5LP/4CD + Blu-ray Box Set Containing Landmark 1967 Album Axis: Bold As Love In Stereo, Mono, ATMOS, Plus 40 Bonus Studio & Live Tracks (28 Previously Unreleased) Out On Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings
THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE’S BOLD AS LOVE COMING NOVEMBER 7; 5LP/4CD + Blu-ray Box Set Containing Landmark 1967 Album Axis: Bold As Love In Stereo, Mono, ATMOS, Plus 40 Bonus Studio & Live Tracks (28 Previously Unreleased) Out On Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings By Harvey Kubernik
Second albums have their own peculiar chemistry. Many artists have stockpiled all their best material for that illusive first album. It hits, there’s an avalanche of touring and promoting to come, leaving precious little time to prepare songs for the follow-up, with the label breathing down your back to replicate the success of the first. Sometimes a band only comes into focus after their breakthrough, which may, or may not, be truly representative of what they’re all about. Traffic’s second, eponymously-titled album, is a great example of a group discovering its strengths, after the initial flurry of interest. Procol Harum’s Shine On Brightly and Brian Auger/Julie Driscoll and the Trinity’s Streetnoise are also classic, late ‘60s second efforts that revealed a maturity belied by their first hit singles.
And so, it was with Axis Bold As Love. Squeezing in recording sessions between gigs in the manic month of October, the record is chockablock with sonic effects, swirling guitars, a rigorous attention to detail that valued space and breath as much as clusters and layers. Engineer Eddie Kramer was back behind the board at Olympic, with Chas Chandler assuming his producer’s hat. It is remarkable that given the hurly burly that consumed Jimi’s time, he could still craft so much quality material. It reflected a deepening investment in learning the protocols of the recording process, discovering the studio as an instrument unto itself, hunching over the mixing console like a Merlin casting spells. And while the live shows gave him freedom to extend the pop song form into an epic journey, the album remained a finely-tuned to the strictures of telling a tall tale in two minutes and change. Now matter how “far out” the arrangement, Axis was a testament to concision, a formal discipline in a field that rarely viewed that as a virtue.
“It was obvious from the first thirty seconds that Jimi Hendrix had gone beyond Mike Bloomfield — or George Harrison or Robbie Krieger or Jorma Kaukonen — to become The Guitar Guy I Had Been Looking For, one who whose sound did things to me I had never imagined,” emphasized poet, writer and deejay Dr. James Cushing.
“I was aware of the music as a ‘vibration from the world around and above and beneath me,’ and please remember, I was 15 and had never smoked pot or taken LSD. I knew this experience was completely real, and I felt that I had discovered something important about the world and what it contained.
“Axis: Bold as Love functions for me as a single 13-movement song-cycle that tells the tale of an extraterrestrial visitor’s time observing life on our planet, where you can’t believe everything you see and hear — the Spanish Castle isn’t in Spain, six isn’t really nine, and a gold-and-rose thousand-star vision was only a dream.
“In this aspect, the album anticipates The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by five years, and marks an optimistic beginning to an era that ends with Bowie’s bleak dystopia (1967-1972, the core years of classic rock?). The songs have a melodic originality and a depth of production that must have made them too hard to perform live, if the JHE setlists are any indication. Only ‘Spanish Castle Magic’ and ‘Little Wing’ show up with any regularity. But perhaps the unity of the album’s sequence discouraged excerpting.”
Earlier this decade, my brother Kenneth and I wrote and assembled Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child. https://www.amazon.com › Jimi-Hendrix-Voodoo-Harvey... “The Kubernik brothers’ have created a fascinating mosaic that is the ultimate portrait of Hendrix’s musical career and legacy.”
This photo of Kirk Hammett, guitarist in Metallica, taken by writer Lonn Friend, says it all. Slash, of Guns ‘N Roses fame enjoyed our literary and visual expedition. “Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child. It’s one of the very best Hendrix books I’ve seen. A brilliant photographic expose of the man throughout his brief career.”
My favorite book review, appeared in https://newsouthbooks.com.au › books › jimi-hendrix-voodoo-child “The legendary Jimi Hendrix shook the music world to its very soul as a musical and lyrical innovator, until his untimely death in 1970 at only 27 years of age. Yet his body of work remains timeless and universal, touching old and new fans alike. In this unprecedented volume, acclaimed rock journalists Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik celebrate Hendrix: his life, his music, and his legacy. Their multi-voice narrative weaves together his incredible story. There are fascinating behind-the-scenes contributions from the scene makers and musicians of the time, including previously unpublished excerpts from interviews with the recording, producing, and engineering principals from throughout Hendrix’s career, with a focus on his music. Along with stunning photographs and memorabilia, Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child is the ultimate keepsake for Hendrix fans.”
Esteemed journalist and producer Stephen K. Peeples conducted an interview with Ken and I in 2021. https://stephenkpeeples.com › news-and-reviews › jimi... Jimi Hendrix ‘Voodoo Child’ Bio: Kubernik Brothers Q&A I’m very happy this September 9th to learn Experience Hendrix L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings, are releasing Bold As Love by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on November 7. Produced by Janie Hendrix, original Experience recording engineer Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, this expansive collection is available as either a five vinyl LP plus Blu-ray, or four CD plus Blu-ray set.
A media announcement from publicist Bob Merlis described the Deluxe box set. “Includes the original stereo and mono mixes of Axis: Bold As Love remastered from the original mixes created by Hendrix, the album’s producer Chas Chandler and original engineer Eddie Kramer. Kramer and engineer Chandler Harrod recently created brand new immersive Dolby ATMOS mixes of the entire 13 song album. The box set presents an additional 40 alternative versions, unreleased studio takes, demos, live tracks and television appearances from the album’s gestation and recording period, 28 of which have never before seen the light of day.
“By May 1967, the Jimi Hendrix Experience had finalized their groundbreaking debut album Are You Experienced at Olympic Studios in London, and immediately began work on their next album. Jimi Hendrix arrived in London in late September 1966 and soon amassed three top 10 singles in their UK homebase, followed quickly by success across Europe but were yet to conquer the US. In June 1967, the group left for the US to make their American debut at the Monterey International Pop Festival. Their stunning Monterey debut—complete with Hendrix setting his guitar alight at the close of his performance, propelled them across the US throughout the summer of 1967. Before returning to London, producer Chas Chandler recorded the group’s fourth single “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp” b/w “The Stars That Play With Laughing Dice” at sessions in New York and Los Angeles. Bold As Love showcases previously unreleased versions of both of these songs.
“Starting on October 1, 1967, Chandler—the former Animals bassist who served the Experience as its producer—led the group back to Olympic Studios in London to resume work on what would become Axis: Bold As Love. Chandler was determined to help Hendrix make a critical leap forward creatively. He worked closely with Hendrix to prepare his new songs for recording and even took the unusual step of same day, double booking both Olympic and Regent Studios in London so that the group would have a firm handle upon the arrangements of Hendrix’s stock of exceptional new material. Surviving two-track demos from Regent include Hendrix’s unique hybrid “Stone Free,” which had been the b-side of his December 1966 debut single, together with an uptempo rendition of “Up From The Skies”.
“Axis: Bold As Love was released in the UK and Europe in December 1967 to great acclaim and commercial success. In the US, where Are You Experienced had only just been issued in late August, Reprise issued the album in January 1968 where it too became a best seller. Evergreen favorites such as “Little Wing,” “Spanish Castle Magic” and “Castles Made of Sand” have been covered by countless artists throughout the world. The iconic “If 6 Was 9,” was used with dramatic effect as part of the soundtrack for the film Easy Rider.
“The Bold As Love box set encompasses Hendrix’s effort to craft his definitive follow up to Are You Experienced. In addition to the demos made at Regent Sound, the collection showcases Hendrix’s unique creative approach to recording, drawing upon previously unreleased takes of songs from the Axis: Bold As Love album. These include previously unreleased alternate takes recorded at Olympic (“Spanish Castle Magic,” “You Got Me Floatin’,” “One Rainy Wish,” “Up From the Skies,” “Wait Until Tomorrow” and others) as well as alternate versions of songs, most notably “Castles Made of Sand” with a backwards guitar track, are also represented on Bold As Love. The Experience’s performances on British tv programs Top of the Pops and Dee Time, Dutch tv program Hoepla, and eight songs from a September 1967 concert in Stockholm round off the bonus tracks. Music journalist David Fricke and Experience Hendrix’s John McDermott provide comprehensive liner notes that tell the complete history of this exciting period for the band. “Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. commented, “Jimi was fearless in his artistic expression. Each song, each lyrical composition was and is an invitation for those listening to be free to feel. His music was an unapologetic statement of how he perceived the world and all the emotions it evoked. Bold As Love is the creative embodiment of those feelings. The Bold As Love set masterfully reintroduces the beauty of Jimi’s musical depth, highlighting a significant segment of not just his career, but his life." The cover art, a drawing done by Jimi when he was five years old, was hand selected by his sister Janie. It was kept by their father, giving it added special meaning. “I thought it was perfect for this project. It’s a colorful dragon that depicts exactly what the song ‘Bold As Love’ is talking about — the empowerment of each color of the rainbow. I don’t believe there could be a better reflection of the message in the song.”
The Jimi Hendrix Experience returned to America for their second tour in February, 1968. They began in San Francisco, at the Fillmore and Winterland Ballroom. In total, they would perform in 60 cities over the course of 66 days, a gobsmacking itinerary that pushed the band to its physical and psychic limits. Manager Mike Jeffery was adding dates willy-nilly, happy to accept any promoter’s off that met his price, regardless of what logistical nightmare it unleashed.
Jeffery was shrewd enough to fly the band from gig to gig, a rare luxury for musicians raised on the soul-sucking travails of life on the interstate, by broken-down van, by befouled bus. Often, two shows were booked in one day, leaving little time for a quick one with a pretty young thing, a glass of plonk, a bit of a lie- down, and then a 7:00 AM wake up call to make the flight. The glamor was left to the fans, who envied the trappings of a star’s life, but not the traps.
I spoke with legendary graphic designer and illustrator John Van Hammersveld in 2020, with 300 LP covers to his credit, and creator of the classic The Endless Summer poster and surf image, about the poster he did for the Jimi Hendrix Experience booking at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on February 10, 1968.
“Making the classic rock poster: I knew I had to get the drawing done. There were a couple of starts, but on the morning of December 28, 1967, as I sat down at the drawing table inside my second- story Coronado Street Studio, I started a new kind of drawing for the poster. The morning light came in through the large front window of the studio corner, casting the light across the table, spreading over the paper. With my black Pentel pen in hand, I began drawing from the image in my mind the portraiture of the head of Jimi Hendrix with wired hair, styled in his fashionable coiffure from London, like the Cream. I put the drawing in a drawer for a week to think about it. My partners Sepp [Donahower] and Marc [Chase] had booked the Jimi Hendrix Experience for the Shrine Auditorium. The Single Wing Turquoise Bird did our multi-media might shows. My drawing was incorporated into the design of a Shrine Auditorium event. The poster was distributed locally and then nationally, and worldwide.
“The Electric Flag was the on the bill and one of the band members was Buddy Miles. I was at one of the rehearsals that week. Hendrix was staying in the town at the Harry Houdini Mansion in Laurel Canyon. I was up on Sunset Boulevard at the De Voss Clothing Store where most in the rock scene like the Doors, Beatles, and the Stones bought suits, shirts, and shoes. I was in the hallway area of the store and ran into Jimi there, face to face... I asked as a conversational question... ‘How do you like L.A?’ And his answer came back ‘Confusing!’
“I had my Leica camera with me. They veered off into the room to look at jackets, there is where Jimi is looking into the mirror and picks out an Afghan Jacket and put it on. I am at the back of the room and Buddy is staying behind him off to the side. I imagine Jimi would always have people and photographer chasing him every day. Buddy was big as if he were the side man, but maybe more often was like a bodyguard. Click… everything was history then in the moment as the photo is now over 50 years old."
In attendance at the Shrine Auditorium that February 1968 evening was record producer (John Fahey, Leo Kottke, John Hiatt) and talent manager, Denny Bruce.
Last decade Denny reminisced to me about this landmark event.
“I went with Jack Nitzsche. Blue Cheer were way too loud and my ears were ringing throughout Jimi's set almost making it hard to appreciate anything subtle he was doing with his tone and sound. I knew Mike Bloomfield and dug the ‘Flag. With his one Fender amp Mike sounded like he was playing through a transistor radio!
“Jimi tuned up his guitar, or had a new one brought out, but he did strum a bit to check the tuning. Like a ‘folkie’ he felt like he should say something while tuning. He says ‘This is from Nashville’ and then does ‘The Wind Cries Mary.’ At the Shrine he had his roadie standing behind the amps so he could go hump the amps. Watching Jimi at the Shrine I never saw anybody since seeing Johnny "Guitar" Watson at the Cinnamon Cinder do his thing in August of '63, when I hit L.A. and a home boy took me there my first night in the City of Angels.”
(Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including 2009’s Canyon Of Dreams: The Magic And The Music Of Laurel Canyon, 2014’s Turn Up The Radio! Rock, Pop and Roll In Los Angeles 1956-1972, 2015's Every Body Knows: Leonard Cohen, 2016's Heart of Gold Neil Young and 2017's 1967: A Complete Rock Music History of the Summer of Love. Sterling/Barnes and Noble in 2018 published Harvey and Kenneth Kubernik’s The Story Of The Band: From Big Pink To The Last Waltz. In 2021 the duo wrote Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child for Sterling/Barnes and Noble.
Otherworld Cottage Industries in 2020 published Harvey’s Docs That Rock, Music That Matters. His Screen Gems: (Pop Music Documentaries and Rock ‘n’ Roll TV Scenes) is scheduled for 2025 publication.
Harvey wrote the liner notes to CD re-releases of Carole King’s Tapestry, The Essential Carole King, Allen Ginsberg’s Kaddish, Elvis Presley The ’68 Comeback Special, The Ramones’ End of the Century and Big Brother & the Holding Company Captured Live at The Monterey International Pop Festival.
During 2006 Kubernik appeared at the special hearings by The Library of Congress in Hollywood, California, discussing archiving practices and audiotape preservation. In 2017 he lectured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in their Distinguished Speakers Series. Amidst 2023, Harvey spoke at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles discussing director Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz music documentary.
During 2007 Kubernik was interviewed in the M-G-M/Sony Pictures New Wave Productions Deluxe Edition DVD of Jailhouse Rock starring Elvis Presley. He was interviewed in the video short The Scene That Stole Jailhouse Rock. In 2014, Kubernik was a consultant and interviewed for an examination of the musical legacy of Los Angeles for the Australia television series Great Music Cities for Australian subscription television broadcaster XYZnetworks Pty Ltd (www.xyznetworks.com.au). Slash, Brian Wilson, Steve Lukather and Keith Richards were also filmed for the project. Senior Producer is Wade Goring for the music channel.
Kubernik appeared as an interview subject for director Matt O’Casey in 2019 on his BBC4-TV digital arts channel Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac’s Songbird. The cast includes Christine McVie, Stan Webb of Chicken Shack, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine’s family members, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Mike Campbell, and Neil Finn. Harvey was lensed for the 2013 BBC-TV documentary on Bobby Womack Across 110th Street, directed by James Meycock. Womack, Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones, Regina Womack, Damon Albarn of Blur/the Gorillaz, and Antonio Vargas are spotlighted. Kubernik served as Consulting Producer on the 2010 singer-songwriter documentary, Troubadours: Carole King/James Taylor & the Rise of the Singer-Songwriter, directed by Morgan Neville.
Kubernik was interviewed for the August 2025 documentary, The Sound of Protest being broadcast on the TVOD Apple TV broadcasting service. https://tv.apple.com › us › movie › the-sound-of-protest. Director Siobhan Logue’s endeavor features Smokey Robinson, Hozier, Skin (Skunk Anansie), Two-Tone's Jerry Dammers, Angélique Kidjo, Nina Simone, Holly Johnson, David McAlmont, Rhiannon Giddens, and more.
Harvey is also an interview subject with Iggy Pop, Bruce Johnston, Johnny Echols, the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs and Victoria Peterson, and the founding members of the Seeds in director Neil Norman’s documentary The Seeds - The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard. This November 2025, a DVD with bonus footage will be released via the GNP Crescendo Company.
The New York City Department of Education is publishing in 2025 the social studies textbook Hidden Voices: Jewish Americans in United States History. Kubernik’s 1976 interview with music promoter Bill Graham on the Best Classic Bands website Bill Graham Interview on the Rock ’n’ Roll Revolution, 1976, is included).
