Customer Reviews

Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight (Digipak)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jimi Hendrix's Isle of Wight concert of August 1970 was a historic occasion, it being his last major performance before his untimely death. As such, it has acquired a mythic status over time, used by some people as tragic evidence of Hendrix's decline and impending end 19 days later. The situation isn't helped by the fact that Hendrix gave several dispirited performances around Europe in the week following the Isle of Wight, before settling into London after bassist Billy Cox fell ill and the rest of the tour was cancelled. Hendrix wouldn't leave London alive.

What we are actually hearing at the Isle of Wight is an uneven concert in which Hendrix, just recovering from some combination of a cold/flu/withdrawal, was supposed to go on around 11 p.m., but ended up waiting until 3 a.m. The excellent DVD of the concert shows him looking weary, drawn, sometimes frustrated, other times careless and resigned. He makes several sarcastic and/or self-doubting comments to the audience, and during "Freedom" he seems to mouth the words "f**k you" to someone in the audience. At no point in the concert does he actually seem enthusiastic about the gig. He was playing in the cold night air on an island off the English coast (which probably made his fingers a bit stiff), and to top it off, he was having serious equipment troubles, most notably (but not only) in the festival security transmissions which periodically erupt from his amplifiers. These problems also wreak havoc on his guitar sound which alternates between completely saturated, uncontrollably-howling feedback and a thin, under-powered sound. The recurrent equipment troubles are reflected in the fact that Mitch Mitchell takes four lengthy drum solos at different parts of the concert, as Hendrix and his roadies try to work out the technical problems.

It must have been a hard position for Hendrix to be in. At the Isle of Wight, he probably felt that he needed to provide an exciting performance to the British audience who had launched him to fame, and for whom he hadn't played since February of 1969. At the same time, he was trying to adopt a more laid-back, music-focused performing style in contrast to the stage histrionics of his earlier years, and he was definitely tiring of playing his older songs. Recordings from summer 1970 often find him giving rushed and perfunctory performances of the older songs, while facing indifferent audience response when he took his time presenting the newer unrecorded material. Plus, as all the biographies indicate, he was SERIOUSLY stressed out by problems with his management during this time. In fact, Richie Havens claims (in Keith Shadwick's book on Hendrix) that just before taking the stage at this very Isle of Wight concert, Hendrix told him that his managers were stressing him out so badly that he was having problems sleeping and eating. I doubt any artist would be able to rise to the occasion and pull off a stellar performance under those circumstances. Hendrix had played several strong concerts around America during the spring and summer of 1970, but the combination of circumstances doomed this particular one. It was his first English concert in 18 months, and he was trying to compensate by giving an epic performance (i.e. a long set featuring lots of new material, some which had hardly ever been performed onstage before). Unfortunately, he fell a bit short on this night.

Despite the problems, Hendrix starts out very strongly for the first 7 songs or so, playing a spirited mixture of old and new material. There are even a few moments of brilliance. If the concert had stayed at this level, it would have been a very solid (but not stellar) night. From the opening "God Save the Queen" (treated similarly to his rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner") through "Red House," the band sounds very strong. Then suddenly, everything seems to fall apart. By the time the band hit "Message to Love" and "Hey Baby (Land of the New Rising Sun)" toward the middle of the set, Hendrix sounds completely lost. His guitar is woefully out of tune and for the most part, he doesn't even bother to re-tune it! There are unofficial recordings out there in which Hendrix is torn-down drunk, or stoned out of his mind, but in which he still manages to pull off his trademark liquid phrasing. Not so at the Isle of Wight. What was bugging him on this night went beyond intoxication or state of mind. You can hear the stiffness as the strings slip from under his fingers when he reaches for notes to express himself. And you can hear him trying to keep his ideas and energy focused, although his mind, body and spirit are obviously in conflict. For much of the concert, in fact, it really seems as if he is fighting against the guitar (and himself) to make it do what he wants it to do. As such, there is an emotional sense of desperation in his playing. His sound is often harsh and the rhythmic and melodic shapes he builds are unusually blunt and sloppily executed.

The band pull it together for an excellent run through "In From the Storm" to close the show. But this cannot salvage a sub-par performance. The point, however, is that all great artists have bad nights, and this was merely one such bad night for Hendrix. It's not the tragedy that historians have made it out to be. This is made particularly clear by watching the DVD version. With all of the problems, the band was obviously just trying to make it through the gig that night. Ironically, it is that effort that provides this concert with its own type of strange, poignant beauty. Hendrix's struggle to make it through the show results in some beautifully poetic statements, particularly on the slow "Midnight Lightning," which for all its stiffness comes across like deep, electrified Delta blues ringing in the night air. To me, it perfectly sums up the desperation, fatigue and frustration Hendrix must felt at that moment. Further, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox sound excellent throughout.

The packaging is attractive. Keith Altham's notes are good, but they don't really address the significance of the occasion. It would have been nice if Altham's notes had been supplemented by (Hendrix historian) John McDermott's. Tony Brown's book "Hendrix: The Final Days" gives a good background to this event. But despite its flaws, this was one of Hendrix's most significant performances and it's great that Experience Hendrix have finally brought it out in its entirety after 32 years (actually, I did notice a few seconds edited out of the solo section of "Hey Baby"). I guess it's the mark of a great artist that even in a sub-par performance, you can find much to love and value. Personally, I have never stopped listening to the Isle of Wight concert over the years, as there are many excellent moments scattered throughout. Once you get past narrow evaluations of "good concert" versus "bad concert," the truth is that Jimi Hendrix presented a night of tortured, emotionally harrowing playing.

That's all I can say. I wouldn't recommend this as a introduction to Hendrix's live recordings for a first-time buyer. The people who purchase this will probably already know what they are getting.

A friend of mine once said about Hendrix, "Even at his worst, you can always find that glimmer of genius." Don't get me wrong. Isle of Wight is nowhere near his worst performance, though not his best either. It's a rough and bumpy ride smothered in genius. This two CD, eighteen song set, complete with rare photos and liner notes by Keith Altham, represents the end of an era. It closes the book on peace, love, and good happiness stuff. He died nineteen days after this August 30, 1970 concert. A final summation of what he created, and what he would leave behind.

Despite a 2:00am down beat, no rehearsals, and a venue on the verge of exploding into a riot, The Jimi Hendrix Experience took the stage. With Mitch Mitchell on drums, and His Funkiness Billy Cox on bass, the band tore into material both old and new. "God Save the Queen" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" start off the sonic festivities. The performance is raw, but thanks to Eddie Kramer's mixing skills the quality is smooth as glass.

It's full of clams, false starts, and radio transmissions coming through the amps. Univibe and Fuzz galore. Drum solos. Blues. "Midnight Lightning." Whammy abuse. Tuning problems? It doesn't matter. Jimi paints with sound, and "Only cowboys stay in tune." You hear the band working together creating moment to moment, maneuvering through the ebb and flow of extended improvisation.

Blue Wild Angel illustrates the magic of Jimi Hendrix despite the flaws. You witness the band get it together and build up speed like a berserk locomotive. They're playing to 600,000 people. Twice as many as Woodstock. It's a historic document with the most brutal display of guitar virtuosity on the planet.

Forgive me, but I happen to be slightly biased -- this is one great live JH disc. Experience Hendrix did the right thing - they released the complete concert, which also includes a 22 minute version of "Machine Gun". No longer are we subject to Alan "Hatchet Job" Douglas's "Live at the Isle of Wight" nightmare.

The sound quality is fantastic -- prior to this I had a collector's CD which was pieced from several sources, with a lot of hiss and extra bass. BWA fixes all these -- it's like listening to the concert with completely new ears!

I'm a Hendrix fan -- and if you are, too -- you need to get this 2 disc set. If you're only a casual fan, I'd still recommend it. If you're new to Jimi -- I'd recommend getting "Are You Experienced", "Axis: Bold as Love", and "Electric Ladyland" first.

OK, I'll be honest. I am a really big Jimi Hendrix fan, and I've read alot of stuff about THE ISLE OF WIGHT concert, and Jimi's state of mind and such. But the truth is, I don't really know what state of mind Jimi was in when he performed this set of songs at the infamous ISLE OF WIGHT MUSIC FESTIVAL. The technical limitations set forth by a live concert in the middle of the night in some remote Island set the stage for this CD, but that is a given before you even hear this CD. So what can you expect from this CD? A document that records a very important performance from one of the most important musicians that has ever lived! All of the sonic and technical problems aside, and not withstanding Jimi's state of mind at the time, this is a must own CD for any Jimi fan, for any music student, for anybody that even has the slightest interest in 60's music. I highly recommend the 2 CD version because it really does not cost very much more (Amazon.com has very good priceing on these two items) and because you will get so much more of the original show. My only real disappointment was that they edited out Jimi tuning up his guitar at the beginning of the show, but since that material is out there on CD (I have a very excellent copy of the ISLE OF WIGHT GUITAR TUNE-UP on a different CD) you can easily mix the two together to achieve a more coherent whole. But this little gripe notwithstanding, we have to thank EXPERIENCE HENDRIX and Janie Hendrix for giving us this very important document of Jimi's life.

I've just seen this CD and placed it in my shopping cart. But before I continue shopping, I didn't want to leave without letting you know about this music, my friend. In 76, I was introduced to a vinyl disc of Live from Isle of Wight with Foxy Lady, Freedom, Midnight Lightning, Lover Man, All Along the Watchtower, In From the Storm. It was my first Hendrix album to really delve into, and later buy and listen to over and over. I have been disappointed (but only a little) by all his other work in comparison. The editorial reviewer here gets it right. Yes, there are warts, Jimi is pushing the envelope, so there are times when you wonder where he is. But in the end, the utter incandescence of this performance is overpowering. Jimi does not entertain -- he plays his guts out. Whatever was in his soul this day screamed for expression, and was heard. The exemplar of this is Foxy Lady. When I heard the studio version later, I thought "this is just pop fluff!" (of course, it isn't). But wait till you hear how Jimi handles Foxy Lady here -- Jimi declares World War III. Heat-seeking missiles, Predator unmanned aircraft, blockbuster bombs, Sherman tanks. (Perhaps Pearl Jam was shooting for a sonic and emotional assault like this in Evenflow?) See if afterwards you don't feel you've been put through the wringer. Enjoy!

A significant release but I'm annoyed by the editing allowed - "Hey Baby" & some of the between song tune ups after "Lover Man" and "Machine Gun" being examples. Okay, maybe minor quibbles but ...I expected the full unedited concert. And how about sequencing "Midnight Lightning" on disc 2 instead of fading it out on disc 1?

This CD sounds so much better than the previous
releases of this material. The 22 minute "Machine Gun"
is amazing. If you are a Hendrix fan you must buy this cd
today.

...From probably one of the greatest group of accomplished musicians ever assembled! In my opinion, this was Jimi's best combo: The world's greatest guitarist, together with my personal all-time favorite drummer, Mitch Mitchell, and one of the most underrated bass players of all time, Billy Cox. Jimi always needed to be surrounded by the best musicians--people who could follow Jimi into the same places he was going with his music, and I think he finally found it with this line-up. Billy Cox was a much more aggressive bassist who tangle with Jimi better than Noel Redding ever could, and Mitch Mitchell, although not a "loud" drummer, had a fluidity in his playing that could always keep up with Jimi's sometimes frantic pace. All in all, this was the perfect setting to show this band off at--the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. Only problem was, the time they went on stage was at 3am! But you'd never know it by the way they played here--true professionals as they were. Oh, they did sound a little sluggish in trying to rush through the obligatory oldies, such as "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze". But, I think by 1970, Jimi was a little tired of having to play those same tunes over-and-over again in concert--there was only so many ways you could improvise on them! I think he really wanted to give his newer songs a good workout, and some of the best ever live performances of "Machine Gun", "Ezy Rider", "Message to Love", "New Rising Sun", and "In From the Storm" are presented here. This disc is worth the money for the live versions of those numbers alone! "Message to Love", in particular, was the highlight for me. You want to hear what Billy Cox was all about as a bass player, "Message" had some of the fanciest bass fretwork I have personally ever heard!
Now, admittedly, Jimi did sound a little "grouchy" toward the crowd--you would be, too, if someone woke you up just a few minutes before you were to go on stage at 3am. His in-between song rantings are here for you to listen to. He sounded especially sarcastic about having to play the oldies, and its reflected in the music. He also seemed as if he was having a lot of equipment problems--he kept re-tuning after songs and fiddling with his effects pedals--all that could have contributed to his grouchiness. At the end, you'll hear Jimi remark that they'll be back again next year when they can "get it together better" for them. Obviously, there wasn't going to be a next year because Jimi was soon to die. But hey, this was unbelievable for a 3am performance, and if this was as good as they sounded at 3am, just imagine how they would have been if they came back the next year, taking the stage at a more decent time--provided that Mitchell and Cox were still the ones backing Hendrix up. This had the definite makings of a supergroup!

This two cd set is a must for jendrix enthusiasts. This and other concerts mean alot to me as I was not born during Hendrix's time so I never got to see any of his shows until they came out on video. This set is amazing. from Fachine gun and Red house on the first disk all the way down to some agressive teeth solos on Foxy Lady and Hey Joe on the second disk. It is great to be able to listen to all this and know that it is unedited. Not like the woodstock cd was.

It seems strange that Experience Hendrix/MCA chose this show as an official release over some other great shows (Royal Albert Hall '69, Berkeley '70, Monterey '67). For Hendrix fans, it is about time they finally get a complete official release of this show. But for first time buyers, don't let a fancy marketing campaign and nice packaging fool you. While this concert has some inspired moments and some brilliant guitar work, overall it is a very strained, sloppy, and uninspired performance by Hendrix. Experienced fans of Hendrix will see past the flaws and marvel at the brilliance, but for you first time buyers exploring Hendrix for the first time, consider other releases first. Unfortunately Experience Hendrix/MCA has not released many live albums yet , so the safest bet is the BBC Sessions release.