With control over the release of Hendrix material finally, I thought that the Hendrix family and the record label finally put out a definitive, complete release of the Woodstock performance. But no. What is this? Larry Lee has been edited out of the set--his guitar and vocals are gone, altering and even shortening songs. When will this insanity stop? When will record companies release complete performances and stop editing and fudging with live material like this? How much longer before ANOTHER Woodstock release comes along that includes something omitted here but excludes something included here? Granted, this is much better than earlier incarnations of the release, and what with 2 discs, great pictures and nice liner notes it looks the best, but why oh why are games like this continously played? The sound mix, which many die-hard fans had problems with, seemed fine to me. It's just the practices of the record labels, the producers, and the families and artists themselves (re: the Doors) when it comes to re-releasing material and deifying themselves with sonic trickery that annoys me to no end.

This 2 CD set adds previously unreleased versions of 'Message To Love', 'Spanish Castle Magic', 'Lover Man' and 'Foxy Lady' to the preceding single CD release (simply titled 'Woodstock'), but it's still not complete: Larry Lee's vocal performances ('Mastermind' and 'Gypsy Woman') were not included (a quote from the liner notes: 'Some things are meant to be preserved only on bootlegs...'). More annoying is that Larry Lee`s GUITAR is still edited out in some places; this not only shortens 'Red House' by several minutes, it also considerably decreases its impact.

Well, what the heck - you'll probably never find a MORE complete official version of this concert, and the music itself is incredible. The undisputed highlight of the set is the medley Voodoo Child (13 minutes + !) / Star Spangled Banner / Purple Haze / Woodstock Improvisation / Villanova Junction, which took 25 years to be released in its entirety for the first time (...on the aforementioned single CD). That manic final solo of Purple Haze, followed by a stunning 5 minute guitar improvisation (which can almost be seen as a seperate composition - at the 1969 concerts he played it quite often in almost the same manner, for example in the lengthy version of 'Spanish Castle Magic' on the long-deleted 3 CD set 'Anthology'), then suddenly slowing down to a heartbreaking blues performance... It's something that's got to be heard to be believed - an emotionally exhausting tour-de-force. - The four previously unreleased tracks are good enough to make the set interesting to newcomers and long time afficionados alike - and, yes, 'Lover Man' is almost in its original state, at least without the usual cut-outs of non-Hendrix soloing.

'Live at Woodstock' would be an excellent first-pick for future fans; in the continuing absence of the Berkeley and Winterland concerts, this is as close as you can get to a definitive live performance of Jimi Hendrix.

Live At Woodstock(1969).The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Live Performance at 1969's Woodstock.

After the legendary previous performances at 1969's Woodstock, which included bands like Sly, the Family Stone, The Who, Santana, Joe Cocker, and the newly minted Crosby, Stills, and Nash, at 9 'O Clock on August 18th, 1969, the Jimi Hendrix Experience played Woodstock's most memorable performance, and one of the greatest of all-time. Featuring the virtuoso guitar talents of Jimi Hendrix, often hailed as the best guitarist ever, amidst bad weather and rowdy crowds the Jimi Hendrix experience played their heart out for nearly 2 and a half hours, and thankfully that concert was taped, and released for Hendrix fan's enjoyment. Below you will see how The Jimi Hendrix Experience's legendary performance at Woodstock turned out..

Track Selection-

Being new to Hendrix, I was taken on an unexpected but ultimately rewarding ride, as other than Rock N Roll classics 'Foxey Lady', 'Purple Haze' and 'Hey Joe', all the rest of these tracks were new to me. Songs such as 'Hear My Train A Comin', 'Spanish Castle Magic', 'Jam Back At The House', and 'Voodoo Child(Slight Return)' are basically examples of Hendrix's Guitar Mastery, his blistering solos encapsulating the echoes of time and talent to show he was surely a guitar god. 'Izzabella', 'Red House', 'Lover Man', and 'Villanova Junction' are all bluesy Hard Rockers that showcase magnificent musicianship, and could easily have been hits. 'Foxey Lady', 'Purple Haze', 'Hey Joe', and the minor hit 'Fire' are all thankfully included here to showcase Hendrix's biggest hits, but I wish he would have played more. Overall I think the Track Selection is excellent, and couldn't have asked for it to be any better! 5/5

Sound Quality-

For a bootleg of a concert in 1969, Jimi Hendrix Experience's performance sounds outstanding! The guitar solos and riffs blare out the speakers as if you were right there in the muddy crowd at Woodstock, Hendrix's vocals are clean, crisp, and easy to hear, and the bass and drums are clearly there and are easily hearable among the more obvious guitar. Surprisingly, some of the best Sound Quality I've ever heard from a live performance! 5/5

Band Performance-

What more can I say? Jimi Hendrix is in peak form here, his blistering solos and bluesy riffs, unknown at the time still retain their unmistakeable glory over 35 years later, and the backup band, which includes the bass and drums, dishes out a legendary performance alongside Hendrix. Basically, the Band Performance is flawless, perfect, OUTSTANDING! 5/5

Crowd Interaction-
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's concert at Woodstock boasts quite a lot of Crowd Interaction, as Hendrix usually gives a few words after every song, joking and informing throughout, and the crowd shouts often to Hendrix to 'TURN IT UP!', and it all makes for a very interesting experience!

Overall, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's performance at Woodstock is unmistakenly legendary, classic and brilliant in every way, and now stands as one of my favorite Live recordings. Since I was so impressed with this, I expect to pick up many more Hendrix albums in the next few visits to the CD store!

HIGHLY RECOMMENED TO FANS OF HENDRIX, ROCK IN GENERAL, BLUES, AND ANYBODY WHO ENJOYS LIVE RECORDINGS! SIMPLY EPIC, PHENOMENOL, BEAUTIFUL, AND DEFINITELY LOUD!

Also Recommended-

Jimi Hendrix Experience- Jimi Hendrix Experience
Disraeli Gears- Cream
Experience Hendrix- Jimi Hendrix

Thanks For Reading!

When Jimi took the stage at Woodstock to play this set, most of the crowd had left (down from 400,000 to 25,000). The farm on which the concert was staged was now a barren wasteland that consisted of any soggy piece of anything the hippies in attendance didn't want to haul back to their current home.

Jimi took this mess and turned it into a living legend. When he took the stage he didn't even get a proper introduction, but undaunted, launched into a powerful reading of "Message to Love" which, for the most part was a preview of the rest of the show.

There were some problems though, neither Jimi nor his closest bandmates, Mitch Mitchell or Billy Cox really liked the expanded format (which not only included Cox on bass and Mitchell on drums, but two percussionists and a rythym guitarist).

This, is only minor problem though, as neither precussionist is audible due to inadequate miking and the sound of Jimi's guitar.
The worst part, though, is definatly the editing of the rythym guitarist Lary Lee's two solo peices, "Gypsy Woman" and another that the name of which escapes me. I mean, neither disc was even 70 minutes, that means that even if the two songs were ten minutes both could have (and should have) been included. I mean they dismised it as filler and admitted to it in the linear notes but what is so hard about putting on two more tracks? I'm not saying that Lee is some guitar god, but he was part of the band, and part of the Woodstock legend too. All hope of the complete preformance isn't lost, however, as you can obtain the full set with no editing (and all of the songs) on the internet.

Over all, great playing, great step up from the previous Woodstock disc, little or no fake cheering, and almost complete. Great buy, no matter what I said.

Jimi playing Woodstock was probably the most legendary thing he'd done since he blew the roof off the Monterey Pop Festival two years before. Like Bob Dylan's "Royal Albert Hall" concert, the performance here has legend written all over it, but it's not the hands-down greatest performance he'd ever done. But it's definitely AMONG his best.

At the risk of sounding corny, there is something just a little magical about this particular set; mainly due to the fact that it took place at the biggest music festival in rock history and that Jimi was playing in broad daylight in front of THOUSANDS of fans. Jimi's spoken word indicates he was a little nervous and probably a little wasted, but he lets his strat do most of the talking. It's a long set filled with loose jams, which is always a plus for a Hendrix concert. The most notable being his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner which is probably, aside from Machine Gun from his Fillmore East concerts, the greatest thing he'd ever done live. Novice fans may wonder just what the hell he's doing when he suddenly breaks the song and starts coming up with a bunch of weird licks and feedback, but if you listen closely, it will make perfect sense. I think it's the most "visual" song he's ever done live.

Experience Hendrix did a pretty good job on the mastering. It doesn't sound as muddy as it used to; Mitchell's drum work is MUCH clearer than on the older release. Admittedly, there is kind of a drawback. Two Larry Lee performances were left off, so it's not really the ENTIRE set. Ah, well. It's for the best, I guess. There is no greater crime in music than slowing down a great Hendrix concert.

Great CD (or CD's). As with most things that brand the name "Jimi Hendrix," play it loud for maximum effect.