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March 4, 2010
Think You’ve Heard The Last From Jimi Hendrix? Think Again!
It’s not often we hear the announcement of a new album from an artist who has passed on. That’s exactly what’s happening with the planned release of a new Jimi Hendrix album in just a few days on March 9th.
Veteran recording engineer Eddie Kramer mixed the 12 tracks that make up the new album, which bears the title Valleys Of Neptune. Those tracks were recorded by Hendrix over a period of four months during 1969, approximately a year before his untimely death at the age of 27.
Working on the new album was a surreal trip down memory lane for Kramer, whose memories of working with the guitar legend came flooding back as he heard not only the music that Hendrix laid down on tape, but also the conversations that took place in the studio at the time.
“That part of it’s really real. That’s the part that makes the hair on the back of your head stand up,” says Kramer.
He obviously holds Hendrix in high esteem, offering advice to young guitarists who are hoping to make their mark on the music scene. According to Kramer, if you want to play guitar, you should listen to Jimi Hendrix play first. Advice that probably not too many seasoned musicians would argue with.
What may be even more amazing than the release of this new album is what Hendrix’s sister had to say. Janie Hendrix, who serves as CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, reports that there are sufficient recordings in Jimi Hendrix archives to “ensure a new release every 12-18 months for the next 10 years.”
Although the guitar legend is missed by legions of fans, his prolific writing and recording may offer more surprises in the coming years. Perhaps Valleys Of Neptune is just the start of previously unreleased material that Hendrix fans can look forward to; and what a cool name for an album, by the way.
The Hendrix legacy is likely to be as enduring as rock music itself. His creativity and raw talent inspires and influences guitar players to this day, and will probably do so for many decades to come.
Valleys Of Neptune will be available from Amazon.com
For more on this new Hendrix release, visit Spinner.
July 6, 2009
Brian May Not Happy About Mercury-Jackson Recording Leaks
My earlier report regarding the whereabouts of the recordings made by Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury during the 1980’s may have been a bit premature. It has become apparent that whomever it was that was in possession of them has somehow allowed them to be leaked to the internet. Something that does not sit well with Queen guitarist Brian May.
What’s a little strange is that it appears as if the two songs May makes reference two have been on YouTube for quite some time. I was quickly able to locate both “State of Shock” as well as “There Must Be More To Life Than This” on YouTube, and they have apparently been posted there for three years.
Whether or not May realized that the material was posted that long ago on YouTube or was just venting his frustration during this time when there is so much attention focused on Jackson’s death is not clear. The Queen guitarist was quoted as saying, “The music thieves at work as usual.”
Brian May is also in the news for reasons other than his comments about the Mercury-Jackson material. May was injured during a performance in the U.K. on July 2nd.
May and drummer Roger Taylor were on stage at the Birmingham Hippodrome when the accident occurred. A platform that was used to support Taylor reportedly malfunctioned as it was moving forward and failed to stop before hitting May, resulting in a nasty bruise.
Although May laughed off the incident, it was reported by someone who had seen May’s injury that it was worse than May had admitted. Roger Taylor reports that the accident was no fault of his, but just demonstrates that the show was live and that May is all right.
May and Taylor were on stage as part of a production known as “We Will Rock You,” – a musical that is based on Queen’s greatest hits.
For more on the mishap, visit the Sunday Mercury.
July 2, 2009
Who Knew? A Queen-Michael Jackson Connection
As millions of fans around the world mourn his untimely passing, it has come to light that Michael Jackson had become friends with Queen’s late singer Freddie Mercury during the 1980’s. As described by Brian May, the two met up when Jackson would go to see Queen in concert and the two eventually ended up recording some material together at Jackson’s home.
The recordings have never been released, but there is bound to be a lot of curiosity among fans of Jackson as well as Queen fans about how those tracks came out. There is no word on whether they will ever be heard by the public or who is actually in possession of the recordings at this time.
May also says that the legendary Queen hit “Another One Bites The Dust” may have never achieved its number one status if it were not for Michael Jackson. Having heard the song at one of the group’s shows during “The Game” tour Jackson suggested that it be released as a single. The rest, as the well-worn saying goes, is history.
Jackson’s extraordinary talent was not lost on Brian May. On his personal blog he writes: “I think he qualifies as a great artist; he devoted his whole body and soul to his art. It’s as if, with all the changes he introduced to his body, his art actually became his body and his persona.”
You can read all of Brian May’s comments on his blog at BrianMay.com.
