South Saturn Delta Explained

South Saturn Delta
Type:compilation
Artist:Jimi Hendrix
Cover:South Saturn Delta.jpg
Recorded:July 1967August 1970
Studio:
  • London
  • New York City
  • Hollywood, California
Genre:
Length:65:47
Label:MCA
Compiler:
Prev Year:1997
Next Title:Live at the Oakland Coliseum
Next Year:1998

South Saturn Delta is a posthumous compilation album by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. Released in 1997 by Experience Hendrix (operated by his estate), it consists of material such as demo tapes, unfinished takes and alternate mixes, and previously released material, most of which Hendrix had been working on prior to his death in 1970.

Background

Released prior to South Saturn Delta, First Rays of the New Rising Sun was Experience Hendrix's attempt at presenting Hendrix's planned fourth studio album. The album consists of songs previously released on his first posthumous albums The Cry of Love (1971), Rainbow Bridge (1971), and War Heroes (1972). South Saturn Delta collects five songs from the latter two then out-of-print albums that were not selected for First Rays.

Other tracks include "The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice", an early Jimi Hendrix Experience B-side single that saw release on the UK compilations Smash Hits (1968) and Loose Ends (1974), but never officially released in the US on a Jimi Hendrix album. Alternate takes and mixes of previously released songs and demos for new songs that Hendrix may or may not have completed for release flesh out the album.

Critical reception

In a review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke viewed South Saturn Delta as an inconsistent compilation that is "less of a mess" than the albums that preceded it but does not explore deep enough into Hendrix's recordings.[1] Robert Christgau wrote in Blender, "it establishes the listenability of Hendrix's dribs and drabs", despite being "discographically presumptuous". AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album serves as an attempt to "capture the full range of Hendrix's music through an alternate history ... an intelligently sequenced, listenable collection of some of the very best outtakes and rarities from Hendrix". James P. Wisdom from Pitchfork found the songs full of Hendrix's growing embrace of fusing rock, blues, and jazz sounds "in ways that had never been considered".

Personnel

Additional Personnel

Recording details

TrackLocation(s)Recording date(s)
Track 1TTG Studios, Hollywood, CaliforniaOctober 22, 1968
Track 2Olympic Studios, LondonOctober 14, 1967
Track 3TTGOctober 29, 1968
Track 4Record Plant Studios, New York CityMay 2 & June 14, 1968
Track 5Record PlantJanuary 21 & February 3, 1970
Track 6The Hit Factory, New York CityAugust 28, 1969
Track 7Olympic; Record PlantJanuary 26 & 28, 1968; May 1, 1968
Track 8OlympicJanuary 21 & 26, 1968
Track 9Mayfair Studios, New York CityJuly 19, 1967
Track 10Olmstead Studios, New York CityApril 1 & 3, 1969
Track 11OlympicNovember 13, 1967
Track 12Record Plant; Electric LadyMarch 24, 1970; June 1970
Track 13Electric LadyJuly 1, 1970
Track 14Electric LadyJune 17, July 19–20, & August 22, 1970
Track 15 Record PlantMarch 23, 1970

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Fricke. David. David Fricke. December 25, 1997. South Saturn Delta. Rolling Stone. August 11, 2015.