Hendrix's "Valleys of Neptune" Off LP of Last Recordings Hits the Web

Jimi Hendrix's "Valleys of Neptune," one of the guitar great's final recordings before his death in 1970 and the lead single off a compilation of the same name out March 9th, is streaming now on Spinner. While the track has never been officially released, as Rolling Stone previously reported, it did appear on 1990 four-disc set Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story. The "Valleys" single is due out February 2nd. In addition to compiling 12 unearthed recordings, Valleys of Neptune's artwork will also feature paintings that Hendrix created in high school.

"Before he became a musician, Jimi wanted to be an artist," said Jimi's sister and Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix of Valleys's album and single art. "He went through a phase doing watercolors at school and this was one of the 110 drawings of his that our father kept. When I saw this one he did in 1957, it screamed 'Valleys of Neptune' to me so we knew we'd use it for this project." The final cover art on the disc blends Hendrix's painting with a photo taken by Linda Eastman, or Linda McCartney as she was later known.

The art of music: paintings and photos by Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Patti Smith.

Experience Hendrix catalog director John McDermott tells Spinner that the recordings on Valleys of Neptunes bridge the gap between Hendrix's classic Electric Ladyland and his legendary Woodstock performance. Valleys will also contain re-recorded versions of "Fire," "Red House" and "Stone Free," as well as unreleased tracks like "Lullaby for the Summer," "Crying Blue Rain" and Ships Passing Through the Night." In addition to Valleys, on March 9th all three of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's albums plus the 1997 comp First Rays of the Rising Sun will be reissued as CD/DVDs.

Dive into Rolling Stone's essential guitar coverage.

Related Stories:
• Hendrix's Final Recordings Set to Arrive on "Valleys of Neptune"
• Greatest Guitarists: Jimi Hendrix by Pete Townshend
• Cover Story: The Legend of Jimi Hendrix

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Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

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