The First Rays Mix

The following is a mix I created of tracks released and unreleased of what a version of Jimi's unfinished First Rays of the New Rising Sun might sound like if he had been able to take stock of what was in the archive to make a double LP.
I made it a couple of years back, and there are better sources of some of the sections of the mix...but I don't have time to re-do it again.
I have passed to a couple of Hendrix freaks, and I have received good feedback...

OK - here's how I went about the project...
Assemble the equivalent of 4 LP sides (Jimi wasn't sure if the album was to be 2 or 3 sides - and we'll never know) - anyway...it is based on 4XLP sides - so each "track" is equivalent to an LP side (hence the 20-odd minute running time)

The selection was based on tracks that Jimi had in the can at the time...(and thus unreleased)
Of course there is probably little chance that he would have picked what I have...but this was my chance to put together some Hendrix gems that COULD HAVE HYPOTHETICALLY made up his album in 1970.

I then spent many hours looking for appropriate edit points so one track would flow into another...and make for a pleasant listening experience...

I really hated the rather unoriginal way that the EH put together New Rays...of course, they probably couldn't have done much more because it was basically a compilation of tracks (so they really didn't have the scope to be too inventive) ...

But anyway, this is my version using tracks that, as I said, were not released on an album in 1970 (yes - the Buddy Miles drum version of Stepping Stone which starts off was released - but singles are not counted...)

Tracks were chosen with LP sides in mind - in terms of openers and closers etc...
Of course, the nature of it being a sort of MIX, means that it is more a digitally driven phenomenon - BUT Jimi COULD have put this together in 1970...its not all that complicated...
Anyway - its just a special mix from me...of material never done real justice...

OK there are a few points where sound quality dips a bit...bear in mind I used what I had...
...I think my mix rocks - and is a far better presentation of late Hendrix that EH First Rays or Voodoo Soup...(although the latter has a better flow than the former...)
Try it...


The track list is as follows...

Side 1
Stepping Stone (Buddy Miles Version)
Somewhere (Yes, I know it was an EL outtake, but I have always thought it a worthwhile track)
Burning Desire part 1 (combo of studio intro and Baggy's - I know the latter would never have been released, but Burning Desire WAS being worked on, and I have always thought the Baggy's version off Loose Ends contains some absolutely KILLER playing...the leads are phenomenal, so why does this track get no love???) - This was split because the track is long and does meander a bit...see what you think of my edit...
Hey Baby
Drifting

Side 1 - Here

Side 2 - Message to Love
Room Full of Mirrors (link) - Why not the whole track. You know I was never that keen on the studio version of RFOM - I know Jimi put so much work into it - I wanted to include...so I used it as a bridge...
Villanova Junction
Dolly Dagger into...
...Burning Desire (reprise)
Freedom (guitar solo link into...)
South Saturn Delta (the mix from Live and Unreleased/Lifelines NOT the one that appeared on EH's SSD CD - which I HATED, I was so disappointed...they took all of the echo off the horns, and I think this was a HUGE MISTAKE!!! The echo sounded rhythmic...)
Drifter's Escape

Side 2 - Here

Side 3

Slow Version (edit) into...
Night Bird Flying
Trashman (edit)
Ezy Ryder
Pali Gap
Hey Gypsy Boy (must apologise for the poor quality - I don't have a great quality version on bootleg (couldn't use the Douglas one could I? I don't think one is around in good quality anyway...but because of the whole New Rising Sun thing, I thought that it would make a nice reprise...YES, I DID MAKE EDITS and added FX - it is not an ALTERNATE version...)

Side 3 - Here

Side 4 -
Message to the Universe
Izabella
Power of Soul...
...Astro Man/Astro Man Jam (edit - sorry about quality dip - the crap quality of my boot...)
Valleys of Neptune (ditto...into...)
Angel (this had to be last, of course...)

Side 4 - Here

So there you have it...! I did spent quite a bit of time choosing the edit points and which tracks should go where...If you do or don't like it let me know...

I have been thinking of doing one based on mid-1969 (When Jimi was supposed to deliver an album, but didn't have "sufficient material" - I think I could have helped him out with some canny editing and running list!)

OH YEAH - the whole thing is designed to be 4XLP sides that would FIT ON A CD too...
It might require a little overburning...I can't quite remember...but my original mix is one CD.
John