Hits à Go Go - Swiss Television Footage

Filming Date: 30. + 31. May 1968
Broadcast Date: 17. June 1968
Original Source: 16 mm, b/w
Total Time: 5:16 minutes
Quality: excellent
Availability: in circulation

Film Team 1
Cameraman: Jean Jacques Vaucher
Sound Tech: Stephan Heider
Journalist: ?

Film Team 2
Cameraman: Hans "Lumiere" Liechti
Sound Tech: ?:
Journalist: ?

Film Team 3
Cameraman: Romain Monbaron
Sound Tech: ?
Journalist: ?

00:00 - 00:48 Ankunft in Kloten
00:48 - 01:10 Pressekonferenz im Hazyland
01:10 - 01:47 Hallenstadion Publikum
01:47 - 02:00 The Koobas
02:00 - 02:07 Publikum. Zoom auf Evelyne Kraft + Cobi Visher
02:07 - 02:13 The Koobas
02:13 - 02:19 Publikum am Händeklatschen. Evelyne Kraft, Cobi Visher + Corinne Wüst
02:19 - 02:34 * Publikum
02:34 - 02:53 Eric Burdon & The New Animals
02:53 - 03:10 * Publikum
03:10 - 03:19 Publikum
03:19 - 03:30 Eric Burdon & The New Animals
03:30 - 03:33 Bühnenkletterer der zurück auf den Boden fällt
03:33 - 03:43 * Bühnenkletterer auf der Bühne
03:43 - 03:59 The Jimi Hendrix Experience
03:59 - 04:09 * The Jimi Hendrix Experience
04:09 - 04:20 * Publikum (screaming Girl)
04:20 - 04:30 * The Jimi Hendrix Experience
04.30 - 04:47 The Jimi Hendrix Experience
04:47 - 04:54 * The Jimi Hendrix Experience
04:54 - 04:58 Publikum (Hendrix-Shirt Girl)
04:58 - 05:16 The Jimi Hendrix Experience

* 31. May 1968

Tele 13. June 1968



Hier kann man den Film anschauen
Have a look at the film here

https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/kultur/video/60er-jimi-hendrix-im-hallenstadion?id=e7526dc7-a189-4df2-b323-d8f4b6d37e60&station=69e8ac16-4327-4af4-b873-fd5cd6e895a7


JIMPRESS 99 Autumn 2012:
The silent black and white professional source includes material from both 30 and 31 May 1968. The 5:16 portion in circulation also includes film of other performers, and of the audience. Marcel Aeby's website contains a "film" link [see above] that guides the viewer to the Swiss Television website with perhabs the best quality copy of this footage, and identifies the camera operators for each of the three crews: Jean Jacques Vaucher, Hans "Lumiere" Liechti, and Romain Monbaron. (Stephan Heider is identified as the second tech for the first crew.) According to an interview of Jean Jacques Vaucher by Marcel Aeby in 1999, hours of footage from the two nights were filmed, but all footage not used for the broadcast was immediately destroyed. Vaucher also confirmed that there was sound recording, despite the fact that almost none of the audio was used in the broadcast. According to Marcel, film team three (with Monbaron as camera operator) captured the footage of the Experience.

The professionally-shot film includes footage of the various British bands arriving in Kloten airport in Zürich; Gerry Stickells, John Mayall, Mick Taylor, and Noel Redding are easily recognizable as they exit the Swissair plane. We have footage of Mayall and others at the press conference at Hazyland on the afternoon of 30 May 1968, though Hendrix himself is not in evidence. There are shots both outside and inside the Hallenstadion, mainly of the audience; some shots document scuffles with the police, and audience members trying to get on stage. We also see performance footage of the Koobas and Eric Burdon on stage. Burdon seems to be exhorting the audience to act up, though of course it is difficult to interpret his gestures on silent film.

Although the airport and press conference scenes are certainly from 30 May, it is uncertain which date the crowd scenes represent. The clothing worn by the members of the Koobas and Eric Burdon and the New Animals is consistent with the clothing seen in other footage from th 30th (the F.G. film described below), and the stage set-up matches photos from that same date, so we assign that footage to the performance on the 30th of May.

The last 1:33 of this professional footage is of the Jimi Hendrix Experience; it is a combination of material from both nights of the Monsterkonzert. On the first night, Jimi wears his characteristic dark hat, a long-sleeve green patterned shirt, and dark blue trousers. Noel is in a long-sleeve orange shirt with lettering visible on the front [Miami Beach Florida], and Mitch wears an orange patterned shirt with a gold vest. On the black and white film, all three shirts generally appear light colored rather than dark; the color film sources reveal the actual colors. On the second night, Jimi again wears a dark hat, a darker floral shirt, and dark trousers; color photographs and film sources reveal that the shirt is predominantly red. Noel wears a very dark shirt (possibly black) and Mitch wears a shirt with a smaller pattern than on the previous night. The different clothes on the two nights allow us to identify the night from wich each portion of footage derives.

The first concert shots that we see of the Experience are from the 30th. A four-second shot shows Jimi in a medium-long shot, playing a white Stratocaster with a white pickgurad and a dark fretboard. The view cuts to Noel for three seconds, and then the camera pans back to a close-up of Jimi's face. The camera pulls back slightly, allowing us to see Jimi using the trem bar. This shot lasts twelve seconds.

Next we see ten seconds of footage from the 31st, starting with four seconds of Mitch's drumming, with Noel partially obscured behind the drum kit. The shot cuts to Jimi, pointing with his left hand while he whipes the fretboard with his right arm. The camera pulls back for some showy guitar plaing, with the neck pointing upwards and Jimi executing a slow windmill with his left arm. An eleven-second shot of a screaming female fan follows, which photographs of the event confirm to be from the 31st. Another ten-second shot follows from the 31st, starting with a quick zoom in on Jimi playing guitar with his teeth, and ending as Hendrix steps to the microphone for vocals.

All the remaing shots in the film are from the 30th, (I DON'T AGREE! I THINK THE 4:47 - 4:54 FOOTAGE IS FROM THE 31ST) starting with a three-second view of Mitch, partially obscured behind a cymbal; the camera then pans to Noel for a second or two. This is followed by a cut to a single extra-long seven-second shot of the entire band, with Jimi to the far left; the camera operator films from a high elevation, and is positioned so that Jimi's left (picking) hand is towards him. The final shot in this segment is taken in  front of the stage, showing Noel for two seconds and then panning to Jimi who offers some energetic playing for five seconds.

The next short seven-second shot of Jimi focuses entirely on his guitar, and includes some whammy work; in fact we never see Jimi's face here. This is followed by four seconds of a female audience member wearing a T-shirt with the words "Jimi Hendrix" crudely emblazoned on it.

The final sequence lasts 0:18. It is taken from a distant elevated view off to the side, focusing on Jimi at first but pulling back to include the whole band. The pull-back continues until we see the entire stage, and ends with the stage itself small in the center of the frame, and the band only tiny indistinct figures on it.

F.G. Film

Filming Date: 30. May 1968
Filmer: F.G.
Original Source: 8 mm, color, silent
Total Time: 7.58 minutes
Quality: very good
Availability: not in circulation

The original film was donated to my archive in 1999



00.00 - 00.21 Anselmo Trend
00.22 - 02.05 The Koobas
02.06 - 02.31 John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
02.32 - 04.07 Traffic
04.08 - 04.31 Eric Burdon & The New Animals
04.32 - 05.00 The Move
05.01 - 05.34 Bühnenumbau
05.35 - 07.58 The Jimi Hendrix Experience













JIMPRESS 99 Autumn 2012:
A single source of silent color 8mm footage for the 30 May 1968 performance exists, identified on Marcel Aeby's website as filmed by "F.G." The film was probably originally on three separate short reels, but now exists spliced together on one large reel. This is a normal 8mm film, shot at 16 frames per second, but the digital telecine has been pulled down so that it runs at 25 frames per second (the standard PAL frame rate). The film is of very good quality and is extremely well-lit, with a total running time of 9:05. The film is shot directly in front of and on the level of the stage, close enough that most of the time the entire band does not fit within the frame. The footage is not yet in circulation.

Erwin Spielmann Film

Filming Date: 31. May 1968
Filmer: Erwin Spielmann
Original Source: Super 8 mm, color, silent
Total Time: 6.00 minutes
Quality: fair
Availability: in circulation (commonly known as second source)

Erwin donated the original Films to my archive in 1998


00.00 - 00.25 ?
00.26 - 01.20 The Koobas
01.21 - 01.35 Bühnenumbau
01.36 - 02.43 Traffic
02.44 - 02.55 The Move
02.56 - 03.01 ?
03.02 - 06.00 The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Gesucht - Wanted 8

kennt jemand diese Person ?
does anybody know this person ?

Mitch Mitchell's girlfriend ?

beim Aussteigen in Zürich Kloten mit Perücke



















getting off the plane in Zürich-Kloten wearing a wig



















Passkontrolle in Zürich-Kloten
passport control in Zürich-Kloten



















Hotel Stoller ohne Perücke/without the wig

Gesucht - Wanted 6

kennt jemand diese Person ?
does anybody know this person ?

Ami Girl mit den Traffic unterwegs
American Girl travelling with The Traffic

beim Aussteigen in Zürich Kloten
getting off the plane in Zürich-Kloten



















Passkontrolle in Zürich-Kloten
passport control in Zürich-Kloten



















Traffic Backstage

Gesucht - Wanted 5

kennt jemand diese Person ?
does anybody know this person ?

vieleicht Eric Burdon's Licht-Techniker
maybe Eric Burdon's Light-Tec

beim Einsteigen ins Flugzeug in Heathrow



















auf der Bühne im Hallenstadion















on stage at the Hallenstadion 30. May 1968





Gesucht - Wanted 3

kennt jemand diese Person ?
does anybody know this person ?

vermutlich einer von John Mayall's Roadies
most likely one of John Mayall's roadies

beim Einsteigen ins Flugzeug in Heathrow



















boarding the plane in Heathrow



















Airport Zürich-Kloten















auf der Bühne im Hallenstadion 30. Mai 1968
on stage at the Hallenstadion 30. May 1968

Gesucht - Wanted 1

kennt jemand diese Person ?
does anybody know this person ?

ein englischer Journalist oder vielleicht John Mayall's Manager ?
an english journalist or maybe John Mayall's Manager ?

beim Einsteigen in Heathrow



















boarding the plane in Heathrow


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Passkontrolle in Zürich-Kloten



















passport control in Zürich-Kloten



















auf der Bühne im Hallenstadion 30. Mai 1968
















on stage at the Hallenstadion 30. May 1968





Gesucht - Peter Hugentobler

weiss jemand etwas über ihn ?



















als Uhrmacherlehrling irgendwo in Biel ?






































am Monsterkonzert 31. Mai 1968

Jimi's Guitars - The White Strat (first night)

This is the main guitar used by Jimi during his two days visit in Switzerland, the very same guitar he used during his tour in Italy the week before. As a matter of fact you can see the Roses someone gave to him in Bologna, still sticking to the headstock. (For more information on Jimi’s italian experience you should get a copy of the excellent publication Jimi Hendrix In Italia 1968 by Caesar Glebbeek and Roberto Crema).

Although the blue Strat and the black Les Paul can be seen lying on the floor on the left of his Marshall stacks in some photos, it doesn’t seem that he used them. Of the almost 300 photos of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in my archive from the first night, there is not a single shot of Jimi playing another guitar than his white Strat.

Tuning up at the beginning of his set (JB1-14A)

Jimi's Guitars - The White Strat (first night)

Jimi in full flight (EB6-19A)

Jimi's Guitars - The White Strat (second night)

for the second night Jimi uses the white Strat only for the first three songs of the set. Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Stone Free and I Don't Live Today. Here's a very rare colour shot from that second night. (HUS-14)

Jimi's Guitars - The White Strat (second night)

a little more familiar shot (SKRC-7)

Jimi's Guitars - The Black Les Paul (second night)

Jimi's black 1956 Les Paul Custom was only used for Red House on the second night (MF16-17)

Jimi's Guitars - The Black Les Paul (second night)

Tony Stratton-Smith and Mick Taylor (with sunglasses) watching... (MF16-18)

Jimi's Guitars - The Black Les Paul (second night)

during the solo part of Red House (MF16-30)

Jimi's Guitars - The Black Les Paul (second night)

a rare colour shot (SKRC-8)

Jimi's Guitars - The Blue Strat (first night)

I believe that Jimi bought this guitar during his short stay in New York after coming back from Italy and before leaving for Switzerland. This rare backstage pic shows Jimi and Eric Barrett adjusting the guitar for lefthand playing. Jimi is working on the guitar himself with a screw driver and this could be very fatal only a few hours before a gig. Although the guitar was ready to be played for the first night, there's no pic showing him doing so (EB5-19)

Jimi's Guitars - The Blue Strat (second night)

Here you can see the blue Strat at the beginning of Jimi's set of the second night on the left of his Marshall stacks. It's a pitty that so far no colour pics of Jimi playing the guitar have surfaced (HUS-3)

Jimi's Guitars - The Blue Strat (second night)

after Red House, Jimi changes to his brand new blue Stratocaster for the rest of the Show. That is: Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Fire and Purple Haze (HK8-9A)

Jimi's Guitars - The Blue Strat (second night)

another shot with the blue Strat (HK8-14A)

The Rome Guitar Strap - The Bologna Roses...1


 25-05-1968 Teatro Brancaccio, Rome/Italy

The first photos of Jimi using this guitar strap are from Saturday 25 May 1968. Captured live on stage at the Teatro Brancaccio in Rome, Italy, we can see him using it whith his white Strat.This makes me believe that Jimi got (or was given) this guitar strap that very same day in Rome. (Note: The Pickup Selector Switch Tip on the guitar is missing).

First Show



















Second Show














Jimi's Guitars - The TV Les Paul (Jam)

This pre-1959 Les Paul Special in TV-finish was used by Jimi during the afternoon Jam Session at the Hallenstadion on 31.05.1968. It is still unclear if this guitar belonged to Jimi or not (SKR5-9)