Date: 1988
Musicians: Jimi Hendrix (guitar, vocals) / Billy Cox (bass) / Mitch Mitchell (drums) / Ken Weaver (guitar) / Stephen Stills (piano) / Paul Caruso (harmonica) / Buzzy Linhart (vibes) / Chris Wood (vibes) / Steve Winwood (vibes) / Juma Sutan (bongos) / Buddy Miles (drums) / Emeretta Marks (background vocals) / Arthur & Albert Allen (background vocals)
(1)
[15]
Musicians: Jimi Hendrix (guitar, vocals) / Billy Cox (bass) / Mitch Mitchell (drums) / Ken Weaver (guitar) / Stephen Stills (piano) / Paul Caruso (harmonica) / Buzzy Linhart (vibes) / Chris Wood (vibes) / Steve Winwood (vibes) / Juma Sutan (bongos) / Buddy Miles (drums) / Emeretta Marks (background vocals) / Arthur & Albert Allen (background vocals)
(1)
[15]
Reviews
Cry of Love (1971)The first attempt - here, by Hendrix's engineer and drummer - to finish Hendrix's last album, which was to be called First Rays Of The New Rising Sun. The material is mostly excellent, but Hendrix sounds tired - or just bored? - not just on some of the weaker numbers (the cartoonish "Astro Man"), but even on the typically mindblowing, anthemic rockers ("In From the Storm," with a million overdubs and precise backing vocals; "Freedom"). Some of it's priceless anyway (the incredible ballad "Angel"; the bizarre, reincarnation-tinged blues "Belly Button Window"), and it's an important landmark because it shows Hendrix moving to a quieter style and a new palette of guitar effects. Uneven, but better than the best efforts by most of Hendrix's well-known contemporaries. (JA)
Kramer and Mitchell did a credible job here, and tunes like "Night Bird Flying" are valuable additions to the Hendrix canon. The record is very good, it's just not as good as the records Hendrix released during his lifetime. Of course, this is out of print now, and you can find all these tracks on the excellent First Rays compilation. (DBW)