Reviews roundup: Rainbow Bridge Revisited vs. Narada Michael Walden vs. Quicksilver Messenger Service
Gonzo Multimedia 2013
For those of you who don’t know, “Rainbow Bridge” was a film featuring Jimi Hendrix which came out a couple of years after he died, and which I had the misfortune to see a decade later, at a midnight screening at my local porn palace. God, it was shite. I mean, I was never a fan of hippies, but to sit through so many idiots babbling incoherently about spirituality and aliens, made me want to hunt them down, and shoot them like dogs in the street.
This feeling is obviously not shared by musician and film maker Merrell Fankhauser who decided to revisit the film to explore its “message” more. In his own words, “I moved there (Maui) in ‘73 just a year after the Jimi Hendrix Rainbow Bridge came out. And when I moved there I met a lot of people that were in the movies, and a lot of them were hippies, surfers and cosmic people that were seeing UFOs and everything, and they said Jimi was really into the whole UFO thing, and that there were even some hovering about when they were shooting over there.”
So, Fankhauser got in touch with some of the survivors from the original film, and interviewed them about those times. Now, what you think about this film will depend on how many of the wrong drugs you’ve done over the years, because there is a lot of talking about a lot of shite. There is some rather nice surf footage for people who like that sort of thing, and the documentary also features music by the Space Patrol and Omar and the Wavespies as well as Fankhauser himself. You even get a bonus CD of the soundtrack with Fankhauser’s surf-styled version of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’, which Hendrix covered. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN
Thunder / Rising Sun
Tarpan 2013
He’s a bit famous is Narada Michael Walden. I mean, it would be easier to make a list of people he hasn’t played with, rather than the ones he has. But here goes. deep breath.
Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Regina Belle, Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, Sting, Carlos Santana, Shanice Wilson, Tevin Campbell, Lisa Fischer, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck and The Temptations. He was awarded Grammys for Producer of the Year in 1988, Album of the Year for the movie soundtrack The Bodyguard in 1993 and the R&B Song of the Year in 1985 for Aretha Franklin’s Freeway of Love. Billboard Magazine also named him one of the “Top Ten Producers with the Most Number One Hits. So there.
This release is a surprisingly mainstream set of tunes, that is largely song based, nipping in and out of rock, fusion, soul and even manages a big ballad. The songs are all originals, with Walden handling vocals, as well as drums, as well as some bass and keyboards. It won’t be for fans of his early work with Mahavishnu Orchestra (replacing Billy Cobham), Jeff Beck and Weather Report, which may be why he has also issued a pure fusion EP called “Rising Son”. It’s an absolute cracker, which looks back at some fusion favourites of yore, and serves to remind why he came became famous in the first place. A special mention goes to some stunning bass work from Angeline Saris, a talent amongst talents.
Thunder – Buy at Amazon
Rising Sun – Buy at Amazon
QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE
Live At The Old Mill Tavern: March 29, 1970
Purple Pyramid 2013
Ah, more hippies. But at least these ones had some vim and vigour about them. This is certainly of historic interest as it features the six piece line up that saw Cipollina, Duncan, Freiberg and Elmore joined by a returning Dino Valenti on vocals as well as the legendary Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones and everyone else) on keyboards.
Of course by this time, jams were de riguer, so all of the songs are extended well into Dead like territory, so gird yourself. It’s definitely boisterous, as with three guitar players (Cippolina, Duncan, and Valenti), there was no shortage of soloing and riffing. Most QMS fans will use the “Happy Trails” album, as there standard, and I must admit, I preferred this one. ‘Subway’ and ‘Rain’ are real standouts, and when they decide to rock it, as they do on ‘Mona’ and ‘Mojo’, they really convince.
Now, if you are a fan of the jam, then there is a real bonus for you, as blues harmonica legend James Cotton (who released a great new record this year) joins the band on two lengthy blues jams that take up the final 22 minutes of the CD. The CD looks lovely, with an appropriate cover, and the booklet contains vintage photos and some words.
The Rocker 