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They've always been overlooked and unrated in my book. Don't forget that's Jack with Jimi Hendrix on Voodoo Child. To a lot of uninformed people, the Airplane was 'that' group that had the pop radio hits of Someone to Love and White Rabbit and Grace Slick. Check out the DVD with them called A Night at the Family Dog 1970 (The Grateful Dead / Jefferson Airplane / Santana). A time capsule of screaming guitars, great singers and cool tunes. Live, they could tear the place down. Jack Casady was so far beyond a 'bass' player, he played a lead guitarist who played bass getting solo's.
Throw in Paul Kantner's rhythm guitar and great song writing, Spencer's jazz influenced drumming [which I appreciate more with every listening], and Grace and Marty trading vocal riffs, and y'all got a piece of RnR heaven. But the Airplane was so much heavier than that. And Jorma attacking his guitar.well just buy this CD and check it out yourself. If you never saw them live you missed something special. In the late 60's and early 70's Jack and Jorma were [and still are] probably the best American lead and bass guitarist in the business. If you like psychedelic music, this is a must have. They've been in my head for 40 + years and the music and era still holds up really well.
The Other Side Of This Life (Live) is the best performance on the record and "Volunteers" and "Good Shepherd" are also solid. This is not "Bless Its Pointed Little Head," but I am so happy I purchased it. You Wear Your Dresses Too Short (Live) has vapid lyrics (what was Marty thinking), but there is a moment of frenzied perfection in it, so I will not delete it from my iPod. The recording is a mixed blessing - some songs are first rate an inspired and Jorma and Jack soar - inspired by their Hot Tuna collaboration. Very interesting to hear "Uncle Sam Blues (Live)" having owned it for years on the Hot Tuna live recording. Four and a quarter stars. School of Rock album, honestly.
We found It to be in very good condition and was very pleased with the transaction. My grandoughter made this purchase as we both use the Account. thank you bev nichols and brandy cooper
Yes, there's a bit of embarrassing stuff--Marty on "Dresses", though the jam behind him isn't bad (which, actually, is a preview of later Airplane, with Jorma and Jack jamming away, apparently oblivious to the lame material they're playing behind. Thirty Seconds has its moments but, well, the Airplane was dying a slow death, and it's for that reason that I haven't bought Last Flight. Having always been a huge fan of Bless It's Pointed Little Head, I've been disappointed again and again by other live Airplane releases. Or perhaps they were all too aware, hence Jorma's "my body's getting tired from carrying others' loads"). Then there are the various Monterey releases, which are good but marred by off-key vocals, and then there was that truly awful Fillmore compilation a while ago. This one, though, has it all, with incredible versions of Good Shepherd, Pooneil, and Other Side. In addition, 3/5 and Plastic Fantastic pale compared to the Pointed Little Head versions, and Jorma's blues tunes make me want to listen to Hot Tuna instead. Take those out, however, and you've go an album of around the same length as Bless Its Pointed Little Head (no, I haven't actually counted the minutes) and arguably as good or better.
With each new Airplane "live" release I anticipate the sister album to "Bless its Pointed Little Head," one of the greatest concert albums of that era, alas it is not to be, sadly again. None of which appear on this cd, consisting of a tired rehash of songs that are better performed elsewhere. I am still naïve enough at 54 to purchase this CD thinking this would capture "my J.A. Two other mediocre time wasters are tepid renditions of "Uncle Sam's Blues" and "You Wear Your Dresses Too Short". I know, because I (sort of) clearly remember hearing the Airplane play one of the greatest concerts I ever attended in the gymnasium of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia on about, Nov. 25, 1969, a few days before these New York recordings were made. What an incredible disappointment this disc is. The exception is a bad version of "Good Shepard" that is so lethargic (with Jorma singing like he is in the john) it begs to be put out of it's seven minute misery.
Jack Cassady saves the day with a bass solo in the middle of "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" that will make you stop what you are doing and lose track of time--he is a master. The songs on "Sweeping Up The Spotlight" (you know they have lost control of their music with such a lame title) sound rushed, as if they are very nervous (doubtful) or hopped up on too much speed (more likely). They all are, which is what made the Jefferson Airplane so great. Penn. Which I don't understand, because as a devoted fan of the Jefferson Airplane I firmly believe there has to be more seminal "live" material of the perfected quality heard on "Pointed Head" locked away in an RCA vault somewhere in California. The later was supposedly written for Otis Redding before he passed, and was wisely turned down by other soul music greats.
concert" and I was going to trip back in time to a magical night in Philly when the Jefferson Airplane were soaring in full flight, instead I get this bummer of a crash landing.Part of what made the U. Concert so memorable was the song selection from the Airplane catalog,, gems like "If You Feel", "Young Girl Sunday Blues", "Triad" and "Lather" as well as the (then) new stuff, "We Can Be Together" and "Hey Frederick". Though Areatha Franklin did a version of "Come Back Baby" written by that famous guy, Traditional, that leaves Jorma's arrangement staring into the punchbowl at the Kool-Aid Acid Test.So what is good about this recording. But it deepens the sorrow of their passing into music history when decidedly less-than stellar efforts are released and offered up as part of that history.
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