Live Tracks – The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at Monterey
October 26th, 2007 - by Eddie
“Dig this…”
Those are the two simple words uttered by Hendrix seconds before he launches into the “Foxey Lady” riff for an appreciative crowd. But these words are more than just a cool way to introduce a song. It’s essentially Hendrix saying “hello” to America.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at Monterey captures the set during the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, the first concert for the band in Hendrix’s homeland. He was already popular in the UK, but was somewhat unheard of in the States.
I’m not sure if this is the first time this concert has been put on an album. After a quick search, I found that it was released in 1989, but is now out of print. So I can’t tell you if there’s any difference in terms of quality or sound.
What I can tell you is that I can’t stop listening to it.
It isn’t the fact that Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones introduces the band as “the most exciting stars I’ve ever heard” or the fact that we hear Jimi talking to the crowd and dedicates his cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” to “everybody here…with hearts…any kind of hearts and ears.”
It’s the idea that Hendrix is introducing his music to the crowd, many of whom are hearing “Purple Haze” for the first time. It’s exciting to think of Hendrix as an up-and-coming artist, and even more exciting that two years after this performance Hendrix would be at Woodstock ripping into the National Anthem.
The album is absent of the thunderous applause and intense screams that would accompany him at that concert. Instead, you get the same respectful applause and soft “wooos!” you hear at indie rock shows today in small clubs. At this point, America is still an innocent girl who doesn’t realized what this Hendrix guy is capable of.
Great moment: Hendrix says he hopes the next song he plays will be his new single. It’s “Wind Cries Mary.”
This is a must-have, for both die-hard fans and casual listeners who, at most, only own “The Ultimate Experience.” This live album not only gives you Hendrix just before he explodes in the States, but it shows more of his charm, his sense of humor, and his immutable stage presence.
To get a taste, below is a video from the show I found on Youtube. But believe me, it sounds better when on the album…
