Artist: Jefferson Airplane
Artist: Surrealistic Pillow
Year: 1967
Jefferson Airplane's reputation places them right at the forefront of the psychedelic rock movement. No doubt they are one of the classic bands of the genre, even if they would later go on to make some of the worst music ever made in the form of 80's hits like "We Built This City on Rock and Roll." The title Surrealistic Pillow lends a Salvador Dali-esque vibe, like this is gonna be some real tripped-out shit. Let's get to the proceedings.
I was shocked at how subdued this album was, overall. Acid rock, this ain't, for the most part. There are some explosive rockers here (the hits "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit") but most of this album is really quite gentle and peaceful. And it's really, really good. This is one of those albums where the songs flow together so well, the songs are so well constructed...you listen the entire time waiting for the misstep. And it never occurs. Every single song here is worthy, and I'd say more than half of them could've been hit singles if "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" hadn't been chosen. That said, those two songs are really special. "Somebody to Love" has one of the quintessential hard-rock melodies, and "White Rabbit" is a trippy little ode to Alice in Wonderland. Somehow I think Lewis Carroll would approve.
But the opener "She Has Funny Cars" and others like "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" are just as good. This album reminds me of what you'd get if you took The Mamas & The Papas' poppy sound and crossed it with The Doors' energy and theatricality. It's a great combination, really. Fantastic album the whole way through.
In the end I think this band is somewhat misunderstood, if this album is typical of the rest of their discography. I think most folks picture them as one of the big flower-power acid-rock bands, but I didn't see nor hear that in this album, especially relative to other ones I've listened to lately. What I hear is a pop band at its core, that happens to get a little loud occasionally. And the world is better for them.
Rating: Worth repeated listens
No comments:
Post a Comment