Customer Reviews

"Valleys Of Neptune" Vinyl 45 (Limited Edition)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You can hear why this track is only now getting an "official" release -- it has an unfinished quality and has hints of the melodies of some other later Jimi tunes that came out after he died. But Jimi fans will welcome these new sounds nicely mastered from good source tapes. The b-side has Noel Redding on vocals -- which makes a 45 b-side the perfect place to release it instead of on the "new" album -- but there's still plenty of Jimi guitar on the track, so it's not a throwaway or ripoff. It's a pretty nicely made item -- though it has a large center hole like an old-fashioned 45, so you'll need an adapter.

While it would have been considerate to include the b-side on the forthcoming Valleys of Neptune full legnth, this pre-released single harkens back to the way the record industry used to operate. The single would hit the shelves some time before the lp and would include a b-side not on the lp. The songs themselves are quality Hendrix (sans any kind of lead guitar breaks), hard to believe such stuff still exists, unreleased. Running to the local independent record shop to purchase this before the lp release date felt like the best kind of nostlgia. Now if only it was .99 cents, we'd be all set.

I have this track on a bootleg CD. This is a re-mixed and heavily edited version that is not bad at all. The original ending has been chopped off for some reason and it just fades out which is a disappointment.

Sound quality is brilliant ! Eddie has done a great job mastering this track.

Another good addition to your Jimi Hendrix collection.

Shame the B-Side was not on the CD.

Now this is good stuff. Both sides. And it has the traditional 45rpm sized hole that has allowed me to put it in the jukebox. Usually when posthumous music is released it is made up primarily of tracks that were initially scrubbed. Both of these tracks were worthy of release during Hendrix (and Mitchell's) lifetime.

I first heard this track, pretty much as is in the early 90's on Timelines, and since then have been wondering why it wasn't on any of the newer releases. It is a great song from a great time period for Jimi, and even though it probably isn't as finished as he would like it, it is still a great song. The 45 itself is very nice, if not a little pricey (anyone remember when 45s were .99-1.99?), and for the collector worthwhile. Everytime I listen to Hendrix I wonder what would have been if he lived...

This isn't a bad single release but I found myself actually liking the b-side "Cat Talking To Me" with of all people, Mitch Mitchell on lead vocal, better than the "Valley of Neptune" side. Valley Of Neptune seems a bit unfinished and seems to be a longer version of the same tape of the "Valley Of Neptune" version found on the 4-CD "Lifelines" box set, which had muddy sound and edited to about 2 1/2 minutes, where this one is around 4 minutes.

Nice sound overall, courtesy of Eddie Kramer. "Cat Talking To Me" sounds like a song done for fun for a b-side and was probably done in one take, and is only available on this single (why?).

Overall, an interesting listen but will this be one that will be requested very often? Probably not. As much of a fan of the latter phase of Hendrix, just not a great song compared to others but perhaps not a fair judgment, since it was never fully completed to Jimi's satisfaction. Now I'm waiting for the full-length CD to see how all of that measures up for "new, unreleased" Hendrix.

I agree with other reviewers why couldn't they include all of these songs on the disk instead of making us buy a 45 single?

One real beef I have is my copy came scratched, brand-new, on the a-side. Why are almost all new 45 singles scratched when you buy them brand new? It's like the record company really doesn't give a dang and just throws them around? Seriously, I'd like to know why that happens so often. I remember a Bob Dylan 45 single that was a promo around 7-8 years ago that came with buying the new CD when it came out, and every copy I ever saw of it was scratched, too. I took my copy back, dug through the whole stack the store had, and every one of them was scratched.

I liked the B-side much more as an instrumental. I sincerely would like to be respectful towards the late Mitch Mitchell, one of the most underrated drummers in rock history. Probably this version is meant as a tribute to Mitch, but I really don't think it was a wise decision in 1987 to do these vocals.

This is totally worth having, the artwork is beautiful and Cat Talking to Me is an excellent track. Of course, Jimi doesn't sing it; Mitch Mitchell does (though Jimi wrote it). But Mitch's voice makes this sound like something off of Traffic's "Mr. Fantasy." Cool stuff.

Caveat ~ side A, Valleys of Neptune, skips all over the place on my player. Thankfully, the unheard B-side does not at all. (I've got the Valleys CD already).

Rolling Stone rated Jimi Hendrix the best guitar player in rock n roll.

I saw him several times in concert, and he is far and away my favorite.

All his music is great especially these hidden songs that were never released.

MUST HAVE FOR A HENDRIX FAN

Good record, posthumously. Only Jimi alive with a new one could do better. I will take anything he has left to give. Buy it if you adore Jimi.