''Live at Berkeley'' is a live album by American rock musician

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. It documents his second performance at the Berkeley Community Theatre on May 30, 1970, and was released by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

on September 16, 2003.

Background

Hendrix performed in Berkeley about one month into his

The Cry of Love Tour The Cry of Love Tour was a 1970 concert tour by American rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix. It began on April 25, 1970, at the The Forum (Inglewood, California), Forum in Inglewood, California, Inglewood, California, and ended on September ...

with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell. The set list was fairly typical for the toura mix of popular tunes and some newer material. "

Hey Joe "Hey Joe" is a song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics are from the point of view of a man on the run and planning to escape to Mexico after sho ...

", " Foxey Lady", " Purple Haze", and " Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" had been in Hendrix's concert repertoire since he first recorded them. " Machine Gun" was released two months earlier on the live '' Band of Gypsys'' album, and " Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" was in development for his planned fourth studio album. Portions of some of these songs were included in the 1971 concert film ''Jimi Plays Berkeley''.

Critical reception

Rob Fawcett of

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

called ''Live at Berkeley'' "the strongest newly-released Hendrix material in a long time".

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

cited "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" and "I Don't Live Today" as highlights and deemed it "the Cox-Mitchell band at its most documentable" in his consumer guide for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

''. In his review for '' Blender'', he said Cox was a significant improvement over

Noel Redding Noel David Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress. Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 a ...

in a group that was Hendrix's best. '' Uncut'' magazine was less enthusiastic and felt "there are still better versions of these tracks elsewhere."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians *

guitar, vocals * Billy Coxbass guitar * Mitch Mitchelldrums Production * Janie L. Hendrix – compilation production *

Eddie Kramer Edwin H. Kramer (born 19 April 1942) is a South African-born recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, L ...

– compilation production, mixing * George Marino – mastering * John McDermott – compilation production * Pete Scriba – assistant engineering

References

External links

* {{Authority control Live albums published posthumously Jimi Hendrix live albums 2003 live albums MCA Records live albums