![]() ![]() None the less, this is the strongest newly-released Hendrix material in a long time. The first set is arguably as strong, and was the source for the prior releases of ''Hear My Train'' and ''Johnny B Goode''. The only disappointment of this release is that only one of the two Berkeley shows has been released. The DVD release of the (shamefully poor) film of this show comes with a bonus 5.1 surround-sound mix of the whole CD album and is a treat if you have the equipment. ![]() The sound quality is as good as any live Hendrix, certainly putting the likes of Woodstock and existing Berkeley bootlegs to shame. The pace of the show is great, with every song is presented complete and in sequence (many live Hendrix releases, particularly before Experience Hendrix took over his estate, have suffered bizarre editing and re-ordering). Breathing space is instead given to fresher classics such as ''Machine Gun'' and ''Voodoo Child (Slight Return)''. With Billy Cox on bass, songs like ''Stone Free'' and ''Hey Joe'' are short punchy performances, unlike the epic versions the 68-69 Experience would offer. ''Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)'' is a strong candidate for the best recorded version, studio included (though it's a shocking change of pace when Jimi reverses it at full tilt into the In The West classic ''Lover Man''). After that, however, there's very little to complain about. This opener, an early incarnation of ''Straight Ahead'', is too obviously half-built to achieve much momentum. First tracks were often presented as a warm up lap rather than the pyrotechnic rabble-rouser we expect today. The weakest point in the set, as so often with gigs from the era, is the start. ![]() In this case the recordings have been oft-heard in remarkable quality on bootlegs, and the few officially released individual tracks (including ''Johnny B Goode'', and the Rainbow Bridge LP version of ''Hear My Train a Comin''') have been magnificent. Some legendary recordings maintain their fascination only by being unavailable. Clapton doesn't even attempt to join in and instead leaves the stage. Jimi comes on stage to jam with Eric Clapton's wildly popular band Cream and performs a mind-blowing version of 'Killing Floor'. It features Jimi Hendrix upstaging Eric Clapton. Jimi Hendrix played two shows at Berkeley on, which have long been both legendary and unreleased. Watch a short clip from the first episode 'Birth of Rock' from the BBC documentary Seven Ages of Rock. ![]()
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