“Axis: Bold as Love” was a rush job, made quickly to honor the band’s contract to release two albums in 1967.

The terms of the deal were ultimately ironic, because the first album was a slow starter, and the record company needed to hold back on releasing the second album for fear that it would cannibalize sales on the band’s brilliant debut. Due to the ‘hurry up and wait’ syndrome, “Axis: Bold as Love” isn’t as good as it could have been, which only makes it that much more impressive.

The album has a feel of spontaneous creation, with silly asides morphing into moments of pure genius. There’s a story that the album’s creation was made even more difficult because Hendrix lost the master tape of the final mix, forcing them to reconvene in the studio and ‘rush-mix’ a new version. All of the problems surrounding the album’s creation fade away with age, though, especially since the Experience only released three albums before Hendrix’s death. It’s an imperfect record that only sounds better with age.

Songs include:

EXP

Up from the Skies

Spanish Castle Magic

Wait Until Tomorrow

Ain’t No Telling

Little Wing

If 6 Was 9

You Got Me Floatin’

Castles Made of Sand

She’s So Fine

 One Rainy Wish

Little Miss Lover

Bold as Love

December 1967 - Billboard Charted #3