The Cry of Love first released in 1971 was compiled by Eddie Kramer and drummer Mitch Mitchell from tracks recorded between December 1969 and the summer of 1970 at Electric Lady Studios. They were slated to be part of the double LP set First Rays of the New Rising Sun that Jimi never got to finish. It was eventually released as part of the first Experience Hendrix reissue series in the late 1990s once the Hendrix family gained control of the catalog. It was more an imagining of what Hendrix would have included because beyond the album title he left no specific direction though he did leave a great deal of recorded material.
All of the songs on that album had been previously released on three of the first four posthumously issued albums, one of which, the extremely popular The Cry of Love, at the time seemed like anything but a posthumous collection. It reached #3 on the U.S. charts and contained Hendrix classics "Angel", "Freedom" and "Ezy Ryder". This release returns to print after a very long time, one of Hendrix's most popular albums.
Not entirely a live album, Rainbow Bridge is also a posthumous set compiled by Kramer and Mitch Mitchell in 1971. The film was not a Hendrix project but rather one produced by his manager Michael Jeffery. It contains some of Hendrix's live oft-bootlegged Maui performance, but none of that is on the "soundtrack" album. In fact the only live performance on the record is Hendrix playing "Hear My Train A Comin'" recorded May, 1970 at Berkeley Community Theater. All of the songs were from the same studio sessions that produced The Cry of Love and originally intended for First Rays......
When the Hendrix family gained control of the catalog it created a variety of compilations using tracks from The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge to create First Rays..., South Saturn Delta and The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set.
Here for the first time in 43 years are the two albums as originally heard by Hendrix fans. Rainbow Bridge has never been issued on CD so digital people will be able to get it for the first time, though in my opinion digital people just don't "get it", if you know what I mean.
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COMMENTS
if the vinyl will be cut from the analog masters? I know you said they will be from the original masters, but will they use a digital copy to cut the vinyl from like they have done before? I know they can sound great, but I just have a hard time paying top dollar for vinyl cut from digital. Once it hits the digital filters, I prefer to just download the files and play them with my dac.
Ken
That SOUNDS like a perfectly reasonable approach.
I've always loved these albums but at this point it's just overkill. At least it's not so called "new unreleased" Hendrix as last years album People, Hell and Angels (an abomination if there ever was one), was marketed whereas it appears that Janie Hendrix wouldn't know good Hendrix from bad.
When I was in high school I bought 20 albums vinyl LP (Jimi Hendrix) from a fellow for $80. He threw in EC's Slowhand and some Santana. Cry of Love was among them...
Great, we get to compare two mastering engineer heavyweights with their versions of two Hendrix titles. Bob Ludwig did the originals almost 45 years ago (and these original records are not that hard to find in great shape) and now Bernie to have his out soon. Can't wait to hear them head to head and find out what others hear 'tween the two.
Love Bernie and plenty of his team's work, but going up against RL in his prime is tall order. I put the mastering Ludwig did for this LP with the all time greats. Listen to "Driftin'" The music isn't quite as historic or important but sonically it is every bit the equal of the Led Zeppelin II or the s/t Band lp. Pure demo disc material, in the top 20 best sound rock LPs I have heard.
He did all of this era's Reprise/Hendrix posthumous releases, and they are all heartily recommended. Great stuff.
I love the potential, as well as the quality of the music on these comps.
Even if BG can't best the old RL they are great recordings to work with, and should sound great espeically on quiet vinyl: one advantage they have over the vintage RLs.
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