For all the accolades foisted upon him and how much he changed the way people perceive guitar music, it's sometimes jarring to remember that Jimi Hendrix only put out three albums in his brief career before dying of a drug overdose in 1970 at age 27. Since his passing, his estate has been in shambles, and there are dozens of terrible-sounding releases that claim to have unreleased Hendrix music on them but are really just recycled demos or poorly-tweaked live tracks.
But that's all about to change with the release of Valleys of Neptune, a 12-track collection of previously unheard or rarely heard tunes culled from some of the last sessions of the artist's life. The album, which will be released on March 9, helps kick off the 2010 Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project and also commemorates the 40th anniversary of Hendrix' death.
The track list is a cornucopia of titles whispered about among Hendrix devotees. The title track — which will double as the first single — was recorded in 1969 (as many of the other tracks do). The track list includes an instrumental take on Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," an alternate arrangement of "Fire" and an early recording of "Mr. Bad Luck," a track some believe may be the first original tune he ever performed.
Valleys of Neptune is only the beginning, as the other Hendrix releases — Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland and First Rays of the New Rising Sun — will also get the deluxe reissue treatment.