So, anyone buy Jimi’s new album? What’s it like?
I have heard Valleys of Neptune (the single) a few times and I like it - I haven’t tried to break it down and give it a hard listen for Hendrix-y goodness - I have been in the car - but I will probably seek it out sooner rather than later…
I haven’t heard it yet but here is a link to Greg Kot’s review for the Chicago Tribune. He gave it 3 out of 4 stars.
We downloaded it over the weekend after I heard a few tracks. I haven’t listened to a lot of Hendrix the last few years and it’s helping me renew my appreciation for him. Most of it feels unfinished, but Valleys of Neptune feels like it’s almost there - maybe with more work on the lyrics. To me it seems like an unusually busy melody for him, which is interesting. My favorites right now are the uptempo version of Bleeding Heart and Heart My Train A-Coming, the early version of Ezy Rider (Lullaby for the Summer), Crying Blue Rain, and one of the bonus instrumentals, Trash Man. It sounds like an early version of something else, but I can’t remember what. Maybe Midnight? I have trouble keeping some of those tracks straight.
Some of the other stuff doesn’t really do it for me. I like hearing unreleased songs, or at least songs that are new to me, but the older version of Stone Free, another take on Fire, and another version of Lover Man - eh. For Lover Man, I really like the version on South Saturn Delta. This one didn’t stand out and I haven’t listened a second time yet.