JIMI HENDRIX "VALLEYS OF NEPTUNE" DUE OUT IN MARCH

Over the summer, I wrote about how Experience Hendrix - the company that owns the recordings of Jimi Hendrix - was leaving Universal Music at the end of 2009 and moving to Sony Legacy. I wondered, "What could get me to buy more Jimi Hendrix CDs?" Obviously, I love Jimi, but I've purchased the all the studio albums more than once, and ditto for different versions of his BBC recordings, Woodstock, Montery, and his live Band Of Gypsys album.

Well, Experience Hendrix has answered that question: they just announced that on March 9, they will be releasing Valley Of Neptune, which will feature rare and unreleased stuff, including the title track, which was recorded at Jimi's final sessions. That song is actually on the long out-of-print Lifelines box set from 1990 ( back when the catalog was on Reprise Records). Lifelines was a four CD (or in my case, four cassette -- time to see if my car's tape deck is still working!) box set.  The first three tapes were a long BBC radio doc on Jimi (so most of the songs have narration and/or interview clips over the beginning and/or end, so the version of "Valley Of Neptune" isn't "clean"), and the 4th tape was a concert recorded 4/26/69 in Los Angeles.  Sony should reissue Lifelines, and give the option of "clean" versions of the songs. Another good box set from those days (which I also have only on cassette) was Stages, four tapes, each one a different concert from a different year.

Anyway, March 9 will also see the reissue of all three Jimi Hendrix Experience albums, the Smash Hits collection and First Rays Of The New Rising Sun, (all with documentary DVDs) and a Woodstock DVD.

BUDDY MILES 1947 - 2008

Yesterday a great drummer and singer, Buddy Miles, passed away. He was best known as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band Of Gypsys, but he was also a member of The Electric Flag, he played with Carlos Santana, and recorded on his own.

He was also the only person ever to fall asleep while I was interviewing them (I think. Actually that's not true, but the other guy is still alive, so I won't mention it). I was doing a phoner with him. I forgot what it was for, I think he was performing in town, and I just really wanted to inteview him. I was always eager to talk to anyone who had worked with Hendrix. I was lucky enough to interview former Band Of Gypsys bassist Billy Cox as well, and also Jimi's producer Eddie Kramer.

Anyway, so I somehow track him down and book this interview, a phoner. He veers between seeming happy to talk and being cranky. I heard a suspcious bubbling sound during the interview that made me laugh, and at some point he just nodded off, and was snoring. I woke him up - "Buddy? Buddy!" "What?" So I asked him about Phish, who he'd recently joined on stage. "Phish ain't a Grateful Dead clone, I don't care what anyone says!" And a lady's voice in the background goes, "MMM-HMMM!" Soon he dozed off again. Then I woke him and asked about Santana. "Carlos Santana is intimidated by me." "Why?" He claimed that he was as good of a guitarist as Santana. So, I figured it was time to end the call. But it was memorable.

Anyway, The Band Of Gypsys' self titled album is a classic, and the stuff that didn't make it to that album, on Live At The Fillmore East is also great. Anyway, rest in peace, Buddy Miles.