Valleys Of Neptune

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ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 12   Total Length: 61:39

eMusic Review

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Ben Fong-Torres

eMusic Contributor

03.09.10
A cause for celebration for Hendrix appreciators
2010 | Label: Legacy Recordings

[Read Ben Fong-Torres' interview with producer Eddie Kramer here.]

Jimi Hendrix's most devoted fans — the ones who know everything he did and played, from his nights on the R&B chitlin' circuit to his last licks alongside Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox — may yawn at this set of a dozen previously unreleased cuts, Valleys of Neptune. They've all been available, in one form or another, albeit underground, by bootlegging and other unauthorized means.

But for the average rock fan and appreciator of Hendrix's genius, this collection is cause for celebration. This is new stuff, good as the old stuff — and the old stuff was some of the best rock music ever committed to tape, to vinyl, to whatever. Most of Valleys was recorded in the first half of 1969, when Jimi's original trio (him, Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding) were still together and enjoying creative peaks. Those peaks carried Hendrix to heights from which he will never need to descend. He is widely considered the greatest rock guitarist of all time, and his first two albums, Are You Experienced? and Axis: Bold As Love, from 1967 and '68, are ranked among the best albums in rock history. The… read more »

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Jimi Hendrix is a Rock of all Ages

rajahkali9

Jimi Hendrix has and always been a rock god. His music feeds the soul and establish the rock n roll.

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Awesome!

nexus

Jimi is the king, and there isn't much more to say.

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fine addition

Roygbiv

for fans who have probably heard most of these songs before but not these particular versions - which actually turn out to be decent

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Sad

wino_man

Since these are basically "lost" studio tracks, it is sad to hear how good they are. What a great talent...what a waste!!!

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New Hendrix

phlloyd

Always exciting to hear new Hendrix-doesn't dissapoint.

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Second time around

TeeLee

This is good, if not great, Hendrix stuff. After all these years, it's good to hear music that isn't just a rehash and repackaging of the old material. Even second tier Hendrix is better than the majority of music being produced today. Worth the buy. Give a listen!

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Excellent Hendrix album

BronxHattan

Yet again there emerges a new Jimi Hendrix album - speculating on what he might have issued had he lived. SImilar to 'First Rays of the New Rising Sun', and 'South Saturn Delta', (overseen by Eddie Kramer, Janie Hendrix, and John McDermott), a thought-out, well put-together album of recordings that belong on any Hendrix fans' library. The title track first appeared on the 'Lifelines' box set in 1990, and in partial form (that box has long been OOP) - nice to hear the track fully developed. The other new tracks ("Crying Blue Rain", "Ships Passing in the Night") make VoN worth getting. Only slight downer is the b/g vocals on "Fire" by Noel Redding (just doesn't sound that good on this recording). An album meant for a fan of 'late period' 1969 - 70 'Cry of Love' Hendrix.

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A Hendrix collection is not complete without this

Ynot4free

what can be said about Jimi that hasnt already be stated. There are some great moments thru out this compilation

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eMusic Features

eMusic Q&A: Eddie Kramer on Valleys of Neptune

Eddie Kramer on Valleys of Neptune

By Ben Fong-Torres

Eddie Kramer's credit on Valleys of Neptune is co-producer, along with Janie Hendrix (Jimi's adopted half-sister) and John McDermott of Experience Hendrix, the company owned by the Hendrix family. But such a humble title belies Kramer's true, deep connection to Hendrix. A native of South Africa, Kramer was a 25-year-old recording engineer in London when he began working with Hendrix, in spring of 1967. He stayed with Jimi, as an engineer, mixer and co-producer, until… more »

They Say All Media Guide

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 and 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

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