Like many people who've purchased posthumous Jimi Hendrix releases of dubious origin in hopes of hearing some overlooked bit of brilliance only to be disappointed, when I heard about the Hendrix estate's claim that there were enough unreleased recordings to release a new album every 12 to 18 months for the next decade, I wasn't overly optimistic about the quality of the material.
Sure Jimi was a workaholic who spent countless hours in the studio putting down tracks but not everything captured on tape was pure gold and I've got the bootlegs loaded with wanky jamming recorded on what could be a dictaphone hidden under a pillow in the next room to prove it.
So even though the new Valleys Of Neptune (Sony Legacy) album – in stores March 9 – boasts "12 previously unreleased studio recordings" and it was being mixed by Hendrix's engineer of choice Eddie Kramer, I was still skeptical about the performances captured, especially since there's a number of alternate versions of well-known Hendrix classics such as Fire, Red House and Stone Free.
Well, I'm happy to report that not only did the shockingly good Valleys Of Neptune far exceeded my low expectations, there are some genuinely revelatory "holy shit" moments sure to floor even the most jaded heard-it-all-before Hendrix fanatics.
Those who check the track listing and assume that Hear My Train A Comin' is just a cleaned up version of the 12-string take that's been floating around for ages will be pleasantly surprised to find that this is rollicking full-band blast with Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding attacking as if their jobs were on the line while Hendrix rips away like he'd been listening to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Ohio. Only this was evidently recorded in April of 1969, over a year before the Kent State shootings which inspired Neil Young to write the song Ohio in the first place. Interesting, n'cest pas?
If you're thinking that the instrumental take of Sunshine of Your Love included here is just one of the familar versions stripped of the vocal track or a rehearsal demo, guess again. Hendrix cuts loose at a quicker than usual tempo and takes the opportunity to playfully one-up his friendly rival Eric Clapton six ways to Sunday in a delightfully non-challant show of string-bending bravura.
Hendrix spotters will note that the title track, Valleys Of Neptune, was previously included with 1991's Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story (Warner) five-CD box. However, that was just a demo and here we finally get to hear a more fully realized version although it still doesn't seem finished. While there are a number of intriguing twists and turns and Hendrix belts his apocalyptic vision with soulful authority, the conspicuous absence of a hallmark solo and the ponderous fade at the end suggests Hendrix wasn't yet done with the track.
While Mr. Bad Luck may initially look like an unknown song, it's actually an early incarnation of Look Over Yonder dating back to 1967 with rhythm accompaniment added by Mitchell and Redding in 1987. To their credit and that of Kramer, everything flows together so seamlessly, you'd never know that Mr. Bad Luck was a salvage job unlike the moody closer Crying Blue Rain which sounds like a patchwork quilt, albeit artfully assembled. On the whole, the hour-long Valleys Of Neptune is a much more enjoyable "new" Hendrix album than anyone could've hoped for in 2010, 40 years after his tragic demise.
Along with the release of Valleys Of Neptune on CD and numbered limited-edition 180 gram vinyl (5,000 copies) currently available for pre-order at the link below, Experience Hendrix and their new distribution partner Sony Legacy are re-launching the catalog titles Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland and First Rays Of The New Rising Sun on CD/DVD and limited-edition vinyl.
LINK
http://www.jimihendrix.com/
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