Are You Experienced CD/DVD

'Are You Experienced?' (2010-07-09) : 4/5
Received in 'as-new' condition and quite promptly. No glitches on either disc. br /br /Regarding the discs themselves, the sound of the remastered CD is quite good though (to these ears) not as definitive as it still can be. The DVD is substantial (unlike the Beatles video add-ons) and revealing though the guest commentators and mixers focus on highlight tracks rather than the entire classic slate.br /br /The booklet is a great read and rounds off an excellent product offering - 'til the next reissue raises the bar once more:)
Could be better... (2010-05-19) : 4/5
"Axis" have been a classic for over 40 years, so i'm not going to review the album, but this Deluxe Edition. I'm giving the same review to all these Hendrix "New" Remasters...br /br /The remastered sound is really an improvement if you only listened to the first pressings of it on CD. But, if you already have the '97 remasters, it's just the same thing.br /br /I'm givin' it 4 stars because of the dvd. It's so short, that i really wonder why not to put a CD of demos or live recordings from the era? It would be so better.
One star for DVD (2010-04-06) : 1/5
Unfortunately with the DVD, the new interviews were done in widescreen, however, the old video footage was not - but they spliced it in as widescreen. So what you get is Jimi's face stretched out wider than it is high. It is too, too bad. I bought this CD for the DVD and was hoping to see some vintage Jimi. Instead his footage is all distorted. Whom ever did the DVD needs to go back to school and learn how to do this correctly. Janie should have this fixed and offer a free disc exchange. Maybe this is why this set is only ten bucks.
Worth Every Cent (2010-04-04) : 5/5
One of the dilemmas facing music consumers today is which to choose from the avalanche of remasters and reissues of some of the most popular albums that are on the market. Why is this a dilemma? Well, each is touted as the best to date so until you actually hear the reissue, you have no idea if there is any truth to the claim. Maybe you have already purchased several previous "best yets" and then a new one appears. What now?br /Well, that seems to be an issue where this package is concerned. According to many reviews, this release of Are You Experienced is indistinguishable sonically from a remaster made in 1997. So you have to decide whether or not its worth spending ten dollars to get the same music dressed in a new package with a bonus DVD and a booklet to entice you.br /In my case it was easy. I do not own the 1997 remaster and have resisted until now all blandishments to buy any of the others. Take a look at the price, the amount of music you get and the extras provided and you can see that this package is worth every cent. I was never a hard-core Hendrix fan, but I do own this on vinyl and am delighted to now own this remastered edition. The sound is excellent, the booklet is informative, and the DVD, while quite brief, is entertaining as well. So if you buy this and decide that its no better but no worse than the one you now own, just give the old one to a young person as a gift. You might be helping to create a new generation of Jimi Hendrix fans.
One for four! (2010-03-28) : 5/5
This one review covers the four releases! First off,it would have been more in context if the inner art of both Axis:.Bold As Love [losses the feeling of the originals] and Electric Ladyland was kept as part off the inner gate-fold. I have aged well with the music, though Voodoo Child has not the impact it use to have.br /As far as sound quality goes, if I had a $3,000+ system with 5.1 Dolby, I maybe wanting more and would agree more with some of the other reviewers. I have a very good system, also m-audio studiophile BX5a [thank you for the reviews] speakers on the computer, and have no issues. To me there is a difference to the masters of 1997, finding higher treble and loudness level. More separation, drums and vocal are more up front. May not get the approval of some, then too many maybe's gets confusing. I am overall very pleased with the purchase, as I have no wife, or life! br /