Jimi Hendrix: Experience
The world was turned on to the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967 with the release ofAre You  Experienced?With a unique electric spin on R&B;, rock, and soul, the  Jimi Hendrix Experience would take the world by storm almost overnight and  become the definitive voice of psychedelic music. By the end of that summer,  Hendrix had become an international superstar.TheExperienceDVD can be broken down into two sections. The first part  is the half-hour documentary filmExperiencefilmed in London 1967. The  second half includes over 40 minutes of bonus material; live footage and music  videos.Experienceis more a collage of footage, including interviews and  "videos," than a documentary. There are a lot better documentaries out there if  historical accuracy is what you are looking for. However, if you want a glimpse  of London in the late '60s and to see a young, optimistic, and happy Jimi  Hendrix,Experiencewill deliver. The bonus material is what makes this  DVD. The live footage is strong and the sound and visual reproduction is  outstanding, particularly on the May 24, 1967, Stockholm performances of "Wind  Cries Mary" and "Purple Haze." The highlight is the performance of "Red House"  for SAT Swedish television on January 9, 1969; in spite of the obvious tension  between the band members, the performance is perfect. The one low point: with  these great extras and all the yet-to-be-released live footage that is still out  there, one wonders why the DVD included an absurd "Dolly Dagger" video shot in  1997 and featuring Fawn Reed and James Hong. It's just awful. Fortunately it's  at the end and doesn't take away from the overall strength of this title.-- Rob Bracco