This one has been floating in my head for the past couple of days. Someone asked me, “What would you want your ‘Walking Up’ music to be?” and this one just popped into my head, so there you go.

Purple: Anger
Green: Queen Jealousy-Envy
Blue: Life-giving waters, taken for granted
Turquoise: Armies lying opposite, ready
Red: Confidence
Orange: Young, full of daring
Yellow: Not so mellow, frightened
Rainbow: You
Axis: He knows everything

At the 1:50 mark, the lyrics are done. Now, I have a sense of the way that Axis: Bold as Love was put together very quickly. You know, to capitalize (make money) on the fact that Are You Experienced was so popular. I can almost imagine the conversation.

Producer: Wow, that's great Jim.
Hendrix: Yeah, thanks! I'm pretty proud of the writing on that one.
Producer: But, nobody is going to listen to a 1:50 song, Jimi.
Hendrix: OK, I guess we can mkae it a little longer. I don't have another verse though...
Producer: I don't think that matters.
Hendrix: OK... I was shooting for a ballad, but I guess I could put a guitar solo on the end...
Producer: Sounds great, Jim.

So they record a guitar solo, which adds about another minute to the song, and they fade out at the 2:48 mark.

Hendrix: Wooo, that felt pretty good. Whaddya think?
Producer: That's definitely better. But,...
Hendrix: But, what? That was out of sight!
Producer: Alright, come in the booth and listen...

Then about three weeks later, the Producer says:

Producer: Hey Jim, any chance you guys could try to think about the whole recording process of this album and jam on that thought for a couple minutes. We'll stick it on the end of the last song. Like bonus material.
Hendrix: What for? We're already really tired.
Producer: Can you please just do it? And hey, Jim, I'll let you sit at the mixer for this part and put whatever effects you want on it.
Hendrix: (surveys Mitch and Noel)... Yeah, OK. I'm going to put phaser and fuzz and some other stuff I'm thinking about, like sweeping the sound from left to right...
Producer: Yeah, OK. And some plinky piano?
Hendrix: ???
Producer: I don't think it matters. Trust me...

And despite the extra padding at the end, with the effects and the plinky piano, it suddently fades out at 4:15.

Producer: Perfect!
Hendrix: But, we're going to smoothe out that Bold as Love song, right? I mean it sounds unfinished. And, you know, it's the TITLE SONG FOR THE ALBUM
Producer: I don't think it matters.

Comments?