exploremusic

Today, comes the release by the estate of Jimi Hendrix, of a new album called ‘Valleys of Neptune’.

This coming weekend (March 13/14 – check your local Legends weekly show listings), I’ll dedicate the entire hour to the record, and feature conversation with 3 people that have helped make it happen, including Jimi’s sister Janie Hendrix, producer Eddie Kramer and  the only surviving member of the bands behind Jimi Hendrix – Billy Cox.

Billy Cox first met Hendrix in the early sixties, when they were both in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Campbell (at the Kentucky/Tennessee border).

The two would play R&B in the clubs in Nashville where to this day, Billy Cox lives.

When Jimi went to England to ‘make it’, he invited Cox to join him in a new band (Jimi Hendrix Experience) and while Billy declined (the gig going to Noel Redding) Jimi and Billy re-united musically in 1969, when Hendrix formed Band of Gypsys. 

Recently, Billy Cox called me to talk about today’s release.   

Here’s a transcript of some of that conversation, with lots more to come in the radio special.

Cheers,

Jeff.

You’re the only one left!  How does that feel?

 Billy Cox: That’s right, I’m ‘the last gypsy standing’.   It feels good to be working on my next CD

Tell us about meeting Jimi for the first time.

Billy Cox: There he was, this little bald headed guy, in the service club, playing guitar by himself. He was in his early stages of playing and wasn’t quite where he would later be.  And so we did some jamming.

Often, when people ask about my favourite music, quickly your and Jimi and Buddy Miles performance of ‘Machine gun’ comes to mind.  Tell us about that song and Band of Gypys.

Billy Cox: When we rehearsed that to prepare for the Band of Gypsys dates at the Fillmore, and we rehearsed every minute we weren’t in the studio, and we  were altogether incredible at coming up with rythmic paterns – we’d try and top each other and when he started into that , we did a drone in E and it just came together and as you know, people at the Fillmore (New Years 1969/70) were just elated.

What is special about  the “Valleys of Neptune” album?

Billy Cox: It’s a continuation of the direction Jimi was trying to take the music, it’s a unique album.

Bleeding Heart takes you back to R&B roots.

Stone Free is an update of the original in which Jimi played the bass, this time with me on bass.

(Producer) Eddie Kramer made it (the album) work.

What would Jimi think of the stream of his music coming up, all these years an in fact, 40 years now after his death?

Billy Cox:  Jimi wasn’t one to brag, as evidenced in his song “Room Full of Mirrors”  (Used to live in a room full of mirrors, all I could see was me, well I take my spirit and smash my mirrors, now the whole world is here for me to see’), he’d probably say ‘oh well, uh, …’,  Jimi wasn’t vain.

Eric Clapton has always had the highest regard for Jimi’s music,  and there’s a version of the Cream Classic Sunshine of Your Love on here, tell us about Jimi’s view of Eric’s band?

Billy Cox:  My first week in New York (in the 60’s) I met Eric  as he was around Jimi a lot.  Jimi probably wished he’d written Sunshine of Your Love – he loved playing it.

Tell us your most vivid memory of playing with Jimi at Woodstock.

 Billy Cox: Getting there and climbing up onto the stage and opening up the curtain.  Mitch said ‘oh my god, Jimi said ‘whoah man’ and I said I’m not going on.   But with a little Blue Nun wine, we did it.

When you and Jimi and Mitch toured in 1970, were there signs then, as you see it, that Jimi wasn’t long for this earth?

Billy Cox: NO,  I mean you don’t die at 27, you live on and on and on.  At least that’s what you hope.

Everyone always asks ‘what do you think Jimi would have gone on to do musically, would he have embraced innovations like digital technology.

Billy Cox: He probably would have explored everything that was at his disposal to make good music.  He was afterall, one of the first to utilize TheUniVibe (footpedal operated phase shifter for creating chorus and vibrato simulations for electric guitar or organ, the UniVibe would put it’s stamp on tracks like Robin Trowers "Bridge of Sighs", Pink Floyd’s ‘Breathe”, and  Jimi Hendrix’ "Machine Gun"), that and all these gadgets that nobody else had, to manipulate feedback.

The Experience Hendrix Tour 20-10 – as a participant on bass, what is the goal of this tour Billy?

Billy Cox: The concert event of the year, with no lip synching and no soundtracks!  Everyone of the musicians featured was inspired by Jimi Hendrix from Eric Johnson to Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Johnny Lang, Susand Tedeschi, Joe Satriani, Ernie Isley (nobody can do more things with a guitar!), Brad Whitford, Chris Layton from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble, Living Color are back together, Robert Randolph – he plays JIMI on steel guitar!, and all the others. These musicians have a purpose – to embody the true spirit of Jimi Hendrix

No Canadian dates!?!

Billy Cox: Hopefully eventually.    This is something that should go around the world.

 (end of conversation)

 My thouhts exactly.   Seems a shame and an oversight not to have planned dates north of the 49th.

I’m waiting for confirmation of an interview with Jimi’s sister Janie Hendrix.  (adopted daughter of Jimi’s dad, the late Al Hendrix).  Should it come to be, perhaps I’ll dig deeper on this subject with her.

Finally, beyond the March release of Valley’s Of Neptune, Legacy Recordings is also planning to release deluxe CD/DVD editions of the Hendrix albums Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland and First Rays of the New Rising Sun, as well as reissuing the 1968 compilation album Smash Hits.

This youtube posting of the song Valley’s of Neptune, is inferior in sound quality to that of the actual release, but gives you an idea of what to expect.

Cheers,

Jeff.