Jimi Hendrix – Valleys of Neptune
This nugget of information was posted on 04/05/10 at 11:03 am by Simon and is filed under Album, Reviews.
I was pretty, no I have to say, very excited about this release when I read about it several months hence. Even though we’ve been underwhelmed by previous unheard material or bonus tracks added to classic albums, something felt different to me about this Hendrix package. A welter of unheard tracks fired out in a last burst of creativity before his untimely death (I imagined), discovered and released to us.
Well my hope is shifting to the imminent Exile on Main street deluxe release as this is a disappointment.
There are bloated or just plain flat versions of classic album tracks, Red house and Fire for instance that offering nothing new or of note over their original forms. There are studio/rehearsal cuts of Creams Sunshine of your Love and Elmore James Bleedin’ Heart the latter being the more impressive but neither impressing overly.
The main attraction are four unheard tunes of which only the title track leaves a lasting impression and even then it’s a rather formless unfocused one.
So without Hendrix being able to shed his magnificent grace down upon these tunes you are left somewhat unsated by what’s been served up. The hope therefore for the Chateaux Nelcote sessions is that the Stones are (just)about around enough to nurse them to form.
4/10
