Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16574 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-07-23
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Colour, DVD-Video, Live, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 130 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Jimi Hendrix--Live at Filmore East along with a Band of Gypsys was an album recorded live to fulfil a contractual obligation for a long-forgotten deal Jimi Hendrix signed when he still spelled his name "Jimmy". Hendrix had just disbanded the Jimi Hendrix Experience and, in order to dispense with the album as quickly as possible, he put together a new trio featuring Billy Cox (an old Army buddy) and drummer Buddy Miles, whose bombastic singing and thudding drum style would soon pollute FM airwaves across the nation. (Former Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell refers to him here as "William the Concreter," for his cement-mixer sense of rhythm.) They booked the Fillmore East with the idea of recording the shows for a live album, with Hendrix at the top of his powers (despite Miles's excesses). If you've only heard the album you've only gotten half of this particular Jimi Hendrix experience.--Marshall Fine

Synopsis
Following the dissolution of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the legendary guitarist formed the Band of Gypsys with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. They ushered the 1960s into the '70s in two evenings of concerts at the Fillmore East on December 31, 1969 and January 1, 1970. This production presents footage of those nights along with interviews with Hendrix's bandmates, footage of Jimi on the Dick Cavett Show, and interviews with rock dignitaries expounding on Hendrix's contributions to popular music. The DVD includes never-before-released material, including photographs, unreleased music, and additional concert footage.

Customer Reviews

Groovy man
This video is great.Although it features very few whole songs it is still good.With interviews with ex-bandmates Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles.Among these are Lenny Kravitz, Vernon Reid, Slash and original Hendrix Engineer Eddie Kramer.It has footage from various other concerts including woodstock and most if not all of his masterpiece machine gun from filmore east.However, if you are just wanting a concert then this may not be for you although it contains plenty of footage it is not the whole thing and much of it is in black and white.If you want a concert I recommend Woodstock.If you are wanting a documentary of jimi's life mixed in with concert footage then buy this

A must have if you like the album.
The Band of Gypsys album is probably Jimi Hendrix's least known but best album. The album a live recording at the Filmore East, in New Year 1970 I have no hesitation in saying, contains probably the most virtuoso guitar playing in exsistance. If you love the album the video/dvd is a must have. Much more like the "Classic Albums" documentrys than a live Hendrix concert, it has interviews with the Band of Gypsys members Billy Cox and Buddy Miles amongst others. It traces the history and creation of the album, and the dynamics and the ultimate demise of the group. It also shows what remains of the rare footage at the Filmore East, which is wonderful to see. I have always felt that Buddy Miles got a bad rap with comparisons to Mitch Mitchell. Although you do miss Mitchell on the Experience numbers, Buddy Miles is a really fine laid back, much more funky drummer. His more economical style really gave Hendrix's guitar work the chance to really breathe and shine out. In his interview he (Miles) said: "When we opened on that first night, people were just in awe of this sound we were creating." And the Band of Gypsys music still has that enduring quality, the power to inspire such awe.

A Must-Have For Any Guitarist
It is absolutely essential for any guitarist to see and hear this performance of Machine Gun. All the rest is icing on the cake. Who cares that the video quality isn't up to present day standards or that parts may be black and white? For a guitarist, it's equivalent to going back in a time machine to see one of the most, if not THE most awesome guitar performance/improvisations that ever happened, and Hendrix's personal best. If you get this and pay close attention to Machine Gun, you'll either give up the guitar or redouble your efforts, because it is both sublime and transcendent. Jimi had gone beyond the stage histrionics by this time and just buckled down to play the living hell out of the guitar, and everything came together in this performance (unlike many other live Hendrix performances): the sound quality/tone, the level of amplification/feedback, the inspired concentration and a backup band that pushed back hard. I still get chills when I see and listen to this!