Friday, October 31, 2014

Jimi Hendrix - First Rays of the New Rising Sun (upgrade)


Jimi Hendrix & The Cry of Love – 
First Rays of the New Rising Sun
(soniclovenoize reconstruction)

Nov 2014 UPGRADE

Side A:
1. Dolly Dagger
2. Night Bird Flying
3. Room Full of Mirrors
4. Belly Button Window
5. Freedom

Side B:
6. Ezy Ryder
7. Astro Man
8. Drifting
9. Straight Ahead

Side C:
10. Earth Blues
11. Izabella
12. Drifter’s Escape
13. Beginnings
14. Angel

Side D:
15. Stepping Stone
16. Bleeding Heart
17. New Rising Sun (Hey Baby)
18. In From The Storm


Happy Halloween!  This is an UPGRADE to my reconstruction of Jimi Hendrix’s final album before he passed away, First Rays of the New Rising Sun.  Hendrix had spent the final year of his life—and especially the final months—working on what would-have-been a double-album follow-up to Electric Ladyland.  Instead of assembling the album as Hendrix had envisioned, the material was dashed together by producer Alan Douglas and released on a number of posthumous albums, including The Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge, War Heroes, Loose Ends and Voodoo Soup.  After securing the legal rights to his catalog, a separate attempt was made by The Hendrix Estate in 1997 to re-issue a compilation meant to replicate Hendrix’s wishes for First Rays, but many fans noted that poor song selection and mastering missed the mark as well.  My reconstruction attempts to gather all of Jimi Hendrix’s own final mixes of the most completed tracks when possible (13 out of 18 songs), ignoring posthumous mixes.  Also  the sources featuring the best mastering and highest dynamics are used to correct what both Douglas and The Hendrix Estate could not, and present a more accurate representation of what Hendrix desired for his swansong and come-back album. 


The upgrades to this Nov 2014 edition are:

  • “Dolly Dagger”, “Room Full of Mirrors” and “Hey Baby” are all taken from the new 2014 Experience Hendrix remaster of Rainbow Bridge, the very best source for the songs
  • “Night Bird Flying”, “Belly Button Window”, “Freedom”, “Ezy Ryder”, “Astro Man”, “Drifting”, “Straight Ahead” and “Angel” are all taken from the new 2014 Experience Hendrix remaster of The Cry of Love, the very best source for these songs
  • The actual vintage Jimi Hendrix mix of “Earth Blues” from the Purple Box is used here, replacing the posthumous mix found on Rainbow Bridge
  • The actual vintage Jimi Hendrix mix of “Drifter’s Escape” from South Saturn Delta is used here, replacing the posthumous mix found on Loose Ends
  • The actual vintage Jimi Hendrix mixes of “Stepping Stone” and “Izabella” from a needledrop of their single is used here, replacing the posthumous mix found on War Heroes. 
  • The actual vintage Jimi Hendrix mix of “In From The Storm” from West Cost Seattle Boy is used here, replacing the posthumous mix found on Cry of Love
  • An original artwork collage reproducing a sketch made by Hendrix the day before his death, thought to be his actual cover art concept for the First Rays of the New Rising Sun. 
  • "Izabella" was moved up to the second song on Side C, so that it closes with “Angel” as per Jimi’s handwritten tracklist. 

1969 was the year of metaphorical death and rebirth for Jimi Hendrix.  After dissolving his chart-topping power trio The Jimi Hendrix Experience and it’s following brief incarnation Gypsy Sun and Rainbows (who backed him at Woodstock), Hendrix was under pressure by Civil Rights activists to form an all-black band.  His answer was Band of Gypsies, featuring bassist Billy Cox (who had played in Gypsy Sun and Rainbows) and drummer Buddy Miles.  The trio set out to rehearse all-new Hendrix originals to fulfill a contractual loophole in which Hendrix owed producer Ed Chalpin an album’s worth of new material; the result was the live album Band of Gypsies, which showcased more structured songs with a funk and R&B-influenced sound, of course infused with Hendrix’s own penchant for psychedelia and guitar wizardry.   A studio single “Stepping Stone” b/w “Izabella” was also released at this time, before being quickly withdrawn due to Hendrix’s dissatisfaction with the mix.  Although the band dissolved in January 1970, Hendrix had written a vast amount of new material with the trio and had secretly set aside what he deemed the best material from the live Band of Gypsies album for his fourth proper studio album, what he was now announcing to the press as First Rays of The New Rising Sun.

Hendrix quickly reformed a new backing band, this time featuring the winning combination of Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell and Band of Gypsies bassist Billy Cox (who were the core rhythm section of Gypsy Sun and Rainbows), called The Cry of Love (although billed as The Jimi Hendrix Experience for commercial reasons).  Recording sessions commenced at The Record Plant from January to May; while touring that spring, Hendrix compiled a list of 24 songs to be considered for the album (at that point called Straight Ahead), all in various forms of studio completion (as shown by checks or Xs) from the Record Plant sessions.  After the first leg of their American tour, the trio returned off and on to Hendrix’s own Electric Ladyland Studios in June and July, recording more basic tracks as well as new work on the withdrawn Band of Gypsies single, “Stepping Stone” and “Izabella”.  By this point, Straight Ahead had reverted to its original title First Rays of the New Rising Sun, and had been described as an intended double-album by Hendrix’s inner circle. 

In late August, Hendrix and producer Eddie Kramer added overdubs and prepared mixes of several songs for the album, although we can never be sure if they were truly the final mixes, as Hendrix tended to add subtle touches to every song right up until their final release.   Regardless, tracks mixed by Hendrix at this time include: “Room Full of Mirrors”, “Ezy Ryder”, “Earth Blues”, “Night Bird Flying”, “Straight Ahead”, “Drifter’s Escape”, “Astro Man”, “Freedom”, “Dolly Dagger”, “In From The Storm” and curiously a solo demo version of “Belly Button Window.”  Of these, both “Dolly Dagger” and “Night Bird Flying” were approved as final, finished mixes and were dashed off to be mastered for a single release.  At this session it is believed that Hendrix began creating a tracklist for First Rays of the New Rising Sun, scrawled on the back of a 3M tapebox.  While Sides A and B seemed fairly definite, Side C had several titles scratched out or in parenthesis; Side D was left blank. 

Hendrix and The Cry of Love jaunted off for their ill-fated European Tour, beginning with the Isle of Wight Festival on August 30th.  As September rolled on, the shows were met with jeering and Hendrix’s spirits were visibly diminished.  Taking a week off in London, a paranoid Billy Cox apparently quit the group and headed home.  Spending his final days with figure skater Monika Dannemann, Hendrix created an illustration featuring his face as well as famous White, Black, Asian and Native American faces in the shape of cross which some believe to be a cover concept for First Rays of the New Rising Sun.  Hendrix was found dead the next day. 

Most of the completed material for First Rays was gathered together and assembled into the first of many posthumous Hendrix releases, The Cry of Love, released in 1971.  Coupled with many of Hendrix’s own working mixes from August 22-25th, additional recording was done to “Angel” and “Drifting” to make them release-worthy.  More tracks were mixed posthumously and appeared on the Rainbow Bridge soundtrack in 1972 with the bottom of the barrel scraped for War Heroes in 1973 and Loose Ends in 1974.  Producer Alan Douglas attempted to recreate a First Rays-like reconstruction in 1995 as Voodoo Soup, which blasphemously featured contemporary overdubs!  After gaining control of his catalog, The Hendrix Estate issued their own reconstruction of First Rays in 1997, perhaps the closest yet, but still missing a few key components.  Here we will try to set the record straight (ahead).

Luckily, our work is cut out for us as Hendrix himself had already decided on a track order for disc 1, as per his list scrawled on the back of a 3M tape box (which is included for your reference); our work is half done!  Opening Side A is “Dolly Dagger” from the amazing 2014 remaster of Rainbow Bridge.  Following is “Night Bird Flying” from the equally amazing 2014 remaster of Cry of Love.  While this title also was scrawled in as opening side C, it is written in boldface as the second track on side B, suggesting it was a later and more definite revision, and is thus used here.  “Room Full of Mirrors”, again from Rainbow Bridge is next, followed by Hendrix’s solo demo of “Belly Botton Window” from Cry of Love. While many don’t believe this drastic dynamic shift would have been on the album, I think it’s a rather welcomed change in the side’s flow, and we’ll stick to Jimi’s wishes.  The side closes with “Freedom” from Cry of Love.  Side B opens with “Ezy Rider”, followed by “Astro Man”, “Drifting” and “Straight Ahead”, all also taken from Cry of Love.  Many fans question Jimi’s tracklist here, as side B is much shorter than A, running four songs at 16 minutes compared to five songs at 19 minutes.  While that may be true, I will stand by Jimi’s choice here as what he intended, and furthermore I feel that despite its length, it sounds like a fairly complete side.  This is apparently what Hendrix wanted for First Rays: a concise album, no sprawling instrumental experiments, just all killer and no filler. 

With disc 1 complete, we are left to create the second disc Jimi never got around to.  The method for my disc two reconstruction is simple: use the remaining complete (or mostly complete) tracks to make a second disc that is as comparable as possible to the first: straight-forward funk/R&B, running nine songs at 35 minutes with the fourth side shorter than the third.  We will drop some songs that are too skeletal (“Cherokee Mist”), others that do not feature the funky R&B sound of disc one (“Come Down Hard On Me”) as well as instrumentals that would not have made the cut anyways (“Pali Gap”).  For the case of side C, we will open it with an upbeat soul-rocker, as side A did: with “Earth Blues”, using Jimi’s own vintage mix found on the Purple Box, as opposed to the posthumous mix on Rainbow Bridge.  Next is “Izabella”, portraying the equivalent of “Night Bird Flying”, using Hendrix’s own original vintage mix found on the Band of Gypsies 7” (a rare mix that is exclusive only to that release).  Following is the more aggressive rocker, the part played by “Drifter’s Escape”, again using Hendrix’s own mix found on South Saturn Delta.  The idiosyncratic dynamic shift is next with “Beginnings” taken from a vinyl rip of Loose Ends; although we are avoiding instrumentals, it is included because not only does it fit the sound of the album, but it was written in as a contender for side C by Hendrix.  The side also closes as per his wishes, with “Angel” taken from The Cry of Love. 

Side D opens much like B, with the dense, heavy guitar fury of “Stepping Stone”, again using the extremely rare vintage Hendrix mix found on the Band of Gypsies 7” as opposed to the posthumous mix on War Heroes.  The side's bouncy rocker follows with “Bleeding Heart”, taken from War Heroes, and then the mid-tempo epic “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)” taken from Rainbow Bridge.  Much like the previous disc, the album ends with a mid-tempo groove-rocker “In From The Storm”, here using Hendrix’s own vintage mix from West Cost Seattle Boy as opposed to the posthumous mix found on The Cry of Love.  In the end, we have a second nine-song, 35-minute disc that matches the first.  The final touch is my own collage reproduction of the sketch Hendrix made the day before his death, possibly his actual cover art idea: Hendrix’s own face in the center of a cross; with Martin Luther King Jr and an African queen on the left arm (representing blacks); John F Kennedy and Adolph Hitler on the right arm (representing whites); Buddha and Genghis Khan in the top arm (representing Asians); Cochise, Crazy Horse and Geronimo on the bottom arm (representing Native Americans).  While I have no idea why Hitler is right next to JFK, we will accommodate Hendrix's own concept; please excuse any perceived audacity.  This, coupled with the two discs of this set, seem to be the first rays of what could have been Jimi’s last rising sun. 


Sources used:
The Cry of Love (2014 Experience Hendrix CD remaster)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (2000 CD box set)
Rainbow Bridge (2014 Experience Hendrix CD remaster)
South Saturn Delta (1997 CD)
Stepping Stone/Izabella 7” (1970 US vinyl, rip by professor stoned)
War Heroes (1971 German vinyl pressing, rip by vinylhound)
West Coast Seattle Boy (2010 CD box set)


flac --> wav --> editing in Audacity and Goldwave --> flac encoding via TLH lv8
* md5 files, track notes and artwork included

121 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. This is just great! (and thanks to Twilight Zone for turning me on to this)

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  3. Very cool, thanks for the upgrade.
    Happy Halloween, SLN.

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  4. Looking forward to hearing this, though I'm still baffled as to why you prefer Beginnings over Pali Gap.

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    1. Pali Gap will NEVER be on my First Rays reconstruction muhahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahhahahaaa!!

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    2. Do I take it that you're not enamoured?

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  5. A great piece of work. It's a shame you have to trot out the usual Alan Douglas slurs, though. The situation was a little more complex (and interesting) than you sketch here. There's a reason for his "blasphemy" (why do Douglas haters use this overheated vocabulary?) on Voodoo Soup, which was never intended to second-guess what Hendrix intended for the next album, anyway. There's room for all of this, including your terrific interpretation!

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  6. Thanks for another excellent piece of work, although I have to question the notion that sides 3 and 4 would have had the same structure as sides 1 and 2. Jimi's placement of 'Angel' at the end of side 3 immediately contradicts that idea, doesn't it? You've followed this idea on several of your other reconstructions, but it never feels natural to me - 'real' releases rarely follow such obvious patterns.

    To this end, I think I'll be reshuffling those last two sides (my own preference is for 'Hey Baby' to be the final track) and also adding 'Pali Gap' in there somewhere as it's a personal favourite. If I was in real nitpicking mode, I'd question the use of those original Band of Gypsies 7" mixes too - after all, if Jimi had the single withdrawn, there's no way those mixes would've made the album!

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    1. First Rays--just like Lifehouse and SMiLE--is one of the most divisive entries here. Fans have been arguing about them for a long long time, and I don't expect that ever to stop! Of course this isn't the be-all end-all reconstruction, but simply my view. That's why I don't mind discussions of these reconstructions in the comments, even negative ones--it's simply a place to have a dialog about them.

      So with that said, I disagree, I think that the attempt to mirror Jimi's disc 1 is an effective way (not THE way mind you, but merely a more logical way) to finish this album. What is more plausible: that disc 2 would have followed disc 1 aesthetically? Or that disc 2 was just like Captain Coconut on side C and then Pali Gap repeated four times on side D? imo, based on disc 1, Jimi was making a commercial come-back album; the songs were less experimental, less sprawling, all concise rock songs with the Band of Gypsies sound. I can imagine two albums of that.

      As for Angel's placement, you are right. That would be a better equivalent of Drifting, as how I had it placed on my orignal version! But what really happened is that I was never really comfortable with where Izabella was placed, closing side C. But when using these alternate mixes, it seemed to flow better where it is now, moved up. So I like to think on side C, I am finding the middle ground between this aforementioned "Mirror Approach" of disc 2, and what Jimi's ideas were for side C (to include Beginnings and end with Angel). I like this sequence of side C much better than what I had two years ago, and I think ultimately that's the point! ;)

      As for Stepping Stone and Izabella mixes, yeah you are probably correct. Hendrix had already done more work to them, so they would have eventually needed a remix. But the ethos of this upgrade was to use the Hendrix mixes when possible, so I used the mixes from Voodoo Child initially and I thought it gave the songs a breath of fresh air as I had always heard the posthumous mixes. But then I switched to the rare 7" mixes because the Voodoo Child mixes were brickwalled to hell, and also just for their sheer rarity, just so they could be collected somewhere, you know what I mean?

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    2. I'm not really concerned with those rejected BOG mixes (in fact I'm mighty glad to hear them!), or even the absence of 'Pali Gap' (no idea if it would've made the cut originally, I just happen to like it!) Nor do I dispute that the 'mirror' approach works well in terms of a pleasing listening experience, I just happen to think it wouldn’t have been the artists intent.

      What I am trying to get at is that I feel Jimi would most likely have compiled this as a cohesive four-sided album rather than as two 'two-sided' albums that just happen to be in the same sleeve, if you know what I mean. When Track Records split Cream’s ‘Wheels of Fire’ into two single LPs no-one blinked an eye (in fact they sold really well judging from the number of secondhand copies floatng around here in the UK), but when they did the same thing to ‘Electric Ladyland’ the public baulked, knowing it had to be the double LP or nothing. I would suggest the same should apply to ‘First Rays’.

      Of course, I readily admit that it's impossible to ever know for sure, more's the pity! And, as ever, I don't wish to be particularly critical, I just enjoy the debate!

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  7. Some suggestions for you:
    - The Small Faces - 1862
    - Van Morrison - Mechanical Bliss
    - The Who - Naked Eye
    - The Pretty Things - Phillipe DeBarge
    - Yes – Works
    - Iggy and the Stooges - 4th Album
    - Derek And The Dominoes - 2nd Album
    - Steely Dan - The Last Gaucho

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    1. You've requested all of those already. Isn't it obvious by now that SLN is only going to post what he WANTS to post?!

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  8. I loved the original reconstruction you did of this album, so I'm very excited to hear this updated mix. Thanks for all of the fun re-imagined albums that you share. This has become one of the most interesting music blogs.

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  9. Great work on this one. This blog is interesting to me in the idea that it helps to make sense of some of the albums that have been released through the years that were completed by people other then the artists themselves. Hendrix is a prime example. Since the mid seventies when I first heard Jimi, people were saying that they wondered what music he would have turned out if he had lived. I feel now that we have some idea. Thanks again.

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  10. Love this upgrade!
    As this is upgraded, will you be upgrading "Big Pink" as well as The Basement Tapes with the new 2014 6-CD boxset out in a few days time?

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    1. I touched upon this in the VU album comments...

      I probably will NOT be updating it (nor the VU IV reconstruction) because all the changes will be from one release. It my view there is no work/challenge/fun to reconstructing it, if it's just a rearranged playlist, you know what i mean? Anyone can recreate my Big Pink by just using the takes on the new sets.

      HOWEVER, I am toying with the idea of making a unique mono mix of the 14 song Dwarf Music Acetate. I actually created one a few months ago, but of course the sound quality on the release trumps it as well. But then again it wouldn't be a true mono remix if sourced from the box set, as opposed to the bootlegs that have hard separation of the 2-track masters.

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    2. Is there a new VU re-release in which would upgrade the IV album? And I've never heard of the DM Acetate before... sounds interesting!

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    3. Yep! The velvet Underground Super Delux remaster is coming out on the 24th, and one of the bonus discs are the unreleased fourth album sessions. For the first time they'll have vintage 1969 mixes, as well as new 2014 mixes, so we wont have the obvious 80s production on it, which was unavoidable up until now.

      The Dwarf Music Acetate is a 14-song demo of Basement Tapes songs given to Dyan's music publisher (Dwarf Music) to shop around to other artists to cover in 1967/1968. That would have been the source for all the original boots, and that would have been THE version music industry insiders would have heard back then. I used it as a basis for my Big Pink reconstruction, but changed the order and swapped a song; two years alter, I have had second thoughts about that, and I very much like the original track listing, which was:
      Side A: Million Dollar Bash / Yea Heavy and a Bottle of Bread / Please Mrs Henry / Crash on the Levee / Lo and Behold / Tiny Montgomery / This Wheel's On Fire
      Side B: You Ain't Goin Nowhere / I Shall Be Released / Too Much of Nothing / Tears of Rage / Quinn The Eskimo / Open The Door Homer / Nothing Was Delivered

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  11. I understand your reasoning why "Pali Gap" wasn't on this... but why no inclusion of "Valleys Of Neptune" ?

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    1. I created yet another JH album that I titled "Power of Soul" with the following tracklist:
      1. Crash Landing
      2. Bleeding Heart
      3. Cherokee Mist
      4. Power of Soul
      5. Valleys of Neptune
      6. Midnight Lightning
      7. Send My Love to Linda
      8. Ships Passing Through the Night
      9. Hear My Train a-Comin'
      And then I tacked on "Burning Desire" as a bonus track

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    2. Hey, that's a good idea. It makes for a nice little supplement to First Rays. You've gotta have "Burning Desire" in there, a killer outtake even in its unfinished form.

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  12. 1. Hi! soniclovenoize! What if Bruce Springsteens The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle was released as an double album? He did go in to the studio and record enough songs for it to be released as one. Here is my take on it and I want to share it with you:

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/hp88bjd5vob9584/The_Wild,_the_Innocent_&_the_E_Street_Shuffle.rar

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    1. Another great idea is what if Nico stayed in the Velvets,using Chelsea Girl and White Light White Heat,just like this:
      Side A
      1.White Light White Heat
      2.The Gift
      3.Little Sister
      4.Stephanie Says
      5.Hey Mr. Rain
      6.It Was A Pleasure Then
      Side B
      1.I Heard Her Call My Name
      2.Temptation Inside Your Heart
      3.Chelsea Girls
      4.Lady Godiva's Operation
      5.Here She Comes Now

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  13. And great work on this upgrade! This is the only blog I follow. Keep up the great work.

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  14. Now that Pink Floyd's "The Endless River" is out, any chance that you might confer onto us your interpretation of "The Big Spliff" ? ;)

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    1. That would be cool, though all I have read about that is that the Big Spliff was just a name. Was it a thought out idea or concept is the real mystery

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  15. What about Michael Jackson's unreleased 2003 album "Resurrection" which was scrapped because of court hearings/trials... The tracklist and fanmade artwork can be found here: http://mastereg.deviantart.com/art/Michael-Jackson-Resurrection-Album-448943818

    Resurrection Track List

    1.Resurrection
    2.The Pain
    3.All My Children
    4.Ekam Satyam (The One Truth)
    5.One More Chance

    6.Xscape
    7.Pressure
    8.Seduction
    9.Force
    10.Visions
    11.Blue Gangsta

    12.Maybe Tomorrow
    13.Trash
    14.Trust In My Heart
    15.You Are A Liar
    16.A Place With No Name
    17.Chicago (She Was Loving Me)
    18.All In Your Name

    I think SOME of these have been released this year on Xscape, Michael as well as other posthumous/ bootleg albums?
    It would be fun to try.

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  16. Could you do the "unreleased" EP called "Nirvana sings songs of.... "(EP)
    That was referenced in an unsent letter to Eugene Kelly of (The Vaselines) circa September / October 1992? Here's a potential tracklisting
    1.Molly's Lips (incesticide)
    2. Turnaround (incesticide)
    3. Return Of The Rat (8 songs for Greg sage)
    4. Here She Comes Now (Heaven and hell tribute to VU)
    5.Where Did You Sleep Last night (1991 NOB hilversum performance or 1990 solo acoustic performance from WTLO boxset)
    6. Ain't it a shame (WTLO box)
    7.D-7 (wipers) (test pressing)
    8. Son of a Gun (incesticide)

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  17. I would like to suggest a version of the Grateful Dead's Workingman's Dead, that includes Tom Constanten on all the tracks.

    If you can't find a New Speedway Boogie with him, supplement a Mason's Children etc. Easy Wind could be supplemented by It hurts Me Too etc.
    I suggest using the Thelma recording of Uncle John's Band. Such an awesome show!

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    1. Good idea, but there are versions of NSWB and Easy wind with Constanten so you wouldn't have to replace those songs

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    2. Ramblin' Rose was Hunter's desired follow up to American Beauty. Imagine the new live songs from skullnroses and Europe 72, plus Sugaree, playin in the Band and other highlights from Garcia and Weirs solo records. . Imagining the studio versions of Brown Eyed Women, Bertha, Jack Straw, Wharf Rat, et al, recorded in studi and sequenced appropriately - might have been their masterpiece. The one that got away indeed.

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    3. Yeah I have thought of that as well, the stuff on Europe 72 is sort of studio quality anyways due to the overdubs they did, so those song wouldn't feel out of place next to other studio work. Though Garcia is already a masterpiece in my opinion.

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    4. There are studio cuts of those songs on the archive (practice sessions with Keith (sept 30/31 Oct 1st 1971/2 (can't remember the year deff 72)
      As well, there are the versions of Europe 72 and skull n roses for the tracks that don't have studio rehearsal versions (I discussed this all in another post here. Most of these rehearsals can be found on archive.org and would make it fun for NOIZE to reconstruct this album (needs patches, remastering/ hiss reduction to studio rehearsed songs) as well as his take on the album cover/back cover and tracklisting sequence, here's mine:

      1.Bertha
      2.Jack Straw
      3.Im a lovin' Man
      4.He's Gone
      5.Mr Charlie
      6.Tennessee Jed
      7.chinatown Shuffle
      8.Brown-Eyed Women
      9.Ramble On Rose
      10.wharf Rat

      It follows a loose lyrical story of a man down on his luck after a broken heart (Bertha), kills the man for love (jackstraw), once Jack straw is dead, He's Gone is played (passing of a person), Mr.Charlie, a guide whom has told "me" so, leads the listener onto a journey, telling him to go back to his hometown of "Tennesee", where a friend named Jed will help him find love within the shuffle through all the people (Chinatown shuffle), after in which he finds a brown-eyed woman, who tells listener of her past, but succumbs to an I'll-fated fate (roof caved in, the old man keeps movin on"), in which, after all the sharing of women (Bertha,Shannon,brown eyed women,Delilah jones) and the travelling (Texas, Tennesee,Bigfoot county) and the sharing of whiskey, and other alcoholic drinks, the listener forgets and confuses himself and starts to ramble on about pacing himself so much, spewing out lines from Frankenstein and Mary schelley (Ramble on Rose) but then hears the story, being replayed to him by another voice, who went through the same voyage for love (august west) in "Wharf Rat", in which, after being down on his luck, tells his own story (of the story of what related to it all (love) and how he now has found a spiritual awakening from a higher power (be it god (or not or whichever you may believe in)

      That's just my own interpretation of events when I listen to it in that order.
      Album cover: august west painting by Garcia

      Sources used: 1971 (3 practice rehearsals with Keith (sept 29th-oct 1st) (Bertha,tennesee jed,Jackstraw,brown eyed women
      February 1971/2 rehearsals (wharf Rat (two versions here)
      Pigpen "I'm a lovin man" (studio 1970" on archive
      Ramble on Rose,Chinatown shuffle,He's Gone,Mr.Charlie (Europe 72) (original release)

      Other sources besides E72 can be found on Archive under media type "Grateful Dead" and type in studio in the search bar.

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    6. Id like the tracklist to be something along these lines
      Side One:
      1.Bertha
      2.Jack Straw
      3.Ten Jed
      4.Brown Eyed Woman
      5.One More Saturday Night

      Side 2
      1.Greatest Story Ever Told
      2.He's Gone
      3.Ramble On Rose
      4.Wharf Rat
      5. Mr.Charlie
      6.Playing in the Band.

      Decided against including songs from Garcia, so that both albums can coexist haha. Garcia is just a perfect album imo.

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  18. I'm afraid the Zippyshare links for the Jimi Hendrix First Rays of the New Rising Sun(upgrade) are now down(both FLAC & MP3). Any chance of new links? Many thanks for an excellent and original site.

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  19. I have a suggestion that may be interesting. The seventh Kiss album made up of the solo tracks of each member,the solo albums each one released in 1978. You can also find studio tracks in the Alive II, I think they were the last 4 songs. It woulds be fun to recreate the studio album made up of the classic lineup.

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  20. Suggestion: What if Sonic Youth hadn't taken a "Hiatus" (They broke up.)
    You could use tracks from each solo member's work post-2011.
    You could take tracks from Thurston Moore - ( Demolished Thoughts [2011], Chelsea Light Moving (2013)
    Lee Ranaldo/ Steve Shelley - Between the Times and the Tides (2012), Last Night on Earth [2013].
    Kim Gordon - (Body/Head) [2013], Coming Apart (2013).

    It would be nice to see what you could come up with. possibly multiple albums of material... as if they never quit.

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  21. Hello !
    Well,This Looks Like Another GREAT Reconstruction - Unfortunately,I Was Out Of Town For A While & Got To It Too Late (The Zippyshare Links Are Dead.)
    Could You Possibly Re-Post A New Link (It Would Be GREATLY Appreciated).
    Keep Up The Outstanding Work !
    All The Best,
    Colonel Dan

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fantastic work here but on the same boat as Colonel Dan, too late to listen :( Please re-up

    ReplyDelete
  23. How about the Pigpen album that never was? I gathered up all the original GD songs that Pigpen either wrote or sung (or both) (along with one cover, which was a hot staple of the GDs' live shows in this era) and compiled them into his album that wouldve been had things had went differently in '72. Heres the tracklisting (and sources i used.)
    1. Alligator (Anthem Of The Sun)
    2. Chinatown Shuffle – Europe 72 Complete Recordings
    3. Operator (Am. Beauty)
    4. The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion) (Europe ’72 (original release)- April 14, 1972
    5. Tastebud (Grateful Dead album Bonus track)
    6. Mr. Charlie – Europe 72 original release
    7. Easy Wind (Workingman’s Dead)
    8. Caution (Birth Of The Dead cd)
    9. Alice. D. Millionaire (Grateful Dead album bonus track)
    10. Hard To Handle [cover] (live) (Skull Fuck) (1971)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apparently Pigpen was working on and probably had an album's worth of material for his own solo album. So a compilation of all those bootlegs would be awesome.

      Delete
  24. Looks wonderful but unfortunately the links are dead...oh please please re-up this masterpiece...Thank you for all your spectacular creations and hard work!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi
    Just found your excellent site, and what a great concept it is to create these mythical albums, many of which I've read about over the years. Thanks for all the hard work and effort...great stuff!!!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Two suggestions for one album... (Very challenging I'm assuming) :
    Tupacs' (Makaveli) "Don Kiluminati" 7 Day Theory" album, which re-instates the 6 unused and other recorded tracks during the Makaveli Sessions that were later released on the posthumous albums. As well as that, make it so that all tracks are in ORIGINAL form, which means NO REMIXES of songs... these can be found on Bootlegs/ torrents...

    in short: Tupac's "The Don Killuminati: 7 Day Theory" into a cohesive Double Album with NO REMIXED (only original) versions.

    It's different. But also it's one of those classic Rap albums.
    Let me know what you think.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Double albums that should've been and can be single albums:
    The fragile - NIN
    The river - Bruce Springsteen
    Stadium Arcadium - RHCP
    Tusk - fleetwood M

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. stadium arcadium is exhausting. So much of the same...

      Delete
  28. Please can you re-upload francis the mute in flac, thanks

    ReplyDelete
  29. Suggestion: the NIRVANA double live album entitled VERSE CHORUS VERSE. The tracklisting can be found on recordmecca.com. Try using all the best quality sources/ best live versions (as found on www.livenirvana.com)
    Try using SBD recordings where available. Would be vastly different from "Muddy Banks of the whiskah

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is one of the longest comments I will do here,but here we go.I had a great idea for a reconstruction,imagining if the Pixies never broke up,Using Frank Black's solo career and Kim Deal's bands,The Breeders and The Amps.I'd manage to do it until 1996.Here are the 3 albums I made:
    The Pixies - Los Angeles - 1993
    Side A
    1.Los Angeles
    2.I Heard Ramona Sing
    3.Cannonball
    4.Fu Manchu
    5.Places Named After Numbers
    6.Czar
    7.Old Black Drawing
    Side B
    8.Ten Percenter
    9.Brackish Boy
    10.Divine Hammer
    11.Two Spaces
    12.Parry the Wind High, Low
    13.Adda Lee
    14.Every Time I Go Around Here
    15.Don't Ya Rile 'Em

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Pixies - Teenager Of The Year - 1994
      Disc One
      Side A
      1.Whatever Happened to Pong?
      2.Thalassocracy
      3.(I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain
      4.Calistan
      5.Mad Lucas
      6.The Vanishing Spies
      Side B
      7.Speedy Marie
      8.Saints
      9.Sir Rockaby
      10.Freedom Rock
      11.Two Reelers
      12.Fiddle Riddle
      Disc Two
      Side C
      1.Olé Mulholland
      2.Fazer Eyes
      3.I Could Stay Here Forever
      4.The Hostess With the Mostest
      5.Roi
      6.Superabound
      Side D
      7.Big Red
      8.Space Is Gonna Do Me Good
      9.Headache
      10.Pure Denizen of the Citizens Band
      11.Bad, Wicked World
      12.No Aloha
      13.SOS
      14.Pie in the Sky

      Delete
    2. The Pixies - Pacer - 1995
      Side A
      1.The Marsist
      2.Men in Black
      3.Punk Rock City
      4.Tipp City
      5.Jesus Was Right
      6.I Don't Want to Hurt You (Every Single Time)
      7.Mosh, Don't Pass the Guy
      Side B
      8.Pacer
      9.The Creature Crawling
      10.The Adventure and the Resolution
      11.Dance War
      12.You Ain't Me
      13.The Last Stand of Shazeb Andleed

      Delete
  31. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hendrix loved Dylan...hence
    Has ANYONE ever seen a pirate/boot version of the original Freewheelin' album (with the deleted tracks) on any format. I don't think it was ever done. But, I'm not sure if the correct Rocks And Gravel(Solid Road) is available. Any specifics would be appreciated. Also, the 1967 SMILE you made turned me on righteously! The best sequence/selection ever...you gave it a heart. Supremely crafted! It has the power that could have cured the Landy-era Jabba The Wilson Brian. Very nice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kwai, the original withdrawn vinyl was ripped, I'm pretty sure, by PBThal, who added a few bonus tracks. I have it if you're interested.

      Delete
    2. High, '.'! I would love to have it. It's pretty amazing that the bootleggers never decided to do a vinyl repro w/ 'corrected' jacket, label, running order. That would have looked cool...a 'stock' 6-Eye Red Columbia label. A disc that lists the deleted tracks on the label and plays them. The only issue to consider is that there are probably dedicated mono mixes that differ from their stereo counterparts the way most Dylan mono mixes do. I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth...whenever convenient, please send some of the Zimmagic before I die in my footsteps...All help is appreciated. My regards to Mr. Schneider and Blank Frank...

      Delete
  33. You may think me obsessive-compulsive, but I check yer site nearly every other day to see if you've uploaded a new album. No pressure...

    ReplyDelete
  34. Suggestions

    Harry Nilsson - Papa's Got a Brown New Robe
    John Coltrane- Album after Expression
    Grateful Dead - Earthquake Country (Aoxomoxoa) with Clementine and the Eleven.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Earthquake Country' is pretty easy to do yourself. Mine runs like this:

      Side One (25:52):
      01 Dark Star 2:40
      02 St Stephen 3:56
      03 The Eleven 8:26
      04 Clementine 10:50

      Side Two (25:35):
      05 China Cat Sunflower 2:33
      06 Mountains of the Moon 4:17
      07 Barbed Wire Whipping Party 2:18
      08 Doin' That Rag 4:48
      09 What's Become of the Baby? 8:46
      10 Cosmic Charlie 2:50

      All versions are drawn from the widely circulated 'Aoxomoxoa Out-takes' disc except for 'Dark Star' which is from the 1967 'Anthem' sessions and 'Clementine' which is from the bonus tracks on the 'Aoxomoxoa' remaster.

      There are some quality issues with the out-takes, but overall it makes for a great listen.

      Delete
    2. God, thanks sydfloyd. I tried finding a track listing after Mr. DC's mention of it but couldn't find anything. Had never even heard of Earthquake Country.

      Delete
    3. Furthermore, these Anthem sessions of which you speak, is this a circulating boot? I'm not finding anything on it.

      Delete
    4. I did an album titled "Earthquake Country" which used all the early songs not on an album (birth of the dead, rare cuts and oddities,Phil's searching for the sound CD, as well as terrapin reissue outtakes)

      Iirc, weir and Barlow stated in an interview that BWWP was just a rap that they improvised over, nothing serious nor included in aoxoamoxa

      Delete
    5. Just to make it clear, the Dead never completed an album called 'Earthquake Country', it was just a working title for what eventually became 'Aoxomoxoa'. The 'album' I put together simply imagines what 'Aoxomoxoa' might have been like if the Dead hadn't abandoned the original 8-track studio sessions. The album should have been completed and hit the racks by late 1968, but the band elected to start the album again from scratch using the new 16-track studio technology, which resulted in an entirely new set of recordings. This unfortunately meant that some great ideas from the original sessions were left on the cutting room floor.

      The tracklisting is pure speculation on my part - I just did it the way I wanted it to be! More than likely, the ultra-short instrumental 'Dark Star' from American Studios in November 1967 wouldn't have been under consideration for inclusion, but I wanted a studio version of the famous 'Live/Dead' sequence. 'Clementine' also seems a little unlikely in this form since it's essentially just a live-in-studio jam. I've no idea how serious the band were about 'Barbed Wire Whipping Party', but I think it works great in the middle of side two.

      My one regret was having to miss out 'Dupree's Diamond Blues', but the circulating recording lacks the first line so I decided to relegate it to 'bonus' track status. I don't think 'Rosemary' was recorded until the 16-track sessions, so again, I represented it among the bonus tracks with an early mix of the album version. BTW, my other bonus cuts were the early mix of the album version of 'Mountains of the Moon' and the alternate 'Doin' That Rag' from the 8-track period. I also used the 'unknown instrumental' as a hidden track at the end.

      I am hopeful that one day the Dead organisation will see fit to issue the 8-track sessions officially in primo sound quality and without the various flaws that blight the circulating boot. Whether we've heard it all yet, one can only speculate. I'd imagine there could be quite a lot more. Perhaps they'll do an 'Aoxomoxoa' box set including the 8-track sessions, the studio jams, the original mix of the finished album and the more familiar 1971 remix.

      By the way, I don't think a full 'Anthem Sessions' disc exists, but there are a few studio bits and pieces floating about (plus various rehearsals). See '1967' on the Dead section of Internet Archive.

      Delete
    6. Very cool and wildly informative. Do you, by any chance, have a blog where you upload yer stuff?

      Delete
    7. It would be too cool to hear those sessions. I have read that the Dead put some music to the Eagle Mall, and that would be awesome to hear. Also a Clementine with vocals and the baroque style Tom Constanten added to it in early 69. I made my own Earthquake Country awhile back using a bunch of sources and would just like to see other peoples ideas and maybe upgrade a few of my song sources .

      Delete
    8. My Tracklisting for the past few years has been.
      1.Dark Star (single version)
      2. St Steven into the Eleven (Studio Outtake with bagpipes)
      3. Duprees Diamond Blues (69 mix)
      4. Rosemary (69 mix)
      5. Doin that Rag (69 mix)
      6, Unknown Instrumental (Aoxomoxoa Outtake)
      7. Mountain's of the moon (69 mix)
      8. China Cat Sunflower (69 mix)
      9. Whats Become of the baby (69 mix)
      10. Cosmic Charlie (69 mix)
      Bonus Tracks:
      11.Rosemary (live)
      12. What's Become of the Baby (Acoustic Demo outtake)
      13. Eagle Mall (Live Robert Hunter)

      Would have added Clementine but I cant Find a studio version with vocals, though the sole 1969 live performance would be the one I'd use for mine if I had to. That performance of Clementine was on 1-26-1969.

      Delete
    9. I haven't started it properly yet, but after some reading I was doing on the 'Dead Essays' website recently I decided that 'Anthem of the Sun' should definitely have been a double album.

      The tracklisting I'm aiming to put together will run like this:

      Side One:
      01 That's It For The Other One 7:40
      02 Clementine 7:45
      03 New Potato Caboose 8:26

      Side Two:
      04 Born Cross Eyed
      05 Feedback
      06 Spanish Jam
      07 Death Don't Have No Mercy

      Side Three:
      08 Dark Star
      09 China Cat Sunflower
      10 The Eleven
      11 Feedback

      Side Four:
      12 Alligator 11:20
      13 Caution (Do Not Step On The Tracks) 9:37

      Sources:

      Side One: from original album plus 'Clementine' from Crystal Ballroom 02/02/68

      Side Two: Carousel Ballroom 30/03/68 merged with studio 'Born > Feedback' and another live 'Death Don't'

      Side Three: Carousel Ballroom 17/01/68 merged with studio cuts

      Side Four: from original album

      Any input anyone has on this would be appreciated.

      Delete
    10. This is an awesome tracklist, Robert hunter wrote Dark Star China Cat and the Eleven together in the beginning so that would be how it went. Also love the inclusion if Clementine and Spanish Jam, because of anthem's live/studio mix, the live Clementines and Spanish jams could be used. I am probably going to compile my own based on your tracklist, good work thanks for the ideas. I never heard of Anthem being considered for a Double album, that would have been a crazy album. Though Anthem is already one of my top picks for the Dead already.

      Delete
    11. In reply to Mr.DC24 (regarding Coltrane album after expression)

      "Seraphic Light" – 8:57
      "Sun Star" – 6:08
      "Offering" – 8:22
      "Configuration" – 4:03
      "Jimmy's Mode" – 6:00
      "Tranesonic" – 4:17
      "Mars" – 10:43
      "Venus" – 8:36
      "Jupiter" – 5:25
      "Saturn" – 11:43
      "Leo" – 10:56
      "E Minor"
      "Half Steps"
      "Number Eight"
      "Number Seven"
      "Number Six"
      "Number Five"
      "Number Four"
      "Number Two"
      "None other"
      "Kalliedioscope"
      With all these unreleased tracks, it would make for a double album

      Delete
    12. Are those all songs recorded after the sessions for Expression?

      Delete
    13. These were recorded during/after the sessions for expression

      Delete
    14. This comment thread got me thinking about 'Earthquake Country' and 'Aoxomoxoa.' I'm a big fan of the record, particularly the original mix that's never gotten a digital release. But, like sydfloyd, I miss "St. Stephen/William Tell bridge" into "The Eleven". And while I appreciate it, "What's Become of the Baby" takes up room that could have gone to stronger cuts.

      So I submit a representation of 'Earthquake Glue/Aoxomoxoa' that uses a good lossless rip of the original pressing combined with a few live extracts. "St. Stephen" has been edited to include the William Tell bridge into "The Eleven" from 1968/10/12 at the Avalon Ballroom — one of my favorite performances; "What's Become of the Baby" has been cut in favor of including the single studio cut of "Dark Star" as well as "Death Don't Have No Mercy" from 'Live/Dead' (I cheated w/ this source, but I love the tune and it makes for a real moody side).

      The format is such that at about 51 mins this would have to be a double album, which suits my purposes. Each side is dynamite and of a piece. In order to slightly pad the final side to 14 mins (w/ a total of 54 mins), I've added "We Bid You Goodnight" from the 1969 Seminole performance. Tracklisting:

      A1 St. Stephen [William Tell bridge]
      A2 The Eleven [live]
      B3 Dupree's Diamond Blues [original mix]
      B4 Rosemary [original mix]
      B5 Doin' That Rag [original mix]
      C6 Mountains of the Moon [original mix]
      C7 Dark Star [single version]
      C8 Death Don't Have No Mercy [live]
      D9 China Cat Sunflower [original mix]
      D10 Cosmic Charlie [original mix]
      D11 We Bid You Goodnight [live]

      This is just my recreational attempt at re-imagining the album as it could have been. The combo of studio and live was extensive on 'Anthem of the Sun' and could conceivably have carried forward to 'Aoxomoxoa'. I've been really enjoying this alternative take!

      https://www.sendspace.com/file/8kqxp9

      Long live the Dead. And many thx as always to soniclovenoize!

      Delete
  35. Hello Sonic, and congratulations for your work. I especially enjoy this one and Red Rose Speedway. It might not be your kind of music, but are you aware that Michael Jackson BAD and DANGEROUS albums were supposed to be double albums and were trimmed at the last minute? SOngs were finished, many of them if not all have been released by now. I'd be very interested to see what tracklist you would come up with in both case.

    Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I want to give a christmas gift to you.
    Belle & Sebastian - It's a Christmas Party!
    (What if they whould release a christmas album?)

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/qbmxswds1k66o6o/It's_a_Christmas_Party!.rar

    ReplyDelete
  37. That link is broken...

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/gpr9iyodxg3l7d6/It's_a_Christmas_Party!.rar

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi Sonic, I just wanted to say how impressed I am by the amount of work you put into all of these. Also, you might want to check out the novel Glimpses by Lewis Shiner:

    http://www.amazon.com/Glimpses-Lewis-Shiner/dp/1596063513

    It involves a number of these lost albums.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Another suggestion would be a Royal Guardsmen album that only includes their "serious music", though they are known for their Snoopy/Red Baron songs. The Royal Guardsmen had real talent and their own sound. So an album of what they could have been had the Record Company supported their non novelty songs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wanna make a list of the songs you think are worthy? I am intrigued but from what I can tell it may be grueling to go through they're whole discography for a first timer.

      Delete
    2. Exactly, its hard to find their psych stuff but its out there on singles, bootlegs, live etc. Their 2nd album actually had a few n there.

      Delete
  40. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  41. How do you guys think that soniclovenoize's Hendrix album rates versus Are You Exp, Axis Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, Band of Gypsies?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Man, just discovered this site (through a link on AVCLUB.com). Such a great idea...bless you and your efforts here!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Saludos, les presento este blog donde tambien hay mas material inedito, saludos, gracias por publicar tremendo disco.... saludos.

    http://jimihendrix-enespanol.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thanks for the music. Do you have a link to the original artwork? Also, I like your idea for the Anthem of the Sun album. Will you be sharing it? Again, thanks for the music.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Just got around to burning myself a copy of this, except I moved In From The Storm to the start of "side D". It just didn't sound like a last song to me, whereas Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) did. I also think In From The Storm sounds more like a side opener than Stepping Stone. Anyway, minor tinkering aside, I dig it, and am very grateful to you for putting this together.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Great, important work here...Big thanks. this is the version of this album I always hoped for.
    BTW I agree with others about tackling the Stooges fourth album.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thanks you have done a great job and thanks for the cohesion you were able to give the concept of the "First Rays" which I would think is very much in accordance with Jimi's aspirations for the album at the time. I agree with your statement that "Jimi was making a commercial come-back album; the songs were less experimental, less sprawling, all concise rock songs with the Band of Gypsies sound." Thanks for searching out these excellent versions, which all fit the theme. This is the version I will keep on playing, in preference to the other amazingly mismanaged attempts (excluding your earlier version) there have been over the years.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Just created the limited blogger profile: the above "Unknown" comment is mine.

    ReplyDelete
  49. If I had to do a tracklist for FROTNRS, it would look like this:

    Disc One:
    01 Hear My Train A Comin'-Acoustic (03:05)
    02 Freedom (03:27)
    03 Tax Free (04:58)
    04 Izabela (02:50)
    05 Angel (04:22)
    06 Room Full of Mirrors (03:20)
    07 Dolly Dagger (04:44)
    08 Ezy Ryder (04:08)
    09 Night Bird Flight (03:50)
    10 Drifting (03:48)
    11 Pali Gap (05:06)
    12 Stepping Stone (04:12)
    (47:50)

    Disc Two:
    01 Bleeding Heart (06:23)
    02 Somewhere (04:05)
    03 Valleys of Neptune (04:04)
    04 Midnight (05:35)
    05 Bad Luck (02:58)
    06 Earth Blues (04:21)
    07 Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) (06:04)
    08 Astro Man (03:34)
    09 In From the Storm (03:41)
    10 Belly Button Window (03:36)
    11 Hear My Train A Comin'-Electric (05:41)
    (49:22)

    ReplyDelete
  50. Clicking on your link seems to get me nowhere. I would love to hear your version of, "First Rays..." if I only could!

    ReplyDelete
  51. I love your work and I would like to say thanks so much for all your hard work and excellent notes.

    Have you ever thought of creating a best compilation of the four Jimi Hendrix concerts at The Fillmore East with the Band of Gyosys? There are various compilations such as the Box of Gypsys or Two Nights At The Fillmore in circulation but there is a need for a definitive set in the absence of Experience Hendrix ever coming up with the goods.

    ReplyDelete
  52. You've made many mistakes, starting with the cover - Jimi would never have Hitler on his album cover - he wasn't that sort of person.

    You have ignored a couple of sources for the proposed song list for this proposed double-album. Most important, the album was going to end with "Belly Button Window" - that is very much documented.

    ReplyDelete
  53. This album is fantastic! If only Hendrix had lived long enough to see this released.

    ReplyDelete
  54. "The final touch is my own collage reproduction of the sketch Hendrix made the day before his death, possibly his actual cover art idea."

    Do you have a photo of this sketch or any proof of it? Because I've looked for it everywhere and I haven't found it 🤔

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is described in the book The Jimi Hendrix Experience by Jerry Hopkins

      Delete
    2. It is also described in the book Black Gold by Steven Roby.

      Delete

  55. fxlDCSjZ#57gkwjdl76ETCTpU0ZilS0rXtXTTr9S5YegNI-YxUaI

    axsTxIIC#rGFuSnNTNuuSxr7UOOU9irywzMf95wP4aUCxwkV0OBQ

    ReplyDelete
  56. Hey soniclovenoize, seems like you put a ton of heart and effort into these projects, so a huge thanks to you! I'm very much looking forward to your work with what would have been Jimi's massive musical evolution, but...I appear to be missing something. I can't find the link anywhere...Apologies on being blind or dumb...or both. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. falk
      https://mega.nz/file/axsTxIIC#rGFuSnNTNuuSxr7UOOU9irywzMf95wP4aUCxwkV0OBQ

      emptythree
      https://mega.nz/file/fxlDCSjZ#57gkwjdl76ETCTpU0ZilS0rXtXTTr9S5YegNI-YxUaI

      Delete
  57. Thanks very much for this amazing attempt to create Jimi's unfinished 1970 LP, SonicLoveNoize! I would like to produce a full CD case for this and thus wanted to ask what background picture you used for the sunrise and what font for the text. I could then make a CD label and Inlay card etc. The cover artwork is great! I'll have to see whether I can track down a picture of Jimi's original sketch. Much gratitude in advance for your help, time and effort.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I unfortunately no longer have the photoshop project file for this cover, so I don't know what image I used as the the background. Knowing me, I probably just googled "rising sun over water" or something. If I had to do it again, I probably would have used a different background image that was more of the period, or at least filtered it to look less modern. I really didn't know how to use photoshop as well back when I did this.

      As for the actual sketch itself, afaik it has never been leaked or seen by anyone other than Monika. For anyone who is wondering what the source of this info is, here is the actual passage from the book "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" by Jerry Hopkins:

      Jimi spent what remained of his final day with Monika. Jimi took her drawing pad and drew the number nine nine times, linking the figures into each other, saying "nine consciousness” was the highest form of consciousness. He then drew a Christian cross, decorating each of the four lines with sketches of the faces of famous people. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other black faces formed the left horizontal line, John Kennedy and Hitler and other Caucasian faces the opposite. Geronimo and other "red" faces formed the lower vertical, Buddha and Genghis Kahn and other "yellow"faces the upper vertical.

      "Monika," Jimi said, "remember this. This is the grand design. Remember all I say. You are a painter. Put this in your paintings. Nine. Remember the number nine. There are nine planets. And remember the number four. Four colors. Remember."

      Delete
    2. The drawing is also described in Black Gold by Steven Roby:

      "There is also evidence that Hendrix may have had a cover in mind for the release. On September 17, 1970, he sketched out various faces to form the shape of a cross, with his own face in the middle. The right arm of the cross had faces of white people, including J.EK. and Hitler and two women and a baby. On the left arm of the cross was Martin Luther King, Jr., a black woman with a crown, an African woman, and a baby. On the bottom shaft, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, Cochise, two women and a baby represented Native Americans. Above Hendrix's head, the top shaft of the cross showed Buddha, Genghis Khan, a Japanese woman, and a Chinese baby, representing the Asian peoples."

      Delete

    3. Thank you very, very much indeed for your swift, detailed and fascinating reply. I really appreciate your time and effort. I'm going to save this information as additional notes in a text file in the album folder. I hope that's OK.

      I'll see whether I can find a similar or identical sunrise picture using the search term that you provided. I have just another question, if that's alright. Do you happen to recall what font you used for the writing? It would be great if I could enter the tracklist, spine, label text and so on in the same writing.

      My most heartfelt gratitude to you once again!

      Delete
  58. This is one of the most exciting days--- I'm so looking forward to enjoying this and your recreated CSN&Y brilliant man. You Rock!

    ReplyDelete
  59. As an aside to our discussion regarding Jimi's planned cover for "First Rays of the New Rising Sun", I have found that Monika actually painted an interpretation of it. I actually prefer your rendition. However, her take on the cross desgin that Jimi described can be found in her book "The Inner World of Jimi Hendrix". It appears on page 143 of that work.

    ReplyDelete
  60. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  61. PS: I forgot to mention above that Jimi's original sketch is also reproduced in the book, namely on page 141. Monika also explains the significance of the image and states that Jimi originally wanted Hitler placed directly next to him. She argued against that, and said that JFK should appear immediately next to him instead. With a wry smile, Jimi agreed. Whatever half-truths or outright lies Monika may have told in other respects, her recollections here are borne out by the surviving sketch, just as her claims regarding the origins of "Purple Haze" have been confirmed by the surviving lyrics that Hendrix scrawled.

    ReplyDelete
  62. My pleasure! As I say, though, I still prefer your interpretation. I like the collage-like technique, the fact that the cross is hinted at, rather than plainly obvious, and your use of one of the fantastic pictures of Jimi taken by Donald Silverstein. As it happens, your cover would probably count as my favourite Hendrix record sleeve, had it ever been issued!

    ReplyDelete
  63. A further postscript: Monika's book can be borrowed by the hour online under https://archive.org/details/innerworldofjimi0000dann/page/142/mode/2up. This URL opens the book at the page on which her rendition of Jimi's sketch is to be found.

    ReplyDelete