Jimi Hendrix Experience — Axis Bold As Love

Authorized Hendrix Family Edition Remastered on 180-Gram Vinyl Jimi and the Experience come out swinging on album #2, released just seven months after their incendiary debut record and six months after their stunning U.S. debut concert at the Monterey Pop Festival. Axis shows Hendrix’s evolution as a songwriter with sensitive ballads like “Little Wing” and “Castles Made of Sand.” The album also features some serious sonic exploration — from Hendrix’s guitar feedback and tremolo-bar dive bombs to the experimental stereo panning effect, which causes the sound to revolve around the listener — notable on the album opener, “EXP.” This is also the first time Hendrix plays his guitar through a revolving Leslie speaker to create a wavering effect (the Leslie is typically used on an organ). Interestingly, Axis almost missed its release date after Hendrix left the master tape of side one in the back seat of a London taxi. There was a hurried overnight remixing of most of the side, with bassist Noel Redding literally using an iron to smooth out the wrinkles in his tape of “If 6 Was 9.” Remastered from the original two-track master tapes, with a gatefold sleeve and 8-page color booklet featuring rare photos and liner notes. Released: 3/5/13