Berlin (Deutschlandhalle) : 4 septembre 1970

Berlin (Deutschlandhalle) : 4 septembre 1970


Titres :

1. Straight Ahead
2. Spanish Castle Magic
3. Sunshine Of Your Love
4. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
5. Message To Love
6. Machine Gun
7. Purple Haze
8. Red House
9. Foxy Lady
10. Ezy Ryder
11. Hey Joe
12. Power Of Soul
13. Lover Man (coupé)

Source : "Berlin 04.09.70" (ATM 151)





C'est un pirate "audience" d'une très bonne qualité audio selon les critères de l'époque. Il y a certes un peu de distorsion, mais les instruments sont bien équilibrés et le rendu tout à fait honnête.

Berlin, 4 septembre 1970. Avant-dernier concert de Jimi Hendrix. Embarqué dans une tournée dont il ne voulait pas, les concerts de Jimi sont très inégaux depuis celui de l'Ile de Wight.
Robin Trower, à jamais marqué par ce concert, félicita Jimi pour la performances de son groupe, mais Jimi déclina le compliment.  


Jimi commence par exécuter quelques traits flamenco électriques... mais c'est avec "Straight Ahead" que le trio ouvre le concert berlinois.
Dès les premières mesures chantées, un constat s'impose : la voix de Jimi est terriblement fatiguée. Il est obligé de forcer dès qu'il monte dans les aigus. Plus encore qu'à Ile de Wight, Jimi lutte avec sa musique. Physiquement.

Les choses ne s'améliore pas sur "Spanish Castle Magic", où Jimi zappe la moitié des paroles, et chante douloureusement le reste. En revanche, les qualités instrumentales de la performance sont bien présentes.

Toute sa carrière, Jimi a régulièrement puisé certaines de ses citations dans le répertoire de Cream. Pour autant, la version de "Sunshine Of Your Love" qui suit est tout de même une bonne surprise car c'est la seule et unique version du trio Hendrix/Cox/Mitchell connue à ce jour. Elle est d'ailleurs interprétée dans un style radicalement différent des versions explosives de l'Experience : préfigurant la carrière solo de Clapton dans les années 70, Jimi propose une version presque laid back du titre de "Disreali Gears" ! Les Beatles sont eux aussi à l'honneur : Jimi cite "I Feel Fine" puis "Day Tripper", dans une reprise qui, bien que surprenante, tient la route.

Le public allemand ne fut pas tendre avec Jimi en septembre 1970 : après l'exposé du thème d'introduction de "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)", alors que Jimi débute son solo, les sifflements montent distinctement de l'audience. Jimi attaque le chant d'une voix fatiguée, même si la composition lui permet de ne pas trop forcer. Il s'abstient d'ailleurs de chanter les passages plus aigus du refrain. Comme à d'autres reprises lors de cette ultime tournée, Jimi interrompt le titre avant le second couplet...

... et lance l'introduction de "Message To Love", joué sur un tempo énergique. Instrumentalement, il n'y a rien à redire à la performance : c'est une version solide dont la seule surprise réside dans le son du solo, joué presque sans saturation.

Vient ensuite "Machine Gun". C'est une page d'histoire qui se referme : c'est l'ultime version du titre récent le plus important de son répertoire Live, le chef d'œuvre de son dernier album en date. Et Jimi n'a pas loupé ce rendez-vous avec l'histoire dont il se serait bien passé : c'est une version extraordinaire de "Machine Gun" qu'il proposa au public de Berlin ce 4 septembre 1970.
Les problèmes vocaux rencontrés depuis le début du concert passent relativement bien ici, car Jimi double la plupart des parties vocales avec sa guitare, comme à son habitude.
Le solo central est certainement l'un des plus extrêmes de toute sa carrière. Durant une minute trente, Jimi exprime toute la beauté qui peut se dégager de la violence.
Le solo final est va plus loin encore : au-delà des notes, Jimi développe un magma sonore puissamment évocateur dont l'intensité est exceptionnelle.
La suite est plus calme. Le passage où il combine hammer et jeu de vibrato mélange parfaitement lyrisme et malaise. Il cite ainsi le thème de "The Breeze And I", soutenu par un rythme bolero lancé par Mitch.
Sans conteste une des plus belles versions de "Machine Gun".

"Purple Haze" prolonge cette explosion de violence, avec un chant qui passe moyennement mais dont les parties de guitares compensent les faiblesses. Jimi transforme son hit de 1967 en un rock confinant au cauchemardesque.

Le climat se détend considérablement avec "Red House", dont l'introduction, blues et calme, est remarquable. La voix de Jimi passe plutôt bien lors des couplets. Le solo débute relativement calmement, mais à la sixième minute, le titre sombre complètement : sans doute en raison d'une corde cassée, Jimi se retrouve totalement désaccordé. Il se fait copieusement siffler... même si une partie du public applaudit alors en réaction. Lors du dernier couplet, Jimi ne tente même pas de placer un accord...

L'enregistrement reprend avec "Foxy Lady" : les problèmes techniques sont manifestement réglés. Cette version ne rajoute toutefois rien à la légende : il a pas mal de flottements dans sa mise en place.

Jimi joue le riff d'introduction de "Ezy Ryder", mais cède la place à Mitch qui joue seul le rythme qu'il applique à cette composition un moment. C'est un "Ezy Ryder" plutôt réussi que le groupe nous offre, avec un solo court mais original. Le chant est très moyen lors du pont... mais c'est malheureusement récurrent.

Sur "Hey Joe", Jimi peut poser sa voix sans trop forcer, soutenu maladroitement par les chœurs approximatifs de Billy Cox. Nous avons le droit à la deuxième citation de "I Feel Fine" de la soirée.

La grosse surprise de la setlist est sans conteste "Power Of Soul" : uniquement joué lors de la balance de Berkeley, ce titre n'a jamais été interprété en concert par le trio Hendrix/Cox/Mitchell. Jimi semble très désaccordé lors des premières mesures... mais les choses s'améliorent pourtant rapidement. Pour autant, dans la mesure où la comparaison est possible en terme de qualité audio, la composition ne décolle pas comme lors des shows du Fillmore, où le Band Of Gypsys était dans son élément. Jimi commence à chanter le premier couplet, mais n'insiste pas...

... et sans transition, joue une version instrumentale de "Lover Man", au tempo plus modéré que d'habitude, mais rapidement coupée. A noter : il existe une autre source audience (avec un son inférieur) présentant quelques secondes supplémentaires, mais pas décisives.


Au final ? Guitaristiquement, un grand concert de Jimi. "Machine Gun" est phénoménale. Si Jimi n'avait pas ses problèmes de voix, sans doute l'un des meilleurs concerts de l'année.

Robin Trower à propos de ce concert  :

« Je l'ai regardé d'un coté de la scène. Le fait qu'il soit gaucher, avec la guitare inversée, était étrange. Mais j'étais frappé par la taille de ses mains, des mains immenses. J'ai pensé qu'il était brillant. Il était formidable, même si je ne pense pas que le groupe fonctionnait très bien, ça ne coulait pas très bien. Ça ne prenait pas forme. Ce concert à Berlin était vraiment étrange parce que tout le monde marchait très bien, il y avait nous, Ten Years After, je pense que Canned Heat était aussi à l’affiche, mais Hendrix ne marchait pas bien, je pense même qu’il s’est fait huer. Ça ne fonctionnait pas vraiment. Je n’ai pas regardé tout le concert parce que ça n’allait pas trop bien, et c’était un peu embarrassant, alors au bout de 20 ou 30 minutes, je suis reparti en coulisses. »



Une autre citation de Robin Trower à propos de ce concert :

I think it was above their [the audience's] heads you know? I mean, I couldn't take in a lot of what he was doing and I'm a musician, a guitarist, so you can imagine what it was like for them.

So anyway, then I was walking up and down outside the dressing room after he'd come off, and I was sort of saying, "Should I go in?" Then I burst into the dressing room all of a sudden and said, "Er, I've gotta tell you, it was the best thing I've ever seen."

Which it was. And he said, "Uh, thank you, but, uh, naw." And I just went, "Whoops, that's it," and walked out again.

Source : http://www.procolharum.com/99/ph_hendrix.htm

Gary Brooker, de Procol Harum, à propos de Robin Trower et Jimi Hendrix :

"He was very strongly influenced by the death of Jimi Hendrix in September 1970. We played on the same bill with Jimi in Germany, two weeks before he died in London. I remember standing on the side of the stage with Robin. There were six thousand Germans in the audience and they were booing Jimi Hendrix. He was playing fantastically well, but he wasn't including things like Hey Joe and Purple Haze. He wasn't setting light to his guitar. He just played magnificently and this audience booed him. It was unbelievable and Trower went bloody wild. He was livid. He was totally enthralled with Hendrix' playing, as we all were, and Trower was ready to punch out six thousand Germans! I think Robin changed that day and two weeks later when Jimi died, it really affected him. Song For A Dreamer is about Hendrix. Here was a complete master and yet at this stage in his career, nobody appreciated him."

Source : "Jimi Hendrix" par Benoit Feller (couverture)

Citation :

purple jim a dit :

Jimi à Berlin sur la couverture de "Isle Of Wight"

Citation :

jmarshallh :


j'ai retrouvé ceci ...toujours berlin...
il s'agit d'un coffret polydor, je me demande si ce coffret n'etait pas reservé aux abonnés du club dial à l'epoque...
a noter le "Collector's 16 pages booklet" : je l'ai égaré, si quelqu'un a une trace , des scans seraient les bienvenus

04 septembre 1970 Deutschlandhalle Berlin

Pre-concert backstage interview by Chris Romberg and an unknown English man for British Forces Broadcasting Service TV (BFBS Germany)

? : …I nearly forgot the…
CR: Introduction?
Girl: Yeah-heh, that would be nice
CR: All right
JH: [Singing in a operatic voice:] ‘Fee-eel my love..
? : You were feelin’ him!
Mitch?: May I heckle?
All : [Laughter]
CR: [Mock admonition:] That’s not the right kind of introduction, we have to be serious.
We’re back stage at the Deutschlandhalle, speaking with guitarist Jimi Hendrix, and, Jimi I’d like to know, first of all, what you thought about your appearance in the film Woodstock, especially the, the scene at the end with the National Anthem?
JH: [Barely containing himself:] I guess they could have showed ah, some other songs
probably, you know, and, like, they, they, like, they came in on, ‘little shower?’ at the end of it, an’ I wish they could have caught more of the musical side of it really, you know
CR: Think they tried to make a political issue out of it ?
JH: Well, I really don’t know. I don’t know. Not really, I don’t think so ha-ha-ha, it’s just the
way it is, you know
CR: Yes…

CR: [Tape cut]…festivals like Woodstock. Do you think there’ll ever be another gathering
of people that large that’ll have the same kind of vibes?
JH: Well, I don’t know, because, like-ah, it’s pretty hard for the sound to get to all those people, you know, it’s such a big crowd. Like, if they had a smaller, smaller crowds that, you know, you can really get next to them more, you know
CR: Mhmm
JH: But it’s just too big, you know.
CR:Now how do you feel about playing before, say, four hundred thousand people?
JH: Well, that’s what I mean, it’s just ha-ha too big, you know. You’re just…You know
you’re not gettin’ through to, you know, all of them. And-uh, the idea to play to them is to try to, you know, turn them on or something
CR: Do you think that-uh, large music festivals are actually just an extension of the
commercialism angle, is it too, is it too commercial?
JH: Oh, I don’t know, I really, you know, let’s, I don’t that, I will play too many more of
those, you know, anyway, so it’s, it’s really not too much to talk about really. It’s just too much, it’s just too many things going on, and not enough, you know, love or concentration on one certain thing
CR: Hmm

Romberg’s commentary on the interview

CR: Prophetic words perhaps, because the last gig that Jimi Hendrix played was the night
after he did this concert in Berlin, on the Isle of Fehmarn, it was another one of the large festival gatherings. It would be very hard to characterise Jimi Hendrix in words. You had to meet him, you had to talk to him, you just had to watch him. The night that he played the concert here in Berlin he seemed very tired. I wouldn’t say that he was strung out, but he just seemed tired and sort of uninterested. Let’s go on with the interview, this is Chris Romberg of BFBS
Backstage interview by [unknown Englishman]

? : And Jimi you’ve just come from the Isle of Wight, which is another of these last-large festivals. Did you enjoy that?
JH: Well, you know, I enjoy playin’ anywhere. But, like it was dark, you know, we was playin’ at night time we couldn’t see-hah everybody. You know, if I could see the people instead of just lines of bonfires up there, you know. That’s the only way I could tell there was a hill back up there, ha-ha-ha, well, like-uh, oh, wow, it’s all right ha-ha-ha
? : Do you prefer playing at a concert like this one where-uh, the accent is more, it’s coming to listen to music, than gathering in a folk festival?
JH: Yeah, I guess so, y’know
? : Do you think-yuh, you’re more appreciated here?
JH: Oh, don’t know. It’s pretty hard to say. Sometimes it’s easier playin’ at different places, you know, at different times, y’know. An’ Germany in the summertime is, it’s beautiful you know
? : Do you enjoy playing in Germany?
JH: Yeah… Yeah
? : Do you think German audiences differed from English audience-ces?
JH: I don’t know, it’s pretty hard to say. We haven’t played in England in a long time, you
know. We have to out there and play again and see. But it’s, you know, it’s, it’s pretty hard to say

Backstage interview by Chris Romberg

CR : Is there really um, anyone in, in pop music or say rock music that when you hear their
stuff you go, you know, “Wow!, they really knocked me out”?
JH : Yeah
CR: Who?
JH : Sly hee-hee-uh
CR: Sly Stone?
JH : Yeah, ‘cause I like his feet [beat?], you know, I like his pulse, you know, ‘Music Lover’,
and ‘Dance To The Music’ all those type of things, you know, and Ritchie Havens which is out of sight…

Romberg’s commentary on the interview

And remembering past performances I’ve seen by Jimi Hendrix, I had seen him in concert three times. This time was the first in about a year and a half, and he had changed his style quite a bit. I think it probably had something to do with the Band Of Gypsys album earlier this year, but he was, he was much more melodic than he was in the past, in the past he was fire and brimstone and that type o’ thing, and now his style had changed slightly he had become more toonful more into being a creative guitarist. I-in otherwords he was creative before, but now he was becoming creative in a different vein. Later on in this interview you’ll here a question about the ‘Monterey Pop Festival’ that was the first time that I had been exposed to Jimi Hendrix and that was probably his big national break-out [it got him a bit of press but it was fairly mixed and nothing startling, nobody saw the film until early 1969, his 1st Lp entered the US charts in 1967 with almost no airplay and little press initially, Axis was in the charts in early 68 and he had 2 massive, all corners US tours starting in early 68] both in the states and around the World [he was already a well known chart act in most of non-communist bloc Europe before he went to the US] At that time his act consisted of, uh, wild, you know, just dancing about the stage playing his guitar behind his neck and all the things that you’ve heard about Jimi Hendrix in his early days. At the end of the performance he set his axe on fire and then he set his hair on fire [ha-ha, what a load of over hyped bull] and it was really something [it would be if he set his hair on fire!] the people were just really into Jimi Hendrix. The night of the Deutschland Halle he was much more subdued, much quieter [worn out after the previous nights fiery peformance and with substances unknown] and as we’ve said much more into the melody [No, not really] His drummer Mitch Mitchell had slowed down quite a bit too [tired? substances?] but Bill Cox provided a much funkier bass line than Noel Redding was ever capable of [debateable] as Jimi says later on in the interview, “Noel was more into playing melodies than he was into being a funky bass player. So let’s go on with this unedited interview, again conducted the night of September 4th at the ‘Superconcert’ in Berlin.

Backstage interview by Chris Romberg

CR: [Tape cut]…yeah, an’ I was wondering about-eh, the ‘Experience’ that’s appearing
here in Berlin tonight, this is really, there’s only one man difference…
JH : Uhuh
CR: …from the original ‘Jimi Hendrix Experience’
JH : Yeah
CR: …and that being your new bass player Bill Cox
JH : Mmm
CR: An’ I was wondering how-uh…
? : [In the background] Fuck off
JH : For we have a new road manager too, don’t forget
CR: Oh
JH : Gene McFadden
Roadies: [Laughter]
CR: Okay
JH : Besides Gerry Stickells and Eric Barrett
CR: Well, we can’t hurry the plug group
Roadies: [Laughter]
JH : Well, you can’t forget it, because, like, those are the ones that keep it together, right CR: Yeah
JH : Everybody forgets that side of it, really
CR: That’s true, that’s something I’d like to find out uhm. Behind the scenes people
normally do a lot more than you or ah…
JH : It’s like a beautiful aeroplane and everybody always forgets about the pilots,
sometimes, you know
CR: Yeah
JH : An’ you know, “We’re in Africa, I’ll wake one of the captains.”
CR: I was wondering about the, the group itself however
JH : Mhmm
CR: And-uh, the reason that the original Experience broke up was Noel Redding and Mitch
Mitchell and, and now that you’re back together with your old drummer Mitch, how Bill Cox came to you?
JH: Yeah, well, like, you know, him and I we used to play together before, and-uh, like,
we’re doing a lot of bass unison, bass and guitar unison things, you know. Which makes the who’-it’s nothing but, like a lot of rhythms, or what do you call it? it’s like patterns, like, you know, and like-ah. I don’t know, see Noel, he, he has his own thing, you know, he is, he gets his own, you know, group. He has his own group, an’ he’s into his own thing, you know, he’s more of an individual himself I guess, group like that. And, like, I wanted the the bound to be just a little solid, you know, more-uh, Noel’s more of a melodic player, you know, and Billy plays more of a solider space, know
CR: Do you think that the Monterey festival back in sixty seven was-uh, the original
starting point for what we could say is now the fame of Jimi Hendrix?
JH : Well, for our group, yeah. Yeah, right
CR: And as far as that Monterey festival goes I was there and. I thought there were a lot of
fantastic performances there, er, y’-will there ever be anyhthing in pop music like, like Monterey again?
JH : Oh, I’m not sure, I really don’t know… about pop music, you know, no telling, you
know, be’-it would be nice if it was, specially next wave around though, you know, you know
CR: Yeah
JH : Next time around, you’ll see. Oh well, that’s too much ha-ha-ha-ha-huh!

Backstage interview by [unknown Englishman [UE]]

UE: How do you feel when you’re on tour? How do you feel at the moment?
JH : Right now?
UE: Yeah
JH : I’m just worried a little bit now, ‘cause I guess I’m… a tiny bit like a frog a-huh-ha-ha,
[he is sounding quite hoarse] you know, because of last night we was playing so loud
UE: Mhmm
JH : I was shouting on my tiptoes, it. It felt like my kneecaps were up in my chest, yuppies
UE: [Laughs]
JH : And-um, right now I just feel kind of nervous, but I think it’ll be all right though. ‘Cause
now we’re gonna d’-go on and do our little gig, like, Mitch’ll be playin’ drums and Bill’s playing bass, and [in a silly voice:] ‘I’ll be playing guitar…
Mitch?: [Laughter]
JH: Chill out… instead of up there screaming, you know
UE: Do you get w’-very worn out?
JH : Yeah, but certain things recharge me in an instant [I wonder what?] might get worn
out in a instant too [when it wears off?], all depends

Backstage interview by Chris Romberg

CR: Like interviews maybe?
JH : Well, sometimes they’re fun, you know
CR: Yeah, okay
JH : Huh-heh-heh…
CR: Sometimes they’re fun to do too
JH : …Uh-hah. Yeah, I wish we’d o’ caught that at a, you know, at a more un-nervous time
because, like…
CR: Yeah
JH : …right now we have to go on soon, like it or not
CR: Ready or not, oh we understand that… Goodnight
? : [English interviewer] Thank you very much
JH : Okay, thank you

Romberg’s commentary on the interview

At this point-ah, I think some personal business should come up perhaps in this interview. Ah, I’ve never been on film and I’ve never been on television before, I’ve done strictly radio an’ had a very short carreer at that, and as we’ve said before this interview was being filmed. Hendrix was nervous about being on film, I was rather nervous, in fact everybody that was in front of the camera was, and after we had wrapped up-uh, what we thought was the end of the interview there was some rather nervous goodnights exchanged. Now at this point we thought that the interview was concluded and the film crew started to shut down their camera, but just at that point the man from American Forces Television [AFN] here in Berlin, Sgt Keith Robin, decided he decided he was going to ask-ah, Hendrix [a question]. I already had my tape machine shut of, but I turned it on on time to catch the rest of these comments and this reaction from Hendrix and the crew that was in the room.

Sgt Keith Robin of AFN asks a question after the interview:

KR: [What do you think about Mungo Jerry and their song ‘In The Summertime’?]
JH : Yeah-ha-ha
All : [Loud laughter]
KR: Why does that name always spark laughter. When everyon’…
? : I don’t know
KR: …everybody hears Mungo Jerry…
JH : I don’t know
KR: …people bust up laughing?
JH : I think that’s a happy song
KR: It is, it’s a great song
Mitch?: I-I like it
JH : It goin’ like this –“Well I think the summertime
Gerry: [Sings:] ‘Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo…’
KR: I would like to know, like…
Gerry: …ha-ha-ha.
KR: …what…
JH : [Sings:] “He said You got women, you got women on your mind” ha-ha-ha
KR: …what’s your opinion… you’re opinion of the song, and the, and the group of what
you know of them?
JH : Oh, I think it’s a beautiful summertime ha-ha type of song…
Gerry: [Giggling]
JH : …and you know
KR: Do you think they’re gonna be a future in that group, with that group?
JH : Well, I don’t know about the group, what they’re…
KR: That type of music?
JH : …but this… I don’t know about the group, but the-uh, you know, the song just killed,
you know, it’s nice and happy, an’ it’s nice and light and-ah, you know, it get’s away the down. I didn’t know it was a group, I thought they just got together to make that one record? But, you know, best o’ luck to anybody who, you know, want’s to get up an’ do it. [in a silly voice:] ‘Mungo Jerry’ ha-ha-ha
Gerry: Ha-ha-ha
? : That was so funny

It was the night of September 4th before going on at the ‘Superconcert’ here in Berlin

Citation :

chimichunga a dit : Copains merci beaucoup pour toutes ces photos fantastiques.

La raison Jimi parle à peine entre les chansons et manque plusieurs versets de paroles sur la plupart des chansons, c'est qu'il fait mal à la voix à Copenhague, il a été hurlant des chants dans la partie supérieure de sa voix (comme il le mentionne dans son entrevue avant le concert) . Il me semble évident qu'il a été élevé sur le coke ou d'amphétamine à Copenhague, Bien qu'un feu & concert agréable devant un public enthousiaste, il est assez en lambeaux et Jimi regards hagards. Si vous écoutez l'interview, juste avant de le monter sur scène à Berlin, il ressemble beaucoup, il est de retour sur les tranquillisants à nouveau (qui a ruiné son gig à Aarhus), d'où sa piètre performance. Son dernier concert à Fehmarn est excellent though.

Il est également intéressant de noter que Alan Wilson le fondateur de Canned Heat - Jimi, qui avait partagé l'affiche avec à Monterey et Woodstock, etc - ont été trouvé mort d'une overdose de calmants/tranquillisants et d'alcool le jour avant que le groupe part pour Berlin et Jimi sûrement aurait entendu ces nouvelles déprimantes

relance au post posté plus haut :

quelqu'un a t il en sa possession le livret "collector" dont je parle ?
j'aimerais lire les liner notes de ce coffret "dial"

en voyant ces superbes photos postées, ca me rappelé que je cherchais toujours le scan de ce livret du coffret collector Dial de l'époque ...dont je parle plus haut

Toujours personne qui en aurait une trace ?

Svp

merci europa !!

peut etre que petit à petit j'aurai droit à l'intérieur du livret ?

en tous cas c très gentil !!! je vais imprimer tout ca ...

pour ce qui est du club dial : j'en ai ce souvenir car un ami l'avait commandé sur le club Dial à l'époque.. maintenant reste à savoir si c'etait une exclusivité Dial ou si ca se trouvait ailleurs dans le commerce.. car sur le coffret il n'est marqué nulle part le logo Dial ...

Je te scannerai le reste ce soir, bonne journée.

super !!! Europa !!! merci beaucoup !!

Electric Thing a écrit:

04 septembre 1970 Deutschlandhalle Berlin

Pre-concert backstage interview by Chris Romberg and an unknown English man for British Forces Broadcasting Service TV (BFBS Germany)

Selon Caesar Glebbeek, McDermott (Experience Hendrix) possède le film de cette interview. Le producteur dit qu'il est possible qu'elle figure dans un futur DVD.

Et le film du concert???? on peut toujours rêver...