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One of my fantasies as a hard core music fan was that
Jimi Hendrix never died and he continued to make amazing
music and produced some of the most phenomenal artist we
would ever hear. While all of that is nothing but a series
of “what could have been” scenarios it sure would have been
an interesting ride if did happen that way. Instead we continue
to get new music uncovered and re-masters of past classics
from the Hendrix catalog. Who in the history of music did
more in four years than Jimi? His impact was other worldly
and the music he created was and still is an occurrence
that is hard to fathom. He spent much more time in the studio
creating than previously realized.***
Recently Valleys of Neptune was released as a new album
and to the surprise of no one it arrived in the top ten
in album chart sales the first week of its release. The
anticipation for anything released from the Hendrix estate
is still an event that is celebrated and welcomed by millions
of music fans.***
With the ongoing reissues and reliving of The Jimi Hendrix
Experience recordings there are several re-mastered and
repackaged albums coming out including the amazing groundbreaking
Axis: Bold As Love. This time out we get an extensive and
detailed booklet with commentary and pictures that give
you a glimpse of what was happening in 1967 for Jimi and
his band. Not only do we get to hear the 13 awesome tracks
in all their glory brought up to today’s listening standards,
we can enjoy a bonus DVD with Eddie Kramer (the original
engineer for Hendrix) at the mixing board breaking down
all the tracks and segmenting individual parts out to explain
what the intent was and how it was all created by the brilliant
mind of Hendrix. Kramer explains things like the odd squealing
sound in “If 6 Was 9” was Jimi playing around with tape
recorder. I always got a laugh the way this album started
with “EXP” and Jimi’s little nod to extraterrestrials; I
am beginning to believe the man was not of this earth himself
with the way he played guitar and the esoteric lyrics he
came up with a lifetime ago now.***
I have heard this album countless times and there are
things I am noticing now that I never did before and not
just the nuances and prolific licks of Hendrix but the rhythm
section that helped to make Hendrix’s music complete. Noel
Redding (bass and backing vocals including lead vocals on
“She’s So Fine”) with Mitch Mitchell (drums) meshed well
with Jimi in the studio making music. Eventually that chemistry
would disappear due to the many differences they all had.
The trio managed to record some incredibly memorable psychedelic
rock that influenced everyone from The Beatles to The Rolling
Stones. This album’s authority is still apparent today and
the loss of such great musicians can never be rectified.
The only way the music lives on is the continued revisiting
and tweaking of the original master tapes and new listeners
discovering it and realizing the true brilliance and progressive
nature of the Hendrix catalog. The man invented progressive
rock as a natural evolution with each studio session and
this album is when it all started.***
I have actually been listening to this more than the
new album and have found myself in a constant state of fascination
with the clarity of this re-master. Axis: Bold As Love always
sounded great to me but now its stands alone in both sound
and quality of musicianship like it never has before thanks
to this reissue.***
This recording has stood the test of time very well
and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so.*** Key
Tracks: Spanish Castle Magic, Little Wing, Bold As Love***
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck***
Keith
(Muzikman) Hannaleck
http://www.muzikreviews.com
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