Jimi Hendrix Valleys Of Neptune on 180g Vinyl 2LP
12 Previously Unreleased, Fully Realized Jimi Hendrix Studio Recordings Available for the First Time: Cut from the Analog Masters by George Marino at Sterling Sound and Pressed at RTI
The already insurmountable legacy of the greatest, most advanced rock guitarist to ever play a note just got better. Valleys Of Neptune, a newly curated album of 12 fully realized Jimi Hendrix studio recordings, contains more than 60 minutes of music never commercially available on any Hendrix album. Centered around tracks recorded during a pivotal and turbulent four-month period in 1969, Valleys Of Neptune unveils the original Jimi Hendrix Experience's final studio recordings for the very first time.
Just as importantly, no expense has been spared in making sure this monumental release sounds as good as humanly possible. Mastered from the original analog tapes, cut by legendary engineer George Marino on upgraded equipment at Sterling Sound, and pressed on 180-gram virgin vinyl at RTI, this 2LP set is a sonic knockout on par with the very best audiophile recordings. It's no wonder that this release spearheads Legacy Recordings' unprecented 2010 Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project of reissues and new releases from the greatest guitar player in history. Albums don't get more essential than this.
Valleys Of Neptune provides a fundamental, compelling, and largely unseen view of what Jimi Hendrix was doing in the critical period between the release of Electric Ladyland in October of 1968 and the 1970 opening of his own Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village. The state-of-the-art facility is also where he would begin his final project, the ambitious double album First Rays of the New Rising Sun.
Here, the group lays down the foundation for its follow-up to Electric Ladyland, alongside the guitar superhero's first sessions with bassist Billy Cox, an army buddy Hendrix had recruited into his new ensemble. As such, Valleys Of Neptune offers more than an hour of previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix music, newly mixed for this historic release by Hendrix's longtime engineer Eddie Kramer, who first worked with the guitarist on 1967's Are You Experienced? Valleys Of Neptune is produced by Janie Hendrix, John McDermott (who contributes detailed liner notes), and Kramer. The "Valleys Of Neptune" single has long been one of the most sought-after of Hendrix's recordings.
Other highlights encompass blazing studio covers of Elmore James' "Bleeding Heart" and Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," as well as premier performances of original Hendrix compositions like "Ships Passing Through The Night," "Lullaby For The Summer," and the original recording of the Jimi Hendrix Experience rendition of "Hear My Train A Comin'." Also included is "Mr. Bad Luck," a Jimi Hendrix Experience track, produced by Chas Chandler during the 1967 Axis: Bold as Love sessions.
Specific personnel and recording dates of the tracks are as follows:
Stone Free
Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 7, 9, 14, May 17,1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Billy Cox
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Backing Vocals: Roger Chapman, Andy Fairweather Low
Valleys Of Neptune
Recorded: Record Plant, New York, September 23, 1969, May 15, 1970
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Bass: Billy Cox
Percussion: Juma Sultan
Bleeding Heart
Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 24, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Billy Cox
Drums: Rocky Isaac
Tambourine: Chris Grimes
Maracas: Al Marks
Hear My Train A Comin'
Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 7, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Mr. Bad Luck
Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, May 5, 1967
Producer: Chas Chandler
Additional bass and drum recording, Air Studios, London, June 5, 1987
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Sunshine Of Your Love
Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 16, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Percussion: Rocki Dzidzornu
Lover Man
Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 16, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Ships Passing Through The Night
Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 14, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Guitar, Vocals: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Fire
Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 17, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass, Backing Vocal: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Red House
Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 17, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Lullaby For The Summer
Recorded: Record Plant, New York, April 7, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Mixed By Eddie Kramer
Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Crying Blue Rain
Recorded: Olympic Studios, London, February 16, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Additional bass and drum recording, Air Studios, London, June 5, 1987
Vocal, Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Percussion: Rocki Dzidzornu
Bass: Noel Redding
Drums: Mitch Mitchell
Jimi Hendrix Valleys Of Neptune Track Listing:
1. Stone Free
2. Valleys Of Neptune
3. Bleeding Heart
4. Hear My Train A Comin'
5. Mr. Bad Luck
6. Sunshine Of Your Love
7. Lover Man
8. Ships Passing In The Night
9. Fire
10. Red House
11. Lullaby For The Summer
12. Crying Blue Rain
2. Valleys Of Neptune
3. Bleeding Heart
4. Hear My Train A Comin'
5. Mr. Bad Luck
6. Sunshine Of Your Love
7. Lover Man
8. Ships Passing In The Night
9. Fire
10. Red House
11. Lullaby For The Summer
12. Crying Blue Rain