As a fan of the legendary Mr. Hendrix, imagine my joy when a press-info came my way about 'a newly curated album of twelve stunning studio-recordings, never before commercially available on a Jimi Hendrix album’.
What 'Valleys Of Neptune’ has to offer is not previously unreleased material, but different versions of familiar Hendrix tracks that were done as studio warm-ups or rehearsals for forthcoming concerts, like the Cream cover 'Sunshine Of Your Heart’. The studio-recorded tracks came to fruition over a four-months period in 1969 and this album provides a largely unseen view of what the greatest guitarist of all time was up to musically between the release of Electric Ladyland and the 1970 opening of his own Electric Lady Studios. If this CD is anything to go by, then musically, he wasn’t up to much.
There isn’t a lot on the album that will make you yell, 'Why have we missed out on this for so long?' because almost every number on it sounds flat and lacks the vibrancy of the LP-cuts.
Only four out of the twelve tracks are 'new’ in so far that previously, they’ve never been released in any format on any Hendrix album. The tracks in question are 'Ships Passing Through The Night’, the instrumental 'Lullaby For The Summer’ as well as 'Closer Crying Blue Rain’. Finally, there’s the title track itself, but despite a rather smooth arrangement, even that song can’t be considered one of Hendrix’ best musical moments.
One bonus, however, is the Jimi Hendrix Experience track 'Mr. Bad Luck’ which was produced by Chas Chandler during the 'Axis: Bold As Love’ sessions.
'Valleys Of Neptune’ is the first release of several releases for the Jimi Hendrix Catalogue Project (new deluxe CD/DVD editions of 'Are You Experienced’, 'Axis: Bold As Love’, 'Electric Ladyland’ and 'First Rays Of The New Rising Sun’ will also be available).
Produced by Janie Hendrix (Jimi’s stepsister) and newly mixed by Hendrix’s longtime engineer Eddie Kramer, 'Valleys,’ is no doubt a collector’s item for hardcore Hendrix fans. Other than that, it’s a rather lacklustre 60-minutes-affair as opposed to the historic release it claims to be.
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