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List Price: $10.98 | | Label: Mca
Salesrank: 917278
Released: September 28, 1993 |
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| Media: Audio Cassette |
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Axis: Bold as Love Track Listing:
1. EXP
2. Up from the Skies
3. Spanish Castle Magic
4. Wait Until Tomorrow
5. Ain't No Telling
6. Little Wing
7. If 6 Was 9
8. You Got Me Floatin'
9. Castles Made of Sand
10. She's So Fine
11. One Rainy Wish
12. Little Miss Lover
13. Bold as Love
Editorial Review:
Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.
Description of Axis: Bold as Love:
Jimi Hendrix's second album doesn't resonate through rock history the way its gatecrashing predecessor, Are You Experienced?, does. In places, it almost seems as if Hendrix is cruising, albeit sublimely. Yet it's a vital album, containing some of rock's molten milestones. There's the fluid psychedelia of "Castles Made of Sand," the viciously funky "Little Miss Lover," and the so-beautiful-it-hurts "Little Wing." Hendrix really hits altitude with "If 6 Was 9," where he waves his "freak flag high" over a tidal wave of guitar and a cacophonous army of Moroccan flutes, and he ends with "Bold As Love," based around Hendrix's typically far-fetched hankering for the axis of the planet to be tilted, thereby transforming life on earth. It works up into a head-melting frenzy of distorted guitar, a precursor to the staggeringly expansive leap forward he would take with 1968's Electric Ladyland. Hendrix dreamed the impossible and achieved it on his guitar. --David Stubbs
Axis: Bold as Love Reviews:
Classic 
2008-09-26 - classic album i wonder how much LSD jimi was on when he was writing this album ? good stuff right here !
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Axis: Bold As Love 1967
2008-09-19 - Jimi Hendrix just barely finished The Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut album, "Are You Experienced", when they started work on the sonic sounding psychedelic rock album, "Axis: Bold As Love". Taking a much more out there sounding album than Are You Experienced, this album stays true too the bands original sound but using more cooler sounds. Realesed around the same time Cream's second album, "Disraeli Gears", came out Axis: Bold As Love is much more experimental. Its a really great album you can listen too it five times over and over again and not get tired of it. Its just one of those albums. Axis: Bold As Love starts off with the alien song EXP, in which the interviewer(Mitch Mitchell), interviews an expert on aliens(Jimi Hendrix) during the interview aliens come and theres tons of these weird guitar feedback noises but than it stops and goes into the jazzy goodness of the albums second track, "Up From The Skies", showing how Mitch Mitchell has a talent for drums using drum brushes for that cool sounding beat, while Jimi Hendrix is making these cool wah wah effects and singing. Good song but than goes into the rocker, "Spanish Castle Magic", which is one of the only songs they ever played live off this album. A cool beat and is a classic hendrix song, than it goes into the sonic sounding, "Wait Until Tommorow", which has some elements of jazz in it but mainly its a psychedelic song and has a cool drum beat and riff too it and than it stops and goes into the short rocker, "Aint No Telling", which has a really cool riff and beat but only lasts for 2 minutes and than goes into the slow rocker, "Little Wing". which has very cool guitar in it and is another classic among hendrix fans. Than it goes into the psychedelic rocker, "If 6 Was 9", which has a good beat and riff the whole time and has cool lyrics and lasts for about 5 minutes than we go into the eighth track, "You Got Me Floatin'", pretty good song i dont know not one of my faviortes but than into the cool 9th track, "Castles Made Of Sand", which has a nice beat too it and than goes into the tenth track, "She's So Fine", which is one of the first Jimi Hendrix tracks too feature Noel Redding on vocals, its a cool psychedelic rock song and a cool riff. The eleventh track, "One Rainy Wish", is one of those cool slow Jimi Hendrix songs that has a nice psychedelic rock too it, than the 12th track, "Little Miss Lover", is a fast paced song with a cool drum beat and a hard riff but only lasts a little more than 2 minutes and than gets into the magestic last track, "Bold As Love", which i personally think is the best song on the whole album. Great Great song with the coolest beat ever and one of the best acid rock songs around. Than it slowly fades out and like that the albums over. Look if you read this review what are you waiting for go out and buy this album today cause you cant live with out it
Sophomore Album Equals Psychedelic Rock Masterpiece!
2008-08-14 - The band had barely finished recording their debut when they started working on the second album Axis: Bold As Love. Released in 1967, this is a solid effort all the way through.
Jimi Hendrix is featured on guitar and vocals, Noel Redding plays bass and sings on one song, and there's Mitch Mitchell on drums and some background vocals. Production duties, like the first album, were handled by Chas Chandler for the thirteen songs included.
Throughout the recording there's an excellent mix of funk, soul, pop, jazz, psychedelic rock, early hard rock, and even some avant-garde.
The album starts in a very unusual way indeed so let me give a detailed description of this song called "EXP" which is by far, one of Jimi's most avant-garde inspired songs he ever did!
After a false start reminiscent of the first bars of "Stone Free", the music stops and what we hear is the voice of drummer Mitchell welcoming us to a radio station and announces that he's going to feature an interview with a person who is, in his own words, "a very peculiar looking gentleman that goes by the name of Mr. Paul Carusoe" played by Jimi. Mitch asks him about whether aliens and UFO's exist or not and Carusoe (Jimi) replies simply that you just can't believe everything you see, and hear, and then says "I must be going my way". Afterwards Mitch is unable to speak and what follows is total feedback mayhem from Jimi's guitar that appaers to simulate the sound of an alien spacecraft. Apparently Mr. Carusoe himself was an alien! What a cool way of starting an album!
Then we go into the first proper song of the album called "Up From The Skies" displaying a jazzy direction. Good guitar sound drenched in wah wah here and interesting science fiction inspired lyrics to go along. Before it fades Jimi plays some cool bluesy licks.
Next comes "Spanish Castle Magic" with it's psychedelic lyrics, it's one of Jimi's most popular songs and became an integral part of the live set. You could say this is awesome early hard rock!
Now it's time to take a turn and we find "Wait Until Tomorrow" that could be described as a fine piece of funk-pop! Note the good backing vocals of Noel and Mitch in the chorus. At the end Mitch plays some nice drum fills in between the chorus until the fade out that leads to "Ain't No Telling". This is the shortest song on the album lasting only about one minute and forty seconds. There's a feeling of urgency here that I really like. In the middle some interesting chord progressions and riffs occur and before you know it it's all over. One of my favorites from the album!
However ther's still plenty of highlights to come and the soulful ballad "Lttle Wing" is no exception. This got to be one of Jimi's best ballads he ever wrote! Starting with that Curtis Mayfield influenced chordal rhythm guitar so prominent in this album, it's a masterpiece to say the least. The glockenspiel adds a nice touch. The vocals are also memorable and to finish it off, Jimi plays a great melodic solo! Too bad it fades quickly!
Now it's on to "If Six Was Nine" which combines jazz with avant-garde and the results are nothing short of excellent. Towards the end Jimi plays flute but not in a musical kind of way but rather he blows manicaly through the thing!
"You Got Me Floatin'" goes in a funk-rock direction. Pay attention in the middle for great interplay between band members: cool bass lines, funky rhythm guitar playing, plus a backward guitar overdub.
"Castles Made Of Sand" is another highlight that starts with a cool oriental sounding melody, inventive lyrics are showcased and again a backward guitar is included too. A fine piece of psychedelic rock indeed.
Now it's time for bass player Noel to sing on the pop number "She's So Fine" that he also wrote. Killer rhythm guitar here and Mitch sings some background vocals. I really like this song! Often quite underrated for some reson!
"One Rainy Wish" is the sceond of the album's excellent soul ballads while "Little Miss Lover" returns to the funk-rock style.
Before the album finishes comes the final ballad "Bold As Love" and ends up being one of the best songs on the album. Great vocal performance by Jimi and then proceeds to play an amazing solo until it fades bringing this album to a close.
The second release by The Jimi Hendrix Experience is often very underrated for some reaon but for me, it's a solid five-star album all the way! If you like psychedelic rock then you should add this masterpiece to your collection for sure!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...
Good Stuff 
2008-07-03 - Alright, so I may be in the camp of not being a total Hendrix fanatic, but Hendrix deserves respect, praise, and must be listened to, and you must at least respect the man for being so inspirational to many guitarists (I don't think those guitarists would have picked up a guitar if it weren't for him). So maybe his music isn't as good as his accomplishments (if that makes a lick of sense). But Axis: Bold as Love is still a great album.
Hendrix serves up a platter of tasteful, soulful guitar rock with the distinct of Hendrix, as there isn't a band that sounds like this one. The band plays insanely tight and responsive, and pratically gave birth to the power trio. Hendrix is known as one of the best guitar players ever, and while the album may not do enough for me so I don't feel like giving it a five star rating, Hendrix did things that no other people have done on the guitar before, and even though people have trailed in his footsteps, everything about this band goes together that makes the band sound like no other. And Hendrix's playing style will never sound old, as no other guitarists have made a sound like him (granted, I hope most guitarists don't try to copy him and make a style of their own).
All the songs are worth listening to expect She's So Fine (I don't like the singing). There are plenty of favorites to choose from. Up From The Skies, inspired by science fiction, is a soulful, jazzy song with funky guitar playing and effects. Spanish Castle Magic is driven by the power of the drums, then the guitar roars. Wait Until Tommorow is a funny story, and I like the message of the song. Ain't No Telling is the most complete short song that's not done by the Minutemen. And being a fan of funky hard rock, Little Miss Lover rules. My other favorites would have to be Castles Made of Sand and the swirling You Got Me Floatin.
Yeah, that's all I have to say. Give it a listen for sure. And sorry, but I can't think of a title that doesn't sound like hyperbole (like some of my other ones, that probably do).
8.0/10
Further
2008-05-05 - Jimi Hendrix's second album followed up his groundbreaking debut effort with a solid collection of great tunes and great interactive playing between himself, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, and the recording studio itself. Wisely choosing manager Chas Chandler to record the album, since he was in the midst of a creative hot streak, Hendrix stretched further musically than the first album, but even more so as a songwriter. He was still quite capable of coming up with spacy rockers like "You Got Me Floating," "Up from the Skies," and "Little Miss Lover," radio-ready to follow on the commercial heels of "Foxey Lady" and "Purple Haze." But the beautiful, wistful ballads "Little Wing," "Castles Made of Sand," "One Rainy Wish," and the title track set closer show remarkable growth and depth as a tunesmith, harnessing Curtis Mayfield soul guitar to Dylanesque lyrical imagery and Fuzz Face hyperactivity to produce yet another side to his grand psychedelic musical vision. These are tempered with Jimi's most avant-garde tracks yet, "EXP" and the proto-fusion jazz blowout of "If 6 Was 9."
