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The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis - bold as love
31/05/10 || Smalley
Did I say I’d be back or what? Anyway, although The Jimi Hendrix Experience was obligated by contract to follow up their awesome 1967 debut “Are you experienced?” that same year, “Axis: bold as love” doesn’t feel rushed at all. Sure, it doesn’t quite have the manic energy of “experienced?” or “Electric ladyland”, and accordingly, isn’t as mind-blowing a listen on the surface as those albums are, but “Axis” is still just as rewarding an album as the others, if you’ll just give it the time that it needs, and take it as it is.
If you were a hippie dying for another blast of proto-hard rock to (again) send your brain flying into a VW bus’s windshield, ala “Purple haze”, opening track “EXP” will leave you disappointed (and grey matter-intact), since it’s just a skit where drummer Mitch Mitchell interviews Hendrix about the possible existence of UFOs/aliens, just before Hendrix gets beamed back to the mothership, and extreme guitar feedback fades in and out for the rest of the track.
Very weird stuff, though still kind of fun to listen to, but “Up from the skies” is where “Axis” really gets going, with soft, jazz-y drumming from Mitchell, and similarly easy-going, subtle guitar work by Hendrix. Still no raw riffs or guitar acrobatics like on “Purple haze”, but fuck that song, since “skies” is still a cool, satisfying listen in its own right, and it’s good to see the Experience not getting musically pigeon-holed by a past success.
“Spanish castle magic” cranks up the energy level substantially, with a far more up-beat tempo and harder riffing, and awesome stop-start guitar work during the verses, as Hendrix spins a fantastical, nostalgic tale of traveling to The Spanish Castle as a high schooler. Following that, “Wait until tomorrow” is a bit underwhelming, and the weakest song on “Axis” as well; not to say it isn’t good , it’s just that it’s a little too easy-going, a little too soft-around-the-edges, and the inappropriately tragic twist the lyrics take in the final verse doesn’t go down too well. Oh well.
“Ain’t no telling” brings back the same energy and enthusiasm that “Spanish castle” had, and gets the album firmly back on track, a trend that “Little wing” only continues, with its leisurely, dreamy mood, especially in the lyrics: “When I’m sad, she comes to me/With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free”.
But, “If 6 was 9” ensures that “Axis” doesn’t get too saccharine, with its tense, stripped-down main riff, psychedelic freak-out section (complete with wailing flute work by Hendrix), and sharp condemnation of the suffocating 60’s establishment, and reaffirmation of hippie individualism; if you want a song that really does “define a generation”, “If 6 was 9” is fucken mandatory.
“You got me floatin’” is another happy, up-beat track in the vein of “Ain’t no telling”, just the thing we need to lighten the tone back up, then “Castles made of sand” is possibly the most emotional song Hendrix ever recorded; brilliantly structured through two initial verses of tragedy, the final verse looks like it’s headed the same way, but then takes a very unexpected (and very awesome) twist instead. It’s just too awesome for me to spoil for you here, but I will say that if your eyes aren’t watering a little bit after “Castles” is over, you have no soul.
Anyway, Mitch Mitchell’s extremely lively drumming & back-up vocals, and the surprising appearance of Noel Redding on lead vocals, makes “She’s so fine” one of the most invigorating songs on “Axis”, while the vivid, soothing atmosphere of “One rainy wish” pretty much makes it the best song here. Finally, to close the album out, “Little miss lover” is yet another happy, energetic number, and “Bold as love” takes us out with some very expressive guitar work from Hendrix, cool, hallucinogenic-y lyrics, full of colors and all that good stuff, and a satisfyingly climatic outro, simply perfect for ending a great album like “Axis”.
Again, while “Axis” isn’t as impressive on the surface as the other Experience albums are, and it’s the one I listen to the least, I still love it, since there’s still tons of that legendary Hendrix genius at work here. This may be a bit of an under-the-radar album, and also require more listening time than the other Experience albums to truly appreciate, but it’s still very much worth it, so please, don’t pass “Axis” by.
- Information
- Released: 1967
- Label: Track
- Website: www.jimihendrix.com
- Band
- Jimi Hendrix: lead & rhythm guitar, lead vocals, bass, piano, flute
- Noel Redding: bass, backup & lead vocals
- Mitch Mitchell: drums, backup vocals
- Tracklist
- 01. EXP
- 02. Up From The Skies
- 03. Spanish Castle Magic
- 04. Wait Until Tomorrow
- 05. Ain’t No Telling
- 06. Little Wing
- 07. If 6 Was 9
- 08. You Got Me Floatin’
- 09. Castles Made Of Sand
- 10. She’s So Fine
- 11. One Rainy Wish
- 12. Little Miss Lover
- 13. Bold As Love
