Is Anyone Listening Any More? Dept. - Jefferson Airplane

Paul, Jack, Signe, Spencer, Marty, and Skip. Frontloaded with talent, love, and hope. Photo: Morton Beebe

I was getting my Ford Rental P.O.S. gassed up somewhere on Sunset Boulevard, and the gas jockey recognised The Mamas And The Papas' People Like Us on the tape player. "Underrated album," he said. "Surprised you have it." I told him I was surprised he knew it, what with him not being born when it was released, and we fell to talking. Our agreed stance was that San Francisco hippie music had not stood the test of time as well as the more professional studio product coming out of L.A. This would be in '98, because I'd just staggered from the Cinerama Dome where I'd fallen asleep during The Big Lebowski, a much-loved and quoted (well, "it really tied the room together" and "the Dude abides") movie that left me, and still leaves me, bored and puzzled by its appeal. Yes, we all love Jeff Bridges, by George, and some of us like John Goodman, who's agreeably fat and growly but cannot actually act. At all. But yeesh ... anyway. My gas jockey friend made a face when I asked if he liked the Airplane, conceding that Grace Slick was a piece of work.

That rug really ties the room together. Photo: John Olsen

The Quicksilver piece drew a heartening response, but there seemed to be some sort of consensus that they peaked with the first two albums, which still hold a full charge and are very much worth listening to. Jefferson Airplane are similar. Ish. Except they have at least three Imperial Period albums if you count Pointed Head, which I do, and a couple of Bony-Fido chart smashes, which was always beyond Quicksilver's pay grade. Does anyone outside this small circle of friends still listen to th' Airplane? Young people? Anybody know any young people into this-type music? Is this wonderment going to die with us? Does it matter? Why am I asking you? Hoo hah?

"Underrated first album" syndrome, shared with folk-rockers Fairport Convention, who also exchanged their first singer for the second breakthrough album. If the Airplane had only recorded this, it'd still get four stars for its strong original material, and unprecedented, spectacular, bass playing.

 

 

 

Force of nature Grace Slick brought two songs from her previous group and lit up everything like a white-hot sun, at least for a while. Who says you can't have it all?

 

 

 

 

 

The burnout begins here; that third album lack of direction, and a perverse refusal to cut a hit meant side-lining Balin, the guy who started it all.

 

 

 

 

 

There's a seemingly limitless supply of live Airplane, but this is as exciting as it gets. You had to be there? If you were, you have your memories, and if you weren't, it's an exploding ticket to Be Here Now. The iconic cover has that "excess all areas" Beggars Banquet vibe; the dance became decadence as cocaine and heroin poisoned the 'sixties.

 

 

 

 

This post homologated by Hometown Homer's Homogeneous Homologation Holistics, Happy Hollow, NH.