When I was in High School I had a crush on Grace Slick. I mean a big one. I thought her black hair and piercing blue eyes were hypnotizing. So much so, I judged every girl I liked or wanted to date by this stupid high standard. I also wanted the person of the opposite sex to sing like her too.
Grace Slick was a force on the Rock and Roll scene. Her powerful presence made what the sixties was all about. Jefferson Airplane was one of the most powerful groups of the sixties, but they are barely mentioned in the same breath as Santana, Grateful Dead, or Jimi Hendrix. I have always wondered this. Was the public scared of Grace? I mean they had some of the best musicians in Airplane. Jack Casady who was an amazing bass player. He was so good, Hendrix asked to play on Electric Ladyland. You also had Jorma Kaukonen who was had a great voice and a really good guitar player. So what were they missing?
They were always at The Fillmore playing and where on the same bill as The Grateful Dead. They were at Woodstock; was that a plus? The whole band was talented. They were even featured on the cover of Life magazine. No band from that era was featured. Their two hit songs "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" encapsulated the sixties more then anything. I still don't get it. Maybe I am missing something completely.
Jefferson Airplane was a band full of mixed roots. They were a mix of Folk-Rock, Psychedelic Rock and was a hit on AM and FM radio. They could make simple pop songs and in the same breath they could make these acid drenched songs that spoke the sixties.
My first ever sixties song I ever listened to was "White Rabbit." It was and of course at 12 I did not get what it meant, but it was catchy and fun. It stuck in my head till I bought the breakthrough album and the whole album rocked. Some of the titles on the first album made me laugh. "Plastic Fantastic Lover" was the funnest song I have ever heard. I was dating some girl in High School and I called her my "Plastic Fantastic Lover." Another odd title was "She Has Funny Cars." What fun, I thought all bands should be this tongue and cheek.
It was not till I finished that Airplane album when I came across After Bathing At Baxter's and that album made my head spin. Released at the end of 1967 this album was 360 degrees from Surrealistic Pillow. This album felt like an acid trip. Grace's vocals are right there for you to fall in love. The titles of the would make more sense if you where in that frame of mind. I used to play that album to death in my Senior year of High School. Looking for any sense of sanity.
I never found the sanity, but what I did find was an album full of oddness and fun and way too "trippy." It is a good album to share with someone who does not know what the sixties are all about. I found it satisfying and fun to hear what Jefferson Airplane could do when given the right direction of their own.
If your looking for a true sixties album that will give you flashbacks to when music was "trippy" and out there, then you have it right here. It might take a few listens, but it is worth every bit of it. By the end I am sure you will fall in love with Grace Slick too. Here voice is amazing. This album is good place to start if you are looking to find other then a top 40 hit. Enjoy the album and be safe. Don't get hurt!!!
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I didn't have sex with Grace Slick - though I would have if I were on the planet in the late 60s (as a young adult, of course - I wouldn't want Grace to be labelled a paedo).
ReplyDelete"Baxter's" and "Crown Of Creation" are my two fave Airplane rekkids.
When I was a kid in the 60s and 70s the Airplane were every bit as lionized as the Dead, Hendrix, etc. After all, the Airplane actually had a couple of hits that were played on A.M. radio which the Dead never had back then. For some reason the halo around the Airplane dimmed a little over time while the star of other (less deserving IMO) 60s acts like MC5 increased. It's a function of being around the planet for a few decades that you see these changes in "received opinion" like what I wrote in another comment below about Revolver/Sgt. Pepper's. BUT, the Airplane never lost any of their luster in my view. An amazing band with great, innovative vocals, good concepts and the incredible musicianship of Jack and Jorma. Jack was a major influence on bass playing in his day. He should be mentioned more for his contribution. The thing is that while the Dead were the "feel-good" side of hippie, the Airplane always had a bit more of a cynical, sardonic bite and wit to them, esp. Grace. A unique and uniquely 60s aggregation, they captured the spirit of an era.
ReplyDeleteI think that your analysis hit it right on the nail!
DeleteA few quick points:
ReplyDelete1) You sure about that "only Life cover" assertion? I think Cream got a Life cover once, tho perhaps just a feature article (or maybe it was "Look" magazine?).
2) I think the band not getting the same props as the other 60's icons mentioned is their "not ending with a bang, but a whimper." Their history of transmuting into Jefferson Starship and eventual decline into "We Built This City" was not a pretty picture! That being said, it really is a shame we don't hear more of this amazing band's earlier work.
3) Dude, I know you've been under the weather, but you need to do more proofreading before posting! May I suggest a 24 hour "cooling off" period before a careful reading of your work? To be sure, you are a fount of knowledge and always interesting...but say it, don't spray it! I mean, you wrote that post in a fever, didn't you...
Peace,
RichA
what's with the title
ReplyDelete