Jefferson Airplane

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Technically Jorma Kaukonen

― Chris V. (Chris V), Friday, 27 June 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

At least for a while, a great great band. And Grace and Marty are two of my favorite singers evah.

― Sean (Sean), Friday, 27 June 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Jefferson Airplane + Clash = X

Grace also beat Courtney to (Man)hole.

― Chris Clark (Chris Clark), Friday, 27 June 2003 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, you guys are high... or should be - Surrealistic Pillow is a gem, a perfect snapshot of a time and a place - the production rules, the playing is excellent, and they were the one SF band that actually had HITS. Moby Grape made a better record, but 'Pillow' is pretty subversive stuff to actually get played on the radio.

― andy, Friday, 27 June 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I love JA,'After Bathing at Baxter's','Crown of Creation'& 'Volunteers' are all suberb.Much more interesting than any contemporary rock.

― Paul R (paul R), Friday, 27 June 2003 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

their third album ('baxters') is fucking amazing. give it a try and report back.

― j fail (cenotaph), Friday, 27 June 2003 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

"I Saw You" and "Today" are brilliant (the latter was sampled to great effect by Black Sheep)

― eman (eman), Monday, 7 February 2005 08:41 (twenty-one years ago)

oops "I Saw You" = "Comin' Back To Me"

― eman (eman), Monday, 7 February 2005 08:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Here's a chance to laugh at one of my absurd changes of mind - I am really enjoying Airplane now!

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 7 February 2005 09:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Try Hot Tuna next, then. (Especially if you still like Jorma & Jack's bits.)

Actually, if Grace's autobiography is to be believed, Jack's bits were enormous.

― Mooro (Mooro), Monday, 7 February 2005 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I love them too much to be objective, but I think Crown of Creation is their most consistent, Baxter's their most interesting, and Bark their most wild-cardy. I noticed that Kantner's input hasn't been brought up yet: I enjoyed his "historical period" (Bark, Long John Silver) when his lyrics seemed like an intro Joseph Campbell course.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 7 February 2005 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"White Rabbit" and "Mexico." I like those songs.
They're so embarrassing in that footage from "Gimme Shelter," up there. Pretty fucking awful band.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 7 February 2005 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

after bathing is the one

'rejoyce' is incredible, as is 'two heads' (it invents the first throwing muses lp, which is high praise AFAIC)

it's all about slick

also that shrill, treble-bright, highly-strung feel running through the record seems a lot closer to the acid experience than more blissy gambolling through the meadows type stuff

― blissblogga, Monday, 7 February 2005 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"white rabbit" is corny and overrated.

― eman (eman), Monday, 7 February 2005 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The more you listen to Amon Duul II, the more you realise how much they owe to Jefferson Airplane - but I still prefer ADII. The vocals are a big problem with Jefferson Airplane, I like Grace Slick (tho in small doses) but I hate those songs where everybody in the band bellows along regardless of harmony, tune, metre etc etc etc. "Baxters" has good things on it but too many of the songs sound alike and the noodling experimental stuff on it is shite - "Spare Chaynge"? Give us a break.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently, The Jesus and Mary Chain used to cover "Somebody to Love" live, but I've yet to find a recording.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 8 February 2005 21:00 (twenty-one years ago)

jefferson airplane make 90% of the current "psych" glut completely superfluous. you can feel the fuckedupedness in every drum hit, guitar stutter and hippie wailing moment. classic.

― deru, Wednesday, 9 February 2005 07:31 (twenty-one years ago)

at this point, it's very easy to take the entire JA career out of context, thanks to time and what they did after. which kinda sucked.

BUT, if you can look beyond what they became and trim away the tripe, there's gems in there. personally, i only have the '66-'70 stuff. so, they go from stoner-hippie to LSD laced acrobatics to neo-revolutionary types in the scope of 4 years and make some great tunes. alot of "takes off" can be forgetable based on the sentiments, but it's actually pretty solid. "pillow", as much as it's overplayed, still has some highlights on it. "baxters" is my favorite, as it's the most tripped out stuff. "crown" has some holdover from that."volunteers" also has moments, but is also the last JA album where everyone's contributing, and for me, that's where it ends.

― eedd, Wednesday, 9 February 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

just got "after bathing at baxters", it's excellent.

― eman (eman), Saturday, 5 March 2005 04:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Better than the Beatles.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Wednesday, 9 March 2005 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I've loved "We Can Be Together" ever since its use in the 1979 documentary The War At Home. That song is a thing of beauty no matter what came before or after...

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 10 March 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Listened to "After Bathing At Baxter's" again recently - rubbish for the most part, worse than I remembered, they just aren't very good songwriters, the vocals are intensely irritating all the way thru the album and tho Jorma Kaukonen is an excellent guitarist I wish he'd play a little less. Right after it I played 13th Floor Elevators (2nd & 3rd albums) and they are just so much better in every single department, save boring ones like professionalism, technique and stuff like being able to play and sing in tune. Plus, I've realised all the bands who copied Jefferson Airplane (e.g. Fairport Convention, United States of America and Amon Duul II) are all light years better than them.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 11 March 2005 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

frank, please explain.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 11 March 2005 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah really, do.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Friday, 11 March 2005 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Dadaismus - the bass lines on every track of Baxter's are what do it for me. none of those bands you listed, Amon Duul 2 excepted, have such great bass playing.

― eman (eman), Friday, 11 March 2005 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

He is a good bass player but do you honestly listen to Jefferson Airplane for the bass playing? Very odd.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 11 March 2005 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

heh, i don't mean that's the sole reason i listen to them, but it gives them a trademark sound (at least on baxter's) that those other groups don't have.

― eman (eman), Friday, 11 March 2005 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Can anyone point me to a well-written explanation of how they went from psychedelia in the 60s to slick synth-pop in the 80s? Because I just don't understand how one goes from "White Rabbit" to "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now".

― Tantrum (Tantrum The Cat), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, it's easy, it's the same way one goes from "Children of the Future" to "Abracadabra", or from "Paper Sun" to "Back in the High Life Again", or from "SWLABR" to "It's In the Way that You Use It". It's real easy.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

frank, please explain.

No. If explained, annoying statements such as "Better than the Beatles" are no longer nearly as annoying.

So, not in explanation of the above, Grace Slick doesn't seem like any other hippie singers, unless you count Ann Wilson and Courtney Love as hippie singers. But then, the hippies were more punk than the punks were anyway.

Jack Casady played bass for James Brown.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Siouxsie Sioux as well (though that weakens my argument).

(What argument?)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

(NO, SIOUXSIE DID NOT PLAY BASS FOR JAMES BROWN. AND I AM PROBABLY MISSPELLING HER NAME.)

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

50 Ft. Hose were more fun.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 11 March 2005 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Stubbing your toe is more fun.

― Burr (Burr), Friday, 11 March 2005 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

By the way, just as an anecdote -- but this touches on Chuck (and maybe Frank, too) writing in the past on here about Jefferson Airplane as danceable rock and roll: I was in Italy recently at a mod festival and they had really hip DJs playing mostly obscure freakbeat and stuff and tons of people were dancing. One of the DJs played "Somebody to Love" and people went bananas and kept right on dancing. It sounded great. It was nice to see that mods could get into Jefferson Airplane.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 11 March 2005 20:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I am getting something out of Surrealistic Pillow, but it makes me feel like I'm going deaf straining to hear the *good bits* that ARE there, but badly recorded/mixed. I've got the mono and the stereo (the box set mix) versions and they're both infuriating. The drums are so bloody quiet on the 'rockers' and the mono mix is the least punchy mono mix ever. Oh well.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Friday, 11 March 2005 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Pillow is too folk-rock overall. Funkiest side they ever recorded was Side Two of Bless Its Pointed Little Head (starts w/ "Other Side of this Life" on CD) (Side One is worth avoiding, however). My favorite two Airplane songs are "If You Feel" on Crown of Creation and "Young Girl Sunday Blues" on Baxters.

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Friday, 11 March 2005 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

in regard to Tim's 3xpost: what is "obscure freakbeat"? just mod stuff you can dance to?

― deru, Friday, 11 March 2005 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess the term was just coined in reference to obscure British psychedelia, but people probably use it to refer to European psych, too. Definitely refers to rocking psychedelia that you can dance to, though -- indeed -- as opposed to chamber music psych, more folk-oriented psych, etc.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 11 March 2005 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

four weeks pass...

I just realized that the rhythm of "White Rabbit" sounds really middle eastern. Is that pathetically obvious? Sometimes when you hear something at a very early age, it takes years for these things to occur to you.

― RS £aRue (rockist_scientist), Sunday, 10 April 2005 10:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't know about the rhythm, but the mode is phrygian, which can sound eastern. The chord progression on the verses is also a sort of archetypal flamenco progression.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 10 April 2005 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I am listening to Volunteers and I'm here to tell you that Nicky Hopkins is THE SECRET WEAPON.

― Curious George (1/6 Scale Model) (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 12 April 2005 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

wow "crown of creation" is pretty damn good.

re: the comparison upthread with amon düül 2, the similarity in looks of grace slick and renate knaup is uncanny
http://www.herbgreenefoto.com/gallery/jefferson_airplane/grace-2.jpg http://www.mic.gr/dbimages/1071_1.jpg

― Amon (eman), Sunday, 15 May 2005 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow what a great picture of Grace.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Sunday, 15 May 2005 01:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I've gotten really into the Airplane and Slick/Kantner LPs recently ("Sunfighter" is my fave). Grace is such a terrific songwriter, and I personally love her singing. I also dig the wacky rock-star sci-fi libertarian pot-plant liner note stuff in those Slick/Kantner albums. The original Airplane was such a great band, though; this thread surprises me.

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Wednesday, 18 May 2005 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Just got "Crown of Creation" - I know what you're thinking, more fool me for buying albums by bands I appear not to like, but it was cheap and I thought I'd give it a shot. So, in comparison to "After Bathing", there is less shouting, less shrillness and less Paul Kantner - all of which are plus points in my book. On the debit side, the songwriting (Grace aside) is even more threadbare and there isn't enough of Jorma Kaukonen and what there of him is often thru a wah wah, which is a waste. I think I've just about given up on this band.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

well, if it's any consolation, after 'Crown' there's really only 'Volunteers' then you SHOULD give up on them...

but, that's mine opine.

― eedd, Tuesday, 24 May 2005 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost - please give up on them already, you've already shit on my favorite albums of theirs! there are plenty of other bands with far bigger nits to pick, so have at them!

― Amon (eman), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I've loved this band since I was a kid, though thank goodness I love them a lot less than I used to (i.e. I no longer own everything ever released on Grunt.)

Everytime I play "Two Heads" off "Bathing at Baxter's" when I DJ it out, I get kids running up, wanting to know what the hell it is. That's one hell of a bass line.

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

ten months pass...

Wow, I'm baffled by all the Grace Slick hatred. I'm finally getting around to Surrealistic Pillow, and all I keep asking myself is why the band would so underutilize such a great and distinctive singer. Actually, a few bands I know personally are kind of similar - one great singer, 2 or 3 mediocre ones but hey, it's a big party and we all get to dance, hence no defining sound for the band.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 20 April 2006 02:14 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 367 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I have tried and failed to like Pointed Little Head, but I remember some good live tracks on that 90's box set?

their version of "High Flying Bird" at Monterey is so rad, why the heck was this left off the album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F51JKnSzjRs

― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Sunday, 14 January 2024 02:20 (two years ago)

by "the album" I mean that the song itself was never on an LP, why was it not on Surrealistic Pillow or Bathing idk

― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Sunday, 14 January 2024 02:21 (two years ago)

They even cut it in the studio with Signe for Takes Off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL1vGiRYlbA

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 14 January 2024 02:24 (two years ago)

yeah I think it was (insanely) relegated to a B-side

― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Sunday, 14 January 2024 02:48 (two years ago)

no I guess an outtake?!? even more insane

― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Sunday, 14 January 2024 02:53 (two years ago)

btw this is where I mention that Early Flight also rules and is essential

― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Sunday, 14 January 2024 02:54 (two years ago)

yeah for sure, absolutely love their “high flying bird”, Marty and grace go hard

Also: “HAVE YOU SEEN THE SAUCERS”

Also: JA RULES

― brimstead, Sunday, 14 January 2024 03:16 (two years ago)

The chord progression and feel is so evocative, it seems to me there should have been some long 12 minute modal jam of “White Rabbit”.

The Airplane had the tunes but were a bit more reserved on the jams. Quicksilver had the jams but did not have the tunes.

― The Artist formerly known as Earlnash, Sunday, 14 January 2024 05:47 (two years ago)

The Great Society version of "White Rabbit" has extended groove jam opening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxxnDGWI3e8

If you're a Grace fan, that Great Society live twofer live CD is a must.

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 14 January 2024 06:13 (two years ago)

Yeah that’s a great disc.

― Wooly Bully (2005 Remaster) (morrisp), Sunday, 14 January 2024 06:32 (two years ago)

Say, can I have some of your purple berries?
Yes, I've been eating them for six or seven weeks now
Haven't got sick once
Probably keep us both alive

I was thinking about this line from "Wooden Ships" last night; how it represents the strength the counterculture derived from the continuum of rock music history up to that point (from Chuck Berry to Deep Purple.

― Halfway there but for you, Sunday, 14 January 2024 17:07 (two years ago)

(fwiw, took some doing, but I tracked down the 516-page Kantner book. b/w scans of 516 8x11 pages of text with drawings (by Kantner), hieroglyphics, etc. in a single PDF. If you need it, get in touch.)

For a quick overview of this acid-deranged/visionary project, which was a sequel to Blows Against the Empire: Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (album)

― jaywbabcock, Friday, 26 January 2024 19:15 (two years ago)

one year passes...

Do I need to listen to Live at Monterey Pop?

― Blind Willie Minitel (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 February 2025 17:53 (one year ago)

If I remember the film correctly, "Today" is a highlight.

― clemenza, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:03 (one year ago)

yeah they rule, a killer "High Flying Bird" as well iirc

― sleeve, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:04 (one year ago)

As a film, I'd take Monterey over Woodstock.

― clemenza, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:08 (one year ago)

oh totally!

― sleeve, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:09 (one year ago)

the Janis footage alone is GOAT

― sleeve, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:10 (one year ago)

Listening to The Great Society right now instead.

― Blind Willie Minitel (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:15 (one year ago)

lol I just saw the part of the Sly Stone doc covering those sessions

― sleeve, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:17 (one year ago)

I'm at work now, but I'll set up a poll later with those two plus Gimme Shelter (JA being in all three).

― clemenza, Thursday, 20 February 2025 18:30 (one year ago)

They were wonderful in Monterey Pop, yes. 1967 was their best year in many ways.

― birdistheword, Thursday, 20 February 2025 20:59 (one year ago)

New Grace Slick interview. I've never looked into any background about the band outside of their work so a lot of the info's new to me, but wow is that a succinct yet graphic description of her brief fling with Jim Morrison.

― birdistheword, Thursday, 27 February 2025 04:24 (one year ago)

I remember a review of her autobio in Q or Mojo that was basically "...She has unclear memories of many landmark events in Rock history, but she definitely never forgot a penis!"

― Okay, heteros are cutting edge this year, too. (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 27 February 2025 05:06 (one year ago)

one year passes...

Am I right that there's never been a JA album poll? If not, I'll have to put one up tomorrow (just a checkbox poll)--seems odd.

Anyway, I'll skip the context, but after tonight's Jays game, Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell said "If I pay to see Jefferson Airplane, I want to hear 'Eskimo Blue Day'..." Wow--that's a fan.

― clemenza, Wednesday, 1 April 2026 02:11 (two months ago)

Jorma was so sick widdit

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 1 April 2026 02:27 (two months ago)

Grace Slick's long character arc, from Bear Melt to Panda

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 1 April 2026 02:51 (two months ago)

I mean to check out Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun to see where it falls in the Airplane/Starship continuum.

It's about 58% Airplane to 42% Starship.

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 1 April 2026 02:57 (two months ago)

with a decent amount of mellotron

― brimstead, Wednesday, 1 April 2026 03:47 (two months ago)

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