David King designed and Roger Law drew the cover art for the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s sophomore album, Axis: Bold As Love. It features colorful artwork that mimics a Hindu devotional painting called Viraat Purushan-Vishnuroopam (see below). To competing ace guitarists of the day, it must have seemed like Hendrix had a dozen arms, but on balance this album is more restrained and soulful than his debut. Jimi was reportedly less than thrilled with this cover art, but my friends and I treated this LP like a holy grail. One day during the summer of 1991 my buddy Jonesy triumphantly found a used copy, brought it home, and then watched in mute horror as our friend Matt tacked it up on the wall by driving four thumbtacks through the corners of an otherwise pristine cover. All hail thumbtacks! All hail Viraat Purushan-Vishnuroopam! All hail Jimi Hendrix…
Tags: Axis Bold As Love, David King, Jimi Hendrix, Roger Law, thumbtacks, Viraat Purushan-Vishnuroopam
28 April 2010 at 12:37 pm |
Poor Jimi, he always got the covers he didn’t like. I can imagine when he got this or Electric Ladyland “What the hell…”?? (And the first album original release european cover where he’s opening this little mini-cape ain’t that much better)
28 April 2010 at 12:51 pm |
I like the cover of the US version of his debut. I know he hated the ‘Naked Lady’ UK cover art for Electric Ladyland, but it’s a classic for me…
28 April 2010 at 3:05 pm |
As an aspiring musician, it is incomprehensible to me that Jimi would “always got the covers he didn’t like”
I have a fair understanding of the history of the music industry, so I realize that artistic control is always a fight.. but wow.
Well.. with any luck, it won’t be an issue for me. Oh.. wait… I mean..
28 April 2010 at 4:27 pm |
I wish I had more pictures of the room of album covers…hail to the thumbtacks!!
1 May 2010 at 3:56 pm |
I’ve read that the cover was the result of Jimi telling the designers that he wanted to honor his (American) indian heritage.
Being that the designers were Brits, they thought they were giving him what he wanted….