Jimi Hendrix - 1970 [2002] "The Rainbow Bridge Concert"

Originally released by Radioactive Records in 2002 as 2 separate LPs, this 2-CD set contains most of both of Jimi's sets as recorded at Haleakala Crater in Hawaii, the 30th of July, 1970; the first set (as only partially heard in the film, but not the LP's soundtrack Rainbow Bridge - Original Movie Soundtrack (Vinyl Record)) and most tracks of the never-released second set. This show, especially the 2nd set, was for years rather a "Holy Grail" amongst collectors. Minimally remastered, although unfortunately edited, this was Hendrix' pentultimate U.S. show; it's far from being an audiophile-grade recording, (especially the 2nd set, when the winds were blowing rather high) but Jimi's performance still shines through. According to Ultimate Hendrix: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Live Concerts & Sessions, three songs, "Midnight Lightning," "Drum Solo," and "Stone Free" finish the 2nd Set, but those tracks are nowhere to be found on this release. In 2008, the Mike Jeffrey estate put out an even more complete version with these tracks as "Complete Rainbow Bridge" on the Rock Of Ages Label.

This is more a release for a completist than a Hendrix novice: highly reccomended for Hendrix cognoscenti, but get the original live LPs/CDs "In the West (1971)," "Band Of Gypsys," and Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live at the Isle of Wight before even thinking about picking this one up!

Unofficial release of the July 30th 1970 concert in Maui. This is the whole show, both sets. Its missing the very first song ( Spanish Castle Magic) and the very last song (Stone Free). But what you do get is:
Lover Man, Hey Baby (New Rising Sun), In From the Storm, Message to Love, Foxy Lady, Hear My Train a Comin', Voodoo Child (Slight Return), Fire, Purple Haze, Dolly Dagger, Villanova Junction, Ezy Rider, Red House, Freedom, Jam Back at the House (a.k.a Beginnings), and an instrumental jam called Land of the New Rising Sun which incorporates parts of Hey Baby and Race With the Devil.
That is an amazing set list. Jimi played great that day. It was an outdoor show and the wind detracts from the quality of the recording, but who cares, its Jimi playing his ass off. Mitchell redid the drums for the songs used in the movie, so those sound much clearer.
Overall its a decent recording of an excellent show. Since its unofficial though, I wouldn't pay $75 collectors prices for it. Its OK to download bootlegs. But its a well made package and any Hendrix fan should own this if found at a reasonable price. There's another version called Complete Rainbow Bridge which has the two missing songs but good luck finding it.

The concert held at Haleakala Crater in Hawaii in July of 1970 was supposed to be part of the film Rainbow Bridge, but very little of the concert footage was used in the film. Stranger still, none of it was used on the soundtrack album Rainbow Bridge. The set has been bootlegged in the past, but this marks the first official release of this material. For the second set, Hendrix played new material exclusively, except for "Red House." He also played a Gibson Flying-V instead of his near-trademark Fender Stratocaster, giving him a thicker guitar tone. Hendrix starts strong on "Dolly Dagger" and goes straight into "Villanova Juction" (here simply titled "Instrumental"). This is followed by one of the better live versions of "Ezy Rider," with Billy Cox lending strong support on bass.

After an excellent version of "Red House," Hendrix loses his way a bit, drifting into "Straight Ahead" during "Jam Back at the House," but finished the tune strong with all his effect pedals working nicely together. The set ends with an up-tempo jam tacked onto the end of "New Rising Sun." This is quite an interesting live set, because the intimate venue and relative lack of commercial pressure allowed Hendrix to relax on-stage with a lot of his newer material. Sound quality is quite good, although the drums are a bit distant. Some critics have said that Hendrix's playing declined after the breakup of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but this set shows that Hendrix was always moving forward, incorporating new tones and effects as well as Spanish scales into his playing. There were certainly some lackluster performances during that time period, but the Rainbow Bridge concerts show that Hendrix still had some excellent playing left in him. [Both sets are also available combined onto a two-CD set.]

Show took place in Maui, Hawaii on July 30, 1970. Great to have this live performance (finally) in it's entirety. Sound quality is very good - as some fans might disagree with that - just seems like the crowd is a bit quieter than one might expect. Tracks that I could not get enough of were "Hey Baby (New Sun Rising)", the rocking "Message To Love", "Foxy Lady" - being personally dedicated to someone specifically by Jimi, one of my personal Hendrix favorites "Fire", of course "Purple Haze" and [the always] ass-kicking "Dolly Dagger". Also thoroughly enjoyed the awesome "Red House", "Freedom" and "Land Of The New Rising Sun". Duration: approx. 84 minutes. Comes housed in a nifty / collectable slip-cover to forever preserve this precious audio keepsake. Also includes a twelve-page CD booklet with some exclusive Hendrix artwork and well-written liner notes. Highly recommended.

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Track listing:

CD 1 - The Early Show
1-1 Lover Man 2:33
1-2 Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) 4:36
1-3 In From The Storm 4:59
1-4 Message To Love 4:52
1-5 Foxy Lady 4:45
1-6 Hear My Train A Comin’ 9:08
1-7 Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) 7:17
1-8 Fire 3:43
1-9 Purple Haze 4:35

CD 2 - The Late Show
2-1 Dolly Dagger 5:09
2-2 Instrumental 5:28
2-3 Ezy Rider 4:54
2-4 Red House 6:47
2-5 Freedom 4:21
2-6 Jam Back At The House 7:00
2-7 Land Of The New Rising Sun 4:47

Personnel:

Jimi Hendrix - Guitar
Mitch Mitchell - Drums
Billy Cox - Bass