Axis: Bold As Love [Original recording remastered]

Jimi Hendrix | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Experience Hendrix
• ASIN: B000002P5W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (246 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,353 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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 Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Product Description

HENDRIX JIMI AXIS: BOLD AS LOVE

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 104 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 63 reviews, 4.9 star average rating: Do the math. August 9, 2002

By Church of The Flaming Sword

Format:Audio CD

In only a few short months after the landmark Are You Experienced? was released, Jimi and his Experience created another musical triumph in the form of Axis: Bold as Love. While AYE was a solid but somewhat rough sounding collection of mostly road tested tunes like "Purple Haze" and "Fire", ABaL was an absolute marvel of studio-born songs with sound quality that amazes to this day. If you had no knowledge of Hendrix and found yourself listening to Axis, you'd think it was recorded last week instead of 1968.

A quick song review:

1. EXP - Drummer extraordinaire Mitch Mitchell plays a radio announcer who interviews a "very peculiar looking gentleman who goes by the name of Mr. Paul Carusoe."

2. Up From the Skies - A wah-wah drenched jazzy number that displays Hendrix's affinity for science fiction. Check out Mitchell's drumming.

3. Spanish Castle Magic - This song really doesn't need an introduction. Everybody from the Spin Doctors to Yngwie Malmsteen covered it.

4. Wait until Tomorrow - A funny little number about Jimi trying to run off with his sweetheart only to be told by her to "wait until tomorrow"; except for when her father shoots him.

5. Ain't no Telling - The most rocking song on Axis. It isn't even two minutes long and it has more twists than the hourly production at a pretzel factory.

6. Little Wing - The classic ballad with one of the most recognizable intros ever. You should also hear Stevie Ray Vaughan's version as well.

7. If 6 Was 9 - Hendrix's ode to being yourself even if the rest of the world changes. One of Hendrix's heaviest songs.

8. You Got Me Floatin' - A great pop love song with Hendrix's signature guitar feedback effects.

9. Castles Made of Sand - A simple little song about how plans don't always work out and how sometimes it's for the best.

10. She's So Fine - Bassist Noel Redding sings here like he would later on "Little Miss Strange" on Electric Ladyland. The weakest song on Axis, but it's still good.

11. One Rainy Wish - A beautiful love song with spectacular multi-tracked guitars and lovely lyrics.

12. Little Miss Lover - Hendrix played funk before people knew what funk was. Even a die-hard rap fan could fall in love with Mitchell's drumming.

13. Bold as Love - The majestic title track and album finale about someone whose feelings are in conflict with one another, yet it is love that prevails over all. Just ask the Axis...

Axis, IMO, isn't the best place to start for the beginning Hendrix aficionado. That place is reserved for Are You Experienced?. And it also doesn't show his talents as a guitar viruoso. You'd be better off going for Electric Ladyland if you want to hear that. But the underrated Axis shows his other talents like songwriting, singing (Yes, Hendrix was a great singer contrary to what many including Hendrix himself said about his singing), and his newfound studio expertise. Axis isn't an album you hear, it is an album you Experience. Extremely recommended.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jimi's best album - in mono and on vinyl October 14, 2000

By Steve Marshall

Format:Vinyl

When Classic Records releases a new title on vinyl, it's always special. But when that title is the mono version of Jim Hendrix's classic Axis Bold as Love, it's an event. Original mono pressings of this album (if you can find them) go for as much as $2000. Several of the songs are noticeably different than the stereo versions most of us know and love. In general, the 180g vinyl pressing has considerably more bass than its CD counterpart, although the sound on the CD is clearer in several places. The album was mastered from the original mono masters by Eddie Kramer--the original engineer on the sessions. Let's talk about the specifics...

"EXP" is almost 40 seconds shorter on the vinyl, and the vocals by `Paul Caruso' are louder. The difference on the stereo version is extended feedback at the end. "Spanish Castle Magic" and "Wait Until Tomorrow" boast a much better low end than the CD. On the latter tune, the first note is too loud on CD. The volume is corrected on the LP, but the song fades up to full volume, as opposed to maintaining a consistent level throughout the track. One of the other problems with the CD is audible tape hiss. The false ending on "Ain't No Telling" is louder on the CD. The vinyl is much warmer on "Little Wing" and the end solo is more up front.

"If 6 Was 9" doesn't have near as much high end as the CD, and the bass is slightly muddy. Although the song's highs are much brighter on the CD, it also has considerable tape hiss that isn't heard on the vinyl. "You Got Me Floatin'" is missing the intro on the LP. "Castles Made of Sand" has a cleaner intro on the CD; the vinyl is slightly muddy in comparison, but features a different vocal performance. "One Rainy Wish" has much more bass on LP and a slightly different ending. The title track, "Bold as Love" is the one instance where the CD is superior. Without the channel panning, the song is clearly missing something.

The burning question here is: which one sounds better? It really depends on your personal preferences. The analog aficionados will no doubt pick the vinyl. It's much warmer than the CD and the bass will literally shake the room. Digi-fans will be more than happy with the sound on the CD (even if they need to crank up the bass a bit), and the booklet is excellent. It's a shame that it's not included in the vinyl pressing. On a positive note, the vinyl is on the Track label, plus when you consider that the mono version has been out of print ever since the original pressing hit the stores, this is the perfect addition for the Hendrix collectors out there. The choice is yours.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hendrix's most introspective album November 16, 1999

By Steve

Format:Audio CD

After the fury of Are You Experienced and before the glory of Electric Ladyland, Hendrix put to tape his most soul-searching and beautiful album. Anyone who sees Hendrix as a guitar-burning, drug-taking, rock god must listen to this album. Axis shows what a beautiful songwriter Hendrix was and how his guitar playing could be quiet and beautiful as well as loud and powerful. It also shows what an innovator Hendrix was in the studio. My favorite tracks on Axis are Little Wing, If 6 Was 9, Bold as Love, You Got Me Floatin, and One Rainy Wish, but every track is a gem. If you are a fan of Hendrix and only own Are You Experienced, Electric Ladyland, and/or Band of Gypsies, you are missing out on something truly special.