Jimi Hendrix Experience
Axis: Bold As Love — 2025 Super Deluxe Vinyl & CD/Blu-ray Sets
There aren’t many albums that can genuinely lay claim to reshaping the musical universe, but Axis: Bold As Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience is unquestionably one of them. And now, in 2025, we have a set — in both vinyl and CD/Blu-ray formats — that celebrates the psychedelic era, the Generation of Love, and Jimi’s creativity with a level of care and imagination I honestly wasn’t expecting.
It’s a thoughtfully curated deep dive into the heart, soul, and studio of Hendrix’s extraordinary 1967 masterpiece.
In this review, I’m looking at both editions — the 19-track CD/Blu-ray box and the lavish 5LP + Blu-ray box, each designed with a tactile, luxurious feel, and each revealing a complete portrait of Hendrix’s vision.
A Box Set Designed Like a Time Machine to 1967
One of the first things that struck me — before even getting into the music — is the design. Both the CD and vinyl sets use a textured, velvety card stock that feels almost fabric-like in the hand. The outer sleeves feature cutaway windows that reveal bright psychedelic colours beneath, a design cue that feels totally of the era.
And then there’s the artwork… Front and back, both sets use drawings Jimi made when he was five years old — a rainbow dragon and rainbow horse. It’s a beautiful touch, deeply human, and it brings this sense of wonder and imagination that fits perfectly with the music inside.
That tactile quality runs through everything — the sleeves, the booklet paper, even the way the contents slide out of the internal box. It’s premium stuff.
THE CD / BLU-RAY EDITION
Let’s start with the CD set.
Inside the cutaway slipcase you’ll find:
A four-panel foldout housing the discs
A Blu-ray containing
2025 Dolby Atmos mix
Original 1967 stereo mix
Original 1967 mono mix
A superb book packed with essays, photos, track-by-track notes and detailed recording info
Every outtake, fragment, live cut, false start, instrumental demo… it’s all here, documented with proper session notes, credits, dates and context. It reminded me of the level of detail in the Electric Ladyland box, but this is even more granular.
This is exactly what Hendrix fans want: the under-the-bonnet details.
THE 5LP + BLU-RAY EDITION
Five LPs, all pressed on audiophile-grade MPO vinyl, sitting in a thick slipcase styled identically to the CD version.
THE SURROUND SOUND EXPERIENCE
This is where things get groovy — literally.
Playing the Blu-ray through my 5.1 system (Atmos-enabled amp), some moments completely floored me. “EXP,” for example — already a swirling psychedelic soundscape in mono and stereo — becomes something entirely different in Atmos.
The sounds move from behind you, above you, across the room, diagonally, in ways that feel like they should have been part of the original vision.
You can almost hear Hendrix saying:
“Yes — this is what I wanted the music to do.”
“Spanish Castle Magic” in Atmos is sensational — spacious, alive, and downright exhilarating.
And it’s worth saying: Whether in mono, stereo or Atmos, the remasters are excellent. But the Atmos option adds a whole new dimension for those who can use it.
THE EXTRA MATERIAL — IS ANY OF IT “BARREL SCRAPING”?
Not at all.
I remember old Hendrix collections in the 70s where people joked about “scraping the bottom of the barrel.” This is nothing like that. Everything here feels relevant, important, and illuminating.
Even the rough sketches, experiments, and one-take ideas add personality and depth to the story of Axis. And yes — some tracks appear in multiple takes — but if you’re a Hendrix fan, that’s a feature, not a flaw.
THE SWEDISH LIVE RECORDINGS – 1967
This was one of the biggest surprises.
Given we’re nearly 60 years away from these tapes, you might expect dodgy bootleg quality — but no. It sounds incredible.
The performances are tight, energetic, and very much of the pre-extended-jam era. “Foxy Lady”, “Hey Joe”, “Fire”, “I Don’t Live Today” — all delivered with punch and purpose.
This is Hendrix before the stage jams got longer and bolder — raw, focused, and thrilling.
WHAT DOES THIS SET SAY ABOUT AXIS AS AN ALBUM?
Axis: Bold As Love often sits in the shadow of Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland, but in many ways it’s the most psychedelic, the most colourful, the most inventive.
Hendrix wasn’t just expanding the vocabulary of the guitar — he was redefining what recording itself could be.
In 2025, hearing these mixes, these outtakes, these embryonic ideas… you realise again how young he was, how fearless, and how utterly alien his imagination must have seemed at the time.
He didn’t evolve from other guitarists —
he arrived from somewhere else entirely.
This set captures that better than any previous release.
FINAL THOUGHTS — SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
If you’re a casual Hendrix fan:
You’ll be perfectly happy with a single-disc version.
If you love Axis, or Hendrix in general, or psychedelic 60s production, or you’re a collector, or you love long-form box sets…
This is essential.
Both formats. Vinyl or CD. The price point is extremely fair.
It’s beautifully designed, sensitively curated, and musically stunning.
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Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
