Seven thrilling months of blossoming into a global phenomenon and electrifying stages with their debut hits, the unstoppable force of The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their sophomore, Axis: Bold as Love in Dec.1967. Clinging onto the summer of love, the LP soars through a sonic realm of kaleidoscopic melodies exploring the human psyche. Following Hendrix’s fierce performance where he ripped the weeping guitar solo of “Hey Joe” with his teeth along his custom-strung Stratocaster, the southpaw shredder shockingly reveals a sensitive side.

“Little Wing,” spills with vulnerable poetry and euphoric guitar chords forming a beautiful blues ballet to the guardian angel women in his life. Much different from the debut’s murder ballad “Hey Joe.” On the colorful spectrum of prominent basslines (“Castle Made of Sand”), whimsical dynamics (“One Rainy Wish”) and screeching guitar riffs (“Little Miss Lover”), the UK trio paints memorizing murals of the human experience.

Their advanced musical style radiates within experimental instrumental breaks and unpredictable rhythmic patterns at the intersection of rock blues and soul jazz. Grazing through bouncy tunes (“Wait Until Tomorrow”) to funky rock tracks (“Spanish Castle Magic”), Hendrix vocalizes his liberating stance in the antiwar hippie movement. The ex-paratrooper points his finger at white collar conservatives in the chaotic “If 6 Was 9,” expressing his beliefs of societal harmony and adoration. The exhilarating lyrics and euphoric vibrations of the closing track “Bold As Love” transcend the soul through the united force of enlightened perspectives.