i found Volunteers and Bathing At Baxters thru my grandma's record collection (she's a yung one), and it was one of those mind-expanding moments for me—both in terms of my own listening habits and also realizing what my older relatives had been exposed to
― austinb, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:29 (five years ago) link
like turrican said, neither of them get as much attention as Pillow, but to me they're huge validations of that time when psych was evolving into prog as something more than just "transitional"
― austinb, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:31 (five years ago) link
Pillow is my least fave of that run actually (and I'm not saying that to be "interesting" or whatever, as I know it's the canonical choice; I've just never listened to it as much as the others). I think "Takes Off" is way underrated, love that one...
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:33 (five years ago) link
Baxters has been one of my favourite lps for the last few decades.They were pretty great live in 68 too.
& I love the song Good Shepherd from Volunteers. As well as Hey frederick & Eskimo Blue Day. Gun Club covered that last one too.
I think Spencer Dryden is one of my all time favourite drummers. I don't like Joey Covington much seems to be too heavy handed and not as fluid or something.
Spencer was Charlie Chaplin's nephew apparently too.
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:42 (five years ago) link
There's so much to like about them, but I think Paul Kantner's songwriting is really my favorite aspect of the group. I haven't really studied it, but he seems to have a style that is very intricate and very much his own. He is so brilliant throughout the Baxter's album.
― timellison, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 21:59 (five years ago) link
Yeah, those vocal lines are so distinctive... I don't think I was really attuned to his songwriting "voice" until I got into the Kantner/Slick/etc. offshoot stuff.
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Tuesday, 3 April 2018 22:20 (five years ago) link
Seems like by this point the hippie dream was dead, songs veering from flimsy idealism (like the living on a farm track) to the bleak war commentary “hey Frederik”.
I think they got even bleaker and better after that: there was their 1970 single "Mexico" (rousing, but also bleak and weary), and--I'm probably alone on this--Bark's "Thunk" is brilliant.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 3 April 2018 22:48 (five years ago) link
I'm listening to Baxter's right now - the dual gtr break that comes in at 1:16 is so f'n gnarly
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Tuesday, 3 April 2018 23:11 (five years ago) link
("Mexico" is an awesome song, btw -- the bridge kills me. "There are brothers everywhere...!")
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Tuesday, 3 April 2018 23:14 (five years ago) link
I'm listening to Baxter's right now - the dual gtr break that comes in at 1:16 is so f'n gnarly(^^I was referring to "The Last Wall of the Castle" in this post, btw)
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Tuesday, 3 April 2018 23:18 (five years ago) link
...Baxter's is the one I listen to the most... 'Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon'!
― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 06:52 (five years ago) link
Can’t say I’ve heard Mexico, will check that out.
Baxter’s is so good - two heads may be my favourite grace vocal other than frederik
― Eris (Ross), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 07:05 (five years ago) link
Mexico is AMAZING
Grace's piano balladry on Baxter's is also AMAZING. it is oddly one of their albums i listen to most now but in the past i was definitely into the earlier stuff.
― surm, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 18:50 (five years ago) link
sorry no apostrophe intended. "two heads" kills me
― surm, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 18:53 (five years ago) link
omg and actually i meant VOLUNTEERS when i was talking about Grace's piano balladry -- HEY FREDERICK is one of my most memorable moments from her.
#geekingout
― surm, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 18:55 (five years ago) link
All the airplane love makes me happy
― Eris (Ross), Wednesday, 4 April 2018 18:58 (five years ago) link
Great Society is worth checking out too, I do love Darby Slick's guitar. Wish there was a lot more of it.The solo Grunt label lps are pretty great too, or maybe that's trio plus and solo.
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 4 April 2018 19:05 (five years ago) link
Hey Fredrick is such a stunner
― bedraggled vorticist (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 6 April 2018 15:50 (five years ago) link
Surm Im not quite sure this is up yr alley but you ever hear Silver Spoon?
Grace inventing goregrind w a grand piano in 1971, thats all..
― bedraggled vorticist (Drugs A. Money), Friday, 6 April 2018 15:54 (five years ago) link
https://youtu.be/7Is2OeUZ6Sg
Sunfighter is a great alb
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Friday, 6 April 2018 17:37 (five years ago) link
Haven't listened to the whole thing since I bought it (30 years ago?), but the one song I love and keep on the hard drive is "When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves."
― clemenza, Friday, 6 April 2018 18:22 (five years ago) link
I was listening to it a couple of years ago around the same time i was listening to Howlin Rain and thinking it shared some qualities like a near gospel feel.THink I was really thinking Manhole and Baron Von Tollbooth when I was saying Grunt label stuff. So should listen to it some more.
― Stevolende, Friday, 6 April 2018 19:47 (five years ago) link
Manhole rules. So does Baron Von Tollbooth. And Dragonfly. And yeah, Sunfighter. I grew up on this stuff.
― brimstead, Friday, 6 April 2018 23:10 (five years ago) link
& the very early live sets by Jefferson Starship have the band playing tracks from at least Manhole live. I'm thinking of a few from 1974 that I have.
― Stevolende, Saturday, 7 April 2018 06:25 (five years ago) link
I looked at a bunch of albums over the weekend that a friend's brother was scrapping, and ended up taking about 50. Best of all was a perfect copy of Flight Log, poster/book included. I've got all the JA albums except 30 Seconds Over Winterland, so I already have most of it, but it's something I always wanted and never bought at the time. I really noticed "Have You Seen the Saucers" for the first time--I've had Early Flight for ages, but somehow it escaped my attention. (I love "Mexico" so much, I guess I got sidetracked.) Great song. Christgau praises it in one CG entry, makes fun of it the next. He got it right the first time.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 00:55 (five years ago) link
Oops--it's not "Have You Seen the Saucers," it's "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite?" from Blows Against the Empire. Which I don't have, so that explains it.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 00:59 (five years ago) link
That whole LP is klassic!
― absorbed carol channing's powers & psyche (morrisp), Tuesday, 10 April 2018 01:19 (five years ago) link
that album is great! it's a trip!
― brimstead, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 01:47 (five years ago) link
Blows really is a great album - I especially get a kick out of 'Mau Mau Amerikon' cause it's like everyone assumed 'We Can Be Together' was the pinnacle of Kantner's revolution-speak lyrics and he went 'pff, I was just getting started', haha. "Rabid lover-feelin' the starch in your grin Callin' for acid cocaine and grass" etc
― whitehallunity, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 02:39 (five years ago) link
Just listened to Manhole for the first time. This is killer! I feel as if - especially on the title track - this is how I always wanted to hear Grace Slick sing. Her obsession with Spanish music is right up front on those first two tracks.
― Josefa, Friday, 13 April 2018 21:32 (five years ago) link
RIP Marty Balin
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jefferson-airplane-guitarist-marty-balin-dead-76-730912/
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 28 September 2018 22:49 (five years ago) link
RIP Marty, goddamn what a voice.
― brimstead, Friday, 28 September 2018 23:01 (five years ago) link
RIP, gonna spin "Coming Back To Me" when I get home
― sleeve, Friday, 28 September 2018 23:03 (five years ago) link
What a voice, yes.
― clemenza, Saturday, 29 September 2018 00:40 (five years ago) link
Today...I feel like pleasin you...more than beforeMarty!
― calstars, Saturday, 29 September 2018 01:45 (five years ago) link
If you only you believe in Miracles...such a smooth yet haunted sounding voice.
― earlnash, Saturday, 29 September 2018 04:50 (five years ago) link
so long marty, will always love those airplane records
― I'd Rather Kecak (NickB), Saturday, 29 September 2018 06:07 (five years ago) link
Really saddened by this... such an amazing, smooth, sultry, sweet voice - whether on his own or as such a perfect counterpoint to Grace Slick. And an excellent songwriter too.
― Lee626, Saturday, 29 September 2018 10:35 (five years ago) link
Damn, RIP
― The nexus of the crisis (Sund4r), Saturday, 29 September 2018 13:16 (five years ago) link
There's a nice Facebook post from Jorma Kaukonen that showed up on my wall twice removed. It's a little long...would it be a breach of some sort to post it here? It looks like it was meant to be widely disseminated.
― clemenza, Saturday, 29 September 2018 14:19 (five years ago) link
Easily my favorite vocalist of that group. Grace tends toward stridency and Paul couldn't sing a lick. His was a fine, blue eyed soul voice. Besides the obvious JA material, i always liked, nay loved his mid to late 70s JStarship tunes also. And even his solo hit Hearts, which would make a fine song for Al Green himself!
― VyrnaKnowlIsAHeadbanger, Saturday, 29 September 2018 14:24 (five years ago) link
Went down into the crowd to try to stop things at Altamont and got punched
― timellison, Saturday, 29 September 2018 19:49 (five years ago) link
Not only that, it looks like he got shoved off the stage @ around 4:40 in the clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLWhRDkJSWE
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 29 September 2018 20:10 (five years ago) link
I love his voice, yeah. The combination of his and Slick's really makes some of the early Jefferson Starship stuff for me.
― The nexus of the crisis (Sund4r), Saturday, 29 September 2018 23:04 (five years ago) link
Seems like the world would have had a lot fewer people had "Miracles" not been written.
― Ubering With The King (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 1 October 2018 03:08 (five years ago) link
It's an amazing song, the way it builds and swells, and yeah the sexiness of it. Very unique. I remember precisely where I was when I first heard it and probably so do a lot of people
― Josefa, Monday, 1 October 2018 03:16 (five years ago) link
Today and With Your Love are my faves. eerie transcendent power of love.
― Paul, Thursday, 4 October 2018 10:29 (five years ago) link
Old enough that I bought Spitfire on release, just as I was beginning to love the Airplane via Worst Of.
― clemenza, Thursday, 4 October 2018 11:50 (five years ago) link
After Bathing at Baxters is yer man innit.Quite quite scrumptuous.
― Stevolende, Thursday, 4 October 2018 13:54 (five years ago) link