Rainbow Bridge (album)

Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge
Compilation album by Jimi Hendrix
Released	October 1971
Recorded	October 1968 – July 1970
Venue	Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California
Studio	Electric Lady & Record Plant, New York City; TTG Studios, Hollywood, California;
Genre	Rock
Length	42:22
Label	Reprise
Producer	Jimi Hendrix; Mitch Mitchell; Eddie Kramer; John Jansen;
Jimi Hendrix US chronology
Jimi Hendrix UK chronology
Singles from Rainbow Bridge
	"Dolly Dagger" / "The Star-Spangled Banner"; Released: October 23, 1971 (US);

Rainbow Bridge is a compilation album^[1] by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. It was the second posthumous album release by his official record company and is mostly composed of recordings Hendrix made in 1969 and 1970 after the breakup of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Despite the cover photo and subtitle Original Motion Picture Sound Track, it does not contain any songs recorded during his concert appearance for the 1971 film Rainbow Bridge.

Continuing in the vein of The Cry of Love, the first official posthumous Hendrix album, Rainbow Bridge explores new guitar styles and textures. All the songs, except for a solo studio version of "The Star-Spangled Banner", are written by Hendrix and mostly performed with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Billy Cox on bass.

Rainbow Bridge contains five songs that Hendrix included on proposed track listings for his fourth studio album: "Dolly Dagger", "Earth Blues", "Room Full of Mirrors", "Hear My Train A Comin'" (also known as "Getting My Heart Back Together Again"), and "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)".^[2] "Room Full of Mirrors" was later added to Voodoo Soup in 1995 and all except the live "Hear My Train A Comin'" were included on First Rays of the New Rising Sun in 1997, which were attempts at presenting the double album Hendrix was working on at the time of his death.

Background[]

Despite the title, Rainbow Bridge was not a soundtrack to the film of the same name but rather a compilation of one live song and studio recordings from a number of sources between 1968 and 1970, including some for his planned but unfinished double album First Rays of the New Rising Sun.^[3] "Look Over Yonder" began as "Mr. Bad Luck" while Hendrix was performing in Greenwich Village, New York City, with his group Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in the summer of 1966.^[4] The version included on Rainbow Bridge was recorded by the Experience in 1968.^[4] "Room Full of Mirrors" had been performed live by the Experience, with one recording appearing on Experience (1971). "Hear My Train A Comin'" is another song that dates back to the Experience. They had attempted several studio recordings, but these were passed over (along with a version with Cox and Buddy Miles) and a live recording from the first show on May 30, 1970, at the Berkeley Community Theatre was used instead.^[4] An edited version appears in the 1971 concert film Jimi Plays Berkeley.

A new studio recording of "Room Full of Mirrors" and "Earth Blues" are two of the few largely completed studio recordings with Cox and Miles, although Mitchell later overdubbed the drum parts on the latter.^[4] Two additional songs, "Izabella" and "Stepping Stone" had been released as a single (listed as "Hendrix Band of Gypsys"),^[5] but Hendrix wished to rework them for his proposed fourth album. However, just as "Dolly Dagger" and "Room Full of Mirrors" were withheld from The Cry of Love, these were pulled from the Rainbow Bridge track listing in the final stages. Instead they were used to improve the next posthumous release War Heroes. "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a 1969 solo studio recording by Hendrix.^[6] The remainder of the songs were recorded with Mitchell and Cox between June and August 1970: "Dolly Dagger", "Pali Gap", and "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)".

The album was the second to be produced by Eddie Kramer and Mitch Mitchell, with John Jansen assisting. It was released in October 1971 in the US, and the following month in the UK where it reached numbers 15 and 16 respectively in the album charts.^[7] The album also peaked at No. 9 on the U.S. Best Selling Soul LP's chart.^[8] "Dolly Dagger" with "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the B-side was released as a single in the US in October 1971.^[9] It appeared at number 74 in the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.^[9] In 2014, the original Rainbow Bridge album was reissued in both CD and LP formats.^[10]

Critical reception[]

Retrospective professional reviews
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[11]
Christgau's Record Guide	A–^[12]
Classic Rock	7/10^[13]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[14]
Mojo	^[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[16]
Tom Hull – on the Web	A–^[17]

According to AllMusic's Sean Westergaard, "when Rainbow Bridge was originally released, it was actually among the best of the posthumous Hendrix releases ... a mix of excellent, finished studio tracks and a couple of live tracks."^[11] In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone magazine, Tony Glover wrote favorably of the songs on side one, particularly the "really majestic version" of "The Star-Spangled Banner".^[18] In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau said while The Cry of Love (1971) highlighted Hendrix's abilities as a songwriter, Rainbow Bridge showcased his guitar playing:

Rich stuff, exploring territory that as always with Hendrix consists not merely of notes but of undifferentiated sound, a sound he shapes with a virtuosity no one else has ever achieved on an electric instrument.^[12]

Track listing[]

All songs written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dolly Dagger"	4:45
2.	"Earth Blues"	4:20
3.	"Pali Gap"	5:05
4.	"Room Full of Mirrors"	3:17
5.	"Star-Spangled Banner" (Public domain, studio version)	4:07

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Look Over Yonder"	3:28
2.	"Hear My Train A Comin'" (live)	11:15
3.	"Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)"	6:05

Recording details[]

Track	Location	Recording date(s)
"Dolly Dagger"	Electric Lady Studios, New York City	June 25, July 14 & 19, and August 14 & 20, 1970
"Earth Blues"	Record Plant & Electric Lady, New York City	December 19, 1969; January 20 & June 26, 1970
"Pali Gap"	Electric Lady	July 1, 1970
"Room Full of Mirrors"	Record Plant, Electric Lady	November 17, 1969; June, July, & August 20, 1970
"The Star-Spangled Banner"	Record Plant	March 18, 1969
"Look Over Yonder"	TTG Studios, Hollywood, California	October 22, 1968
"Hear My Train A Comin'"	Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California	May 30, 1970 (first show)
"Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)"	Electric Lady	July 1, 1970

Personnel[]

From the original Reprise LP liner notes^[19] (supplemented with details from the First Rays of the New Rising Sun CD booklet):^[20]

Band members

Jimi Hendrix – lead vocals, guitar, backing vocals on "Dolly Dagger" & "Earth Blues", production, mixing on "Dolly Dagger", "Room Full of Mirrors"
Billy Cox – bass guitar on all tracks (except "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Look Over Yonder")
Mitch Mitchell – drums on all tracks (except "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Room Full of Mirrors"), posthumous production

Additional musicians

The Ghetto Fighters a.k.a. Arthur and Albert Allen – backing vocals on "Dolly Dagger"
Juma Edwards a.k.a. Juma Sultan – percussion on "Dolly Dagger", "Pali Gap", "Hey Baby (The New Rising Sun)"
Buddy Miles – drums on "Room Full of Mirrors", backing vocals on "Earth Blues"
The Ronettes (Veronica Bennett, Estelle Bennett, Nedra Talley) – backing vocals on "Earth Blues"
Noel Redding – bass guitar on "Look Over Yonder"

Additional personnel

Michael Jeffrey – executive production
Eddie Kramer – posthumous production, engineering on all tracks (except "Earth Blues", "Look Over Yonder", "Hear My Train A Comin'"), mixing on all tracks
John Jansen – posthumous production, mixing on "Earth Blues", "Pali Gap", "Look Over Yonder", "Hey Baby (The New Rising Sun)"
Tony Bongiovi – engineering on "Room Full of Mirrors"
Angel Balestier – engineering on "Look Over Yonder"
Abe Jacob – engineering on "Hear My Train A Comin'"
The Pineal Playhouse – album design
Daniel Tahaney – still photography

Notes[]

Citations

^ Moskowitz, David (2010). The Words and Music of Jimi Hendrix. ABC-CLIO. p. 91. ISBN 978-0313375927. Retrieved August 11, 2015. The Rainbow Bridge album was a true compilation.
^ McDermott, Kramer & Cox 2009, p. 240.
^ Unterberger, Richie (2009). "The Legacy: 1970–Present". The Rough Guide to Jimi Hendrix. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1405381093. ...the Rainbow Bridge album, which despite its title was not a soundtrack to the film of the same name. Instead, it was a rather hodgepodge compilation of 1968–1970 studio material (and one live track) from various sources, including but hardly limited to tracks in the running for First Rays of the New Rising Sun, among them the aforementioned "Dolly Dagger" and "Room Full of Mirrors".
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, pp. 542–543.
^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, pp. 535–536.
^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 543.
^ Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 542.
^ "Chart History: Jimi Hendrix – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 541.
^ "The Cry of Love & Rainbow Bridge to Be Reissued on CD & LP September 16". JimiHendrix.com (official website). September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Westergaard, Sean. "Rainbow Bridge". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Christgau 1981, p. 174.
^ Fielder, Hugh (November 5, 2014). "Jimi Hendrix: Cry Of Love/Rainbow Bridge". Classic Rock. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
^ Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 4. Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 0-19-531373-9.
^ Alexander, Phil (November 2014). "Jimi Hendrix Rainbow Bridge". Mojo. p. 112.
^ Evans, Paul; Brackett, Nathan (1992). "Jimi Hendrix". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 374–75. ISBN 0679737294.
^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Jimi Hendrix". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
^ Glover 1971.
^ Rainbow Bridge (Album notes). Jimi Hendrix. Burbank, California: Reprise Records. 1971. Inside cover. OCLC 7144291. MS 2040.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ First Rays of the New Rising Sun (CD booklet). Jimi Hendrix. Universal City, California: MCA Records. 1997. pp. 5–20. OCLC 173216743. MCAD-11599.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

References

Christgau, Robert (1981). "Jimi Hendrix". Rock Albums of the '70s: A Critical Guide. Da Capo Press. p. 174. ISBN 0306804093. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
Glover, Tony (December 9, 1971). "Rainbow Bridge". Rolling Stone. New York City. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
McDermott, John; Kramer, Eddie; Cox, Billy (2009). Ultimate Hendrix. New York City: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-938-1.
Shapiro, Harry; Glebbeek, Caesar (1990). "Appendix 1 – Music, Sweet Music: The Discography". Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy. New York City: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-05861-6.

External links[]

Rainbow Bridge at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] Moskowitz, David (2010). The Words and Music of Jimi Hendrix. ABC-CLIO. p. 91. ISBN 978-0313375927. Retrieved August 11, 2015. The Rainbow Bridge album was a true compilation.

[FOOTNOTEMcDermottKramerCox2009240-2] McDermott, Kramer & Cox 2009, p. 240.

[3] Unterberger, Richie (2009). "The Legacy: 1970–Present". The Rough Guide to Jimi Hendrix. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1405381093. ...the Rainbow Bridge album, which despite its title was not a soundtrack to the film of the same name. Instead, it was a rather hodgepodge compilation of 1968–1970 studio material (and one live track) from various sources, including but hardly limited to tracks in the running for First Rays of the New Rising Sun, among them the aforementioned "Dolly Dagger" and "Room Full of Mirrors".

[FOOTNOTEShapiroGlebbeek1990542–543-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, pp. 542–543.

[FOOTNOTEShapiroGlebbeek1990535–536-5] Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, pp. 535–536.

[FOOTNOTEShapiroGlebbeek1990543-6] Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 543.

[FOOTNOTEShapiroGlebbeek1990542-7] Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 542.

[8] "Chart History: Jimi Hendrix – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2020.

[FOOTNOTEShapiroGlebbeek1990541-9] Jump up to: ^a ^b Shapiro & Glebbeek 1990, p. 541.

[10] "The Cry of Love & Rainbow Bridge to Be Reissued on CD & LP September 16". JimiHendrix.com (official website). September 16, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.

[AM-11] Jump up to: ^a ^b Westergaard, Sean. "Rainbow Bridge". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2015.

[FOOTNOTEChristgau1981174-12] Jump up to: ^a ^b Christgau 1981, p. 174.

[classicrock-13] Fielder, Hugh (November 5, 2014). "Jimi Hendrix: Cry Of Love/Rainbow Bridge". Classic Rock. Retrieved May 2, 2019.

[14] Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 4. Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 0-19-531373-9.

[15] Alexander, Phil (November 2014). "Jimi Hendrix Rainbow Bridge". Mojo. p. 112.

[16] Evans, Paul; Brackett, Nathan (1992). "Jimi Hendrix". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 374–75. ISBN 0679737294.

[17] Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Jimi Hendrix". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.

[FOOTNOTEGlover1971-18] Glover 1971.

[19] Rainbow Bridge (Album notes). Jimi Hendrix. Burbank, California: Reprise Records. 1971. Inside cover. OCLC 7144291. MS 2040.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[20] First Rays of the New Rising Sun (CD booklet). Jimi Hendrix. Universal City, California: MCA Records. 1997. pp. 5–20. OCLC 173216743. MCAD-11599.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

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show v t Jimi Hendrix
Original 1966–1970 releases are marked in bold.
Studio recordings	Are You Experienced Axis: Bold as Love Electric Ladyland The Cry of Love Rainbow Bridge War Heroes Loose Ends Crash Landing Midnight Lightning Nine to the Universe Voodoo Soup First Rays of the New Rising Sun South Saturn Delta Valleys of Neptune People, Hell and Angels Both Sides of the Sky
Live albums	Band of Gypsys Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival Experience Isle of Wight Hendrix in the West More Experience The Jimi Hendrix Concerts Jimi Plays Monterey Johnny B. Goode Band of Gypsys 2 Live at Winterland Radio One Stages Live Isle of Wight '70 Woodstock BBC Sessions Live at the Fillmore East Live at Woodstock Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight Live at Berkeley Live at Monterey Winterland Miami Pop Festival Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts Live in Maui
Anthologies and retrospective albums	Smash Hits Soundtrack Recordings from the Film Jimi Hendrix Musique Originale du Film Jimi Plays Berkeley Re-Experienced The Essential Jimi Hendrix The Essential Jimi Hendrix Volume Two Stone Free The Singles Album Kiss the Sky Live & Unreleased: The Radio Show Cornerstones: 1967–1970 Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story The Ultimate Experience Blues South Saturn Delta Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix The Jimi Hendrix Experience Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection The Singles Collection Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Jimi Hendrix West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology Fire: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
Official bootlegs	Live at the Oakland Coliseum Live at Clark University Morning Symphony Ideas Live in Ottawa Baggy's Rehearsal Sessions Paris 1967/San Francisco 1968 Hear My Music Live at the Isle of Fehmarn Burning Desire Live in Paris & Ottawa 1968 Live at Woburn Live in Cologne
Concert tours	The Jimi Hendrix Experience French Tour The Cry of Love Tour
Films, books, and tributes	Rainbow Bridge Jimi Hendrix Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix Hendrix Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix Room Full of Mirrors An Illustrated Experience Becoming Jimi Hendrix Jimi: All Is by My Side
Related people and acts	Curtis Knight Lonnie Youngblood Jimmy James and the Blue Flames The Jimi Hendrix Experience Noel Redding Mitch Mitchell Chas Chandler Eddie Kramer Roger Mayer Michael Jeffery Billy Cox Buddy Miles Alan Douglas Leon Hendrix Kathy Etchingham Monika Dannemann
Related articles	Original discography Posthumous discography List of songs Videography Canadian drug charges and trial Handel & Hendrix in London Electric Lady Studios Black Gold Unfinished fourth album Death of Jimi Hendrix
Category

show v t Jimi Hendrix songs by album
Are You Experienced (UK and US)	"Foxy Lady" "Manic Depression" "Red House" "I Don't Live Today" "May This Be Love" "Fire" "Third Stone from the Sun" "Are You Experienced?" "Purple Haze" "Hey Joe" "The Wind Cries Mary"
Axis: Bold as Love	"Up from the Skies" "Spanish Castle Magic" "Wait Until Tomorrow" "Little Wing" "If 6 Was 9" "Castles Made of Sand" "One Rainy Wish" "Bold as Love"
Smash Hits (UK and US)	"Stone Free" "The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice" "Highway Chile" "Burning of the Midnight Lamp"
Electric Ladyland	"Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" "Crosstown Traffic" "Voodoo Chile" "Come On (Part One)" "Gypsy Eyes" "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) "All Along the Watchtower" "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"
Band of Gypsys	"Machine Gun"
Historic Performances at Monterey Pop	"Like a Rolling Stone" "Rock Me Baby" "Wild Thing"
The Cry of Love	"Freedom" "Ezy Ryder" "Night Bird Flying" "Angel"
Rainbow Bridge	"Dolly Dagger" "The Star-Spangled Banner" "Hear My Train A Comin'" "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)"
Hendrix in the West	"The Queen" "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" "Johnny B. Goode" "Blue Suede Shoes"
War Heroes	"Bleeding Heart" "Peter Gunn" "Stepping Stone"
Loose Ends	"The Drifter's Escape" "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man"
...And a Happy New Year	"The Little Drummer Boy" "Silent Night" "Auld Lang Syne"
Radio One/ BBC Sessions	"Day Tripper "Killing Floor" "Hound Dog" "I Was Made to Love Her" "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" "Sunshine of Your Love"
Other compilations	"Gloria" "Peace in Mississippi" "Born Under a Bad Sign" "Mannish Boy" "It's Too Bad" "Dear Mr. Fantasy" "Valleys of Neptune" "Tears of Rage" "Things I Used to Do" "Testify" "Mercy, Mercy"
Lists	List of songs (sortable)