I'd be happy with even more. The two minute plus lead-in of stage noise and tuning is a waste of digits. I really don't understand why this junk was tacked onto the front of Killing Floor (which was written by Chester Burnette, AKA Howlin' Wolf, not Muddy Waters as claimed by HJ Hill inhis review). Now, I think, if I'd been in the audience as Jimi ripped through this blues classic, I would have known instantly that we'd entered into a new era. This isn't the psychedelic blues that Jimi was already playing so well. No, this was Turbo Blues, blues that rocked so hard it knocked your ears off. Had the Experience walked off having just played this one number, it would have caught my attention aplenty.But every tune on this CD is killer. The highlights included Can You See Me, Rock Me Baby and The Wind Cries Mary. The first two of these show again that this band rocked hard, with a style many other rock bands of the era couldn't touch, because the Jimi, Mitch and Noel were all virtuosos and all capable of incredible improvization. The Wind Cries Mary was the counterpoint of this trio, providing the contrast, showing the depth of what was to come in Jimi's all too short future.This contrast was amplified in a big way by a soulful cover of Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. In those few minutes, Jimi took ownership of this classic and at the same time, paid tribute to a man he idolized. The listener is given a hint of Jimi's shy spirit, and a hint is tossed out that a shy spirit does not imply a lack of power. The playing and singing on this cut is stellar. Totally out of sight.There was a showing of the film in New York before it hit the theaters and all sorts of rock stars were in attendance. During the JHE segment, the next to last tune played was Purple Haze. By the time the tune ended, Jimi's Strat was well out of tune, a common problem back then due to using the whammy bar. After Purple Haze, Eric Clapton yelled out something about Jimi being screwed for his final song. In effect, he was saying that if Jimi took the time to tune up, he'd lose the momentum he'd built and therefore lose the croud. Little did he know that Jimi had matters well in hand. After his deceptive intro, where Jimi called the final tune "The Combined American and British National Anthem", he ripped into a cover of the Trogg's Wild Thing that combined psychedelia and garage rock with a stage act that makes the term "showman" look incredibly anaemic. Jim Marshall's images of Jimi coaxing the flames atop his burning Strat are the stuff of legend. But don't worry too much about all that. Just sit back and listen with the volume cranked way up. It's gotta be cranked, because the Experience played LOUD and you wanna hear it as close to the original Experience as possible. I've been listening to these performances for over 30 years now and I'm here to tell you that the music stands on its own. Period.One more comment to HJ Hill: the organizer's name you were looking for was John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas."

MONTERAY MADNESS

HARDEN J. HILL | WASHINGTON, D.C., D.C. United States | 10/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album was Jimi's coming out party. The Jimi Hendrix Experience had been tearing up England and Europe and were
superstars overseas. They had performed in Paris, France and blew
em' away. Various stories abound as to how and who invited the
Experience to perform at Monteray in 67'. Some stories say it was McCartney of the Beatles who encouraged the promoter, whose name escapes me at the moment, to add the group to the list of already established stars, which they were not yet in the U.S.Other stories say it was Brian Jones of the Stones that lobbied for Hendrix and the Experience to be added. Brian and Jimi became instant friends after he saw Hendrix perform in the U.K.
Anywho, they arrived in Monteray to perform with the likes of Janis Joplin, The Mommas and The Poppas, Grace Slick and The Jefferson Airplane, the great soul star Otis Redding and many others. So, as they were deciding which order the bands would play, Pete Townsend and The Who were slated to go on after Jimi.
Pete did not dig that. He had seen Jimi and The Experience play
in the U.K. and did not want to be upstaged by this dynamic group. There was a lot of backstage rangling and feuding about who would perform first. The promoter decided to flip a coin to determine who would go on first. Well, The Who won the coin flip, but suddenly, Jimi jumped up on a chair and loudly proclaimed, "All bets are off!" meaning, NO HOLDS BARRED. The Who did their thing and at the end they destroyed their instruments. The drummer, Keith Moon, was famous for obliterating his drum set after most performances. The Who was convinced Jimi and the Experience could not top them. Boy, were they wrong. Jimi and the Experince were introduced by Brian Jones to the Monteray crowd. Now remember, the only song the U.S. had heard from Hendrix was Hey Joe, so they really didn't know to much about Jimi or what to expect. They came out the box with a 45rpm
version of Muddy Waters' Killing Floor. The crowd was floored. They loved blues, but had never heard any blues played like this. The group proceeded thru the set brilliantly,then Jimi pulled the rabbit out of the hat. After promising the crowd he was going to "sacrifice something I really love." the group did a cover version of The Toggs hit, Wild Thing. Near the end of the set Jimi showed em' what he meant by the statement, "sacrificing something he really loved", as he kissed the guitar, set it down on the stage and began to douse it with lighter fluid. (the band didn't even know he was going to set it on fire.) He produced a lighted match and set his ax on fire. He carressed the flames on the guitar as if he was going to make love to the thing right on stage. The crowd was freakin' out. They had never seen anyone do anything this outrageous on stage. Dude picked that flaming guitar up and pounded the stage with the custom guitar until it was in various peices, which he distributed lovingly to the crowd down front. The whole place was in pandamonium, and we're talking about established stars who were watching in the audiance and in the wings off stage. Obviously, he kept his promise to The Who, "ALL BETS ARE OFF!" Jimi Hendrix and The Experience had blown them off the stage. These young upstarts, who do they think they are. Who's this black guy playing his type of Rock think he is. Rock was the domain of white groups primarily from the U.K. So, at this coming out party for Jimi and The Experience, you witness them graduating from "RUMOR TO LEGEND." The album is a MUST for any TRUE Hendrix fan. It was the beautiful smash beginning for the, Most High Dali Lama of Guitarisms, James Marshall Hendrix, aka "JIMI." Peace and Love. OUT!"

Best Live Hendrix!!! Enough said....

Gregory Bravo | Buffalo, NY United States | 07/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is by far my favorite live Jimi performance--- far better than Woodstock. Every Hendrix fan deserves to own this one-- get it used if you must, and pay whatever you need to--just GET it!!!! It is simply THAT good!



Yes, this is the concert where he sacrificed his guitar by burning it. Everyone knows the famous picture with the flames rising from the guitar with Jimi sitting by (and you can hear the actual guitar buring on this CD.) Funny thing is, that is actually probably the LOWLIGHT of the this CD--- because the rest of the music is SO spectacular! Even though Jimi was not yet well-known in the States-- a few years from "legend" status (heck, Purple Haze hadn't even been released yet!) he is on the very tip-top of his game on every track-- and Noel and Mitch are tight, and show why they are one of the most undeservedly underappreciated rhythm sections in rock.



This is before his "psychedelic" phase-- what I call his "noise" phase--- and the songs here are actually well-crafted and executed SONGS. It is abolutely MUSIC, not screetching noise. It's sort of like Picasso, who had to learn to paint in the conventional way before inventing cubism. Here we see Hendrix playing spectacular rock/blues-- with a few signs of the psychedelic "Star-Spangled Banners" that were to come.



Jimi talks to the crowd between some of the songs, making jokes and telling stories about how The Experience came together. This is an added bonus, and you can tell by this little banter that Jimi was actually also a genuinely nice and funny guy-- besides being a guitar god.



But, when all is said and done, the music is what will stand the test of time. Take a listen--- then tell me I'm wrong!"