SHRINK STICKER 1970 ORIG JEFFERSON AIRPLANE ACID ROCK S.F. SOUND Grace LP

$

31

                USA - (RCA)- VICTOR - LSP 4459

NICE ....COLLECTION COPY

46 year old 1970 original, never to be found in much better condition, this thick gategold with coarse grainy texture and wear-prone black cover is:

STILL IN THE ORIGINAL FACTORY CELLOPHANE -

Has NO WEAR like would usually be found, the gold leaf design is totally MINT free from any wear and contains the very scarce song titles sticker on outer cellophane wrapper... 

For someone who enjoys their albums, like us, this is an in-depth overview of the band--fifteen cuts is a lot.

The Airplane were hippies when becoming a hippie took beatnik initiative and psychedelic imagination. And when they're great they make the for-better-or-worse evolution of rock and roll into rock seem both appropriate and inevitable.

Dating from 1970, THE WORST reflects the best work put forth by the Airplane's "classic" lineup of Marty Balin, Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, Spencer Dryden and Jack Casady (as well as two selections from JEFFERSON AIRPLANE TAKES OFF, featuring Signe Toly Anderson on vocals and Skip Spence on drums).

By chronologically arranging the songs we can see the Airplane evolve from a hipster folk vocal harmony group ("Blues From An Airplane"), to an unquestioned commercial success ("White Rabbit"), into an experimental Acid Rock band ("The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil"), and then into a densely musical, overtly political entity ("Volunteers").

It scarcely lets up from there. We've noted before that the great thing about the Airplane is that the sweetly & infectious melodies were by the guy (Marty Balin) and the edgy, neurotic tunes were by the, uh, girl (and even in '67, "chick" scarcely applied to Grace Slick). "Worst of..." balances this odd yin and yang nicely. The shortest and most effective of Marty's "Surrealistic Pillow" ballads, "Today" is strategically placed between the two big Slick numbers (and of course, that would be "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit"). "Embryonic Journey," the celebrated acoustic instrumental from "Pillow" segues into Paul Kantner's lyrical "Martha," one of "After Bathing at Baxter's" more hip tracks.

And then we're off into the era of Paul Kantner's ascendency. Kantner, who was in many ways the glue that held the Airplane/Starship together, was also the object of increasing critical abuse as the 60s wore into the 70s. The joyous/acid rock "Pooneil" is also childlike without being mawkish, and "Crown of Creation" made just the right political statement for late '68 (more mournful than didactic, actually, which may be why it holds up today--[other] concerns aside). Then Grace does a brooding slow tempo number ("Lather"), and Marty demonstrates his ability to rock out with the energetic live version of "Plastic Fantastic Lover." Every band member gets his or her chance to shine, including guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's stately "Good Shepherd," which is lovely, a bit rootsy and prefigures his Hot Tuna and solo work nicely.

And it ends with "We Can Be Together" AND "Volunteers"--two songs that were meant to be played back to back (and often were in concert). If that doesn't close the record on a high note, and if you're not spazz-dancing in the aisles or in your living room by that point, well, you might want to check if you've still got a pulse.

To hear THE WORST OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE is to experience the Airplane at their best: In the era they defined, at the peak of their powers, and at their crown of creation.

1. It’s No Secret [1966]
2. Blues From An Airplane [1966]
3. Somebody To Love [1967]
4. Today [1967]
5. White Rabbit [1967]
6. Embryonic Journey [1967]
7. Martha [1967]
8. The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil [1967]

Side Two

1. Crown Of Creation [1968]
2. Chushingura [1968]
3. Lather [1968]
4. Plastic Fantastic Lover [1969]
5. Good Shepherd [1969]
6. We Can Be Together [1969]
7. Volunteers [1969]

CONDITION: The cover: rated: MINT in factory cellophane, thick coarsely textured gatefold, contains the very rare song titles sticker on outer shrink wrapper... a pristine, 4 corners sharp top copy from 46 years past...there are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing  ... VERY collection worthy appearance ...

The vinyl: Rated: "EX" (excellent) having very enjoyable CLEAN audio  ...play back should not reveal alarming distracting surface problems ...  both Victor labels are clean but note they have been purposely antiqued to appear with an old/wear (antique) appearance

      A cool addition to anyone's music library!

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record