Sony Legacy
Jimi Hendrix was, is, and will always be the greatest guitarist who walked the face of the earth. If you approach ‘Valleys Of Neptune’ as a new Hendrix album, you will likely find yourself pretty disappointed. “Valleys of Neptune” is a fine track that hasn’t seen much of a release in the past (it did show up in different form on the “Lifelines” box 20 years ago), but everything else here is either a remake (“Stone Free,” “Fire”), a studio recording of a live staple (the extended “Red House,” “Hear My Train A Comin’”), or an instrumental take that probably needed some more work for an album release. With the right expectations, though, this is a fine release. All Hendrix fans should enjoy this record. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t. Nevertheless it is a listenable collection and the master is pumping out plenty of exciting music on his guitar. Star Spangled Banner is from this period as well and is a bit of a surprising omission. But you can get that if you buy the box set from a few years ago. This set is very much in the spirit of South Saturn Delta and the box set, explorations that didn’t quite reach Jimi’s lofty standards. I’m guessing a new listener would still be amazed.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
