South Saturn Delta

South Saturn Delta
Compilation album by Jimi Hendrix
Released	October 7, 1997
Recorded	July 1967 – August 1970
Studio	London New York City Hollywood, California
Genre	Rock blues jazz
Length	65:47
Label	MCA
Compiler	Janie Hendrix Eddie Kramer John McDermott
Jimi Hendrix chronology
Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (1997) South Saturn Delta (1997) Live at the Oakland Coliseum (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. 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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	A−
Pitchfork	7.6/10
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

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. 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".

Track listing

Personnel

• Jimi Hendrix – guitar, vocals, bass guitar (tracks 4, 7 and 8)
• Mitch Mitchell – drums (tracks 1-4, 6-10, 13 and 14)
• Noel Redding – bass guitar (tracks 1, 3, 9 and 10)
• Billy Cox – bass guitar (tracks 5, 6, 12, 13 and 14), backing vocals (track 5)

Additional Personnel

• Rocky Isaac – drums (track 12)
• Brian Jones – percussion (track 7)
• Larry Lee – guitar (track 6)
• Dave Mason – 12-string guitar (track 8)
• Buddy Miles – drums and backing vocals (track 5)
• Juma Sultan – percussion (track 6)
• Jerry Velez – percussion (track 6)
• Unknown horn players – 2 trumpets, 2 saxophones, arranged by Larry Fallon (track 4)

Recording details