Sony Music hosted a press launch for the new Jimi Hendrix album "Valleys Of Neptune" at the Red Room in London's Mayfair area on March 2nd, attended by Hendrix's longtime engineer/producer Eddie Kramer who worked on the album. The 12 previously unreleased studio tracks were recorded between 1967 and 1970 at Olympic Studios in London and the Record Plant in New York, although some will be already familiar to fans as live versions and bootlegs. The earliest track is "Mr. Bad Luck" (aka Look Over Yonder) recorded at Olympic in May 1967, while the last to be cut was the title track at the Record Plant in May 1970, and presumably left off the posthumous "Cry Of Love" as an artistic decision, despite some great playing by Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox (bass). The album also features an instrumental studio version of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love" as well as Elmore James's "Bleeding Heart" which is the track being serviced to radio. "Valleys Of Neptune" launches a year of activity to commemorate Hendrix's death 40 years ago on September 18th 1970, and will be followed by more re-masters and DVDs; a new 'Best Of" anthology; a BBC TV documentary; and a likely Hendrix tribute night at the BBC Electric Proms at the Roundhouse in the autumn.
David Stark adds, "I was lucky enough to see Hendrix play live half a dozen times, starting with his first major London show supporting The Who at the Savile Theatre (Jan '67), which the Beatles attended as well. Then again at the Savile in June, where he famously opened with Sgt Pepper, and twice at the Albert Hall in '68 and '69. In fact I had tickets for both nights in '69 but couldn't make the second as I'd come down with something, so my pal Paul still has my unused ticket somewhere. The last time I saw Jimi was at the Isle of Wight 1970 and got extra lucky when I was given a VIP/press seat by a photographer friend and found myself sitting next to Tony Joe White just 20 feet from the stage. I was just 17 and still at school, but that kind of paved the way for my career. I still have my copy of the Evening Standard for 18.09.70 and some concert programmes, hard to believe it's almost 40 years since we lost rock's finest. This new collection is great stuff but I always go back to the original albums to hear him at his best."
Links:
Jimi Hendrix Website
Eddie Kramer's Photo Archives
Valleys of Neptune at Wikipedia
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