Axis Bold As Love CD/DVD

"Axis" have been a classic for over 40 years, so i'm not going to review the album, but this Deluxe Edition.

The remastered sound is really an improvement if you only listened to the first pressings of it on CD. But, if you already have the '97 remasters, it's just the same thing.

I'm givin' it 4 stars because of the dvd. It's so short, that i really wonder why not to put a CD of demos or live recordings from the era? It would be so better.

"Axis: Bold as Love" was one of Jimi Hendrix's most brilliant, original works of music. It's a strange irony that while Hendrix was proud of his Cherokee heritage, when he said he was Indian, his British collaborators probably thought of their recently independent colony... and hence the Hindu imagery in their album art. The music is electrifying.

"Axis" opens with "Exp",a concept album about life in outer space. In a sense, the Psychedelic Shaman foreshadowed The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust "Spanish Castle Magic" has a flamenco feel to it, Hendrix was also foreshadowing the Latin psychedelic rock of Carlos Santana Multi-Dimensional Warrior "Castles Made of Sand" is a companion to the Grateful Dead's "Sand Castles/Glass Camels" on Blues for Allah He was the source of inspiration for the psychedelic movement. There are classics such as the anthemic "If 6 was 9" and "Little Wing." It ends with the powerful "Bold as Love."

The companion DVD is far better than the ones with The Beatles Stereo Box Set Those mainly consist of Paul and Ringo saying,"We had lots of fun." The companion DVD for "Axis" goes into detail on Hendrix's inspirations, instrumentation, anyone with an appreciation of music theory will find it fascinating. Hendrix was a rarity--he was as much a genius in the studio as he was onstage.

"Axis" is bold music, bold as love!

Unlike many of my classmates in high school, I never worshipped Jimi Hendrix. Oh, I liked him just fine but there was a lot of other music out there far more interesting to me at the time. I did buy Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland on vinyl, but Axis Bold As Love always seemed kind of weak to me. Though it found Hendrix wading into a more experimental sound, it was certainly no match for the debut. Fast-forward forty years and you will find me buying on CD some of the acclaimed albums I skipped for some reason back in the day, sometimes only just to listen again and discover whether my ever-expanding musical tastes find them more enjoyable now. Axis Bold As Love is one of those and after listening again I find that though I like it more than I did, I still find it rather weak in view of what came both before and after.
There are a couple of cuts I like pretty well, including the lamentably abbreviated Little Wing, the driving Little Miss Lover, and the poorly mixed If Six Was Nine. The booklet tells the story of how that last one was put together after Hendrix lost (!!!) some of the tapes and claims that it was fixed. Are they kidding? It sounded better on the Easy Rider soundtrack! Still, it remains one of the best songs on the album.
As for the other cuts, the worst is EXP which I find to be downright silly. The band must have been awful high to come up with that and think it worthy of inclusion on an album. Many other songs sound like Hendrix was trying to hard to be on the cutting edge and end up sounding sorely dated instead. This is especially noticeable where Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell are singing back-up.
As with the other remastered albums in this series, Axis Bold As Love comes with an interesting DVD that offers the fan an inside look at how the record was made as well as an attractive booklet that contains lyrics, an essay on the making of the album, and lots of pictures. So even if you are just a lukewarm Hendrix fan, there is value enough here for you to buy it just to have it and maybe even occasionally enjoy it.

Best mastering of Hendrix I've heard since the orig LP's
Worth the investment in my humble opinion.
Nice packaging and booklet too.
I bought the 3 orig releases, then bought 3 more for an old high school buddy.
great price at amazon.

Received the CD within just a few days of ordering it. Have not had a chance to listen to it yet as my player quit the day the CD arrived. As I'm a Hendrix fan, I'm looking forward to listening to it soon.