Today is the day that the much-anticipated new Jimi Hendrix album Valleys of Neptune is being released by Sony Legacy and Experience Hendrix, the organization which handle's the estate's interests. A collection of twelve previously unreleased recordings from early 1969, Valleys of Neptune offers up over an hour of Hendrix's scorching blend of rock and blues music, including covers of classic tunes from Elmore James and Cream.
Valleys of Neptune is just the tip of the iceberg, however, as Sony Legacy is also reissuing re-vamped versions of the classic Hendrix albums Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold As Love (1968) and Electric Ladyland (1968) as well as the hits collection Smash Hits (1969) and the posthumous album First Rays Of The New Rising Sun. All of the titles are being released as two-disc sets with the music on CD and a "making of" documentary on DVD with band interviews and other cool stuff. The albums are also being released as groovy vinyl editions, and all were remastered by long-time Hendrix foil, engineer Eddie Kramer, from the original two-track master tapes.
Hendrix's influence on subsequent generations of rock, blues, and even jazz musicians is inestimable. Hendrix's genre-shattering mix of blues, rock, and soul music, combined with immense instrumental skills, would expand the boundaries of what could be done with a guitar while his constant experimentation with recording would redefine the role of the artist in the studio. Valleys of Neptune may be the holy grail of Hendrix reissues, but is it worth your money? Read what the Reverend has to say about Hendrix's Valleys of Neptune....
