Valleys of Neptune

iTunes Review

Valleys of Neptune features previously unreleased recordings primarily made by Hendrix after the recording of Electric Ladyland. “Mr. Bad Luck” was recorded during the Axis: Bold As Love sessions and that track and “Crying Blue Rain,” recorded in London on February 16, 1969 contain “additional bass and drum recording” in 1987. The rest are credited as purely 1969 and 1970 recordings. However, “purity” issues aside, this is another fantastic collection of Jimi Hendrix tunes. The songs themselves range from the obvious (“Fire”) to the live staples (“Hear My Train a Comin’,” “Red House”) to the obscure (“Ships Passing Through the Night,” “Lullaby for the Summer”). The tension among the trio can be heard as bassist Noel Redding tends to play with more force and is replaced by Hendrix’s old friend Billy Cox on a few notable numbers (“Stone Free,” the title track, Elmore James’ “Bleeding Heart”). Sound quality is superb, unlike many of the bootlegs that have surfaced over the years, and original engineer Eddie Kramer mixes these tracks using his intimate knowledge of Hendrix’s music to make them what Jimi imagined.