***** MUSIC *****

Initially, this was going to be a review of the Jimi Hendrix 2010 release, "Valleys of Neptune".  Music on this CD is from the LP Jimi was going to make right after "Electric Ladyland", 1968.  However, I decided that the booklet included with the disc and research any music lover could gather would be enough insight into this CD.  Instead, these are my observations and emotions that were triggered once again after 40+ years.

When I first heard Jimi Hendrix in 1967, "Purple Haze" confused and tortured my ears.  I had heard nothing like it and I wasn't alone.  Age 12 doesn't give you deep history of any of the arts obviously, but my parents always enjoyed music and movies.  And soundtracks.  "The Music Man" ('62), "The Sound of Music" ('65) and "Camelot" ('67)  were always on the Victrola and provided me with sounds that told a story.  The complete picture, of course, would come together when we saw the movie.  It made sense.  Songs like " Tutti Frutti" ('55), "Great Balls of Fire" ('57), "Johnny B. Goode" ('58) and "The Twist" ('60) all made sense.  Some of this was a little racy for our virgin ears, as I found out later.  Didn't really get it and looking at my parents' moderate disdain for some of it, it sparked our interest in something taboo and dangerous.  So, as kids, we investigated.  And learned.  And pushed boundaries through our musical tastes.  Now, music wasn't something operatic with visuals on screen.  Now music implied something more.  Imagination took us for a ride.  What were they singing and feeling?

This atom bomb of music dropped into my lap from the 60's was a little overwhelming.  After all the early Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Monkees, Cowsills, etc. which all seemed sterile and cute, then came Hendrix.  When I first heard "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady" I thought 'What is that grating, distorted sound?  What kind of rhythm and beat was this?'  It actually made me dizzy.  But I didn't understand.  I mean "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was harmless and seamless streams of smooth structures of sound with a little mayhem thrown in.  A little mayhem.  Jimi's music was total mayhem.  Stops and starts.  Assault and anger.  Squalls of sound so peculiar that I thought something was wrong with our turntable or needle.  Loose cannons going off in all directions. I didn't like it.  Sounding disjointed meant to me that the band wasn't playing together.  And playing together was what every band was doing.  Or so I thought.

I went back to Jerry Lee Lewis and "Great Balls of Fire".  I loved this song.  The more I listened, really listened though, I could feel the tension, the unloosing of rhythms and structure and a feeling of abandoning all semblance of "a nice song".  I was starting to get it.  Little Richard also gave me directions toward that "live, raw sound".  Not slicked down and predictive.  There was still plenty of sugar and spice but things were starting to unravel in my harmonious and relaxed musical world.  Agitation was on the horizon.  Wild abandon.  Freedom.  Chaos.

So Hendrix suddenly made sense.  And now with "Valleys of Neptune", it threw me back to an innocent time where "Stone Free", "Fire" and "Red House", all different renditions here, made more sense than ever.  A scathing, heart-searing Elmore James tune, "Bleeding Heart" is a classic as is "Sunshine of Your Love", with Jimi's guitar filling in for vocals.  "Mr. Bad Luck" , when he sings 'I just broke a guitar string', we can feel him wince.  "Lover Man", with 1:30 of intro lead brings shivers and explodes all 4:18.  The last 2 minutes of  "Ships Passing Through The Night" total solo freak-out that make Slash's guitar sound like a toy.  And the 7&half  "Hear My Train A Comin' " is pure joy and ecstasy when he vocalizes alongside his guitar.  His backing band of Noel Redding, bass (on 9 of 12 songs), Billy Cox (on 3 songs) and drummer Mitch Mitchell deserve a shout-out.  They ably sustain the devastating demolition of Jimi's carnal carnage of what is now considered psychedelic music.  Jimi Hendrix, like Mozart, like Dali, still and always will thrill anybody that is open to wild abandon, chaos, freedom, agitation, danger.  Oh, and a whole lotta mayhem.