Axis: Bold as Love

About Axis: Bold as Love

Axis: Bold as Love is the second studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Track Records first released it in the United Kingdom in December 1967, only seven months after the release of their highly successful debut, Are You Experienced. In the United States, Reprise Records delayed the release until the following month. The album reached the top ten in the album charts in both countries. For the album, the group displayed several musical styles and critics saw it as demonstrating Jimi Hendrix's growth as a songwriter. The album introduced "Spanish Castle Magic" and "Little Wing", two Hendrix compositions which draw on his roots performing with rhythm and blues bands, that would remain in his live repertoire throughout his career. The album cover, which draws on Hindu religious iconography, has generated controversy. It was done without Hendrix's approval and he publicly expressed his dissatisfaction. However, the album went on to become quite successful and was certified platinum in the US and silver in the UK. In 2000, Axis: Bold as Love was voted number 147 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). In 2005, Rolling Stone ranked Axis: Bold as Love number 82 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and 83 in a 2012 revised list more »