The Big Four: The Beatles

 

The Big Four: The Beatles

Photo: Robert Freeman

Article by Matthew Anthony Allair

    There’s a good argument, that is yearly made, that the Beatles remain the most relevant band out there, just about everything that came out since their end in 1970 as far as bands and solo acts, are just variations on the ground they broke. It’s almost impossible to ignore their work, even with acts that don’t cite them as an influence, there’s often some musical element that can be traced back to them. I would argue that every period of the band is important. Their evolution from 1963 until late 1965 is startling, to compare, only a few bands saw as much growth as the Beatles. They were blessed with several miracles, first, there is the fact four that super talented men happened to converge from Liverpool near the end of the 50s. Most musicians have a difficult time finding other musicians they are in sync with, forming bands that gel is not an easy task.

    The other miracle is that they found a manager with Brian Epstein who was so well intended, and protective, the rock scene is littered with less than honest managers who don’t protect their artists. For example, let’s compare The Beach Boys to the Beatles. The Beach Boys and the Wilson brothers were saddled with a tyrant of a manager and father with Murry Wilson, who also acted as their Producer until Brian Wilson took over. The Beach Boys were also plagued with a record label, Capitol, that were content to just have them follow the formula that was set up in 1963. Brian had to fight to evolve the music and it wore him down. The Beatles were blessed with Producer George Martin, that while he may have been strict in the beginning around 1962, Martin recognized their growth early on and didn’t inhibit them, and became a creative partner. Thus, allowing them to expand and redefine the decade. It also helped that Brian Epstein accepted their decision to stop touring and just record after 1966. He very easily could have insisted, as much as the decision was detrimental to him, Brian gave The Beatles the space to create. We have already covered Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour here. 

    Much of the early work from 1963 till 1965 had magical moments, they had massive hits, but it is the work from 1966 onward that is now seen as important. The UK Help album showed real growth with “Ticket To Ride,” the flutes on “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”, and the string section on “Yesterday”, or “Help!, The Night Before, You’re Going To Lose That Girl,” or “I’ve Just Seen A Face”. All of which hinted at what was about to unfold in the second half of 1965. As they started to meet their contract obligations with the first two films, and their touring schedule, they had the clout to grow. If The Beatles had been an American band and on Capitol Records, they probably wouldn’t been allowed to develop in the fashion they did. With Parlophone, they could do anything and the next few years would prove that. 

Photo: Robert Freeman

Rubber Soul (1965)

    Rubber Soul is often described as the ‘wood and smoke’ album, it may not have featured outside musicians, but with the advent of the sitar, or Martin’s use of a slowed down and speed up piano, giving at least one track an Elizabethan harpsicord feel, or the much more present use of acoustic guitars, electric, and more exotic instruments, the album was the fusion between rock, folk rock, soul, baroque, and proto-psychedelia. The Beatles served notice that the full album as art had arrived. The influence of Bob Dylan was already self-evident on the Help! album, but it’s even more so here. While the instrumentation isn’t all that different on Rubber Soul, it feels different. There’s an added complexity on various numbers to be found here, argumentatively, there’s only two weak numbers on the album, but there’s a vitality to the rest of the material that one can’t ignore. One should note the singles recorded during the sessions, John’s riff rock on “Day Tripper”, and Paul and John’s folk optimism of “We Can Work It Out”, both hinted at what was on the way. 

    On one level, the opening number “Drive My Car”, which was a big hit for them, feels like a typical electric number, but there’s notable shifts. George’s twang guitar would be imitated by countless players at the end of 65 and through 66, the interplay between John’s single line guitar and Paul’s piano reveals an added growth. As well as playfulness with Ringo’s drumming and tambourine. John’s “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” shows incredible development with John’s acoustic guitar, and George’s first dalliance with the Sitar, an instrument that had been used as source material in western music, Lyrically, John’s narrative about a dalliance with a woman. Paul brings in the soul and RNB with “You Won’t See Me”, a piano anchors the number along with counter point melodies, another one of his songs about Jane Asher. John’s “Nowhere Man” is another marvel, and another hit. One should not ignore that the Beatles were not using standard chord voicings on the album, but inversions, therefore there’s an added depth and complexity here. The three-part harmonies enhance John’s lyric, and George’s bright lead guitar lines give it an extra shimmer. George’s “Think For Yourself” show’s more hints of growth, aside from Paul’s standard bass playing, there’s his added fuzz bass, which gives this a slight edge. More piano drives John and Paul’s “The Word”, a clever slogan for more than romantic love, the added harmonium is a nice touch. Paul’s “Michelle” has become iconic, the background vocals give The Beach Boys a run for their money, George’s tasteful jazz tone guitar solo seems so apt.

    The second half opener, the country flavored “What Goes On” is a showcase for Ringo, and some country shuffles from Ringo, and George is allowed bring out his rockabilly fills, but probably the weaker number on the album. John’s “Girl” feels like a Russian folk tune or dirge with some vivid lyrical content and a dose of John’s philosophical edge. John had a history of depression filled moments. Paul’s “I’m Looking Through You” is probably one of his most scathing numbers, one is hit with that lead guitar and organ accent, the sad realization when a person you know had been hiding who they are, another Jane related number. John’s “In My Life” has become one of his most enduring numbers, even George covered it on his 1974 Dark Horse tour. George Martin’s speed up piano managed a harpsicord quality, and Bach sensibility. John’s “Wait” manages some volume guitar from George, more a true co-written number with Paul’s bridge and vocal. Probably one of Harrison’s first great numbers “If I Needed Someone” and his 12-string work had a huge impact on countless players, The Byrd’s would lean into that sound, decades later you could still hear the stylistic influence, for example, on Queen’s “Long Away”. John’s “Run For Your Life” is probably the weakest number, despite its blue’s country feel attempts. Years later. John admittedly dismissed the number. Nevertheless, 12 of the numbers are real gems, and many took on an iconic status.

Cover: Peter Blake

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

    Yes, I admit, Sgt. Pepper isn’t my favorite album of theirs, that honor goes towards Revolver and one other title in this article. But Sgt. Pepper is a significant album, and a real game changer for them. For those paying attention to the importance of Revolver, there were clues that they were developing, and this album in some ways felt inevitable. It broke ground in many ways, the arrangements, the production, the use of the gatefold and printed lyrics, and the added inserts. It wasn’t really a concept album, but thematically, it pulled the audience in as though you are at a public square or Galizio, and you were being presented with a musical fantasy, just ignore the psychedelic embellishes, and you get an entertaining diversion that is brought back to reality with the final number. The album is awash with Pianos, Organs, Harmoniums, mellotrons, a swarmandel, sitars, various percussion, tape loops, and their guitars.

    It also feels futile to describe these iconic numbers, so I will offer the highlights. The band had already used audio source material before with Revolver, but the clever crowd sounds set the tone, the trio of acid guitars of “Sgt. Pepper Lonely Heart’s Club Band”, and punch of Ringo’s drums state what the listener will hear. Ringo’s showcase on “With A Little Help From My Friends”, is one of the rare Lennon / McCartney collaborations, something we’d see less of. John’s surreal fable on “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” was simply inspired by a child’s drawing, and Lewis Carol. Paul with John’s “Getting Better” has an optimistic yet dark edge to it. Paul’s “Fixing A Hole” feels like an appeal to focus less on trivial people, and what matter’s. George Martin was too busy to work on it, so Paul had someone else work on the strings for “She’s Leaving Home”, a number where John has a sympathetic read. John’s “For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” has a carnival or fairgrounds feel, and some incredible tape loops from Martin and engineer Emerick.

    With side two’s opener, George wasn’t about to let himself be outdone, so he brought in the exotic philosophy of “Within You, Without You”, a piece that has grown with stature over time, his second number with Indian instrumentation. Paul’s “When I’m Sixty-Four” was an old number he dusted off, the music hall, or vaudeville quality of the number, it offers a fresh contrast to the rest of the material. “Lovely Rita” is probably one of the slighter Paul numbers, but George Martin’s piano solo with that unusual delay gives it an orchestral quality. John’s “Good Morning Good Morning” is the other slight number, but the overdriven horn section gives it an extra bite, and that fuzz guitar lead has a vibrancy to it. The animal segway is enormously clever. The “Sgt. Pepper (Reprise)” leans into a greater edge with the guitar work, the number gently guides the audience back into real life. The masterful “A Day In The Life” is the ‘reality song’, this is after you have exited the movie theatre, or leave the circus tent, or fairgrounds, and are back in the parking lot and facing the daily grind again, hence why ‘Day’ is the ‘reality’ number, and leave it to John to bring some grounding to the proceedings. Few had heard experimental orchestrations like it on a commercial record, but I think everyone knew we had reached the Rubicon due to the album – nothing would be the same again in pop or rock music. 

Design: Richard Hamilton

The Beatles (White Album) (1968)

    The second half of 1967 was taken up with the Magical Mystery Tour TV film and the album / EP, but the Beatles seem to have intuitively known they had to get back to basics. Of course a big part of this album’s origin was the Rishikesh, India sojourn to see the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s meditation ‘guide course’, but only half the band stayed for two months, nevertheless, the outing was highly productive, much of the material on their eponymous album was written there and then demoed at Harrison’s home in Esher. They were so productive that other material would be used for Abbey Road, a little for Let It Be, and even a few songs would appear on McCartney’s and Lennon’s early solo albums. Released as a double album, The Beatles might be their most audacious release and my second favorite album, the album just about encompassed every style of music imaginable, short of funk music that is, but there’s a lot to digest with the album. This is the closet to the Beatles producing themselves, with George Martin coming and going through the process. This was the first time that future producer Chris Thomas was given a notable role during the sessions. 

    The first clues about the album were Paul’s iconic “Hey Jude” and John’s proto metal with the “Revolution” single. There was also Paul’s “Lady Madonna” and George’s Bi side last Indian flavored, as singles. “The Inner Light”. The band decided to strip things down after all of the ornamentation of the prior year’s psychedelic experimentation. But the white album is a fascinating work, I admit uneven, not all of it works, but the highlights outweigh the drawbacks. The minimalist album design was another clue this was less elaborate. Nevertheless, there are still psychedelic elements within. After the audio effects, Paul’s “Back In The U.S.S.R.” is a kind of humorous nod to the Beach Boys, and offers a clever twist. John’s “Dear Prudence” is a Travis picked wonder, a haunting number that build’s in dynamics. John’s “Glass Onion” is another word play nod to recent songs, he was already spoofing the over analysis of the band’s lyrics. Paul’s “Ob La Di, Ob La Da” is a playful, fantasy narrative of a Caribbean life. Paul’s other throwaway is the acoustic “Wild Honey Pie”, a Spanish flamingo leads into John’s “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” features a few mellotrons, and a big crowd chorus, including the first cameo of Yoko Ono, a satire about animal hunting. Then there’s the iconic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by George, with a little help from Eric Clapton’s electric lead, John plays organ, and Paul gallops on Piano. The first side is all rounded up with John’s “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, one of his more adventurous numbers with four sections and a good dose of his whit.

    Paul’s “Martha My Dear” opens side two, one of his most dexterous piano pieces with Martin’s sympathetic scores. John’s “I’m So Tired” and it’s langued pace matches the lyrics, even John’s random numbles ease into the next number. Paul’s “Blackbird”, an acoustic, baroque ballad has a lingering power after the decades. George’s satirical “Piggies” is a clever comment on class warfare. Paul’s “Rocky Raccoon” is a western parody with some nice old saloon tack piano, all of which segways into the Ringo original “Don’t Pass Me By”, a country number and it is fitting that Ringo would write it, considering his affinity for that genre, he would release a country album at the start of his solo career. Paul’s “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” was just about a one man show, John was later disappointed he wasn’t involved. Paul follows it with his lovely ballad “I Will”, a bossa nova where John and Ringo helped with percussion. The side two closer, John’s “Julia” is a wonder, another intricate acoustic guitar piece from him, that is a touching tribute to his mother.

    Side three opens with Paul bringing back the whole band for “Birthday”, one of the more rousing rocker’s in the set. John’s full band number, “Yer Blues” is a satire on the genre, and while Clapton does not play on it, the lead work does capture the feel of Clapton, hence why people were confused over if Eric was involved. Paul’s “Mother Nature’s Son” is another touch acoustic number with tasteful horns arranged my Martin. John’s “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except for Me and My Monkey” is one of the more unabashed rockers on the album with an abrasive tone and manic vocals from John, the track was slightly speed up in the final mix.  John’s sardonic “Sexy Sadie” was a satirical dig at the Maharishi, where the guitars have a strange quality to them. Paul was able to match John’s energy with the heavy “Helter Skelter”, a rocker about a British playground spiral slide, where manages to capture the hyperkinetic joy of childhood. George’s “Long Long Long” is a hymn to God, with an eerie organ, manages to close out the side. 

    Side four is probably the most problematic. The energy of the album flags at this point. John’s “Revolution” is great, and I prefer the ‘soulful album version’ to the faster single release. After “Wild”, Paul’s “Honey Pie” is significantly better number, another music hall, vaudeville number with a nice little jazz guitar solo from John. Of the four Harrison number’s, “Savoy Truffle” is probably the weakest, but a fun number, with some meaty, and distorted horns. George’s lead and the horns have a nice interplay. John’s “Cry Baby Cry” is a folk flavored number with nice dynamics between the piano, harmonium and organ, John’s vocal has a relaxed, soulful quality to it. Paul’s “Can You Take Me Back” leads into the infamous “Revolution 9” a musique concrete piece that manages to have some brief interesting musical ideas within the strangeness and humor, and manages to still be a stronger result than John and Yoko’s three other experimental records at the end of the sixties. John’s “Good Night” with a lead vocal by Ringo and a lush orchestration and choir from Martin, is a welcome balance to the side and to close out the album. 

    There was a lot of tension during the making of the album, in spite of the many full band performances, often they would work in pairs on various numbers, or work solo. They were simply growing up and apart, but the public didn’t know that. Still The Beatles album is a high watermark of their catalogue.

Photo: Iain Macmillian

Abbey Road (1969)

    The last half of 1968 saw the release of the animated Yellow Submarine film and album that would soon be released in early 69. Paul tried to unify the band to play as an actual band again, the Get Back film, which would later be retitled Let It Be in 1970, was an attempt to film them rehearsing with the plan to do a live concert at a special event. Their productivity through January of 1969, from the rehearsal to session recordings, but the project was shelved by the start of February, Two non-album singles were released, Paul’s “Get Back”, which would appear on the 1970 album, and John’s “Don’t Let Me Down”. There’s was George’s “Old Brown Shoe”, a great number with a vibrant guitar solo that was released as a double A side, and John’s “The Ballad Of John & Yoko”, which would feature John and Paul playing everything when the lads were away. The album that would become Abbey Road was something of a compromise, but with George Martin having a more predominant role, engineer Geoff Emerick would have an important role, and would deliver a sonically impressive, and a young Alan Parsons, whom would be a major force through the seventies, was the assistant engineer.

    A number of material from the 68 India sojourn would be featured on the album, much of it had been rehearsed during the Get Back project, Paul talked John and George to be more fully involved, this would be to George’s great benefit as he would deliver the best songs and his two iconic singles. Even Ringo would write a song that would be a future single. There’s a feeling and Paul and John finally appreciated the value of George and Ringo enough to give them a fair shake. Aside from Martin’s musical keyboard contributions, Billy Preston acted as nearly a fifth Beatle with his Organ work. John’s “Come Together” which began as another non-sense words type of piece was helped by Paul’s swampy bass, and the harmonized guitars. George’s “Something” is masterful, with great playing from Paul and Preston’s organ. George’s guitar solo channels a trace of Clapton’s melody, yet it is his own. Paul’s “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” has a musical hall quality, some dark humor, and odd feel. Paul’s nod to blues “Oh Darling” features one of his best vocals and has taken on a certain stature over the years. Ringo’s “Octopus’s Garden” had a little help from George, has remained one of their more endearing songs and fitting was it would be another country number. John’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” remains groundbreaking, a cross between a proto metal number, and a lounge blues jazz number, its white noise build up near the end, and the abrupt edit is jarring at first listen but highly effective.

    George opens the second half with his iconic other number, “Here Comes The Sun”, the instrumentation is so perfectly balanced between George’s intricate guitar, Martin’s orchestration and tasteful keyboard flourishes George reached his first peak – but it wouldn’t be the last. The reverse Beethoven of John’s “Because” would the last time anyone would see their complex three part harmony, which was done with multiple passes. ‘The medley’ as it would become known began with Paul’s “You Never Give Me Your Money” was the first hint to the public that this was the end, but it also featured the acknowledgement of great freedom looming. John’s “Sun King” was inspired by the feel of Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross”. John’s “Mean Mr. Mustard” and “Polythene Pam” were more numbers from India. “Mustard” represented John’s musical hall take, and “Pam” was a nod to his early Rock N Roll influence. Paul’s “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” would be one of his more durable numbers and covered by other, and dress up here with a rockabilly feel. There’s a brief reprieve before the remainder of the Medley finished it out. With’s Paul’s final trio, “Golden Slumber’s, Carry That Weight” – based on a 17^th Century poem - and “The End”, where Paul manages a great vocal out of “Slumbers”, and “Weight” manages to tie back “You Never Give Me”, the dynamism of “The End” is nearly legendary. There’s an exuberance to Ringo’s drum solo, and the dueling guitars between Paul, George and John., and the band’s closing statement, which Paul described as a ‘couplet’, summed up the spirit of the band - the love they made was indeed equal to what the public took from them. The Beatles even managed a ‘bonus track’ before anyone thought of it with Paul’s “Her Majesty”.

    Ultimately, Abbey Road was a master class in song writing, arranging, performance and recording, The Beatles had said everything they needed to say, there would be one more posthumous album, but this was their final goodbye, and they just about went out with a bang.

    Post Beatles, most bands would try to emulate what they did, but nearly all of them just couldn’t match it. There was an magical chemistry as players by them that others just couldn’t define. Many people have tried to sound the notes without playing the music. In the end, the Beatles were not overhyped but represented the best of the sixties. 

Retro Reviews: Black Sabbath: Heaven and Hell

     I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 70s and start of the 80s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums. 

Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell (1980)

****

Producer: Martin Birch

Musicians: Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, Geoff Nicholls

Songs: Neon Knights, Children Of The Sea, Lady Evil, Heaven and Hell, Wishing Well, Die Young, Walk Away, Lonely Is The Word

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    After the departure of Ozzy Osbourne from the band within the prior year, there’s been valid questions with how the band could stay relevant in the new decade, but they have retooled a new sound with ex- Rainbow and ex-Elf singer Ronnie James Dio. While Iommi hasn’t mimicking the Van Halen sound, there is a slight change and modernization of his sound. Butler and Ward remain. While Geezer had been the prior lyric writer for the band, Ronnie has taken over the lyrical duties. For a band that had the assumed reputation of somehow being satanic, an idea that was always erroneous as they only tackled the occult a few times. Let’s begin with the title track, an idea that we create our own torment or nirvana. Dio uses metaphor to tackle contemporary issues, and seems to have veered away the fantasy imagery he used with Rainbow.

    The opening track “Neon Knights” is a very strong album opener, a theme about the decadence of nighttime street life. “Children Of The Sea” opens with a classical, chordal guitar movement with vocal before Dio kicks it into high gear with the full band, a number likely about the connection with nature, with a middle section that manages to be fairly dynamic. “Lady Evil” is the closest to an occult number, then again, it could just be about a manipulative woman, nevertheless, it has some incendiary guitar work from Iommi.  The prior mentioned “Heaven and Hell”, an excellent number where the guitars sit back for Dio’s vocals, or add theatrical coloring as it evolves. The track manages several dramatic shifts, and ends with a medieval acoustic movement.

    Side two opens with a nearly pop hard rock number, “Wishing Well”, with some great bass work from Butler. A unique take on a courtship. A pad of synthesizers support Iommi’s guitar on “Die Young” before the full band drives this fast number. This is the closest to Iommi taking a nod to Hendrix with his lead work. Some guitar cordial work and keyboard’s brings up the melody in the middle section before the band shifts into hyperdrive. There’s a heavy swagger to “Walk Away”, another relationship song about a problematic woman. The closer “Lonely Is The Word” is a mid-tempo heavy number, and probably the number that has the most musical surprises. Iommi manages to channel a little of Page’s feel with the soloing, the while keyboards at the resolve builds up a theatrical mood.

    It would be proverbial apples and oranges to compare Dio to Osbourne as they are very different singers. But admittedly Dio has allowed Sabbath to stretch their musical chops more. But also, this Sabbath feels like a different band in some respects. My hunch is that, for most hard rock and heavy metal fans, this will be soon a very important album. 

Retro Reviews: Van Halen: Van Halen II

        I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 70s and start of the 80s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums. 

Van Halen II (1979)

****

Producer: Ted Templeman,

Musicians: Edward Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen

Songs and Music: You’re No Good, Dance The Night Away, Somebody Get Me A Doctor, Bottoms Up!, Outta Love Again, Light Up The Sky, Spanish Fly, D.O.A., Women In Love, Beautiful Girls

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    Van Halen’s debut was such a significant release in the field of modern rock music, some of my peers have been reluctant to admit it. Much of this is similar with the backlash against Lex Zeppelin in 1969, even though most people privately admitted that that band would define music for the next decade. It is safe to say that Van Halen will define the next decade. Edward’s guitar work is unique and exceptional; the Anthony and Van Halen rhythm section is solid and steady once again. Roth’s vocal, while not perfect, are just full of charisma and he manages to carry the mantle well as a frontman. Ted Templeman has returned and the sound is pretty identical to the prior album, then again, if a formula is working, why change it? While no one could claim this hard rock band has any relation to the Punk scene, it did share similar spirits, keep it short, focused, direct, and give the songs punch, something that the band does in spades.

    The album opener is the sole cover – the Dee Dee Warwick song, written by Clint Ballard Jr. “You’re No Good”, the song had been a hit single for Linda Ronstadt a few years earlier. Michael’s flanged bass solo eases into a grove with Eddie’s guitar swells. Roth plays with the body of the song, Edward displays his dazzling technique with a touch of guitar harmony at the end. It’s not much of a surprise that “Dance the Night Away” is the single, it has an infectious feel along with some nice guitar embellishments. The more muscular “Somebody Get Me A Doctor” has an appealing refrain, and flamingo change, it also demonstrates with the solo that Edward has some real compositional craft. “Bottom’s Up!” opens with a bluesy refrain before a shuffle shifts gears, and Roth has a good call and response with Eddie. “Outta Love Again” opens with buzzsaw guitar feedback on par with Hendrix, Alex’s shuffle work just brings home how good he is, overall, a good dose of swagger. 

    The second half opener “Light Up The Sky” opens with some playful guitar and bass counter point, before moving into a dramatic groove. The instrumental “Spanish Fly” acts as the acoustic companion to “Eruption”, very brief and informal. “D.O.A” is probably one of the more ominous numbers on the album. Roth’s vocal nearly channels Jim Morrison. Things take a lighter turn with “Women In Love..”, Ed’s delay and thick chorus sets up some brighter playing, before it shifts into a melodic tempo, and this is probably another single The album closer “Beautiful Girls” ends the proceedings with an up sentiment, and likely another single, it offers some whimsy and swagger. Yes, I admit, the album art feels like a corporate brand by now, but it’s no different than Queen’s logo or The Beatles drum riser brand, this aspect of rock music has always existed. 

    Peers like Lester Bangs have been dismissive of the band for pandering too much towards its audience, but I don’t read any pretense with Van Halen, it doesn’t feel self-conscious and the band seems to know exactly who they are. The band is designed to appeal with rural and urban kids, it’s designed to have fans play their albums on cassette or eight track, while cruising the weekend streets. Not everything has to be a profound statement. The kids need something to follow or believe in; the critical adults seem to forget that. 

Retro Reviews: Queen: Jazz

   I decided to launch a new series to imagine myself as a critic at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, and to rectify certain reviews from Rolling Stone magazine and Creem. This not meant to be contrarian, but to offer a more balanced perspective. All the albums reviewed are indeed classic albums.

Queen – Jazz (1978)

****1/4

Producers: Queen, Roy Thomas Baker

Musicians: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor

Songs: Mustafa, Fat Bottom Girls, Jealousy, Bicycle Race, If You Can’t Beat Them, Let Me Entertain You, Dead On Time, In Only Seven Days, Dreamers Ball, Fun It, Leaving Home Ain’t Easy, Don’t Stop Me Now, More Of That Jazz

Reviewed By Matthew Anthony Allair

    First off, let’s address the comments by some peers that Queen is a ‘fascist band’, this is an utterly ridiculous comment that helps to drop the intelligence of certain critics. This all stems from the prior single ‘We Are Ther Champions / We Will Rock You.’ The ‘Champions’ track was a message to every misfit and outsider who didn’t belong or won very often. One could say that Queen are a band of misfits, too self-aware, smart, and willing to take a joke over their flamboyance. Their humor has always been one of the more refreshing aspects of the band at a time when there’s too much self-importance, this may be one reason why some in the punk community as less hostile to Queen.

    The optimum word here is ‘We’ as in a collective, not ‘I’, for people who understand the textbook and historical definition of ‘fascism’ would know that Queen represents the very opposite of that notion. The use of “I” is a dicey proposition, even John Lennon had enough sense to give “I Am The Greatest” to Ringo Starr. The members of Queen don’t seem any more ego centric than any other band.  Let’s get onto the album. Roy Thomas Baker was brought back as the producer, and some press kits describe this as a ‘European Flavored’ album, whatever that means. Every queen album is always a reaction to the prior album, this takes the striped down sensibility of News Of The World, and adds a little more flamboyance to the proceedings.

    The album opener “Mustafa” is playful and dynamic and takes a nod to Freddie’s Persian origins. The next perennial single, “Fat Bottom Girls” is a country ho down with a hard rock edge, they haven’t lost their ability to wink. Freddie’s lovely ballad “Jealousy” features an acoustic sitar flavor. The other perennial single “Bicycle Race” is about as camp as you can take. John’s “If You Can’t Beat Them” shies away from his RNB and into pop rock. Freddie’s “Let Me Entertain You” is not the number from the musical Gypsy, but a spry rocker that is designed for the stage.

    The strong second half opener, Brian’s “Dead On Time” has a fast and lifting groove that will remind one of “Stone Cold Crazy” from days of old, the song is also a biting comment on the pace of the corporate sector. John’s “In Only Seven Days” has some lovely piano and acoustic guitar interplay, and the song sounds like a Stevie Wonder pastiche – but in a good way. The music hall flavor of Brian’s “Dreamer’s Ball” has a whimsical vibe with Brian mimicking a swing jazz ensemble via the guitar. Roger’s “Fun It” has a surprising nod to disco and dance, but in their own way. Brian’s country flavored ballad “Leaving Home Ain’t Easy” has a nice brief exchange with Freddie. Then Mercury brings it back with his well- crafted ballad then up-tempo number, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, with a rousing brief guitar lead, this will probably be the other single from Jazz. Then Roger closes it out with his grove rocker “More Of That Jazz”, a track that features a collage of songs from the album, why? I don’t know - probably to just sum up the experience.

    The last two albums haven’t reached the heights of A Night At The Opera, but then again that album would be difficult to duplicate, they haven’t tried to. This is a solid entry that offers some entertaining material, but there is the feeling that they are going to have to expand the parameters of what they are capable of. Freddie, Brian and Roger are three of the best rock singers out there when they sing in unison, and the band as a unit does some very good work as players, even great moments. They are all steady song writers, and I suspect the production embellishments are there for coloring, there’s a good share of substance within the jest. Ignore the critics on this one – it’s a good time.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold As Love (1967)

 

The Axis Rises

Essay and review by Matthew Anthony Allair

Personal Connection

    The timeframe for certain events gets a little hazy, pardon the pun, but I first became aware of Jimi Hendrix through my dad in my first year of High School as a freshmen in the mid-eighties. My dad made a point of giving me a copy, on Vinyl of the Smash Hits compilation, which I found fascinating. I already school myself on a lot of rock music in Jr High School, but I was on a journey, and I admit to being pretty floored by what I heard with the Experience. Soon afterward he got a copy of the Are You Experienced? album. Of course, Smash Hits didn’t include any of the Axis material, no “Little Wing, Castles Made Of Sand” or the title track, but later that year I somehow got the cassette for Axis: Bold As Love.

    It didn’t have quite the impact on me that the album would later have, but Axis was a slow burn affair as far as the listening experience, what always stood out for me were the quieter ballads. I remember learning the guitar tab for “Purple Haze” by my sophomore year, and when my High School cross country team was on one of their pre-event excursions, I played it on my acoustic guitar one night, some were suitably impressed. I learned to play “The Wind Cries Mary” before I could handle anything from Axis, it just seemed beyond me. I kept listening to Axis, in spite of the audible tape hiss, if felt like you were working out a puzzle.

    It wasn’t until 89, after the advent of the CD in 87, when I could pick up a quality edition of Axis on disc. It just lingered in my mind for years, but I couldn’t articulate why it had an impact. I think this was, in part, due to the significant growth of Hendrix as a player and song writer. People like Yngwie Malmsteen are incredible players, but I don’t feel he resonates for me as a song writer. Stevie Wonder is an incredible keyboard player, but people remember him for his incredible song writing. Hendrix was not only a great technician, but he was also a great composer as well. How he got to the journey of what became Axis: Bold As Love is an interesting story.

The History

    James Marshall Hendrix was born November 1942, the day after Thanksgiving to Lucile Jeter Hendrix, who was only seventeen, and the twenty-three year old Al Hendrix, who was serving the Army and stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The father asked for paternity leave to visit Seattle, but he was denied furlough and jailed. His superiors assumed he would go AWOL to attend the birth. Al and Lucile had married by March of 1942. Jimi was described ‘the cutest baby you would ever want to see, he was darling.’ From the outset Jimi’s uncanny magnetism was evident. Al and Lucile’s marriage would be rocky and troubled, the one thing they both had in common was a shared love of dancing. Lucile had trouble raising Jimi with the absence of Al and often had to rely on the help of family to raise him.  After Al was honorably discharged in 1945, he struggled to find work.  

    Impoverished, both parents struggled with alcoholism and would have violent outburst under the influence. Lucile became pregnant again in the summer of 1947, and had their second son Leon, in January 1948. But their marriage would end in divorce by 1951, and Al was granted custody of Jimi and Leon. Teachers recognized Jimi’s interest in the guitar, in Elementary school of the early 50s, but could not get him one, Al refused to get a guitar until 1957 when Jimi was able to get strings for his first guitar, it wasn’t great, but it worked enough. Jimi was born. Jimi had been born left-handed, but his father insisted he learn to write with his right hand, that principle applied to the guitar as well. “Dad thought everything left hand was from the Devil.” Leon would recall.

    The blow from the divorce of his parents was deep for him. Both brothers learned that Lucille had remarried by January 1958. They did see their mother, but Lucille died unexpectedly by February of 58. Jimi, already shy, became much more withdrawn and distant after her death, and his relationship with Al became strained. During this period, the brother Leon was sent into foster care several times. Jimi and Al were able to rent a two-bedroom home in the spring of 1959, Jimi co-founded his first band, The Velvetones, that year on an acoustic, he eventually had to graduate to an electric that his father bought. By 1959, Jimi turned 17 and started to date Betty Jean Morgan, he briefly had a newspaper route that didn’t last and Al had Jimi mow lawns for extra money Jimi guitar was stolen at a Club and Al gave him the riot act about the loss. His band mates in the Velvetones pitched in and got Jimi a new guitar to continue in the band. 

    In the middle of pining for his girlfriend - Betty Jean Morgan - and trying to ask her to marry him - at the start of May of 1961, Jimi was arrested by the Seattle Police for riding in a stolen car. He was taken to a juvenile detention center, when his father came and bailed him out, Jimi insisted he didn’t know the car was stollen, Al believed the matter was quickly settled, four days later, Jimi was caught again and arrested in riding in another stolen car, there wasn’t going to be leniency for the second attempt, Jimi spent eight days in a Juvenile jail, and then Jimi had his court appearance. The Seattle Police department was commonly criticized for the over prosecution of black males in the late 50s and early 60s. 

    Jimi’s experience was similar to what happened to Miles Davis in 1959 when he was standing in front of the New York jazz club Birdland. He was the headline act and taking a cigarette break on the street, a police officer harassed him, which lead to an altercation and arrest, Miles was already a celebrity, and the bad press helped Miles to be acquitted in 1960. The court date led to one option for Jimi; whom had already expressed an interest in joining the Army - the prosecutor agreed to a two-year sentence that would be suspended on the condition that Jimi joined the Army, although his conviction remained on his permanent record.

    At the end of May of 1961 Jimi arrived at Fort Ord, California for basic training, he had asked for a position as a clerk and requested to be assigned at the 101^st Airborne, he often wrote many letters to his family, due to homesickness and to ask for money when his Army pay was late, he was disillusioned fairly quickly by the experience, by August he was made a private, and after some delays, he reached his goal by the end of October, Jimi as assigned to the 101^st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. That September, he had visited his family in Seattle on leave, and showed off his uniform, “He looked so handsome in that uniform,” Cousin Dee Hall noted: “He was so proud to show it off to everyone.’ Jimi also revealed at the time he qualified as a sharpshooter, the second highest to qualify with an M-1 rifle. 

    Jimi, via letter correspondence, was determined to not quit the training, they started by jumping out of 34 feet towers, by that winter he started to jump out of planes, which he described the jumps as “outta sight”, during further jumps he borrowed a camera and photographed some jumps. By January he described his feelings to his cousin via a letter: “I’m in the best division: 101^st Airborne. That’s the sharpest outfit in the world. If any trouble starts anywhere, we will be the first to go.” Of course, Jimi would be out before America got involved with Vietnam, he would dodge a proverbial bullet.

    Jimi’s time in the Army would be short lived, while he had joined to avoid prison time for riding in stollen cars, enlisting in May of 1961, he was known for obsessively playing his guitar in the barracks rather than training, he was often caught sleeping while on duty, his meeting of Billy Cox would be fruitful, and they even formed a band called the King Casuals and would play at local clubs. On a rainy November Cox first heard Hendrix at the service club number one, the army had musical instruments to rent. Cox described his impression that Hendrix sounded like a cross between “John Lee Hooker and Beethoven”, before he added “This was a sound I had never heard before.” Their meeting was quick and their friendship would endure for nearly a decade. 

    After his initial pride in achieving his goal, Hendrix grew disillusioned fairly quickly and spent every spare hour playing the guitar. Surprisingly he was honorably discharged early, due to a lack of interest in the Army, and described by superiors as having ‘no good characteristics’ and in need of constant supervision. The more interesting story behind what led to the discharge was a ruse, Hendrix knew he couldn’t quit the Army, and going AWOL could lead to a prison sentence. Between April and May, he went to the Army psychiatrist and made-up wild stories he had homosexual tendencies and pined for his Army bunkmates. It was a real risk, if it had backfired, he could have been ostracized by his peers and made a target – yet it worked. The army gave in and he was discharged. His later claim when asked about his discharge that he broke his ankle on his twenty sixth leap was a ruse. His army records show no indication of an ankle break; Hendrix was a clever hustler. 

    Once discharged, Jimi stayed in Clarksville for many months until his Army mate Billy Cox was discharged in September 1962. Both went into music full time but had trouble getting jobs due to their race. While in Indianapolis they participated in a ‘battle of the bands’ where their rival band won, but one member of that band was impressed enough to join Jimi and Billy in a new band titled The King Kasuals, this eventually lead to a club gig a few nights a week in Nashville, but it was all still a segregated environment, at the time Jimi started to grow out his hair and style it. 

    Jimi’s guitar skills kept improving. They tried out a recording session of a Frank Howard and the Commanders; hut Hendrix wasn’t used on the date after all. Hendrix became friends with Johnny Jones of the Imperials while in Nashville, but Jones helped to show him the ropes as a player, they would jam and Jones bested him, but Jimi really grew as a player. Eventually Hendrix became part of the Chitlin circuit between 1963 until 1965, he learned how to be a showman. Hendrix was a sideman for many acts, but his most notable was Solomon Burke in 1963. Some jobs were backing the Motown act Marvelettes, or a bad experience with Bobby Womack. 

    By 1963, Jimi’s interest in King Kasuals waned and they replaced him. Jimi moved to New York at the start of 1964, after staying with a new girlfriend, and having little luck, Hendrix heard that the Isley Brothers, he auditioned and got the job, but he grew to hate the conformity of the job, and Jimi quit the bend when they arrived in Nashville. Jimi got to audition for Little Richard in Atlanta and got the job. But Hendrix and Richard frequently clashed, and yet it was seminal for Jimi. In a little interview Al revealed that “Jimi Idolized Richard. He would eat two yards of shit to join his band” Yet some of the future road tales could be fascinating. One night Jimi grew tired of the standard band uniform, wore a satin shirt, he was berated by Little Richard, stating: “I am the only Little Richard! I am The King of Rock N Roll, and I am the only one allowed to be pretty. Take that shirt off!”

    Hendrix kept getting fired and rehired by Little Richard’s band and grew disillusioned, after migrating from job to job, by the Summer of 65, Hendrix was back in New York. He offered his services as a session player and was determined to make his mark with his own work. Hendrix wrote to his father and commented: 

“I am starting all over again. When you’re playing behind other people, you’re still not making a big name for yourself. But I went on the road with other people to get exposed to the public and see how business is taken care of, and mainly, just to see what’s what.”

    Hendrix had dreams of putting out a record, he explained to his father, little he could have known. By October of 65, Hendrix met Curtis Knight, who asked Hendrix to join his band the Squires, at the time Hendrix was forced to pawn his cherished guitar to make rent, and Knight lent him a guitar – it was a form of control on Knight’s part. Knight put Hendrix front and center in the band with promises to make him a star, Knight had a deal with producer Ed Chalpin who ran PPX Productions, Chalpin was known for doing cheap covers of current singles for the overseas market, they did a cover of Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” under the title “How Does It feel.”, Chalpin recognized that Hendrix had talent, and signed him to a deal, but Hendrix didn’t read the fine print, he would play and record for PPX Productions for three years, a problem that would haunt him soon enough.

    The Squires didn’t go anywhere, so Hendrix joined the Starlighters, which was a more successful band and with stable wages. At the start of 1966, Hendrix shared with friends that the year would change his life: “I used to dream in technicolor that 1966 would be the year that something would happen to me.” Hendrix joined King Curtis and his All Stars at the club, Small’s Paradise in Harlem. Hendrix learned the material quickly as noted by the band’s drummer Bernard Purdie: “In all my years, I had never seen another guitar player pick up the material like that.” 

    Let’s address the elephant in the room – racism, as we had done with The Ike & Tina Turner revue. Just because Hendrix was seen as part of the psychedelic hippie counterculture, didn’t mean he didn’t face the same issues. When Hendrix would gig with his Army buddy Cox in 1962, he saw a significant amount of racism in Tennessee that he didn’t notice in Seattle. Not only was the Chitlin circuit segregated, but it was also compartmentalized to the African American culture - the idea of crossover appeal didn’t happen for everyone. 

    Keep in mind that in the late 1950s when Little Richard and Chuck Berry started to cross over and break big, there was an industry rush to have white singers cover those same songs, it was all transparent to any savvy person. The treatment by Ed Chalpin as far as business deals was all too common with Black musicians, Ike Turner had been burned as well as cited in that piece. Even though, when Hendrix soon broke in the UK, the counterculture was more inclusive, it was far from perfect. As much as Hendrix’s brief scuffles with Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend may have only been due to competitive rivalry, there was always an element of bias. But let’s continue…

    Around this same period Jimi renamed his new band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. He also met Steve “The Cornel” Cropper and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. When Hendrix performed songs from a John Hammond Jr album, So Many Roads, it led to Hendrix meeting him, Then, Hammond  offered Hendrix a two-week slot at the Café Au Go Go, and that much close to the Greenwich Village Circle. After a tumultuous affair with a woman who was a prostitute, Hendrix had the good fortune to meet a woman professionally that would shape his career. Linda Keith was the then girlfriend of Keith Richard’s, prior to the Stones upcoming 66 US tour, Keith had come to check out the New York club scene, when Hendrix was back playing with the Squires. When she visited the Cheetah Club in late May, she focused in on Hendrix, Keith recalled: “He had these amazing hands. I found myself mesmerized by watching him play.”

    Keith and her friends invited him to their table for drinks and lavished him with compliments and then invited him to an apartment on sixty-third street. This was the moment the work had been building up to, the work put in. Hendrix became an example of the ten-thousand-hour rule, if not the poster child for it. All lead guitar players, since then, that are exceptional have done the same thing. You must really work at your craft to stand out. 

    Prior to this evening Hendrix had taken few drugs due to poverty, but it was his time using LSD. Keith and Hendrix had long, open discussions, and she offered to give him a new guitar, Hendrix was also getting exposed to Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, which had a huge impact. Keith became that needed advocate. But there would be a price for it soon enough, Linda and Keith Richards had already been deteriorating even before she met Jimi, when rumors began circulating that she was seen associating with a “Black Junkie” from New York, Richards became ugly, called her father, and got him to intercede and bring her back to England, but this event would happen a little later.

    Linda tried to get the interest of Andrew Loog Oldham, but he passed as much as he also agreed there was ‘star power’ with Hendrix. Then just around the corner, Linda crossed paths with Bryan “Chas” Chandler, the bass player of the Animals. Linda barely knew him, but she was bold enough to talk about Hendrix in early September, a day later she and Chandler showed up at the Café Wah for a Wednesday afternoon show, after the set, they all had a private meeting at a corner of the club, It turned out that both Hendrix and Chandler has a affinity for “Hey Joe”. Chandler was pretty much stunned that no one had signed him up before. Their meeting was significant; it took some work for Chandler to convince Jimi uproot everything go with him to England to be managed by Chandler and co-managed by Mike Jeffries. But by September 23rd of 66, Jimi boarded a PanAm for England. 

    Things moved quickly, Jimi would meet his future Girlfriend, Kathy Erchingham, he was in the midst of swinging London, he would start to meet most of the key rock figures. Noel Redding was recruited on bass and vocals, then Jimi met and jammed with Eric Clapton, the man considered a “god’ to some rock fans, at a Cream gig, but when "Killing Floor" was performed, Clapton stormed off the stage, it should be noted that Clapton took off the stage because he was stunned and unnerved with how good Hendrix was. Then Mitch Mitchell was recruited on drums and vocals, and the band played their first show in October. A short time later the band recorded their first single Robert’s “Hey Joe” backed with a Hendrix original, “Stone Free”. That debut album, Are You Experienced? would be one of the most impressive debuts of the era, along with the exceptional work of engineer Eddie Kramer and Mike Ross.

    Hendrix toured England in revue type situations. Plans were made to have the Jimi Hendrix Experience go worldwide by his management team soon enough. Hendrix would even impress McCartney at a gig at the venue Bag O Nails by playing their number “Sgt. Pepper” within a few days of its release. Chas didn’t want to wait very long, they had to start working on the next album, and Jimi would gather the material very quickly.

The Album

    The album that became known as Axis: Bold As Love started off a little slowly. They started an initial session, but the band had two key festival concerts to attend first. Jimi, Noel and Mitch had never been to the Bay Area. That Festival known as “The First International Festival of Music” had been born out of a conversation that developed between John Philips of The Mamas and The Papas, Paul McCartney and Lou Alder. The Experience arrived on that Friday, but they weren’t scheduled to perform until that Saturday, so Hendrix socialized for the first night and watched the performers, the Monterey audience didn’t know who Hendrix was that first night, but that was about to change. 

    The Experience and The Who were set to go on the same, and The Who’s Pete Townshend didn’t want to open for Hendrix – he already knew. The Who opened first but Hendrix was not going to be bested. It was a pivotable night for both bands. Brian Jones introduced the band, and the Monterey audiences were floored by the performance, which included, “Foxy Lady, Killing Floor” and “Like A Rolling Stone”, the band broke big in America after that. The day after the Festival, Hendrix and Townshend had a tense exchange, but they ironed it out. The band was booked for a few shows by Bill Graham at the Fillmore, which were also memorable. 

    Even future material for the third record started developing during this period. At some performances of “Wild Thing”, Hendrix would play a few riffs from the future “Burning of The Midnight Lamp”, Hendrix and the band recorded a take of “Burning” on July 20, 1967, of July 6-7, depending on reports. That single would be released in the UK August on1967 and charted there at No. 23, but it did not appear until the third album Electric Ladyland.

    By the time The Experience opened for the Mamas and The Papas at the Hollywood Bowl in August, they were no longer an unknown act, but they had an album to work on. Sessions for the album started at the beginning of May. “We never stopped”, Eddie Kramer has recalled: “Chas came from the old school of “We’ve got four hours, let’s make the most of it.” Fortunately, Hendrix had a strong work ethic, the sessions went quickly. 

    In spite of an early start, proper sessions at Olympic Studios for the album began October 1^st 1967, the trust that had developed between Chandler, Hendrix and Kramer created an atmosphere where ideas were exchanged freely, but while Kramer was endlessly patient, Chandler grew impatient during the sessions and irritated with Hendrix’s insistence on perfection, Chandler felt Jimi was wasting too much too much time on endless retakes of backing tracks, studio time cost money after all. Yet Hendrix would increasingly use sessions to introduce new material to Chandler and the band, rather than perfect tracks. 

    He also still toured during the sessions. Hendrix’s tour itinerary, even in the middle of completing the second album was heavy from October 1967, starting with dates in England until late Jan 1968 in France. In an interview during this period with Jay Ruby defined Hendrix’s idea of the blues:

“You can have your own blues. It doesn’t necessarily mean that folk blues is the only type of blues in the world. I heard some Irish folk songs that were so funky, the words were so together and the feel. That was a great scene. We do this blues…called ‘If Six Was Nine.’ That’s what you call a great feeling of blues. We don’t even try to give it a name. Everybody has some kind of blues to offer, you know.”

    When the subject of Clapton was brought up by comparison, Jimi replied.

“But like, the blues is what we’re supposed to dig. But you see, there are other things we play too. And we just don’t think alike…. Sometimes the notes might sound like it, but it’s a completely different scene between those notes.”

Aside from Eddie Kramer, the other secret weapon was inventor Roger Mayer, he had already created the “Octavia” which Hendrix had used. Roger would modify Hendrix’s Wah pedals, a new device that would be featured heavily on the new album, Roger would modify the tremolo system and filters to give the Wah a slightly wider range. Generally, wah pedals, by their nature, will slightly overdrive even when you use a clean channel on an amplifier, this gives them a slight edge. The impact on the Wah on the album would be notable, few players knew how to make the guitar ‘talk’ – Hendrix did. Roger and Jimi also shared another quality. As he told Music Radar in 2017: “Both Jimi and I had synesthesia, where we could see colors in sound, we found that fascinating. It’s a useful ability as a sound designer. I was very interested in new sounds for guitar. We would talk about the vision of the sound. For instance: This sounds like what you see when you hold two mirrors in front of each other.’ And that notion became Octavia pedal.” Roger also often modified Hendrix’s Stratocasters.

    Jimi was getting more comfortable with singing, each song was often recorded with the instrumental backing, then vocals would be added later. Regarding the opening piece “EXP”, which Hendrix had characterized some of his music as “Rock N Roll science fiction”, he named dropped his old friend Paul Caruso as a fictionalized reporter for the UFO themed opener. Recalled Eddie Kramer: “There was nothing we wouldn’t do, or that we wouldn’t want to try for him. The rules were there were no rules.”

    Often Hendrix would complain that his band mates Noel and Mitch weren’t offering up ideas, but then when they made suggestions – they would be rebuffed. There was a peace offering when Hendrix’s recorded Noel’s “She So Fine”, there would be tension when Hendrix would show Noel the bass parts he wanted. Jimi would even re-record bass parts himself. The tension didn’t help when Jimi decided to not release “She’s So Fine” as a single. The “Octavia” seemed to make appearances on “Wait Until Tomorrow, One Rainy Wish” and somewhere in “Little Miss Lover” in the middle. 

    Jimi’s exceptional “Little Wing” came from several sources as he explained to a reporter: “I figured I’d take everything I see around and put it maybe in the form of a girl… and call it ‘Little Wing’, and then it will just fly away.” Jimi would later confess to his brother Leon that the song was, in part, about his mother Lucille. Kramer recorded Jimi’s guitar with two channels, one with a clean amp setting, and the other put through a Leslie to give it that chorus effect. Jimi played the Glockenspiel on it. 

    Hendrix had trouble with the vocals for “Spanish Castle Magic”, at the end of the song about the legendary Northwest Club, he could be heard muttering, “I Can’t Sing a song,” Often when it came time to add Jimi’s vocal tracks, he would insist that the studio be emptied out of the groupies and hanger-on’s milling about. Regarding the instrumental backing, Jimi and Eddie Kramer laid down numerous tracks, while Noel played Hagstrom Eight-String Bass in unison to Hendrix’s Stratocaster. Jimi played the Piano stabs on the track, and Eddie compressed and equalized the piano part to cut through the guitars and bass.

    When Hendrix would be asked by reporters about the track “Bold As Love”, Jimi would describe how certain colors matched certain emotions, which he tried to describe. Hendrix tinkered with “Bold as Love” adding Harpsicord and extra bass, but its Eddie Kramer’s sonic invention along with George Chkiantz when they introduced a phased stereo sound. Jimi was thrilled with the results and exclaimed “That’s the sound I’ve been hearing in my dreams!”

    In an interview with Jay Ruby, Hendrix described the Axis like the Christian Cross or the voodoo peristyle – a link between the Heaven and the earth. The Axis holds everything together. If The Axis of the Earth was changed – everything would be different, Hendrix explained: 

“Well, like the Axis of the Earth, you know. If it changes, well, it changes the whole face of the Earth like every few thousand years, you know. It’s like love in a human being if he really falls in love deeply enough, it will change him, you know, it might change his whole life. So, both of them can really go together.”

    In the middle of the session for the album, Ed Chalpin and his PPX Productions reared its ugly head over the prior contract. Chandler and Jeffries had no idea about this, and legal issues over it would hang over them for a number of years. Chalpin’s company had a distribution deal with Capitol records, at that moment, titles would flood the market with Curtis Knight featuring Hendrix. Eventually, a deal was struck when Jimi had a contract obligation with Capitol and Chalpin for one album – eventually that album would be released as The Band of Gypsies live album, once again, that is another story.

    During the session for “If 6 Was 9” Jimi used Moroccan flute, or a recorder, or toy flute in the tag at the end of it. Redding, Graham Nash, Gary Leeds, and Chas Chandler would provide foot stomping on the track. On “You Got Me Floatin’”, Nash, Trevor Burton, and Roy Wood would provide background vocals on that track. There was also the exceptional “Castles Made Of Sand”, a song that has lyrics that are part autobiographical. “That song is about our mother.” Leon once admitted. Backwards guitar was used for good measure. Chas Chandler admitted that the song was one of those heavily rehearsed before they went into the studio as to not waste time. 

    Hendrix has commented on the evolution of the slower ballads on the album. Noting:

“I dig writing the slow songs, because it is easy to get more blues and feeling into them. Most of the ballads come across in different ways. Sometimes you see things in different ways than other people see it. So, then you write it into a song. It could represent anything. Some songs, I come up with the music first, then I put the words that fit. It all depends. There is a certain pattern I go by because I don’t consider myself a songwriter. Not yet anyway. I just keep music in my head. It doesn’t even come out to the other guys until we go into the studio.”

    Chandler and Jeffries were under pressure to deliver the album for a December release on the Track records label. In the rush to finish, Hendrix, while sharing the tapes with a social circle, managed to lose the mixes for all of side one, during the early hours of Halloween 67. Chandler had recalled, “He went to a party, coming back, he left one of the boxes in a taxi. It was all scheduled for release! So, we rang up Eddi Kramer and went into Olympic the next night and mixed the entire “a” side of the album again – all in one night!”

    But one of the songs, “If 6 Was 9” may not have made it onto the album at all if there hadn’t been a great save. Chandler recalled: “We kept saying to ourselves, ‘I’m sure this isn’t the sound we had originally.” To their good fortune, Noel Redding had a consumer grade tape copy of a rough mix on a small three-inch reel made the previous June. It was retrieved via a Taxi and work began in earnest. Regarding the album overall, I have to agree with Abigail Devol that Redding and Mitchell were sympathetic rhythm section, and more so than Baker and Bruce from Cream. This benefited the songs, in the same way that the Jones and Bonham section bettered the Zeppelin songs.

    Onto the songs - After a brief quote from the opening of “Stone Free”, the opener “EXP” is a humorous bit, a mock interview about UFOs that segways into a barrage of tremolo guitar dives and guitar feedback to approximate a flying saucer. The science fiction theme is continued with “Up from The Skies”, since Jimi was a child, he was always an avid science fiction reader which he had shared an interest with Chas when they met. Noel and Mitch offer a jazzy shuffle. This is the first time we hear Jimi’s Wah guitar, which must have been a shock upon first listen. I have to disagree a little with Abigail Devoe about the first two tracks, the notion of not opening with guns blazing with a heavy track, such as was the case with “Purple Haze” from the Experienced album, is actually a savvy move. It eases the listener into the album.

    Everything works on all cylinders with “Spanish Castle Magic”, Mitch is amazing on the track and Noel offers some solid work, Jimi’s talk vocals have a playful quality, Jimi’s solo is nothing more than you would expect. It’s probably all too short. The next two tracks fall into thew kind of material you might hear from his Chitlin circuit days. “Wait Until Tomorrow” is a whimsical, and a little dark tale about a young man is who courting a lady until her father takes matters into their own hands. “Ain’t No Telling” has backing vocals from Noel and Mitch, some seventh blues work from Jimi drives the piece. Mitch's drumming helps to drive the number and Hendrix’s leads dance around his vocal.

    The magical “Little Wing” is generally regarded as a highlight of the album, Jimi’s cordial work which fuses jazz and RNB is so well constructed, and Jimi’s vocal captures a bittersweet quality, a tribute to woman who sacrifices their well being over the needs of the artist. Think Penny Lane from Almost Famous. It’s also one of the most well-constructed ballads ever written. Things take a heavier turn with the psychedelic blues of “If 6 Was 9”, a defiant anthem for the Freak counterculture movement that would implode all too soon. There’s a molten and impetuous quality to the piece, and the middle section allows Noel to be liberated with walking bass lines, Jimi’s jazz guitar comes in brief stabs in that section. The track also hints at the Progressive blues that Jimmy Page spoke of with “Since I’ve Been Loving You”. Why are there the marching footsteps near the end? I don’t know, but it seems like a reflection of the growing tragedy that was Vietnam.

    The side two opener “You Got Me Floatin’” is probably the most filler track, but Jimi’s backwards guitar comes in for good measure. The magical “Castles Made Of Sand’ is the other wonder of the album. The interplay between Jimi’s rhythm guitar and the backwards guitar has a certain synergy that is masterful. His cordial work with the overdrive has an evident edge that keeps it fresh. Noel’s song “She’s So Fine” has a nod to The Who and Creem, Jimi and Mitch provide the background vocals. Jimi pop lead guitar is fun. Then other magical ballad that gets overlooked is “One Rainy Wish”, done in ¾ time with a driving chorus. It has a similar tone to “May This Be Love” or the future “Rainy Day, Dream Away”, Jimi vocal is pretty exceptional for the lovely quality it exudes. Enchanting. 

    The rhythmic and seductive “Little Miss Lover” is the other number where Jimi leans into the Wah guitar, some great drumming work from Mitch. It many respects, Noel and Mitch were the secret weapon that helped drive Jimi. Mitch’s jazz drumming background lends well with the funk infusion, there's a molten and propulsive quality to the number. The closer, “Bold As Love” is another wonder, and spellbinding, the layers of guitars have a great sense of composition, and it builds up to an ascension even before the edit, and that transcendent closing moments with the guitars, harpsicord, and the final fuzz lead work leads to something ethereal. There have been few albums that have been as good of a closer as this one.  

    One more thing, let’s address the narrative about Hendrix’s drug use. Yes, he was a heavy drug user, or became one, but there’s a racial element behind the narrative that I want to address. The subject has become a no win as far as the truth of the matter. There have been eyewitness accounts of people trying to get Hendrix stoned. This is relevant to my point: I believe that Hendrix was probably more sober and lucent during the creative process than not, the narrative that states that “Hendrix was always stoned” dismisses his instincts and talent and it has a racial element behind that meme. Friend Willie Chambers had observed that hangers-on were always trying to get Jimi stoned, they assumed Hendrix wanted to be stoned. Willie had a tale that both were at a bar once and someone walked up and put something in Hendrix’s drink, which Wilie was astounded by this action. Hendrix didn’t always want to be stoned - he just wanted to play. I just don't believe that Hendrix was as chronically stoned as he was made out to be by outsiders. 

    Axis, at times, has gotten overlooked, it sits as the middle child between Experienced and Electric Ladyland, but it is no less important, as it showed a marked evolution, and many of its ideas would be developed with Electric Ladyland. These were the salad days of the band, everything was fresh and possible, the pressure and the momentum for Are You Experienced? hadn’t quite hit yet during the Axis sessions. Sadly, things would take a turn to break up the unit soon enough. 

    By early 1968, Jimi and Chas were drifting apart. Chas was engaged to be married and wanted to return to England, while Hendrix liked being planted in New York. Mitch and Noel were impatient to return to England as well. Gradually Hendrix took more control of the next sessions for what became Ladyland, Chas felt left out, the costs of recording at places like Record Plant would be a problem, Chandler bought out his deal to Jeffries and left Jimi. Mitch and Noel left the band around the same that that Electric Ladyland was reaching number one on the American charts. But that is another story.

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The cultural impact

    For an album that is perceived as ‘overlooked’, when you consider the number of musical artists who have covered songs from this album. The list is wide ranging. As of this writing, it is estimated that there are around 50 covers of “Little Wing” alone. Starting with Clapton’s Derek and The Dominoes recording prior to Hendrix’s death. Clapton would still perform the song on future tours in tribute.  Jazz legend Gil Evans did his version in 1974, then years later, Sting formerly of The Police, did his cover with Gil in 87 for his Nothing Like The Sun… album, Sting and Gil also recorded “Up From The Skies”. Jazz duo Tuck and Patti did a medley of “Castles Made of Sand / Little Wing”, Santana with Joe Cocker did a version. There was Stevie Ray Vaughn’s instrumental cover. Pearl Jam, Jeff Beck, Vitamin String Quartet, and Hiram Bullock. 

    Covers of “Castles” include The Red-Hot Chili Peppers, Gil Evans, The Sounds of Blackness, Richard Lloyd, Artists who have covered “Spanish Castle Magic” include Spin Doctors, Yngwie Malmsteen, Monks of Doom, Mark Rivera, Santana, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. Queen’s Brian May did a cover of “One Rainy Wish” for his Another World solo record, other’s included Eric Johnson and Randy Hansen Band performing “Wish”.  Other’s covered “Bold as Love” including John Mayer, The Pretenders, Phish, Joan Osborne, Robben Ford, and Black Oak Arkansas. All of which just validates what a great composer Jimi was. 

    Just look at the sonic influence of Hendrix and electric guitar effects and set ups that became standard. Various types of distortion, controlled feedback, overdrive and fuzz tones. Echo delay, Chorus, Phasers, Octave effects, Wah pedals. Or guitarists that will customize their guitars to play better, all came from Hendrix’s influence. Just look at the number of guitar players influenced by him, starting with Funkadelic’s Eddie Hazel, including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gary Clark, Vernon Reid, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Dweezil Zappa, Zack Wylde, John Frusciante, Slash, Billy Gibbons, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Lenny Kravitz, Matt Bellamy, Orianthi, as well as Hendrix protégé Velvert Turner, as well a players like Frank Marino, Robin Trower, and the prior mentioned Randy Hansen and Brian May. 

    Even jazz players like Miles Davis and Tony Williams paid close attention to what Jimi was doing. Current players like Adam Rose, Alex Dante, Antares Flare, Brian Targuin, Charlie Ballantine, Cliff E. Brown, Dan Lommis, Jacques Bailhe, and Robert Jukic. You can hear how much Hendrix reshaped music, even in-directly, It’s difficult when listening to Temple Of The Dog (1991) or Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993), or Michael Willaims Fire Red, (2011) Produced by Eddie Kramer, or players like Eric Gales, Philip Weiss. or artists like Radio Moscow and not hear the treads. even Journey’s Neal Schon used Hendrix-like riffs on the “Lights” single from 1978. Along with Eddie Van Halen's on everyone, it’s almost impossible to not hear the Hendrix influence.

    Axis: Bold As Love is a real testament to what such a young man was able to achieve, it’s ripple effects on the musical and cultural spectrum is quite wide. I doubt we will ever see such an album like it again. 

Producer: Chas Chandler

Composers: Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding*

Lead Engineer: Eddie Kramer

Engineers: George Chkiantz, Andy Johns, Terry Brown

Cover designs: David King, Roger Law

Side One:

EXP

Up From The Skies

Spanish Castle Magic

Wait Until Tomorrow

Ain’t No Telling

Little Wing

If 6 Was 9

Side Two:

You Got Me Floatin’

Castles Made Of Sand

She’s So Fine*

One Rainy Wish

Little Miss Lover

Bold As Love

Book sources: “Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix” by Charles R. Cross. 

“’Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky: The Life of Jimi Hendrix” By Dave Henderson.

“Hendrix: An Illustrated Experience” by Janie L. Hendrix and John McDermott.

Online source: Louder sound, article by Bill DeMain, “story behind Axis album”. 

Special thank you must go towards Agamemnon Andrianos for his friendship, enthusiasm and support for this piece.

Coming soon: Derek and The Dominoes – Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs