Not very often do you get a DVD that contains one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time in a redone Dolby 5.1 format that too by original Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer. Titled simply ‘A Film about Jimi Hendrix’, this film was originally released three years after the musician's untimely death on 18^th September 1970.

This is an absorbing documentary that gives insight into the life and career of Hendrix through both interviews and rare performances, backed also with rare photos and album pack shots.

The rockumentary features the guitar legend on stage and behind the scenes, classic concert footage interspersed with interviews with friends and prominent musicians giving first-hand recollections of the legend, including Pete Townshend, Mick Jagger, Linda Keith, Eric Clapton, Billy Cox, Lou Reed, Mitch Michell, to his own father Al Hendrix and more covering the many facets of the Hendrix story, capturing the sound, look and spirit of the mid to late 1960s and early 1970s. Most talk about their experiences with Hendrix, be it at a concert, or personally. Interesting is the talk with his dad who reveals that Hendrix got his first acoustic guitar for 5 dollars. One of the interviewers who worked with Hendrix goes on to state that Jimi was very demanding. He states that the ‘Electric Lady’ album was mixed for a total 14 – 16 hours until Jimi found that he liked it. In the same way he states that Jimi didn’t like anyone touching his guitars, and if anyone dared to touch it either backstage or otherwise, he calmly ask them to keep it down where it was.

Jimi himself recounts an incident at an airport when he had gone to catch a flight. The buzzer went out he says. “I told the staff there that it could possibly be because of my metallic hair as nothing else was found”.

The rockumentary brings together the best live footage spanning Hendrix's entire career from his beginnings to the iconic sequences of Monterey (1967), London Marquee Club and Filmore East, Woodstock (1969) and Isle of Wight (1970) Festival performances, all digitally transferred and restored. Included in the film are the classic songs in their entirety like ‘Machine Gun’, Wild thing’, ‘Purple Haze’,’ Go Johnny go’, ‘Hey Joe’, ‘Rock Me Baby’, ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ and the milestone ‘Star Spangled Banner’ an anthem that he gave his own stamp of approval playing it in his own imitable style with the guitar. There are also old recordings with a little static noticeable on the sound quality. There are numerous color and black and white concert footage that fans would love to relish. This includes the famous guitar battering, burning of the guitar and Hendrix playing the stringed instrument with his teeth and on the ground. The left handed guitar player with the bandana firmly placed on his forehead regales crowds at the Woodstock concert, and not forgetting his great performance with Band of Gypsies which also marks his only concert appearance with the band.

But there was another side to Jim Hendrix. Hendrix wanted peace of mind. But people would never allow him that. They would never leave him alone, be it before or after a concert, they wanted a piece of him. His flashy clothes, hat, heavy chains and rings showed he cared a damn about what others thought about him. The impact he had on musicians was phenomenal. He was unashamedly outward with his music. He was as one would say a very original act. Hendrix was one of the most enigmatic, talented and versatile performer on stage of his time. On the personal side and rather off stage he was a very shy person, timid, unsure man. Sadly, Hendrix went the way of many other rock legends, dying well before he even reached middle age. His death was a loss to the world and watching this DVD will surely make you feel his presence once again.

There are also a host of extras with never before seen performance of 'Stone Free' from the July 4, 1970 Atlanta Pop Festival, ‘The Making Of Dolly Dagger' as Producer - Engineer Eddie Kramer breaks down the mix and 'From Ukulele to the Strat', a 60 minute bonus featurettes remembering Hendrix.

If you're a Hendrix fan, you have to have this DVD. It’s as Jimi Hendrix puts it – The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Rating: ****

-- Reviewed by Verus Ferreira