105. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love (December 1967)

1. EXP

2. Up from the Skies

3. Spanish Castle Magic

4. Wait Until Tomorrow

5. Ain't No Telling

6. Little Wing*

7. If Six Was Nine

8. You've Got Me Floating

9. Castles Made of Sand*

10. She's So Fine

11. One Rainy Wish

12. Little Miss Lover

13. Bold as Love*

A

Are You Experienced? was a fascinating album for the way it strained against the limitations of studio technology. Axis: Bold as Love sees the Experience flourishing as studio musicians, creating countless new sounds and crafting complex songs in what would have to be one of the most polished albums to date.

Thankfully, though, this is Jimi Hendrix. "Polished" in no way means "safe" or "anemic". There are plenty of fuzzed-out rockers here ("Spanish Castle Magic" and the title track are particular highlights). But there's also a move towards a more soulful, lyrical approach in Hendrix's songwriting. The very best songs here - "Little Wing" and "Castles Made of Sand" - engage the listener with an abstract beauty, and an awareness of the poignant transience of things, that's truly breathtaking.

I know "Little Wing" is the one that gets the most love (and fair enough), but I really do think "Castles Made of Sand" is my favourite Hendrix song. In a lot of ways, it's everything good about Hendrix packed into two and a half minutes. The strange, backwards guitar riff that opens and closes the song. The gentle R&B-influenced main riff. And of course, the lyrics and melody. Divided into sections, it tells the story of a drunk falling out with his wife and accepting that his marriage has died, a Native American boy dreaming of becoming a warrior only to get killed in a sneak attack, and then it subverts the whole thing with a crippled girl who can't speak setting-out to commit suicide only to be rescued by a fantastical vision of a flying ship. This combination of melancholy and optimism is at the heart of the best songs on Axis, and really sets Hendrix apart as one smart cookie.

Overall, though, this is a fun and upbeat album. The opener is a real goof - a radio interview with a guy who turns-out to be a space alien, that devolves into roaring guitar effects imitating the sound of a spaceship. Bass player Noel Redding makes a very solid contribution with the more British and classically psychedelic "She's So Fine". "If Six Was Nine" is an admirably strange freak-out with some excellent work from the rhythm section.

I guess I said I was on the fence about Axis, back when I spoke about AYE?. Coming back to it, in many ways I prefer it to their debut. There's a lot more variety in the songs, and it's extremely pretty. Most of the tracks don't really leap out at you, but this is very much an album you have to embrace as more than the sum of its parts. True, there's no "All Along the Watchtower" or anything, but this is a very enjoyable listen and admirable for its upbeat tone. It's a tonic.