THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE’S MAGIC BOY COMING OCTOBER 16 FROM EXPERIENCE HENDRIX/LEGACY RECORDS |
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Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings To Release Legendary 1970 Berkeley Performance Available on 2LP Vinyl, CD and Digital Platforms |
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Magic Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Berkeley (First Show) will be out on October 16 on Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings. Produced by Janie Hendrix, original Experience recording engineer Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, this historic 1970 concert is receiving a proper release for the first time, and will be available on 2LP vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms. The final lineup of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Hendrix on guitar/vocals, Mitch Mitchell on drums, Billy Cox on bass) performed two sets on May 30, 1970 at the Berkeley Community Theatre. For almost three years, the musician had been an international superstar and was widely hailed as the highest-grossing live act in rock. At this point in his career, Hendrix had decided to only tour on weekends because his primary focus was on building Electric Lady Studios, his own state-of-the-art recording facility in Greenwich Village. Demand for these two East Bay concerts far outstripped the venue’s 6,600 total available seats, leading to several thousand fans being turned away. Many swarmed the plaza in front of the theater, breaking windows and rushing the doors before the first performance. Others scaled the walls to gain entrance through the roof. Concertgoers who had purchased tickets were forced to elbow their way through the angry mob while being pelted by rocks. Promoter Bill Graham’s security force had never witnessed this level of aggression before. The Experience, who made it inside safely via a back door, ripped through repertoire both familiar and foreign to the audience. The audio was captured onto tape by Hendrix’s front-of-house engineer Abe Jacob, who had worked with him on previous tours. The fascination with this Berkeley performance and its lore steadily grew over the years when two early posthumous releases featured recordings from that set; “Hear My Train A Comin'” made it onto Rainbow Bridge (1971) and the electrifying rendition of “Johnny B. Goode” can be heard on Hendrix In The West (1972). The 1971 concert film Jimi Plays Berkeley includes extracts of “Purple Haze” and “Star Spangled Banner,” stoking the fires further. Magic Boyfinally assembles the performance in the order it was experienced by attendees. The album provides fans with the opportunity to hear Hendrix confidently shift between familiar favorites such as “Fire” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” to then-brand new material like “Ezy Ryder” and “Freedom” before they had been completed in the studio. Hendrix also incorporated Band Of Gypsys material into the set list; “Message To Love” and “Machine Gun” were executed with returning drummer Mitch Mitchell’s unique flair. These Berkeley recordings have been newly remixed by Eddie Kramer from the original multi-track tapes, and mastered by multiple-Grammy Award winner Bernie Grundman. Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. commented, “Jimi called himself a ‘Magic Boy,’ so this title has a very personal meaning. He was always reaching for something new—exploring, experimenting and pushing his music forward. At Berkeley, you can hear that journey happening in real time. He gives the audience the songs they already loved while opening the door to where he was headed next. More than fifty years later, that magic is still there. Magic Boy lets us experience Jimi’s brilliance, energy and imagination all over again.” Magic Boy vinyl tracklist: LP ONE
SIDE A - Fire
- Johnny B. Goode
- Hear My Train A Comin’
SIDE B - Machine Gun
- Freedom
- Red House
LP TWO
SIDE A - Message To Love
- Ezy Ryder
- Star Spangled Banner
- Purple Haze
SIDE B - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
- Fire
- Johnny B. Goode
- Hear My Train A Comin’
- Machine Gun
- Freedom
- Red House
- Message To Love
- Ezy Ryder
- Star Spangled Banner
- Purple Haze
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
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About Legacy Recordings:
Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is home to the world’s foremost library of historically significant commercial recordings, a peerless collection of works by the most important musical artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Across a variety of platforms, the label offers contemporary music fans access to thousands of meticulously restored and remastered archival titles representing virtually every musical genre including popular, rock, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, country, gospel, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, rap/hip-hop, world music, classical, comedy and more.About Experience Hendrix L.L.C.:
Founded by James ‘Al’ Hendrix, Jimi’s father, in 1995, Experience Hendrix has been managed since its inception by the family members handpicked by Al during his tenure as Chairman. It is the official family company charged with managing the music, name, image and likeness of Jimi Hendrix. As a part of its daily operations, Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix oversee Jimi’s timeless legacy on a worldwide basis. |
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