Valleys of Neptune [LP]

by Jimi Hendrix

Overview

After 40 years, a number of ill-conceived posthumous albums, and countless bootlegs, one would almost have to be skeptical of a new album billed as "12 previously unreleased studio recordings -- almost 60 minutes of unheard Jimi Hendrix!" The good news is that Valleys of Neptune largely delivers on that promise. Even hardcore collectors will likely be surprised at how much of this album they haven't heard. But much of this material has been available before in some form, official or otherwise. Although there were tons of posthumous overdubs, elements of these very versions of "Stone Free" and "Hear My Train Comin'" were used as building blocks for the versions on Crash Landing and Midnight Lightning, respectively. Additionally, this version of "Stone Free" was included on 2000's The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set, the only difference being that Noel Redding's bass and vocals were replaced with Billy Cox's bass from a slightly later studio session. An excerpt of the tune "Valleys of Neptune" was released as part of the Lifelines radio program box set, but that track ("Mr. Bad Luck" [aka "Look Over Yonder"]) and "Lullaby for the Summer" (basically an instrumental version of "Ezy Rider") were all well-known to collectors. However, Eddie Kramer's fresh mixes make them all sound better than ever. "Fire," "Red House," and "Sunshine of Your Love" are obviously well-known tunes, but these versions will most likely be new even to collectors. "Ships Passing Through the Night" (later transformed into "Night Bird Flying") and "Crying Blue Rain" are easily the rarest tracks here, and may well be surfacing for the very first time. The songs all sound mostly to completely finished; they definitely aren't just rough demos that got added to after the fact (although Mitch and Noel did do additional recording in 1987 for three of these tunes). Most of the tracks have multiple guitar parts, although Jimi probably would have replaced some of these guitar parts. It's not that they're at all bad, but some aren't perfect, and Jimi Hendrix was a perfectionist. "Crying Blue Rain" feels like just a studio jam (albeit a good one), and "Sunshine of Your Love" goes on just a bit too long with an unnecessary bass solo, but the rest sounds surprisingly finished and complete (and being studio recordings, the sound quality is excellent throughout). While it doesn't rise to the level of his other studio albums, Valleys of Neptune is a welcome catalog addition from a tremendous talent who died too young. ~ Sean Westergaard

Product Details

Release Date:	03/09/2010
Label:	Legacy
UPC:	0886976405915

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Stone Free
2. Valleys of Neptune [Album Version]
3. Bleeding Heart
4. Hear My Train a Comin¿¿¿
5. Mr. Bad Luck
6. Sunshine of Your Love

Disc 2

7. Lover Man
8. Ships Passing Through the Night
9. Fire
10. Red House
11. Lullaby for the Summer
12. Crying Blue Rain

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jimi Hendrix   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Roger Chapman   Vocals (Background)
Andy Fairweather Low   Vocals (Background)
Billy Cox   Bass
Mitch Mitchell   Drums
Noel Redding   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Rocki Dzidzornu   Percussion
Rocky Isaac   Drums
Juma Sultan   Percussion
Chris Grimes   Tambourine
Al Marks   Maracas

Technical Credits

Elmore James   Composer
Eric Clapton   Composer
Pete Brown   Composer
Jimi Hendrix   Composer,Producer,Paintings
Janie Hendrix   Producer
Chas Chandler   Producer
Eddie Kramer   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Jack Bruce   Composer
George Marino   Mastering
George Chkiantz   Engineer
Rick Kwan   Second Engineer
Gary Kellgren   Engineer
Jack Adams   Engineer
Linda McCartney   Cover Photo
Aaron Walk   Second Engineer
Charlie Stavish   Second Engineer
Chandler Harrod   Assistant Engineer
Phil Yarnall   Design
Willis Hogan, Jr.   Photography
Steve Pesant   Photo Research,Research Assistant
Barry Gruber   Photo Research,Research Assistant
Jerry Schatzberg   Photography
Peter Riches   Photography
John McDermott   Essay,Producer,Liner Notes
Derik Lee   Second Engineer
Jonathan Stathakis   Photography
Willie Jinka   Photo Research,Research Assistant
James Davenport   Photography
John Sullivan   Photography
Ulvis Alberts   Photography
Graham F. Page   Photography