Experience Hendrix has issued a box set celebrating The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s second studio album, ‘Axis: Bold As Love’, originally released in the UK in December 1967 and in the US in January 1968. The box set is available in two configurations: 5 LP/1 Blu-ray and 4 CD/1 Blu-ray editions.

LP and CD 1 contain the original thirteen-track stereo mix of the album. From the opening, eccentrically humorous track ‘EXP’, with its microphonic and harmonic feedback, the long player is considered by many to be Jimi’s psychedelic masterpiece. Twelve of the thirteen tunes are Hendrix compositions, with bassist Noel Redding contributing ‘She’s So Fine’. The album has several tracks considered classics in the Experience repertoire. ‘Spanish Castle Magic’ is a melodic number and was a staple in the band’s live sets throughout, with the lyrics making reference to a club near Seattle that Jimi played early in his career. ‘Little Wing’, another live staple, is probably the most often covered track from the album, a ballad showcasing Hendrix’s vocals and guitar work, with a glockenspiel added for good measure. Side one closer ‘If 6 Was 9’ (‘If Six Was Nine’ in the UK) is a piece of social commentary on the conflict between the counterculture and the establishment at the time. The tune was used in the 1969 movie ‘Easy Rider’, starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. Side two opens with the gentle, relaxed ‘You’ve Got Me Floatin’’ (‘You’ve Got Me Floating’ in the UK), followed by the biographical ‘Castles Made Of Sand’, which tells the story of Jimi’s youth. Redding wrote and sang ‘She’s So Fine’, which Hendrix enjoyed playing, being written in A with an open G chord. ‘One Rainy Wish’ was written by Jimi about a vivid dream he had. The snappy ‘Little Miss Lover’ has elements of funk, while the album closer ‘Bold As Love’ has an extended guitar solo and contains early usage of phasing, with the outro employing flanging on drummer Mitch Mitchell’s solo/fill.

LP and CD 2 have the original mono mix of the LP and are a huge selling point with great appeal to collectors and Hendrix fans alike, marking the first time the mono mix has appeared on CD. LPs 3 and 4 and CD 3 are composed of twenty early takes and demos from the album sessions, and close with the original mono mixes of the non-LP single ‘Burning Of The Midnight Lamp’ b/w ‘The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice’. There are many highlights, including instrumental takes of ‘Burning Of The Midnight Lamp’ and its B-side, and early takes of ‘Spanish Castle Magic’, as well as ‘Bold As Love’ and ‘Castles Made Of Sand’.

The differences between the two versions come in LP 5 and CD 4, with the latter containing six more tracks than the former. The LP version includes eleven live performances and one recording for the BBC, while the CD contains those tracks plus half a dozen additional alternate and early versions, highlighted by a version of ‘Castles Made Of Sand’ featuring backwards guitar.

The Blu-ray contains a 2025 Dolby Atmos mix by Eddie Kramer and Chandler Harrod, as well as the 1967 original stereo and mono mixes in 24-bit/96 kHz uncompressed audio. The box sets contain 36-page booklets with rare photos, detailed liner notes, and track-by-track insights. This set, in either version, will be of great interest to psychedelic rock, classic rock, and Hendrix fans, and comes most highly recommended.

Kevin Rathert

Jimi Hendrix Experience . ‘Bold As Love: The Axis: Bold As Love Sessions’ (2025)