Fly High with Jefferson Airplane
Full disclosure #1: I generally hate box sets.
Full disclosure #2: I absolutely love Jefferson Airplane.
Sure, they received their share of fame (and no doubt money)during the glory days of San Francisco. But, I still believe their contribution to American music is more extensive and far more reaching than generally conceded by critics. Blessed with two great singers, Marty Balin and Grace Slick, multiple songwriters, and one of the greatest guitar / bass combinations in history, the Airplane had it all going on.
This group also perfectly captures the seemingly abrupt transition of traditional American blues and folk influences into psychedelic explorations of sci-fi themes without losing that substantial roots connection. Jorma Kaukonen (guitar) and Jack Cassidy (bass) later formed the roots rock group Hot Tuna.
The fact that Jefferson Airplane achieved any popular acceptance at all is a credit to both their originality and talent. The Airplane never compromised their vision for commercial reward (this would soon be rectified by the crass commercialism of Jefferson Starship, a pop offshoot of the band). The remnants of this great group subsequently record everything from primitive blues standards to the slickest of commercial pop. That is a range of abilities!
Jefferson Airplane was also that rare psychedelic group that could kick butt and take names during live performances. I have heard hundreds of live recordings of this group and they almost always push the envelope even during live performances. Few live recordings of the same song were ever identical yet they possessed the instrumental acumen to bring amazing studio effects and innovations to the stage on a faithful basis. The live performances on this box set demonstrate their total command over their material, giving them the foundation, freedom, and confidence to explore new frontiers even before a live audience.
As for this box set: it is perfect in that for newcomers it manages to adequately document the entirety of their catalogue while still exposing diehard passengers to alternate takes, live versions, previously unreleased material, and rarities. Therefore, this is the rare box set that offers a comprehensive overview of this seminal group's career for new fans as well as desirable new material for those already familiar with their recorded output.
All Jefferson Airplane recordings come with this caveat: despite their instrumental prowess, literate lyrics, stellar vocals, and studio creativity, the simple truth is that RCA sucked during this era and like almost all of their acts, the Airplane suffered from some of the worst production of that time. God only knows how transcendent the Airplane would sound if properly produced, but alas, we will never know. Even with remastering, some vocals are hopelessly buried in the mix and what should be soaring guitar flourishes are lost in a fog of white noise.
Bottom line is that if you are somewhat curious as to what all the fuss was about way back then or if you already own every single regularly released Airplane album, you will still be delighted with this box. This box set also contains one of the best booklet inserts ever. If you don't like psychedelic music, San Francisco, or the Woodstock Nation in general you should have stopped reading this review long ago.
Peace out!...and don't forget: Jefferson Airplane DID Love You and left you this gift (a gift that keeps on giving).Read full review
