Jimi Hendrix's second album followed up his groundbreaking debut effort with a solid collection of great tunes and great interactive playing between himself, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, and the recording studio itself. Wisely choosing manager Chas Chandler to record the album, since he was in the midst of a creative hot streak, Hendrix stretched further musically than the first album, but even more so as a songwriter. He was still quite capable of coming up with spacy rockers like "You Got Me Floating," "Up from the Skies," and "Little Miss Lover," radio-ready to follow on the commercial heels of "Foxey Lady" and "Purple Haze." But the beautiful, wistful ballads "Little Wing," "Castles Made of Sand," "One Rainy Wish," and the title track set closer show remarkable growth and depth as a tunesmith, harnessing Curtis Mayfield soul guitar to Dylanesque lyrical imagery and Fuzz Face hyperactivity to produce yet another side to his grand psychedelic musical vision. These are tempered with Jimi's most avant-garde tracks yet, "EXP" and the proto-fusion jazz blowout of "If 6 Was 9." ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
I'm sort of partial to Hendrix's first album, and to Electric Ladyland (I had a couple of friends who were studio musicians and played on a couple of cuts on this album). The first album, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, brought this band to the airwaves, and to rockers (and stoners) from coast to coast. After that, rock was never the same.
It's good to see i'm not alone in thinking Axis is Jimi's best album. I've always been amazed by this one and consider it his absolute masterpiece(and when you stack that against the rest of his body of work, that's no small compliment). The experience were completely on fire at this point, so tight, so well produced, and Jimi's songwriting had taken such a deep soulful leap in maturity. I can't praise this album enough.
I don't know if I agree with Scott Collins as Axis being the best album ever, but I definitely think it's Hendrix's best album. While it's not as spacey as Electric Ladyland or as radio-played as Are You Experienced?, it is his most diverse.
As for Hendrix's music, it's by far the best ever.
Jimi Hendrix was an explosion of emotion. He played the guitar with his heart, never with his mind. Every musician everywhere should aspire to do the same. One note, if played correctly, can change the world. Axis: Bold As Love = Best Album Ever!