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 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.

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.

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

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

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 ...

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.

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

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

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.

You can't go wrong with Jimi Hendrix

I love this album. Just banger after banger

Fantastisch album

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.

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

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.

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.

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

I not often listened to Jimi album that’s really great.

I love Hendrix but this is his slightest record and shouldn't be on this list at the expense of other greats. There are some bangers of course (Little Wing, If 6 Was 9) but it pales compared to the debut, Electric Ladyland, and Band of Gypsies.

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

Axis: Bold as Love When I was more into Hendrix around Uni times I don’t think I was aware this was a proper album, bI think I thought it was one of the myriad posthumous Hendrix estate releases. It probably does get lost between Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland generally, despite If 6 was 9 and Little Wing being two of his more famous songs, being released only a few months after Are You Experienced. It’s not quite as good as either of those, it lacks the number of great songs on Are You Experienced and doesn’t have the drugged out cosmic expansiveness of Electric Landlady, and also suffers from him leaving the masters of side one in a taxi, but it is still a better psychedelic 60s rock album than many of his peers, and there are a few indications of the more funk-rock direction he’d go in with Band of Gypsys a few years later. Spanish Castles Magic, Little Wing, If 6 was 9, Castles Made of Sand, One Rainy Wish and Bold as Love are probably the strongest tracks, with the superb Little Wing, the funk rock of If 6 Was 9 and Castles Made of Sand being the standouts. While there’s nothing awful, the rest feel largely either unfocused or less strong retreads in the style of the first album It’s right on the border of 3 and 4, but I think it settles as a high 3. There’s a couple of great tracks, some decent tracks and some more forgettable tracks, and it probably rightly sits in the shadow of the albums either side. 🪽🪽🪽 Playlist submission: Little Wing

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.

I'm 69 and heard this album when I was about 13. I had 3 older brothers and 2 older sisters. There was always music in our house. The first time I heard this record I didnt know what to think. But all these years later it definitely belongs on this list!

🌟 Jimi is my #1 so I loved this selection. I hadn't really explored this as a cohesive album before.

divertido, psycodelico, bom solo de guitarra

Favorite track(s): Spanish Castle Magic, Ain't No Telling, Little Wing, If 6 Was 9, You Got Me Floatin', Castles Made of Sand, Bold as Love Probably the least talked about of the Experience albums but it's Jimi all the same. Heard before Previous rating: 9/10

''Axis: Bold as Love' is probably a fair candidate for the best guitar record ever made, as some of the riffs Jimi Hendrix put together for this record are simply otherworldly. Incorporating funk and psychedelic stylings into his hard-edged rock sound, Hendrix stepped it up a level from the already brilliant 'Are You Experienced' with tighter melodies, less jam sections and some truly unreal guitar riffs, from clean and bright ('Up From the Skies', 'Wait Till Tomorrow', 'Little Wing') to hazy and heavy ('Spanish Castle Magic', 'If 6 Was 9'). Everything Hendrix manages to exert from his guitar here is majestic, as if he's completely at one with his instrument and cannot be pulled away from it. Hendrix is also ably supported here by Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell on bass and drums respectively, who provide that all-important rhythm for Hendrix to wail over. As the anti-Vietnam hippie movement began to sweep the United States, 'Axis: Bold of Love' was one of the pivotal albums to spurn the peace and love on. Hendrix's sensational career was all too brief (a victim of the 27 Club), but he transformed the role of the electric guitar in rock seemingly overnight, and he left an undeliable impact on popular rock as a result. 'Axis: Bold as Love' is arguably Hendrix's best record. It's the tightest, grandest and most focused collection of music he ever put out. One of the most important records of the 1960s, maybe all time. Best songs: Up From the Skies, Spanish Castle Magic, Little Wing, If 6 Was 9, You Got Me Floatin', Castles Made of Sand, One Rainy Wish

the title track is one of my favorite hendrix tunes. "spanish castle magic", "ain't no telling", "little wing", "if 6 was 9", "castles made of sand", all great. maybe don't let noel write a song.

slick and slinky

Damn this shit is groovy.

So gooood

It's hard to pick a favourite Hendrix album but this one is definitely up there. Spanish Castle Magic, Wait Until Tomorrow, Little Wing, If 6 Was 9, Castles Made of Sand, One Rainy Wish and Bold as Love are all fantastic and this gets an easy 5.

Lots of experimentation with stereo panning and other effects in the studio. From a recording perspective, this album SOUND amazing, even without considering the music itself. The drums and bass are hot for some tracks, but it works, much like LZ II. Fortunately, the music itself is fantastic so you can hear every instrument's contribution to each composition. The songs on this album have more complexity than the songs on 'Are You Experienced?' without having any feeling of just going on unnecessarily long.

Somehow I liked this a lot more than Electric Ladyland. Incredibly skillful playing (obviously) mixed with deep grooves and fantastic songwriting. This is a psychedelic, bluesy, rock masterpiece. 1967, too. My God.

This is really nice music. It’s this psychedelic kind of music that if you were high I bet it would be even more awesome. The guitar is amazing. I will definitely listen to this again, and stuff of his other stuff.

Brilliant

Pretty sweet. Lots of good weird stuff you know Jimmy was inventing psychedelia

Wow. I skipped this one last week because I've always chalked up Hendrix to Boomer nostalgia...like, how great is this guy, really? So, today, Sunday, I caught up on the albums I skipped because it's a spring cleaning day. Got MJ and Yeezus, both 3s, ugh, need something great... move on to Hendrix...holy freaking shit! Mind blown. 5/5 Favorite songs "Little Wing" and "If 6 was 9", but really the whole album is added to my catalog now. What a freaking delight! I love this project!

It's interesting, I feel like this album is usually the overlooked middle child of Jimi's catalogue and Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland get more of the attention. Which is a shame, because this album is really darn good. The more I listen to it, I think it could be almost as good as AYE and even better than Electric Ladyland. Solid all the way through. Fantastic album!

3/11/26. Love Hendrix to death. Although this is my least favorite of the Hendrix Experience, still a great listen from front to back. Never get tired of his guitar playing; Castles Made of Sand is an all time favorite.

Joyfull, cool, Never actually listened to this record, but knew a some tunes from covers. For example Little Wing, Sting and Bold as Love, John Mayer.

Gawd Dayum

Thoroughly impressed by the whole album. I always was told Jimi Hendrix was important but now I hear it. He feels like he just goes out and channels all the gods of music into his performance. Hats off.

muy buen album, genial

Sexy as fuck.

This is pretty great. I've never had anything against Jimi Hendrix—I got the greatest hits from BMG a million years ago, for what that's worth—but I really appreciated the deeper cuts and other songs I haven't heard a million times.

Finally, we get Jimi and looks like, not surprisingly, all 3 studio albums are on this list - as they should be! All 3 could really go for 5 stars, but for me Axis was always a touch weaker than other 2. However, I can see I could not decide and rated all three at 4.5/5.0 on RYM. Possibly, I will rate this as 4 and then other 2 as 5, or if I give this one 4 I might reduce one of the other two. This is a touch one for some reason. P.S. I keep spinning this on repeat today and really this is such an enjoyable and great record through and through I added couple more songs into my Jimi playlist and started really liking a couple of more, so I will after all, give this one 5 stars I think.

Somehow haven't heard this Hendrix album and it's the first one I've heard that I really loved. Like I enjoy Purple Haze if I'm in the mood, don't get me wrong. But this album is very slept on.

I love this album so much. Jimbo is the mf man. So innovative and forward thinking, crazy it came out almost 60 years ago it hold up so well. Love the mix between beautiful guitar work and the points where it almost devolves into pure noise but still works. This album makes me feel all the emotions, it’s fun, makes me happy, sad, pumped up, relaxed it demands my full attention when I put it on.

one of my favs 4ever

Great

I mean it’s Jimi