At this Woodstock, the only `Fire' was onstage
By James Schuyler
This summer commemorated the 30th anniversary of the most memorable rock festival, the Woodstock Art & Music Fair. On July 6, Experience Hendrix and MCA records released Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock. This is not the first time that the performance of "Gypsy Sun & Rainbows," a.k.a. Jimi Hendrix and those other guys, was released. As part of the continuing effort of the Hendrix family to correct mistakes of the past, Experience Hendrix has released a double CD set including almost all of the band's performance.
Hendrix's performance wasn't originally released in its entirety due to the difference between perception and fact. Perception: Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock was the single greatest moment of rock and roll history and the greatest performance of the most legendary guitarist in rock 'n' roll history. The Woodstock patrons who survived the three days before were treated to an indescribable event. Only about one-twelfth of the original Woodstock audience was left to hear Hendrix's headlining performance.
Fact: Jimi Hendrix was no longer with the experience. He had moved on and was in the midst of a transition. Hendrix's greatest performances were still ahead of him. His new band was sloppy and out of tune, so much so that in the latest release, portions of guitar player Larry Lee's performance were cut.
This new release is more fact that perception, more honest the previous release. Experience Hendrix is not afraid to show Hendrix's growth as a musician in the time leading up to and after Woodstock. He was moving from the psychedelic rock phase of the Experience into the rock, R&B, jazz and funk mix of the Band of Gypsys days. Hendrix's Woodstock performance exists as more of a testament to his growth as a musician than his superiority as one.
This is not to say that what Hendrix did at Woodstock was not unbelievable. He was able to put on a performance with a band that had only practiced a few times, and redefine himself by thinking his way through new and old music. In fact, the most memorable songs from the performance are the ones where his creativity was allowed to shine. "Woodstock Improvisation," a song that is built step by step on stage as Hendrix moves in and out of rhythm and lead guitar, as well as "Jam Back At The House" (later know as "Beginnings" when recorded in the studio), a feat of rhythm shifts and play between Hendrix's guitar work and Mitchell's percussion work, are both prime examples of thinking on the spot. Also impressive are his leaps into his past as a blues artist to form the ballads of "Villanova Junction" and "Hear My Train A Commin'."
Hendrix's Woodstock performance definitely meant more to music history that just a transition for Hendrix himself. He had an uncanny ability to represent the minds and the moods of the country, intentionally or not. This is why this record of his performance is so very important.
**** (out of five stars)
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, August 31, 1999
