The Jimi Hendrix Experience Album: “Live At Monterey”

There's really no need to say it again. But I will anyways. Jimi Hendrix at The Monterey Pop Festival was and still is one of rock and roll's most incredible and legendary performances EVER! And a debut performance for an American audience at that! You can like any guitarist you wish, that's all fine and dandy, but NO ONE is Jimi (and yes, that includes Mr. Eric Clapton). What we have here is the 40th anniversary reissue of that performance on CD, after years of it being M.I.A. from the Hendrix catalog. There's no doubt that this reissue is practically all pros but, believe it or not, there are also a few cons. As a matter of fact, I found this new reissue a tad disapointing in comparison to the original 1986 release "Jimi Plays Monterey" on Reprise Records.

First off the pros of the set; all of the minor edits that were made for the original release to fit on cassette, CD, and LP have been reinstated letting you hear EVERY bit of stage patter that Jimi said inbetween songs. Every brief tune up and even moments of almost complete silence can be heard now too, making for some groovy feeling anticipation between each song. You even get to finally hear the announcer that introduced Brian Jones to the stage so Brian could then introduce Jimi! These are all nice little additions, but they don't cover up for the cons of this release.

Personally, I'm not that happy with this mix compared to the original. Jimi's lead vocals are pushed to the fore while some of his most blistering guitar leads are pushed back in the mix. The volume levels seem to rise and fall with every track and some of the song intros have been weakened in this new mix, especially on "Killing Floor." On the original 1986 issue of "Jimi Plays Monterey," Jimi's fast strummed introduction to "Killing Floor" came ripping through the speakers like a runaway locomotive! It still does on this reissue, but with a "squashed" and "lessened" quality to it. That really disapointed me when I heard it! The recording now seems smothered in noise reduction (my first time ever complaining about such a thing). The overall feeling of you the listener actually being in the audience seems lost in this new mix. There is no "air" or "space" around what you're hearing as there was with the original release.

And then there is the AUDIBLE tape damage you now have to deal with, especially during the freak-out ending to "Wild Thing," the most important part of the entire concert. It occurs not once but TWICE during the ending. This incredible coda also does not attack through the speakers as it used to. Mitch Mitchell's drumming is pushed forward as Jimi's insane feedback is actually pulled back! WHY?! Is this due to the fact that while mixing and creating the '86 release, killer analog equipment was utilized and NOW we supposedly have better stuff to mix these old recordings in the all digital age?! Well, the results speak for themselves. This reissue get four stars for being VERY GOOD when it could have had five with a better mix. If you own a record player, by all means seek out a mint copy of "Jimi Plays Monterey" on vinyl and get this one for your CD collection.

As other reviewers have pointed out, the audio is poor. Also, much better versions of these songs are available on later recordings. In 1967, Hendrix was just getting started in his short career and he later took all of these songs to a much higher level. Buy it as a historical record of Hendrix's earliest days but look elsewhere for quality.

There are certain moments in rock history that are just monumental and this is one of them, Jimi Hendrix's coming out party to US audiences at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in June, 1967.

"The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at Monterey" (10 tracks, 43 min.) brings the band's performance at the festival it its totality. After a quick announcement from the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, the band crashes in with "Killing Floor", a ground-scorcher of a song. "Foxy Lady" follows and after it Jimi delivers some great stage banter, as he does throughout the band's set, making this such a delight. The band's cover of "Like a Rolling Stone" is a gem. After a great "Rock Me Baby", Jimi asks the audience to indulge the band for fine-tuning his guitar, "Let us tune up because we care", what a great statement! The set closes down with "The Wind Cries Mary", which Jimi announces as the next single to some out (following the hit "Hey Joe"), and it ends with the now legendary "Wild Thing", featuring the guitar burning, which you can hear on the CD.

Couple of thoughts as I was listening to this: for one, the audience's response was timid at best, you can hardly hear any crowd reaction between songs. For another, this is the Jimi Hendrix Experience at its best, nevermind the many other live recordings out there. It wasn't possible at that time to register or recognize the importance of this live set, but this is a true defining moment in rock history. In a way, it has been cheapened by the overwhelming attention that the guitar-burning segment has gathered, but the full set as heard here just demonstrates what a defining moment this was for Hendrix and indeed rock history.

June 18, 1967.

On that date, at The Monterey International Pop Festival, the Jimi Hendrix Experience exploded onto the American music scene through an incredible, historic performance.

By taking the visual aspect of the art of music to new heights, this was Hendrix setting a course which redefined rock and electric guitar as a lead instrument through the driving force in a power trio.

Introduced by the Brian Jones, Hendrix launched the set with a rapid-fire romp of Howling Wolf's Killing Floor. But it is the ever-changing moods in the numbers - The Wind Cries Mary, Foxey Lady, Rock Me Baby, Like A Rolling Stone - which shows the genius of Hendrix.

In 43 minutes, Hendrix began a revolution in sound that still sounds fresh some 40 years later. This is one of a handful of essential live releases and a sonic reminder of the vision of a true artist.

5 Tributes 5 Orignal Songs. That was Monterey pop for you right there. Jimi Hendrix played 5 tributes and 5 orignal songs... Though the greatest peformance on here, "Wild Thing", is a tribute Jimi Hendrix litterlay made that song his own and in the end lighting the guitar on fire was classic never had been done before. The sound quaility on here is stunning and it sounds like the actual concert live right in front of your eyes... All the songs on here sound great and this was music that was tottaly different back than. Some other key live tracks on here are, wild thing, hey joe, like a rolling stone, really bassicly every live track on here is just great. This is a perfect album with no flaws whatsoever. Great timeless concert buy today!