Valleys of Neptune is a record from the legendary psychedelic guitarist that comes almost four decades after his death. Compiling songs mostly recorded after 1968’s Electric Ladyland and in 1970, the record gets off to a familiar start with an alternate take of his 1967 hit Stone Free though this time with backing vocals from The Experience (who accompany throughout), helping to give the record a more jazzy, swinging and English feel. The highly anticipated title track had already been available on bootlegs, but there’s no doubt that the final polished version is the stand-out track and could easily occupy a position on any of Hendrix’s previous records. A first studio version of popular live track Lover Man is included, sounding quite raw and flowing more like a jam than an album recording, also added are alternative versions of early tracks Fire and Red House, which are impressive but don’t offer much different to the originals.
The original tracks such as Hear My Train A Comin’, Ships Passing Through The Night and Crying Blue Rain clearly show Hendrix’s growing passion for blues rock. Also included are cover versions of Elmore James’ Bleeding Heart and an instrumental where Jimi shows off his unique guitar playing genius to the backing of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love, the track feeling more like an extended guitar solo than a whole song. The album is certainly impressive and makes for an enjoyable listen, but perhaps labelling it as a new Jimi Hendrix studio record was a bit unnecessary.
6/10
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