Search - Jefferson Airplane :: Best of Jefferson Airplane

Oh, no! It wasn't The Airplane...was it?

Gregor von Kallahann | 01/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jefferson Airplane was probably prescient to name their very first (and actually authorized) "best of" release THE *WORST* OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. After all there have been umpteen compilations since, all named THE BEST OF (THE) JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, some of which are just knock offs and others of which are really fairly comprehensive (but never really fully adequate for a group with such a diverse and expansive catalog). Ironically calling their "authorized" collection "THE WORST," at least makes it stand out among the pack. Who said hippies have no marketing sense?



But anyway, now we have yet another so-called BEST OF joining the pack. Of course, as a budget release, such claims will be taken by those even remotely in the know with a grain or two of salt. But once you get past any semantic arguments, this release is probably worth it for more or less completist fans (if not really for actual neophytes). For one thing, it contains early live versions of "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" that are quite interesting. The arrangements don't stray too far from the SURREALISTIC PILLOW studio versions, which clearly places them in the '67/early '68 timeframe, since by fall of '68, the former song (as the live version on BLESS ITS POINTED LITTLE HEAD clearly indicates) had been totally revamped.



A few of the other live tracks, however, were lifted directly from POINTED HEAD, the Airplane's first official (and certifiably GREAT) live

album. I've always assumed that as good a taste of the live Airplane (on a good night, anyway) as that record was, it probably had been at least remixed a bit and maybe "sweetened" here and there in the studio. Jeff Tamarkin in his GOT A REVOLUTION group bio and the band members themselves insist otherwise, but what is significant is that those tracks on that album are the cleanest, clearest live Airplane you're ever likely to hear.



This "BEST OF..." CD lifts its versions of "It's No Secret" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" from BIPLH, and they are easily among this budgetline album's best tracks. They both rock ferociously--and certainly give the lie to the oft-voiced criticism (in recentl years) sthat Marty Balin was essentially a lounge singer stuck in a rock band. On these two tracks, Marty is just about on fire, locking horns with Grace on the former track in what is clearly one of the best examples on record of their celebrated vocal duels.



By way of contrast, the live version of "High Flyin' Bird" included here IS muddy and the vocals risk derailment more than once (even if they never quite fall sloppy dead). "Bird" was one of those songs where all three singers (Marty, Grace and Paul) all get to do one verse apiece, while the others dance around the melody with their patented improvised harmony lines. It works fine, really, but it could have been sharper both in the production and the execution. The non-existent credits or line notes make it impossible to date, but interesting though it may be, it's pretty clear that--if it was ever up for consideration for inclusion on BIPLH--it would NEVER have made the cut.



"High Flying Bird" is a re-vamped folk classic, of course, originally penned by Billy Edd Wheeler and given its definitive treatment by the great Judy Henske. The Airplane's version, included here, is solid in its own right, however, and shows them moving well beyond their early folk roots. Those folk roots are well represented here, however, on the folk rocky tunes "Don't Slip Away" (from JA TAKES OFF) and "My Best Friend" (from PILLOW). They're welcome additions no matter where they crop up.



The remaining tracks are big mysteries to me...I'm not sure what era they stem from or if (and this is a BIG "if"), they are really even by Jefferson Airplane. That's the trouble with these knock off, budget releases...you can't really be sure of anything. With no writers' or players' credits, the possibility that a totally non-Airplane track could slip into the mix is quite real.



If "You're So Loose," which seems to crop up on at least one other Airplane compilation, is truly an Airplane track, well, I'm guessing that it might be from the Joey Covington era. Covington was known for his goofy, near-novelty (and sometimes outright novelty) numbers. So that's certainly possible. But the other tracks, well, they just don't sound like Jefferson Anything to me. "What You're Asking" and "Would You Love Me" are reasonably enjoyable, fun rock tunes, but they don't sound much like the my favorite West Coast band of all time. The production is just muddy enough that I couldn't be a hundred per cent sure, but those vocals did not sound much like Marty, Paul and if Grace is in there somewhere, she's buried WAAAAY down deep in the production. It occurred to me that maybe they could be Starship tracks from the SPITFIRE era, since there were tracks like Barbata's "Big City," which weren't exactly in the typical Airplane or even Starship mold.



Having said that, they're kinda fun tracks--whoever the hell recorded them. For the price, you can hardly go wrong with this curio. It's either some very good Airplane...and Friends. Or some good Airplane, along with some very bizarrely ATYPICAL Airplane.



If I get to the bottom of the mystery, I'll be sure to let you know.



"