Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At The Hollywood Bowl – August 18, 1967

The archiving of Jimi Hendrix' vault has apparently reached the point where what happens on a given release is less important than when it happened. So it is with Live At The Hollywood Bowl—August 18, 1967, the setlist for which is similar to that of his ground-breaking June '67 performance at Monterey Pop, one the late rock icon would soon come to rue as he continued live appearances beyond a short stint in July '67 opening for the Monkees .

Following that debacle, this particular date occurred a mere five days prior to the release of Are You Experienced? (Reprise, 1967). Hendrix and his group were on the bill opening for the Mamas and the Papas whose titular leader, John Phillips, had been impressed with the trio's performance at the legendary festival earlier that summer.

Surreptitiously taped by a radio station technician on hand to help with the audio at the event, this two-track recording has never been released officially or in bootleg form. Notably, it predates by just over a year its less-than-optimum audience-sourced counterpart, captured at the same hallowed venue, that is a component of the 50th anniversary edition of Electric Ladyland (Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings, 2018).

While the intro of the band certainly sounds dated, Hendrix' own tongue-in-cheek overture to the crowd undercuts that perspective. As a result, a truncated take on The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" comes off as honest homage, though not quite as much as the interpretation of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" which runs for nearly seven minutes, almost equal to that of the Bard's single of 1965.

In much the same musicianly fashion, the frenzied cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" is simultaneously a tribute to and extension of a blues tradition, one which continues around the mid-point of the set in the form of "Catfish Blues." The relatively subdued "The Wind Cries Mary" thus offers a pointed contrast; an original piece, authored by the iconic guitar hero, from the debut Experience LP, it is a far more imaginative piece in this context and on its own terms than "Fire" and "Foxy Lady" (which, not surprisingly, gets one of a small handful of somewhat desultory preambles).

As was increasingly the case over the next three years of touring, Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding deconstruct the latter pieces to suit their adventurous needs rather than attempting to overtly please the crowd. Given that the 17,000 in attendance were attracted by the pop-oriented headliners, they may not have known what to make of the trio's eight minutes-plus take on the aforementioned slow blues of Muddy Waters.

The deliberate tempo of the McKinley Morganfield song sets off in stark relief the feverish solos of Hendrix as well as Mitchell. Notably, Redding has no such extended spotlight, but piggybacks on his rhythm section partner before the threesome double-times to the manic finish just prior to the radio personality's self-conscious huzzahs over the cacophonous climax that is "Wild Thing."

More than just a companion piece to the aforementioned Hollywood Bowl recording, August 18, 1967 reaffirms the completist vision now in progress via Experience Hendrix which has curated the vault for some years. Releases such as this and Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 (Legacy/Experience Hendrix, 2022) are filling in the blanks of the grievously abbreviated career arc of the West Coast Seattle Boy.

In contrast to decidedly budget-line quality cover graphics, otherwise stylish and complete packaging comes adorned with photos by Ed Caraeff, Henry Diltz and others (any number of which performance shots might better have adorned the front). In contrast to that reversal of priorities, biographer & archivist John McDermott and Eddie Kramer (Hendrix's long standing recording engineer) restored the audio, after which three-time Grammy Award-winner Bernie Grundman served as mastering engineer.

The resulting sonics are not as resplendent as the most intense moments here, but the mix suits the arrangements. Redding's bass is no more or less prominent than it ever was in this context, while Mitchell's drums reverberate, especially the kick. And there is an edge which stings in Hendrix' guitar playing, as if he was purposely attempting to not only garner but retain the attention of the audience: that in itself is sufficient to inspire essayist Jeff Slate's breathless hyperbole.

Ultimately, while Live At The Hollywood Bowl—August 18, 1967 may not tell many of us much (if anything) we don't already know about the late rock icon, it will serve as an admirable starting point for those eager to learn both the how and the why of the reverence accorded the name Jimi Hendrix.

For both demographics, however, it is a worthwhile document of a significant moment in his early history, one rendered all the more valuable because it reflects the increasingly rapid development of his career trajectory.

Comments