R.I.P. Marty Balin

[www.nytimes.com]

It's a pity to me that classic-rock radio has reduced the Airplane's contribution to rock to just two songs, both from the same album. The band had a lot of other good material in its bag. Jefferson Starship, in its earliest incarnation, still had some worthwhile songs. After Balin left, the group plunged into the fake-rock depths.

I had a good friend in college that brought some of his parents record collection with him. They were big time hippies and the nicest people I have ever met. Anyway, he loved to listen to the album you mentioned and Baxter's and Volunteers. I will have to say I did not like all of it, at times painful to my ears. But he grew up hearing it and we would party like crazy to them. And for sure Marty had some great songs, may he rest in peace. It is kind of sad it takes someone passing away to bring their contributions to art up again. I can honestly say I have not purposely listened to a JA song in at least 25 years. You hear them in commercials, movies, etc but like you said, always the same dang songs.

The liner notes to AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER's mention that it was a relative commercial failure in relation to SURREALISTIC PILLOW and that Jefferson Airplane never had a hit single on the level of "White Rabbit" & "Somebody To Love" again. So if any filmmakers are out there, play "Re:Joyce" or "Triad" over your next Vietnam War or acid trip scene! BAXTER'S delves into the extended jamming and free-form song structures that people usually associate with psychedelia but which are missing from the fairly brief, punchy and pop-oriented songs on SURREALISTIC PILLOW. (The current edition of that album closes with a version of "White Rabbit" where the band keeps playing for several minutes after the single version ends.) I'm not a Jefferson Starship fan, but I think the music Ballin made with Jefferson Airplane through VOLUNTEERS has held up remarkably well.

Airplane didn't but Balin wrote the original incarnation of J.Starship's biggest hit:
Miracles.
His influence was the love ballads and he pulled hard for years against playing the psychedelia until he quit and then they went though the Mickey Thomas version ("Jane" "Find Your Way Back").
Then they had the serious assault thing and became a project for Peter Wolf (the other one).

I don't wish ill on the recently passed and anyone would kill to write something as purely arranged as Miracles, but Baxter's is the only one I like (unless you count Baron Von Tollbooth). The pull towards country and pop ballads should have been in a [yet another] side band.

I always imagined the recording session>
Balin: Watcha playin there Kantner, a new one for us?
Kantner: Yep. Got some lyrics?
Balin: Yes. It's a love song. Written for a different song entirely but I'll force it to fit.
Slick: Great! I wrote yet a different song. Mind if I sing it over the top of you guys?
Kantner: Sure! I'll call it "Your mind is a paper fish"


BTW - Craig Chaquiso is a great guitarist though not exhibited on the studio stuff much. While we're at it Casady was an influential bassist as well.



Post Edited (10-10-18 08:33)