Jefferson Airplane

Not that that's really appealing (to the extent that it might be true). I think a big part of what's appealing about them sonically is actually their warmth.

They truly rock like no one else. Not big on riffs, just great instrumental interplay and searing lead guitar/vocals.

wow I think Reynolds actually nailed it right there, can't imagine those records sounding like anything other than what they do. One of my favorite bands, and yes, Jorma is a god .. I *so* wanted to fly out to New York last December for his 70th! birthday bashes at the Beacon, but alas the funds just weren't there ... saw him like three times in 2010 otherwise, tho -- two Hot Tuna sets, one set with Dave Bromberg

Don't know much of this band's stuff but I absolutely love 'Have You Seen the Stars Tonite?' (which I think may have been Starship anyway)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl1PkH2D9EI

Blows Against the Empire and the other 70s pre-Starship solo Kantner albums are definitely all on my 'stuff to get' list

SAAATUUUURRRDAAAAaaaAAYY AAAFFTERRNOOOOON

still digging volunteers a lot. need to get more stuff by them.

i think i like them more than the dead so far, both bands i never really checked out too much. while the dead have a lot of good things, airplane "goes for it" a little bit harder which i like

btw,

what exactly does marty balin do in this band?

ululates, takes good publicity stills

according to wiki, has mild autism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ia2YcPwNVo

just watched the clip of airplane from gimme shelter...god, forgot how chilling that movie is.

props to balin for being the only one of the performers that day that just didn't stand up there say "hey be cool everyone"

Fidelity and panning make me wonder if After Bathing at Baxter's was recorded on four track.

matt if yer into JORMA, as you should me, you should check out some hot tuna LPs. my fave is 'burgers.' i love the airplane. think surrealistic pillow is my favorite, but really love baxter's, crown of creation, and volunteers too. blows against the empire is fun, and takes off is fine but a bit primitive by the the standard of their later heights...

I'm surprised there's only been three mentions of Bless Its Pointed Little Head in this long thread. That's where they sound completely on top of their game - the scorching version of "Plastic Fantastic Lover," the revamped version of "Somebody to Love"... almost a swaggering vibe to the whole record.

Ended up writing a little something on "Young Girl Sunday Blues":

http://thisiheard.blogspot.com/2011/05/jefferson-airplane-young-girl-sunday.html

matt if yer into JORMA, as you should be, you should check out some hot tuna LPs. my fave is 'burgers.'

This one song (from Burgers) is as great as even the greatest Airplane:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nHgt13nCrg

Oh man, hell yeah. god, Hot Tuna >>>>> Starship ( and I actually like almost all Starship stuff)

*J* Starship , i guess i should have said ( i forgot that, in the case of this collective, it is key not to casually drop-off a modifier when making references)

What do y'all think of the Great Society?

I'm surprised there's only been three mentions of Bless Its Pointed Little Head in this long thread. That's where they sound completely on top of their game - the scorching version of "Plastic Fantastic Lover," the revamped version of "Somebody to Love"... almost a swaggering vibe to the whole record.

Indeed. The way the band come in piecemeal on Somebody To Love, until the bass part comes in properly and the whole thing locks together, is great.

What do y'all think of the Great Society?

versh of "Sally Round the Roses" is all psych heaven!!

I'm surprised there's only been three mentions of Bless Its Pointed Little Head

also .... fucking "BEAR MELT"!!

Great Society is good stuff but doesn't get nearly the play around my place as the prime Airplane records.

this is actually one of my fave JA documents:

http://www.amazon.com/Sweeping-Up-Spotlight-Live-Fillmore/dp/B003W77U88/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1304916426&sr=1-5

seriously, if you dig Jorma, you gotta get that CD.

it rules.

"Good Shepard" appears early on. gets better and better

not sure which version I like more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LPDCdtjkx0

Seems like it must have sounded pretty crazy and evil in 1966.

The one Great Society song I love is "Free Advice."

I wanted to post my favourite weird Airplane song, "Thunk," but it's been removed from YouTube. It pretty much stands apart from anything they ever did. This is pretty great too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8FucBj_q8&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

that hot tuna song posted above is pretty hot stuff

Inspired by this thread, I played side 2 of "Crown Of Creation" last night. I also went to the record store today in search of "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", which I thought I had but didn't. They were out as well.

Hey guys: as part of what I assume is the gradual folding of the Collector's Choice label, Deep Discount is offering the 4 JA live albums CC music dropped last year for the total price of around $11 here.

woah ... awesome find! Thanks, C. Grisso/McCain!

Thanks--ordered five non-JA CDS (shipping to Canada: ugh, but still cheap overall).

They are an immensely flawed band, but I feel like the flaws are part of why I have a soft spot for them, or at least for their late 60s material. It feels like an honest document of those times, as in their music really exemplified a lot of the techniques and concepts that seemed hip and the way forward then but seem really embarrassing now, but they really... went for it, and I can't fault them for that.
For me it's all about the three-part harmonies plus the collision of different lead vocalists in one tune on a lot of their stuff. The guy right near the top of the thread who compared them to X is otm I think. Sometimes I think Slick benefits too much from her reputation of being the cool/smart/stylish one in an uncool band, but at the end of the day her voice is kind of incredible. Bass is pretty good on their peak material. Lead guitar is mediocre imo. Drumming is shite even when they were at their best (supposedly it's better on the live recordings but I've never ventured that far). Crown of Creation prob their best individual album.

As you may have noticed now, the only times I post in non funky house related threads is when I'm drunk. If anyone were to post a Dead Kennedys thread in this sort of situation I would prob ramble on all night.

I like Spencer Dryden - nice touch, creative.

Their first album, when Signe Anderson and Skip Spence were still in the band, is so underrated. "Blues From An Airplane", "It's No Secret", "Come Up The Years", and a whole bunch of other great songs. Holds up much better than other late-'60s hippie bands they're often compared with.

Pillow is one of my top 5 albums from 1967 - Balin and Slick may be my favorite mixed-gender vocal pairing of all time (well at least of those where one of them isn't Sandy Denny). And more great songs - "Today" and especially "Comin' Back To Me" sound as if they hailed from the 16th century. Skip's "My Best Friend" doesn't sound like the work of a crazy guy.

After that they unraveled - too much druggy noodling, long jams, lack of focus, though there were some occasional highlights.

Just got done with Return To The Matrix, the last of those four CCMusic live albums (all of which I got on the sale I linked to upthread and then held back for my birthday a couple weeks ago). The second disc is serious heat, concluding w/a killer 10 minute "...You and Me and Pooneil"

RIP Joey Covington

:(

Fuck that newspaper for showing the scene of the crash, imo. R.I.P.

aiiieee

Was listening to "Won't you try..." last week!

I picked up Baron von Tollbooth... (Kantner/Slick/Freiberg) from the cheapie bin at Fry's last week and am seriously loving it. All that Mellotron, interesting piano work from Grace, crystalline Jerry Garcia steel, actual tunes-it's like the country-prog move JA could never pull off..

I should totally check that one out, I ended up liking at least half of Sunfighter

I like "When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves" and "Million" a lot.

"When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves"

http://cards.littleoak.com.au/197172_daily_mirror_my_club/wolverhampton_wanderers.jpg

I imagine the song is not sung in a Black Country accent though, if only

Can't really say I get the thought process that brought them here (did a little reading, and it was commissioned), but in the film, it works okay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAJ4-Ey7jBM

jesus the music supervision in "american hustle" is beyond horrible.