JIMI HENDRIX axis bold as love OR UK MONO LP PSYCH PROG

	£		99
	$		131

Artist: JIMI HENDRIX
Title: AXIS: BOLD AS LOVE
Label: TRACK
Number: 612003 A1/B1 matrix
Release Date: 1967
Country: UK
Condition: laminated flip-back sleeve: EX, record: VG+

 
Here is a review:
In 1967 if you had a record contract it probably called for at least two albums…a year. Following the psychedelic depth charge of the Experience’s Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix along with band and producer/manager Chas Chandler headed back into the studio for more far out fun. This time Jimi had had a little more time to craft his own material and it shows. Axis…is Hendrix’s coming-of-age-in-songwriting album.
While criticisms are often levelled at Chandler for his no-nonsense approach to getting a take from the band (he eventually quit over his exasperation at Hendrix’s endless perfectionism, fuelled by large quantities of dope) he still allowed the band to push the boundaries of the time. While hardly approaching George Martin’s collage and laboratory approach that the Beatles benefited from on Sgt Pepper, the second album from the Experience still bristles with new sonic wonders.
Opening novelty track, “EXP” uses varispeeded tape effects, guitar whammy bars approximating the sound of UFOs and more, while “You’ve Got Me Floating” and “Castles Made Of Sand” utilise the signature backwards guitar that a whole generation were to copy. Even more remarkable when you consider that most solos were first takes. Final track “Bold As Love “ uses the first flowerings of phasing to make Jimi’s strat sound more like a whole orchestra on its trick ending.
But probably more important was the development of the aforementioned writing skills. Forced by Chandler to produce concise three/four minute mini-epics, Hendrix easily rose to the challenge turning in some of his loveliest lyrics (“One Rainy Wish”, “Little Wing”) wrapped in his most gorgeous ballads. “Little Wing” shows just how tasteful a player he could be as well. And that’s the beauty of Axis… For every proto metal psych rocker like “If 6 Was 9” or “Spanish Castle Magic” there’s a wry, funky little tale like “Wait Until Tomorrow” or mystical musing like “Bold As Love”. While Hendrix would next go on to produce his masterpiece in technique and innovation on his next album, Axis Bold As Love stands as his peak in crafting pop rock perfection.

Here is another review:
Jimi Hendrix released three original studio albums before his death. Axis: Bold As Love tends to get lost next to the impact of his debut album, Are You Experienced, and the sheer brilliance of his third release, Electric Ladyland.
Axis: Bold As Love however, stands as a unique and creative release, as it finds Hendrix experimenting in the studio in ways that were new to the rock idiom.
The music of Are You Experienced was performed live before Jimi Hendrix would actually record the album. Axis: Bold As Love was put together in less than four months and included all new material especially created for this release. The album would show tremendous technical advances as Hendrix would experiment with various guitar sounds.
He tuned down his guitar to create a sound like none that had preceded it. He also began his extensive use of feedback within the context of the song structures. Hendrix also developed the use of a wah-wah sound, which has now been copied thousands of times since its invention. Lost sometimes in all this experimentation, was the fact that Axis: Bold As Love contained some of Hendrix’s most melodic songs. 
The first song contained on the original release was “EXP.” This song began with a strange interview, but it is the use of guitar feedback and distortion within a stereo framework that makes the cut so remarkable. “Up From The Skies” finds Hendrix moving toward a rock/jazz sound. This is the cut where Hendrix would first establish his wah-wah guitar sound, and integrate it into the song's melodic structure. Drummer Mitch Mitchell is often overlooked but here he provides a solid foundation for Hendrix’s flights of fancy.
“Wait Until Tomorrow’ is about two minutes of straight forward rock ‘n’ roll. “Little Wing” would become a concert staple for Jimi Hendrix, and would probably never be performed the same way twice. The song is introduced here with a slow tempo and an almost pulsating guitar sound that washes over the listener in waves. “If 6 Were 9” concludes the first side of the original LP release and sets the standard for psychedelic rock.
Side two begins with a guitar feedback feast. “You Got Me Floatin’” finds Hendrix distorting and literally bending his guitar sound, yet always returning to the songs structure. “Castles In The Sand” is the sort of beautiful mid-tempo ballad that Hendrix would produce upon occasion. The simplicity of the lyrics would show Hendrix’s poetic side, which was often lost because of his guitar virtuosity.
“She’s So Fine” is a unique song in that it was written and sung by bassist Noel Redding. It may not be of the quality of Hendrix’s creations, but does re-enforce the fact that Hendrix was still working within a group setting at this point in his career.
“One Rainy Wish” finds Hendrix overdubbing his sound, yet his playing maintains an almost ethereal sound. “Bold As Love” concludes the album with one of the best, controlled solos of Hendrix’s career. 
Are You Experienced was a tough act to follow but Axis Bold As Love showed growth and an increasing technical sophistication. It takes a rightful place as a part of a trio of albums that changed rock music. 

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