Jimi Hendrix was evolving with every note he played. We hear that now as we revisit the music that he made during a period of time that was ultimately very short compared to his peers.

Yet he created a wealth of material that continues to rise to the surface decades after his death in September of 1970.

A new box set for 1967’s Axis: Bold as Love offers an expansive look at the guitarist’s astounding productivity he enjoyed in that era. It was the second Jimi Hendrix Experience album that year, following the trio’s debut with Are You Experienced in May. Available on five LPs or four CDs, each adding a Blu-ray of additional audio, the box is a fascinating fly on the wall listening experience for music fans.

During a recent conversation with UCR, legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer looked back at the sessions for Axis: Bold as Love.

What is it like working on these Jimi Hendrix box sets? How does revisiting the session tapes for these albums affect you this time around with the new box set for Axis: Bold as Love?
I’m insane, that’s what it brought out. Axis: Bold as Love was one of my favorite….I mean, all the albums, of course, are favorites. But Axis was, I think, the next step. When I look back, Are You Experienced was great, an incredible first album, but kind of primitive in the way the technology was just emerging. When we got to Axis, I was determined to take advantage of what we could do with the four-track half-inch tape machine, and that spread the drums onto two tracks instead of one.

So I now had a stereo image of the drums and then the bass and then Jimi’s guitar, etc. With the four-track half-inch machine, you fill up that first with the basic track and a guide vocal or something, and then you rough mix that, or final mix it, if you can, to the secondary machine and fill up the next two tracks. So on Axis, the first four [tracks] would be mixing to the second machine. That would fill up and then we’d mix it back to the first machine. We do it again. So there were three layers, and many years later, when I was doing a lot of research over at LAFX [Recording Services] in North Hollywood, we decided to take those four-track half-inch tapes and realign them in real time. It took about four or five weeks of very careful editing to assemble them so they were eight tracks. It gave us a really beautiful way of doing remixing. And we did a 5.1 surround. Then we developed a Dolby Atmos mix of it as well, which is pretty astounding.

READ MORE: Paul Rodgers Loves Jimi Hendrix’s Emotional ‘Bold as Love’

What was it like working on those mixes at the time? Why is Axis: Bold as Love considered an incredible headphone record?
It is. Thank you for saying that. I think that’s when I really started to expand my musical horizons. When Jimi was doing solos, I loved the fact that I could sort of move them from side to side and try different phasing effects. In fact, you know that drum break in the middle of “Bold as Love” where the phasing first kicks in? That was a monumental part for Jimi when he first witnessed it.

Listen to the Jimi Hendrix Experience's 'Bold as Love'

We knew that phasing was around. The Beatles had done it. And as you know, I was very fortunate enough to work with them and George Martin. [So] I was working with him, and I said, “George, how did you get that phasing sound for the Beatles?” And he said, “Oh, yes, chaps. Well, you know, if you look in the BBC Radiophonics handbook from 1949, you’ll find it in there.” And we said, ‘Geez, thanks, George! [Kramer chuckles] We decided, alright, the Beatles have done it in mono. We’re going to top that — and we did it in stereo. The first time I heard I said, “I’ve got it. We’ve got to use this on Hendrix.”

So we’d just finished that track, “Bold as Love,” and I said, “Jimi, come in and check this out. We’ve got something to play you.” He gets to that moment where the drums [have] that big break where the phasing first kicks in. Jimi was sitting on the couch behind me and I turn around. He is just dumbstruck and he grabs his head in his hands. He fell on the floor and he was like, in a fetal position. He said, “Oh, man, that was unbelievable. How did you do that? It was like something from my dream! Play it again! Play it again!” Okay, so we play it again. “Oh, man, I want that shit on everything.”

The famous story goes that Paul McCartney and George Harrison were in the audience not long after Sgt. Pepper had been released while Jimi played on stage; how did this era influence music?
Absolutely. It’s interesting to review how the rock and roll idols of that time were not snobby; they hung out with each other. The [Rolling] Stones would come around while I was in studio with them; maybe John [Lennon], Paul or whoever would come around to help sing some background vocals without being credited.

They were rivals but also friends; Jimi had a very good friend named Roy Wood from The Move who would hang out in studio too; they would join in doing foot stomping on a big board while I’d put mics underneath because Jimi loved him. Dave Mason from Traffic played acoustic guitar on “All Along the Watchtower.” All of this collaboration happened because there were no barriers; management and record companies stayed thankfully away so we could create freely without someone saying “We don’t think that’s commercial enough.” There was none of that nonsense.

Listen to the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ Live in Sweden

How did collaborations with artists like Roy Wood and Graham Nash shape recordings during this time?
Oh yeah! It was not restrictive — part of what made that era beautiful was having freedom to create what you wanted within reason. Having Chas Chandler as a producer for Jimi was grand; he found him and understood how to help him creatively since he himself was a musician too. Those sessions were amazing; we started at seven o’clock at night and sometimes only went until midnight due to budget constraints but managed to cut a couple songs each session.

Listen to the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s ‘Spanish Castle Magic’

How did Chas help keep Jimi focused during recording sessions?
Chas famously said there are no rules; this allowed me to put my foot down on creativity’s accelerator pedal! It freed me up for crazy things like panning and phasing effects; Jimi loved anything weird and wonderful which kept surprising both him and me throughout our sessions.

What are some key lessons learned from recording with Jimi?
Be prepared for anything; keep your mind open! Growing up in South Africa with parents who encouraged my musical career helped immensely; starting piano at three years old led me through high school where initially I thought I’d be a concert pianist until rock and roll caught my attention through shortwave radio broadcasts from Voice of America!

Listen to the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s ‘Stone Free / Up From The Ashes (Demo)’

What are some highlights fans can expect from this box set?
The outtakes are fantastic; hearing how songs were constructed in their earlier versions is wonderful! His demos even if incomplete are part of his legacy left behind; whenever he entered studio something interesting happened which is why I always had a quarter-inch machine running just in case something magical occurred!

What did you appreciate about Jimi’s dynamic with Noel and Mitch?
Certainly during those initial two albums there weren’t any real issues at all; they formed an amazing team together! Noel transitioned brilliantly from being primarily known as guitar player into bass overnight which turned out brilliantly!

[Later on], getting into Electric Ladyland, Noel had some chip on his shoulder but looking back his attitude pushed Jimi musically when performing live.

Your relationship with Mitch seemed strong; what made him special?
Mitch and I got along famously! His sense of humor coupled with his jazz influence made him an extraordinary drummer; I miss him dearly along with all others involved.

“Bold as Love” serves as an epic album closer; what memories do you have working on this song?
That song became central holding everything together while showcasing dynamics & power! Just hearing its intro gives me goosebumps thinking about how impactful it truly is!

Your thoughts upon hearing “Little Wing” for first time?
That song hits hard emotionally due its beautiful structure showcasing genius through tonal control achieved by adjusting volume directly from guitar rather than amp settings!

I recall following Jimi into studio where leftover instruments remained after previous sessions including glockenspiels which led us creating those distinctive bells heard within “Little Wing” – took only ten minutes total!