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By Dean Goodman Thu Aug 30, 11:04 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jimi Hendrix's breakthrough performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, when he transfixed the American rock cognoscenti with a set that climaxed with the immolation of his guitar, will be released on DVD for the first time on October 16.

"The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Monterey" (Universal Music) includes incendiary versions of original material such as his first single "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze," as well as covers of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" and Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone."

A soundtrack CD and LP, which will also be released that day, additionally feature the tune "Can You See Me." Director D.A. Pennebaker's crew turned off their cameras during that song and there is not a single frame of footage in the filmmaker's archive, according to John McDermott, the Hendrix expert who oversees the guitarist's catalog.

In addition to the usual audiovisual enhancements, the DVD package boasts a new documentary, "American Landing," featuring previously unseen interviews. Also included are extensive liner notes and rare photos.

An audio version was previously released in 1986 by Polydor Records and producer Alan Douglas as "Jimi Plays Monterey." A companion VHS version featured commentary from John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, who organized Monterey with Lou Adler. Before that, Reprise Records released festival highlights on "Otis Redding/The Jimi Hendrix Experience" in 1970.

Hendrix, the toast of the London rock scene, was largely unknown to his countrymen when he and his Experience bandmates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, a.k.a. "these two cats," made their U.S. debut in the all-star lineup at Monterey, near San Francisco on June 18, 1967.

According to Phillips, Hendrix almost came to blows backstage with Who principal Pete Townshend because neither wanted to follow the other. After Hendrix lost a coin toss, he jumped up on a chair and vowed to "pull out all the stops and blow everybody away," Phillips recalled in the VHS release.

The performance began with an introduction from Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, who described his good friend as "a brilliant performer, the most exciting guitarist I've ever heard." It ended about 40 minutes later with a cover of "Wild Thing," during which Hendrix played his guitar behind his back, set it aflame, smashed it to pieces and tossed the fragments into the stunned crowd. His takeover of America was complete.

Reuters