Sony/Legacy (label)
09 October 2014 (released)
09 October 2014
Intriguing it is that some musician’s legacies sometimes fade - but then you have the Led Zeppelin’s, The Beatles, and the icon that is Jimi Hendrix - as we have seen the transformation over the decades of these musicians to rock gods of mythical proportion.
To commemorate the anniversary of Hendrix’s passing (incredibly, 44 years ago!) Sony/Legacy has re-issued the two consecutive official releases which were first made available after Hendrix’s death.
“The Cry of Love,” which debuted in 1971, is considered by many the best posthumous album of all time. While only about half of the songs were completed while Hendrix was alive, engineer extraordinaire Eddie Kramer, with help from Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell, helped finalize the remaining cuts and the result is astounding.
While “Ezy Rider” and "Freedom" have long been classic rock staples, “Angel’ shows a softer side (not SOFT… just softer!), and “Night Bird Flying” profiles a more eclectic Hendrix. Out of print for years, the re-mastered “Cry of Love” is now on CD, digital download, and on a magnificent vinyl reissue (which replicates the original design exactly).
In addition, the “Rainbow Bridge” album was also re-released. Though listed as the “”Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,” it does not contain the songs performed in the actual “Rainbow Bridge” film, but is mostly culled material recorded during the last year or so of Hendrix’s life.
Opening the album with the poison-pen filled "Dolly Dagger, a reported not so subtle homage to Hendrix’s girlfriend/groupie Devon Wilson, “Dagger” is followed by a funk-laced "Earth Blues," which owes a big nod to bassist Billy Cox. Other celestial moments included the studio version of the iconic “Star Spangled Banner” and the ethereal “Room Full of Mirrors.”
This is the first time “Rainbow Bridge” has been issued on CD and, just like “The Cry of Love,” a numbered vinyl release is also available.
As both releases are phenomenal and essential to own, it does once again bring up the eternal unanswered question of what other creations Hendrix had left in him.
