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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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 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.

9/10

The guitar on this album is ridiculous.

My dad's guitar hero was Eric Clapton, and although I can appreciate his work with Cream and derek and the Domino's, I found his later work plain dull and never got that he was called The GOAT. It was certainly time to find my own guitar hero at the age of 12, and thank God, there was Jimi Hendrix! Started of with an compilation cd, it didn't take long to collect all his albums and live recordings. This has always been one of my favourite albums, in particular because of the mix of bluesy psychedelic rock ("Spanish castle magic", "If 6 was 9", "little Miss Lover") as well as ballads (the beautiful "Little Wing" ) and the dreamy, jazzy inspired songs as the groovy "Up from the Sky". it truly shows how much more Hendrix had upon his sleeve than only hardrock bangers with virtuosic solos. Absolute classic! 5/5

what else we have to listen?

Absolutely incredible

one of the most interesting openers i’ve ever heard. as expected great guitar playing, impressed by the drumming. Very interesting soundscape, surprising and unique at every turn. great use of stereo audio. 70s bowie (especially. zigged stardust) seems very reminiscent of the 60s hendrix sound (especially in songs like castles made of sand). i fear this album might become to me what pet sounds was to paul mccartney.

Love a bit of Jimi 🎸

I heard this album so pleasantly,every song had something to say,something to offer,so,so interesting even the trippy ones.Genius guitar playing by Jimi Henrix in all songs and his songwriting is amazing. Who said bluesy psychedelia is boring? My favourites: Spanish Castle Magic, Wait Until Tommorrow (funky as hell), Little Wing (my favourite), Castles Made Of Sand,such an intimate storytelling song, One Rainy Wish, Bold As Love (what a closing song-i can see why the album was named after this). Easy 5/5.I wish i could give more.That's why it's an experience.

I really wish I could have listened to this for the first time, back when it came out. It's so bold and unique and earth shattering. It's still all those things today but it would have been amazing to experience this in the musical landscape that it was created in.

I mean… how could I not

Wow, not even Jimi Hendrix best album but so great. Listened on repeat.

trop fort

This was way weirder than I was expecting

Already said everything I had to say about Jimi in the reviews for the other two albums. This is a step up production wise from Are you experienced and a perfect bridge between it and Ladyland. 5/5 album. Legendary songs, incredible playing!

Absolute classic. Hendrix is my idol as a pure musician, and that‘s coming from a natural bassist

5 out of 5. Again like his other albums there's some amazing guitar work and effects here. The distortion, the sound of the drums banging, Hendrix and his band were glorious.

Songwriting, amazing playing Spanish Castle magic Wait until tomorrow Little wing

Hendrix showing us he’s more than just wild solos, it’s this trippy, soulful, tender and explosive. “Little Wing” feel almost fragile, while “Bold As Love” chaos in the best way. It’s like stepping into his head and seeing all the colors swirl.

Oooo baby one of theGOATs

Always thought this the lesser of Jimi Hendrix's albums. It's not, is it? It's fucking brilliant. It's got Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand, If 6 Was 9, Wait Until Tomorrow. The Experience are the greatest rock trio of all time and Jimi's playing is cosmic. Jimi Hendrix released 5 star albums exclusively. Great Cover Art.

Awesome

Awesome album, can’t believe I hadn’t listened to it before. Songs are interesting, catchy and distinct. Album is a great length. Music has a distinct time and place feel to it.

Another cracking album by Hendrix and Co (his second album of 1967). It's a bit more varied, with some mellow tracks and a popsike contribution from Noel Redding, but there's still plenty of experimentation, and of course the usual masterful guitar playing from Hendrix.

Seminal guitar noodling. A giant of that era, and unsurpassed.

Always wanted to listen to this one

Anything by Hendrix is an automatic 10/10. I can’t even begin to list the ways in which this guy was groundbreaking and revolutionary. Masterpiece…

maybe my least favorite of the three "canonical" experience albums, but it's still a great album. the highs are so high and the lows are still pretty good. of course, jimi's guitar playing is incredible, as is noel redding's and mitch mitchell's. just a great ensemble album with transcendent guitar.

One of my all time favorite albums! The drumming, guitar and bass are exquisite!

I had this poster in college. One time I smoked a bunch of salvia listening to this album. In the instrumental outro portion of Bold As Love, the deep black color of their afros started expanding, until the poster was just Jimi’s face floating in a black abyss. Jimi’s face slowly exited, leaving only darkness. Suddenly, he flew back in, winked at me, and disappeared into the abyss again. Great album and maybe my favorite song of all time.

Left Purple Haze in the dust

Yes! One of my heroes, Jimi Hendrix! What a relief after a stretch that included Frank Sinatra and Steely Dan. I may like Are You Experienced even more but this is still comfortably a 5. That rawness, creativity, energy and fantastic guitar playing doesn't stop to amaze me. What an album.

I like doing drugs. I like listening to rock music. BUT if you look at my history on this site, you'll see that one of my least favorite genres is apparently psychedelic rock. I always thought, what's wrong with me, why can't I get down with something I should theoretically like? Well today I learned I'm not the problem. Everyone else is the problem for failing to come anywhere close to the Jimi Hendrix which I know think ought to be the gold standard in the genre. This kicks ass and has reaffirmed my love of drugs - thank you Jimi!

Super

Excellent Jimi music