Axis: Bold As Love

Nice. I listened to this while insanely drunk and it enhanced my experience. I'm still not sober, so I don't even know what I'm writing right now. Man's got a lot of arms. They should call him Slimmy Jimi. I don't remember it that well, but I don't think it's exactly the album's fault.

Never got Hendrix, never will. Fantastically skilled music and but just not my taste

Hot, sexy, soulful, groovy and trippy improv from the late great! No doubt other trios like Nirvana followed closely into the age of complex songs with minimalistic instrumentation. Back-to-back Little Wing & If 6 Was 9 is killer example of the diversity this record expresses. You Got Me Floatin’ & Castles Made Of Sand is another 1-2 punch of heavy lyrics and grooves. Really diggin’ in the hot tub. Thought of tipping some Hennessy into my coffee out here. Cannabis is probably too much before work. Shiiiiiit....Jimi, much obliged.

5.0 + What a gift - one of the few records that realizes a fully psychedelic vision, in true technicolor fluorescence. Jimi is a science fiction superhero flying in swirls of brilliant pink, neon green and magenta.

it’s insane how good this music is

There is not enough praise for this masterpiece. This album is responsible for my lifelong enjoyment of psychedelic rock music. Hendrix is on the Mount Rushmore of guitar greats. Everything about this album is masterful. The guitar, the drums, the bass, the vocals, the songwriting, the production, all of it. One Rainy Wish is at the apex of heavy psych guitar playing for me. Desert island album.

There are days when this is the best Jimi Hendrix record. Surely it has some of his best songs on it. The production and sound on this, for 1967, is HUGE. The stereo panning is a nice touch. It’s a succinct record that covers a lot of the sounds Hendrix was trying to make and isn’t as radio forward as his previous. This is a banger. Favorite song: all of em baby Least favorite song: none

I know this is like, blasphemous, or whatever. But I've always found Jimi Hendrix so incredibly boring. He's got skills, yes. He's got some hits, sure. But this album has nothing remotely interesting on it. This album is Hendrix at his worst, it's just so self-indulgent and obnoxious. The 39 minute runtime might as well be 39 years, it's just such a slog to get through.

It Jimi Hendrix how is it not 5 stars

To describe an album as being full of album cuts seems ungenerous (as well as illogical). But there we have it. Lots of noodles and doodling, some esoteric songwriting, but nothing of note, really.

Trippy, groovy, fantastic. The noises hendrix squeals out of his guitar blow my mind

Pure psychedelic rock perfection from a true musical genius.

Amazing. Mind-altering. His most conventional yet most subversive.

This album is a revelation. First some background I'm 60 years old and Hendrix was the music of my older siblings...at least Are You Experienced was, and I love that album. But I never heard anything else, other than Smash Hits and Band of Gypsys. Recently I've listened to Electric Ladyland but I haven't been able to connect with it. My conclusion; Hendrix is not for me. Today was the first time I ever listened to Axis Bold as Love and I love it. I think it's a stronger album than Are You Experienced. Where AYE has some filler in my opinion, while every song on ABL is substantial. The songwriting is very strong and shows off more variety...jazzy and funkier than AYE and Electric Ladyland it seems that the production is cleaner and you can here more interplay between the instruments. A 5 🌟 album without a doubt.

This album features better songwriting than his debut and much more interesting arrangements. Songs like ‘little wing’ and ‘bold as love’ illustrate this well.

This guy was so far ahead of his time it's incredible. To think this album was released in 1967. Amazing. Little Wing is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5.

I remember exactly where I was when I first saw the recording of Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival, performing and then lighting his guitar on fire. My teenage brain exploded. I love this album, Jimi Hendrix can do no wrong. The only weak track was the Noel Redding one, it was such a break from the style of the rest of this masterpiece. Rock on, my dude. Rock on.

This might be the strangest Hendrix project. It grew on me over the many listens I gave it through the years, and some songs are truly among the best of his.

Flawless. Just ask the axis

''Axis: Bold As Love'', de middelste van een trilogie die tragisch genoeg ook het enige 'officiële' naslagwerk van Jimi Hendrix zou worden. Deze wordt gek genoeg vaak door critici en muziekliefhebbers gezien als zijn zwakste studio-album, but I beg to differ. Dit vind ik het album met de meeste balans, waarin je niet tomeloos wordt bekogeld met Jimi's ruige riffs en proto-metal geweld. Op deze plaat is ook ruimte voor wat meer akoestische rust, en zweverige space rock. Nummers als 'Little Wing', 'Castles Made of Sand' en delen van 'One Rainy Wish' zorgen ervoor dat de in vlammen opgaande vingers van Jimi - en daarbij ook onze oren - even tot afkoelen komen. Die drie zitten dan ook bij m'n favoriete songs van ''Axis'', en van Hendrix' kwaliteitsdiscografie in zijn geheel. Maar de liefhebber van de andere - bekendere - kant van dit fenomeen komt ook aan z'n trekken. Nummers als 'If 6 Was 9', 'Spanish Castle Magic' en 'Bold As Love' worden gekenmerkt door zijn signature psychedelische hard rock, die nog steeds bij vlagen smeriger is dan metal van tientallen jaren later. Die eerste is mogelijk mijn lievelingsnummer van Jimi, en bevat alle elementen die hem in mijn ogen zijn legendarische status opleverde. Lang niet alle nummers kunnen tippen aan de kwaliteit van de reedsgenoemde songs, en daardoor is het album wellicht niet zo consistent als zijn eerste en derde muziekstuk. Maar de variatie op deze plaat is second to none, en iets waar Jimi niet altijd de credits voor kreeg. Hij is meer dan die vlammende gitaar. 9/10 Highlights: Little Wing If 6 Was 9 Castles Made of Sand One Rainy Wish

While some, probably most, consider ‘Are You Experienced’ to be Hendrix’s best album (I mean it is among the top rated on this site) - I often found either this release or ‘Electric Ladyland’ to be the best of the trilogy of Hendrix albums; and it can honestly change between the two on any given day. ‘Are You Experienced’ was a very heavy record; just absolute firestorm rock music with Hendrix seemingly pushing his guitars to their absolute limit. It’s one hell of a fun LP. ‘Axis: Bold As Love’, however, sees Hendrix evolve and take some other avenues. It’s not nearly as full-on as its predecessor, with more varied tempos and Hendrix diving more into the sea of funk and psychedelic. But I do hold the opinion of ‘Axis’ being the better album all the more for it. ‘Wait Until Tomorrow’, ‘Little Wing’, the lengthy ‘If 6 Was 9’, the riff heavy ‘You Got Me Floatin’’, the legendary ‘Castles Made Of Sand’, the smoky ballad ‘One Rainy Wish’, and the absolutely addictive finisher ‘Bold As Love’. Sure, these are my particular highlights. But there isn’t a bad track on here; and the tracklist just flows so damn well. It’s over before you know it, but you leave it feeling so satisfied. While the musicality is little more restrained, it leads the way for Jimi Hendrix to really showcase his vocals; and on the more down tempo tracks you are treated to his more soulful side. So not only was this man an absolute monster when playing guitar, but he could also hang with some of the best vocalists out there. Jimi Hendrix was absolutely superhuman. It’s a fantastic LP in just about every aspect. The variation in styles, tempos, and production make up an absolutely phenomenal tracklist and, arguably, a collection of Hendrix’s best work. The man was ahead of his time, and there’s very few artists before or after his era that could match him; and ‘Axis: Bold As Love’ is a perfect showcase for that statement. 5/5

One of my favorite albums of all time.

Amazing sounds, that guy was a genius

This album was a straight classic man, I fuckin loved it.

Dunno if I should give this a 4 or a 5... On the one hand maybe not quite strong enough for a 5, but on the other, the stuff that's good is so good ...

Psychedelic blues at it's best, absolutely brilliant album.

You can't go wrong with Jimi Hendrix

I love this album. Just banger after banger

Fantastisch album

Great, consistent experience from start to finish. Hard not to get up and jam out. Highlights: Spanish Castle Magic, Castles Made of Sand, Bold as Love, Little Wing. Really the whole album

The talent is undeniable. The style is unique and identifiable. Love the heavy interplay between percussion and guitar as well as the vocal style of Hendrix

Dull, jammy, underdeveloped

God True story my wife's uncle was a bouncy for a concert Jimi played just outside of Leeds England, he saw Jimi come out of the venue and walk down the street, didn't speak to him or get an autograph. 😭 'So fine' is a great inclusion as it highlights how far forward Jimi was compared to the average bands, with the obvious exceptions Polymath

Phsyclassic

Great album with great songs, including the "Little Wing" or "Spanish Castle Magic" hits and also some lesser known tracks as "You Got Me Floatin'" and "She's so fine". Actually, the whole album is perfect! What I like a lot about it is that, although it sounds heavy and excessive, it's at the same time subtle. While I love first Blue Cheer and Cream (two bands sounding more or less similar to Jimi), they are more like caveman blues rock to my ears. Jimi on the other side had this magical touch, which enabled him to play like a beast but sounding gentle at the same time.

It's surprising that I've never sat down and listened to this album from start to finish in a single setting. It still sounds fresh as it does almost 60 years later. There is a reason that Hendrix is held in such high regard.

I don’t consider myself a Hendrix fan, and then I listen to a record and am blown away every time. So maybe I am.

Great album. "Little Wing", "Castles Made of Sand" and "Bold As Love" my favourite songs on the album.

A much different vibe than 'Are You Experienced' or 'Electric Ladyland', often leaning towards a far more mellow, almost experimental sound, such as the more laid back groove of songs like 'Up From the Skies', 'Wait Until Tomorrow', and 'Little Wing', or the creative dynamics and transitions in 'If 6 Was 9'. The results are nothing short of incredible, particularly with 'Little Wing' - while only about 2 and a half minutes in length, Hendrix packs more soul and feeling into his guitar playing than many other artists can in a lifetime. On the other hand, songs like 'Spanish Castle Magic' or 'You Got Me Floatin'', you see the album mirroring the more frenetic energy of 'Are You Experienced', with Jimi's bombastic guitar virtuosity is put on full display as he oscillates seamlessly between rich, full rhythm playing and his technically marvelous solos. Additionally, it bears saying that, while Jimi Hendrix is always the one who gets the (well-deserved) recognition, Mitch Mitchell's drumming is incredible throughout. It's not easy to rhythmically complement Hendrix's guitar work, but Mitchell rises to the occasion. Moreover, I'm a huge fan of 'She's So Fine', where bassist Noel Redding took on vocal duties. The song has an infectious rhythm and energy, with Mitchell's ceaseless wholloping on the drums going hand in hand with Hendrix's drive. So yeah, there's a ton to enjoy here.

I'm glad I finally listened to one of his albums, the guy definitely did a lot for music. A great album to be sure.

Wow! Loved listening to this. Recorded in 1967, this is way ahead of its time. A glorious album that is truly experimental . The guitar is the star and I can hear how his inimitable style has influenced so much music after this. Great album.

Hendrix is amazing.

I've never actual sat and listened to one of Jimi's albums from front to back. It's always been collections, best ofs, soundtracks, etc. I don't think I had heard a single one of these songs before and yet, the album was incredible front to back.

A Masterpiece.

Absolutely brilliant!

Spanish castle is a favorite.

Good stuff. I listened to this a lot in 9th grade. Feels like floating.

Just brilliant. Never sat down to listen to his albums, just the ones still in common rotation today. This is brilliant all the way through.

Phenomenal, just phenomenal.

Amazing album that beats Electric Ladyland for me. Any track could be my favourite, but Exp and Little Wing are great. 9/10, nice

Beginning is strange with a kinda random allotment of sounds but the album grows, after Little Wing most songs are great. Hendrix has great guitar as always.

Next level Creativity + craftsmanship and musicianship of these 3 is worthy of praise

Soooo gooood.

Excelente

This was pretty sweet, another legend I’ve never really listened to and definitely should have before now.

One of the greats to me. Listened to this so many times but I'm still struck by the variety in a not particularly long album. Engaged from beginning to end.

very good

Un classique!

It's Hendrix it is great

A wild, loud, jazzy romp. They threw caution to the wind with this one and did everything they could to assault your ear drums, with care-free lyricism highlighting individuality shining through. A drug and alcohol filled smoky room personified. Almost nothing exists with more abandon.

It's nearly impossible to follow up an album like Are You Experienced, but this album does an admirable job. I enjoy the expanded sonic palate and some of the songs here are absolute rippers.

Dosta zanimljiva zavrzlama oko covera, nikad nisam išla za time. Oduvijek imam mixed feelings oko Hendrixa, iako sam, naravno, svjesna kolika je legenda. Mislim bez sumnje je ovo vrhunski, samo da, nekako nismo kliknuli, nezz. Kako bi Tiho rekao, "ne vlaži mi pizdu" 😂. Mislim da mi je najveći problem što mi on nimalo nema karizmu, a ni njegova glazba. Opet kažem, kužim ja koliko je ovo kvalitetno i važno glazbeno nasljeđe, samo jbg, kad ne sjeda ne sjeda. Uzevši sve u obzir, meni će ovo biti 4/10 ili 7/10.

So I was quite familiar with Jimi’s work while in middle school and high school via the great FM station in Cleveland at the time, WMMS 100.7 – but never owned a Hendrix album until I got to college in 1981… That was when I really dove in, and vividly remember listening debut album “Are You Experienced” all the way through the first time – and it absolutely blew my mind… I then worked through the next 2, and while there are amazing tracks on both “Axis: Bold As Love” & “Electric Ladyland”, neither could touch the start-to finish magic of “Are You Experienced” … Really enjoyed the album, and you could hear the progression in Jimi’s song-writing and musical compositions… As for me, the best tracks are listed below, along with my usual 7-star ratings scale – because you know that 5 isn’t quite enough, and 9 would just be silly… : ) “Spanish Castle Magic” – 5-stars out of 7… “Ain’t No Telling” – 5-stars out of 7… “Little Wing” – 7-stars out of 7… “If 6 Was 9” – 6-stars out of 7… “Castles Made Of Sand” – 5-stars out of 7… I will say that the album loses stream after “Castles Made Of Sand”, as those are several of the weaker tracks on the album – also have no idea why Noel the bass player sang “She’s So Fine” – probably his song, but would have been better if Jimi had sung it – but still the most forgettable track on the album… Since “Are You Experienced” is going to be a 5 for me, I’d probably have “Axis: Bold As Love” clock in at a 4.25, so will round it down to an “exceptional” 4 in my book…

Nr. 141/1001 Exp NR Up From The Skies 3/5 Spanish Castle Magic 3/5 Wait Until Tomorrow 4/5 Ain't No Telling 3/5 Little Wing 5/5 If 6 Was 9 2/5 You Got Me Floatin' 4/5 Castles Made of Sand 4/5 She's So Fine 4/5 One Rainy Wish 4/5 Little Miss Lover 3/5 Bold As Love 3/5 Average: 3,5 Unquestionably a incredibly talented guitar player. Still I sometimes struggle with his songwriting. Like A Bird is a classics though.

Actually very good. It’s the first Jimi Hendrix album I’ve ever listened to

I liked the vibe but not a single song felt like a hit for me

I know, he's a genius. I even like some of his songs, like "Up From The Skies" for example. But I don't enjoy listening to Jimi Hendrix.

finally some real music

Listened on a cold dark run. Favourite song: Little Wing

Throughout listening to this album, I felt like a white kid discovering jazz music in the 40s. I loved hearing the jazzier side of Jimi Hendrix in this. While every track is distinct, they work together like a machine only the divine can understand. I certainly don't, but I know. Favorite(s): Spanish Castle Music; Bold as Love

Yes

gostei!

het album was beter dan ik had verwacht

Jimi Hendrix is a God on guitar. The use of the wah pedal is insane and so distinctly Hendrix. My favourites are Spanish Castle Magic, Wait until tomorrow and Little wing

Den här och Are you experienced samma år, 1967. Det mest banbrytande i hela rockhistorien? Jämnt skägg mellan de två skivorna i alla fall. Den här mer chill och eftertänksam. Är båda 5or? Lyssningsförvåning: minns inte att little wing var så här jävla kort? Stevie ray vaughan har meckat med ens minnesbild där. Bold as love är nog hans finaste låt. Castles made of sand också en favorit. 4,5

I feel religious after this Jimi Hendrix Experience. Jimi Hendrix describes this music as feeling as though its coming straight from heaven and I can agree with that. Beginning with studio chatter and feedback is beautiful- try and alienate the audience, but they don't like it they love it. Everything about this album just kicks ass. I wanna melt into it. To listen to Little Wing and One Rainy Wish brings me ecstasy.

Bold as love has been one of my favorite songs since freshman year of high school. This whole album is one of the reasons I play guitar

Something dawned on me while listening to this album. Something I should have realized a very long time ago. I know for sure I won’t be the first person to ask this question, but it must be asked. What on Earth was up with Jimi Hendrix and his complete obsession with towers and castles? Just building structures in general really. He didn’t make a lot of music in his very short time on this Earth, but a good deal of it happened to be about certain kinds of buildings. Yes, I know what metaphors and allusions are, I just find it funny is all. None of that had anything to do with this album. Anyway, this is the second of 3 Jimi Hendrix albums I've rolled, following Electric Ladyland. That albums length approaches over an hour and a half minutes long, and I criticized it a tad bit for being that needlessly long, and notably having a ton of (still pretty good in it's own right) filler. Meanwhile, Axis: Bold As Love is only 39 minutes long, and barring the extremely annoying intro bit, "Exp", I think it's actually better as a whole. There are a few filler tracks around the middle, but not nearly as many as there were in Electric Ladyland. What it lacks in Jimi's biggest hits, it makes up for in being so tight, and having, in my opinion, his most under appreciated but still very much appreciated song, "Little Wing", my favorite song on the album. Other songs I added to my favorites playlist included "Up From The Skies", "Spanish Castle Magic", and "One Rainy Wish". I'm also thankful I had the right headphones to appreciate this one with, a lot of these songs have funky spacial audio mixing on Spotify that just make listening all the more enjoyable. I think I was going to give this one a 4 for some reason just like the last one, but writing a review this lengthy and in depth helped me realize just how much I actually adore this album and can find very few things to legitimately criticize about it. It's so Funky, it rocks a whole hell of a lot, and leaves me actually wanting even more. I've still got Are You Experienced to get through so I can definitively rank all 3, but as a complete album, I actually enjoyed this one the most so far. So it's getting a 5. Will Jimi end up in the favorites category? I really hope he does. Screw it, I might even go back and give Electric Ladyland a 5 after all. I don't know. Point being is that this one was absolutely awesome!!!!

Awesome guitar work and fun songs.

Classic immaculate sensational

insanely good

Just ask the Axis.... Such a great album. It's far more out there than the other Hendrix Experience albums. It's not the pop album their first studio was, it's not the blues experiment Ladyland was. It's an experiment in psychedelic rock, it opens weird and embraces it and then moves forward with it. Such a great album, Hendrix is one of the best guitarist in history. His influence on music is far reaching and eternal. This album is a huge part of that legacy.

Pretty good Jimi Hendrix album. It takes a special kind of disconnection from reality to properly appreciate Jimi's lyrics. When he starts singing about flying on a dragonfly as a perfectly acceptable and logical means of conveyance, you know he's HIGH. Like, higher than you've ever been on today's chemical enhancement, and this was in the 70's, when the weed wasn't as good as it is today.

👍🏻👍🏻

Totally beyond his time. Icon.

What do you mean 3 people made this in 1967. This is nuts.

Revelatory! So many ideas and I feel like if he’d wanted to, Jimi could have turned each of those songs into an album long track. Brimming. I will listen again and to more since I really knew a couple of the famous tracks but not much else. This generator list is making me reevaluate my previously held view of myself as well listened - there is a lot I’ve missed

He wasn’t around long enough, but his influence and musical legend live on. This LP show why.

Incredible. I wish it could’ve been longer than 39 mins.

The best Hendrix album.

(90/100)

It's perfect. I just wish we had so much more.

A classic!

Are you Experienced was the fire being lit, this is the vision statement.

Great one appropriate amount of wankiness no blues jams.

This is a true classic, Full Stop! Need I say more? Ok… for all you 2-star twats that say “don’t get Hendrix”, or “I know he’s supposed to be great, but…”, or “I’ve never done drugs, so…”. Thank you for coming, appreciate your feedback, now gather your shit and follow the signs that say please Fuck Right Off. God Bless Jimi Hendrix!

Apart from the first song 'Exp', which is a peculiar interview with dizzying background music, Hendrix's second album is a blues/rock masterpiece. On the whole, loose, free-flowing melodies, combined with Hendrix's judicious use of wah-wah and phase pedals, create a semi-wild experience. Along with well known hits "Little Wing" and "Castles Made of Sand", the album is also stacked with less known, but just as good numbers, such as "Ain't No Telling" and "She's So Fine". Overall, a beautiful composition packed with consistent, catchy tunes.

Have always been a huge Jimi Hendrix fan. It was good to go back and listen to this album. It’s been a long time since I actually sat down and played the whole thing through. Him and the band were so amazing.

Damn. Love every minute of it.

Fuck yes! Jimi at his most experimental in the studio.