Jefferson Airplane - Bless Its Pointed Little Head (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

It Sounds Better, But It Used to Be Perfect!

Coloratura | Cincinnati, OH | 10/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just finished spinning the new BIPLH remaster and felt it warranted some detailed comment. First of all, everything about the packaging is terrific; I was especially pleased to see Mike Frankel's photos from one of the actual Fillmore East gigs where the album was recorded. ("Ah, so that's what they were wearing...")

BIPLH itself has been appreciably remastered, with heightened clarity and instumental image separation. Certain sounds that got smudged on earlier masterings, like Spencer Dryden's high-hat and Jorma Kaukonen's lightning-fast lead fingerings are brought crisply forward, making the live performance itself more staggering than ever. ("Some o' them chords," indeed.) The drums are the biggest sonic difference over the previous issue, but the group interplay in general is also easier now to separate in the mind's ear -- for instance, I found it possible to just focus on Paul Kantner's Leslie-fied guitar noodlings in "Bear Melt," which exposed the brilliance of his contribution to one awesome mother of a live performance.

I note, with some pain, that the sticky smudge which plagued the earliest issues of this album on CD during Jorma's introductory lead on "Plastic Fantastic Lover," is back -- though digitally glossed over. (But I can still hear it -- and it was fixed for the previous issue!) But the big sonic disappointment for me is how Jack Casady's bass comes off -- such a consistently brilliant performance, but why doesn't it reach down to my system's sub-woofer, even with the bass enhanced?

Jack's Guild Starfire II roars through my sub-woofer only on the last three numbers, the bonus tracks added to this remastered CD and allegedly intended for the original release but booted due to vinyl's time constraints. Here, suddenly, you can feel the bass as well as hear it. Why not for the bulk of the album? A mocking reminder of what SHOULD have been.

As for the three bonus tracks (all three from the Fillmore East and apparently, unlike everything else on the record, presented in the sequence they were recorded live), I suppose I can believe they were considered for inclusion, but it doesn't sound as though they were mixed for inclusion. Marty Balin's vocal on "Today" is fairly trippy and weak at the beginning; if he's half the perfectionist I think he is, he would probably have wanted to overdub this in the studio had it reached that stage of ultimate consideration. On the other two songs, "Watch Her Ride" and "Won't You Try", both beautifully performed (the latter remarkably close in spirit to the song's Woodstock performance), every member seems to be playing and

singing at equal volume, as heard on the Airplane's lamentable (and apparently completely unmixed) LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST album. These tracks also needed some additional studio fine-tuning, if only just to make a more pleasing and less combatative stereo setting for the band.

But the unpolished presence on these tracks on this -- the most virtuosic of all live '60s rock albums, in my opinion -- weakens the whole. Not enough for me to subtract a star, though."

Hello? May we know what the extra tracks are, please?

Coloratura | 06/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great album. Having seen the Airplane many times in SF, both loud and soft, I can tell you they varied wildly as a live band. They could be too loud, off-key singing, terrible. BUT. On a good night, they were untouchable. This album is almost as good as they got - not quite, but close enough to give you an idea. Sure would be nice if Amazon listed the bonus tracks so we would know whether to buy another version of it! At any rate, if you don't have it and like the Airplane to any degree, buy this record. I think it was Casady who was quoted as saying something along the lines of "This was the first live recording of ourselves we listened to where we didn't all get up and leave the room!" Listen to "Its' No Secret" on the first album, then listen to it on this album and you'll see why they could tear your head off live."

That loud rumble you hear is Jack Casady

John F. Browning | 07/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When the Airplane recorded this blitzkrieg onslaught of out-of-control psychedelic rock, they were the biggest band in the US and, observed from a ballroom floor they were Great.

This particular set is played faster (amphetamines?) than most by JA, but you'll soon get the picture. We're talking sonic boom, here with an overlay of dueling vocalism, the likes of which have never been heard again.

This was a band with four vocalist/songwriters (Marty, Paul, Jorma, Grace), transcendental overdrive built in to the engine and more than a little craziness (Grace Slick, mainly). There is also the matter of the bass player known as "God" to his adherents, Jack Casady. He never fails.

I could go on, but hey, I'm a bit biased. This group was my favorite live group. For contrast, try JA's "Crown of Creation", an inky, dark slab of psychedelia from 1968. (By the way, Jorma Kaukonen is one of the great ones, then AND now)."

The Jefferson Airplane soars in concert with this superb alb

Sharpphoto | New York, New York | 09/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the heyday of the psychedelic rock era in San Francisco, the album, "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", is a fine recording of a live concert by one of the city's best-known and much-loved bands, The Jefferson Airplane. The concert was recorded, in late 1968, at the venerable rock temple, The Fillmore East, in New York City, and also at its sister venue in San Francisco, The Fillmore West, both owned by one-time Airplane manager, Bill Graham. Combining the powerful vocal mix of Grace Slick, Marty Balin, and Paul Kantner, with the musicianship of Jorma Kaukonen, lead guitarist extraordinaire, Jack Casady, bassist, and Spencer Dryden, drummer, you have an exceptional example here of psychedelic rock, San Francisco-style, at its best recorded live. For instance, give a listen to the intense interaction between the vocals of singer, Marty Balin, and the lead guitar work of Jorma Kaukonen on the song, "Plastic Fantastic Lover", something that is definitely missing on all studio recordings of this song. The energy is phenomenal. Or, give a listen to the intricate interplay, for more than six minutes, no less, between bass, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar on the song, "The Other Side of This Life". Superb.

With guidance from their friend, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane produced their breakthrough album in 1967 with their second studio effort, "Surrealistic Pillow." As a product of those sessions, the band had a huge hit during that year's Summer of Love with the song, "Somebody to Love", sung by Grace Slick. It certainly received plenty of radio airplay from coast to coast. This particular song along with several other memorable songs from the album, namely, "White Rabbit", "Today", and the instrumental, "Embryonic Journey", provided the band with national name recognition, something that all bands of that era sought as a step towards success, fame, and riches. Grace Slick, having had joined The Jefferson Airplane a year earlier, brought to the band a distinctive female voice, an unmatched stage presence, and songwriting ability. It certainly paid off. That same year, the band released its third studio album, "After Bathing at Baxters." And then, in 1968, with the release of the band's fourth studio album, "Crown of Creation", the band decided that it was time for the Airplane to release an official recording of one of its concerts. After all, other San Francisco bands, such as The Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, had similar thoughts in mind. Within a year, all three bay-area bands released recordings of their live shows. Quicksilver Messenger Service released an album entitled, "Happy Trails", that was an exceptional example of the fine San Francisco sound of that era. Additionally, the release of these albums was a way for management of each group to counter the sudden proliferation and popularity of illegal bootleg recordings that easily ate into each band's earnings.

Within a few years of the release of the album, "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", however, members of the Jefferson Airplane began to go their seperate ways. Internal problems within the band came to a head at a live concert at Altamont (California) in late 1969. This particular, and now infamous, free concert featured The Rolling Stones, with the Airplane scheduled to play ahead of them. However, the band, having had a gig in Miami the day before, suffered from exhaustion and jet-lag. In addition, some members of the band felt correctly that the atmosphere that day, at the speedway, was just not right. Tempers flared, and their set before a crowd of more than 300,000 did not go over well at all. It was the beginning of the end.

Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady left the Airplane altogether to concentrate on their other band, Hot Tuna. Spencer Dryden joined the country-rock band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, initially an off-shoot of the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia, once again, lending a helping hand. Grace Slick, Marty Balin, and Paul Kantner eventually formed an extension of the Airplane, and they named the band, The Jefferson Starship. Again, they received a helping hand from several neighborhood friends, among them being, David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Jerry Garcia. The new band included David Freiberg on bass and vocals, formerly of Quicksilver Messenger Service."

The Airplane Flies High

Mike Elliott | Akron, Ohio United States | 07/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Incredible live cd. The Airplane at their best. This cd captures the pure energy and musical ability this band had. Wonderful exciting versions of 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds and its no secret. Grace shines on Somebody to love and has never been better than the bluesy 11 minute version of Bear melt. A must have for any Airplane fan."

Search - Jefferson Airplane :: Bless Its Pointed Little Head

CD Details

Synopsis

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews