Third Man Records Releases Jimi Hendrix Studio Jam Collection Through January 31

Third Man Records just released Valley of Jams 1969-1970, the 67th entry in their archival audio series called The Vault. These recordings came from improvisation sessions between New York and London when Hendrix was changing directions as an artist.

The package holds three LPs pressed on 180-gram colored vinyl at Third Man Record Pressing in Detroit. It also includes a 7-inch single, a patch, and a bumper sticker. Everything comes in a tri-fold jacket that uses rapid shot photos to create a sense of motion.

Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle in 1942. He spent time in the United States Army, then supported the Isley Brothers and Little Richard on the Chitlin' Circuit. The Jimi Hendrix Experience put out its first single in December 1966. He died in September 1970, meaning that he spent less than four years in the spotlight.

These sessions caught the period when Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding's lineup of the Experience started to change. Billy Cox replaced Redding on bass. Buddy Miles took over the drums when Mitchell left.

Eddie Kramer, the guitar legend's go-to engineer, mixed every track on the compilation. John McDermott assembled the track list.

The opening track, "Slow Version," runs 4 minutes and 56 seconds. "Trash Man" has lead playing that shows why he's still called the greatest guitar player who ever lived.

"Cherokee Mist" and "Astro Man" feature Tom Erdelyi working as an engineer, years before he turned into Tommy Ramone with the Ramones. The 28-minute "Keep On Groovin'" blends jazz with flamenco, blues, rock, and soul in one extended piece.

The 7-inch single has "Midnight Lightning" at 3 minutes and 7 seconds. It's backed with "Beginnings — Take 5" at 5 minutes and 26 seconds. These recordings showed up across different releases through the years, but now they're collected with fresh context.

Fans can go to https://thirdmanrecords.com/pages/vault to subscribe to the club and get their copy.