• facebook
  • twitter
  • rss

Restored, Expanded Edition Of 'Jimi Plays Berkeley' Documentary To Be Released On Blu-Ray/DVD

June 2, 2012

Experience Hendrix LLC and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release a restored and newly expanded edition of "Jimi Plays Berkeley" on Blu-ray and DVD, on Tuesday, July 10.

A historic documentary film chronicling the two concerts Jimi Hendrix performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre on Saturday, May 30, 1970, "Jimi Plays Berkeley" captures the cultural milieu surrounding one of the finest Hendrix performances ever lensed.

Made from a new, digitally-restored transfer from the original 16mm negative, "Jimi Plays Berkeley" premieres more than 15 minutes of previously unseen documentary and performance footage of Hendrix classics including "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", "Machine Gun" and "Hear My Train A Comin'" not featured in the original film release.

"We take great pride in doing our part to preserve the music of my brother, Jimi, especially during his 70th birthday year," said Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix and co-producer (with John McDermott) of the "Jimi Plays Berkeley" DVD. (Jimi Hendrix, born November 27, 1942, would be 70 this year.)

"Jimi Plays Berkeley" features a 5.1 Surround stereo soundtrack mixed by original Jimi Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer and commentary from Abe Jacob, the audio engineer who recorded the Hendrix Berkeley concerts in 1970.

As an added bonus, the newly expanded "Jimi Plays Berkeley" includes an audio-only presentation of Jimi's complete Berkeley May 30, 1970 second show mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound. Showcasing 67 minutes of music, the second set concert recordings include "Pass It On (Straight Ahead)", "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)", "Lover Man", "Stone Free", "Hey Joe", "I Don't Live Today", "Machine Gun", "Foxey Lady", "Star Spangled Banner", "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)".

The second set from May 30, 1970, will be released on CD and on 12-inch vinyl as "Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At Berkeley (The Second Set)". The audiophile 12" double album release is an all analog recording cut by Bernie Grundman from the master tapes and struck by Quality Record Pressings (QRP) on 200-gram vinyl.

The most complete record ever-released of that magical Saturday in late May 1970, "Jimi Plays Berkeley" includes an essay on the film by noted Jimi Hendrix historian John McDermott.

Also on July 10, Legacy Recordings will release the "Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child" film for the first time on Blu-ray. A 90 minute documentary directed by the multiple Grammy award-winning Bob Smeaton, "Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child" was originally included as a DVD in the "West Coast Seattle Boy" Jimi Hendrix boxed set. An autobiographical journey told in the legendary musician's own words as read by PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC's Bootsy Collins, the film incorporates interviews with Hendrix, coupled with the artist's letters, writings and recordings to provide new insight into one of the most enduring icons of popular culture. The documentary features some of Jimi's greatest performances as well as rare and never-before-seen footage and photos including — for the first time ever — examples from the Hendrix family archive of the late guitarist's personal drawings, postcards home to his father, song drafts, sketches, and lyrics.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).