In the ever-sprawling discography of Jimi Hendrix, Axis: Bold As Love, the second of three of Jimi Hendrix Experience studio albums recorded and released during the guitarist’s lifetime, is often lost in the conversation. Almost like the middle child where, in this case, the first-born (Are You Experienced?) kicks the door down and sets a standard, and the youngest (Electric Ladyland) receives more warmth and attention, and zooms to the very top of the heap.
Renowned journalist David Fricke notes in the booklet that’s part of the Bold As Love box set, the sophomore release from the Jimi Hendrix Experience is “a masterpiece still awaiting discovery,” adding that it’s “the one many people only know in passing, en route between the profound crossroads of Are You Experienced? and the extravagant, cosmic scale of 1968’s Electric Ladyland.” All the more reason this box set could very well change that perception.
Expanded to five LPs or four CDs (depending on your preferred format), stuffed with extra studio and live tracks, the aforementioned booklet, plus a Blu-ray Disc comprising updated stereo, mono, and Atmos mixes, Bold As Love captures the Jimi Hendrix Experience as a tight-fisted power trio cooperative at the peak of their powers. Axis: Bold As Love was released in December 1967, just a few months after the Jimi Hendrix Experience debut Are You Experienced?. Like its predecessor, it was produced by Chas Chandler and was a commercial hit. Stand-outs like “Little Wing,” “Spanish Castle Magic,” “If 6 Was 9,” and “Castles Made Of Sand” are part of the Hendrix lexicon. If the weird and wonderful calling of “Exp” doesn’t lure you in, then you’re probably listening to the wrong record.
Engineer Eddie Kramer once described the album as “more complex with a better sound, a more refined sound” adding that he and Hendrix employed effects and phasing, sonic trademarks of the psychedelic era, to expand on the heavy blues and power of the band. Axis: Bold As Love was recorded at Olympic Studios in London. With Are You Experienced? in his rearview mirror, the Experience were already well into recording a follow-up. Newfound success allowed Hendrix to assert his full attention on becoming the world-class songwriter, guitarist, singer and aural architect he was born to be.
The easy rolling groove of “Up From The Skies,” the album’s lone single, invites you in before “Spanish Castle Magic” drives a nail into the kaleidoscope and gives Hendrix ample room to paint the room with enough Day-Glo pans to cure vertigo. Thumbs up to bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell on “Wait Until Tomorrow” and “Ain’t No Telling.” They both stand out on the breaks, as well as provide a solid platform from where Hendrix was able to take aim and fire.
From the tinkle of the glockenspiel to the tender vocal, sweeping notes, lifting leads, and a thousand smiles,” it’s hard to dispute “Little Wing” and its place as one of Hendrix’s greatest. To call it a ballad is an oversimplification of its significance. The guitarist was drawing lyrical influence from the likes of Bob Dylan and John Lennon, referencing “Butterflies and zebras… moonbeams and fairy tales” in casual, broad strokes that undoubtedly turned on the pop hipsters of the day. For that reason alone, it may well have served as a more effective single from the album than “Up From The Skies.” Nevertheless, it’s been heavily covered, notably by Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Sting, and has become a staple on Rolling Stone magazine’s annual “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” lists. So much for “All Time” when it comes to a change every year.
After the bluesy wale of “If 6 Was 9” takes a bite out of your soul, the swing of “You Got Me Floatin’” revives your spirit with a catchy chorus and crunchy roundabout. “Castles Made Of Sand” is another trip through the daisy patch that serenades fragility. Redding leads the way on the Modish “She’s So Fine,” and Hendrix dips his wick into a well of technicolor “gold and rose” and “misty blues and lilac too” on “One Rainy Wish.” Once the shuffle of “Little Miss Lover” wah-wahs its way into your heart and mind, “Bold Of Love” slowly, stylishly finishes off the slab that would land on Top 10 charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Bold As Love box set includes stereo and mono mixes of the original album, along with some 40 previously unreleased alternate takes of “Spanish Castle Magic,” “You Got Me Floatin’,” “One Rainy Wish,” “Up From the Skies,” “Wait Until Tomorrow,” along with the instrumental tracks for “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp” and “The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice,” which were packaged together as a Summer of Love single. Surviving early two-track demos of “Stone Free” and “Up From The Skies” from Regent Studios, plus performances from Top of the Pops, Dee Time, Hoepla, and a September 1967 concert in Stockholm, fill out the remaining LPs and CDs.
The cherry on top is the Blu-ray disc. If you have a high-end system enhanced with an Atmos-compatible receiver and Blu-ray player, prepare for an immersive dive into Axis: Bold As Love. While it’s unfortunate a 5.1 surround mix wasn’t in the cards to appease that small group of audiophiles, the Atmos mix adequately taps into the space and subtleties Hendrix and Kramer conjured within the limited range of four-track recording technology. Years ago, Kramer only believed Electric Ladyland could be remixed into as multi-channel format. Turns out, he proved himself wrong by remixing Axis: Bold As Love with winning results. Altogether, the Bold As Love box set captures one of the most fertile periods of Jimi Hendrix’s life and holds nothing back.
~ Shawn Perry
