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Surrealistic Pillow

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow Audio CD

A fair review of the Jefferson Airplane "Surrealistic Pillow" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Jefferson Airplane reviews here, or go back to the Jefferson Airplane tabs.

Band: Jefferson Airplane
Title: Surrealistic Pillow
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-11-06
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: She Has Funny Cars (stereo) 2: Somebody To Love (stereo) 3: My Best Friend (stereo) 4: Today (stereo) 5: Comin' Back To Me (stereo) 6: 3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (stereo) 7: D.C.B.A.-25 (stereo) 8: How Do You Feel (stereo) 9: Embryonic Journey (stereo) 10: White Rabbit (stereo) 11: Plastic Fantastic Lover (stereo) 12: She Has Funny Cars (mono) 13: Somebody To Love (mono) 14: My Best Friend (mono) 15: Today (mono) 16: Comin' Back To Me (mono) 17: 3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds (mono) 18: .C.B.A.-25 (mono) 19: How Do You Feel (mono) 20: Embryonic Journey (mono) 21: White Rabbit (mono) 22: Plastic Fantastic Lover (mono)

Stereo and Mono versions quite different
I read a bunch of the reviews of this (double) album and no one mentioned the fact that you, basically, get two albums for the price of one, the stereo version and the mono version. As all the reviews agree, this is a classic album and absolutely worth your money. At the time it was not uncommon for record companies to insist on two different mixes of songs, or whole albums. Stereo systems were not standard equipment in homes or cars. AM radio was (and still is) a mono medium and that's where hit records were played. Many people didn't realize there were significant differences in the two officially released versions of this fantastic album.

Let me quote from the liner notes:
"The mono mix can be described as punchier, wheras the steeo mix is fuller, allowing the instruments more breathing room. The stereo mix also adds a few extra dollops of reverb, which alienated some fans and group members but met the approval of others. Grace, for one, liked it. 'This is farily complicated material and on a couple of Marty's ballads a flat, dry sound wouldn't have worked,' she says"

"Dyrden disagrees" It didn't sound like the band did onstage. The two guys that mentinoed that to me were Frank Zappa and paul Simon. They both said,' You sure got a lot of echo on that record. ' I said, 'man, that's not our doing. We palyed it, they took it away and did what they did with it. '"

That's verbatim from the liner notes and pretty much covers it. The mono version sounds more like the band would sound live. The stereo is fat, reverby, and sounds "produced". The differences are NOT gigantic, but it is an interesting take on the same material.

I actually prefer the mono version. But, that's just a personal preference. I must agree with Grace, some of the ballads do sound better with a thicker sound.

Hope that helps.
Enjoy .

Unique splendor
It is a masterpiece--an ideal blend of the group's prior folksiness and the wild psychedelia that would eventually dominate their live shows. SURREALISTIC PILLOW (1967) is Jefferson Airplane's second album, and the first with Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden. Marty Balin was still a force here, but Grace immediately made her presence known with two stellar songs that became virtual anthems of the late 60s: "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" (as if I needed to mention the titles).

"She Has Funny Cars," "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds," "D. C. B. A. -25" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" generate plenty of excitement without being bombastic. There's a certain (excuse the expression) "groovy" factor that permeates the songs. They are lively, mystical, sophisticated and genial--filled with discovery and the group's subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) arrogant swagger. "Today," "Comin' Back To Me" and "How Do You Feel" are three of the most beautifully atmospheric songs you are likely to hear, practically bordering on impressionism. All three will mesmerize and stick with you long afterward. Intellectualism and childlike innocence, pomposity and humility, exhilaration and sadness, assertive animation and repose--yes, it's all here, actualized to seamless perfection. This album remains my favorite by the group, though BAXTER'S and BARK follow not far behind.

What is progressive? The word "progressive" infers change. Many think of progressive as a certain style of rock music. Groups like King Crimson and Yes were given that label in the early 70s because they were different at the time--they entered new territory. But once they themselves, and other groups, started to copy the sound, that sound became pigeonholed. How can we continue to call a style that is not progressing progressive? To use progressive merely to define a style or sound is really a misuse of the word. The Airplane was progressive in that they had a new thing going on--and that "thing" had depth. What sounded like this prior? During the mid 60s, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, The Mamas and Papas, Bob Dylan, Donovan--even Peter, Paul and Mary!--all crossed folk with rock and got pleasingly diverse results. At the time, even the other bands from San Francisco, like The Grateful Dead and Moby Grape (and they had Skip Spence, formerly of the Airplane), did not all sound the same. These musicians were indeed progressive in a real sense, just as Crimson and Yes were in 1969 and the early 70s.

Why do critics often imply that the music from the 60s is immature? It is not. Not immature, but youthful--producing that which is colorful and imaginative. To those of us who love colorful and imaginative music, "dated" is not a quality we associate with the 60s. Albums like SURREALISTIC PILLOW sound as fresh as ever. Music from the 60s had soul. It had life and passion. Truly great chefs (and there seems to be fewer and fewer of them) have an understanding of why something tastes better than a previous attempt at the same thing. They refine a dish to taste as splendid as possible, rather than settle for the notion that "it's good enough" after a meager and highly imitative effort. In the 60s, rock musicians (and many a producer!) had that drive, that passion to produce something of unique splendor--and we hear it throughout this still-glorious, even monumental record. Consider the fact that records from the late 60s like SURREALISTIC PILLOW, DISRAELI GEARS (Cream), MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (The Beatles), BALL (Iron Butterfly), THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST (The Rolling Stones), BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD AGAIN (Buffalo Springfield) and A GATHERING OF PROMISES (Bubble Puppy) all fall into the general category called psychedelia--but all of them sound staggeringly different! These musicians were in fact inspired, not immature, not simply imitating what came before, but producing a creative and spirited output--that which has lasting artistic value. There was once a saying: "Variety is the spice of life. "

For me, and for people like me who don't want their music all to sound the same, the Airplane offers lasting enjoyment--great riches, actually. Most who know and love this band own this already. SURREALISTIC PILLOW is essential listening for anyone who is even remotely interested in the 60s. This album still gives me thrills and chills--it is a magnificent work, worthy of all the praise fans can muster!

Cheers,
Murray.

Great Ensemble Work on One of Rock's Top Albums
Great songwriting, and Jorma Kaukonen writing whole stories with each guitar solo, perhaps the real standout in this group. This is a great rock record that has stunning individual talent everywhere in evidence, harnessed together to the Haight-Ashbury communal ethos of the mid-Sixties. The digital remix is crisp and exciting, with excellent separation that enhances the important contributions of each member - and blows your head off, too. What I love about this record is the group singing, the ensemble playing, the everybody-on-stage commune atmosphere. Sly and the Family Stone rocked out with the communal San Francisco sound, and invented Funk while they were doing it. What band wouldn't love to have just Grace Slick singing for them, or Marty Balin, or Paul Kantner - but here they're all together in peak form singing together, bringing the San Francisco Summer of Love spirit to the airwaves. This one record, released in Feb. 1967, probably did as much to sell the hippie ideal to the world as any other. They didn't just talk about it, they played it live. The love, peace and freedom and Don't Trust the Establishment lyric themes, sold by Grace, Marty or Paul over crashing drum, bass and guitar attacks, are timely now and again. Like good punk, the rockers are fast, funny, upbeat and slam you around too. Then there are the ballads, full of the dreamy, paisley-patterned poetry of the West Coast folk-rocker. It's all here, and it's beautiful, man.

This album was my introduction to the opposite sex
I was born the same year that this album came out, and I remember as a child hearing this album and thinking that Grace Slick had an incredibly sexy voice. I have been familiar with this album for as long as I can remember. Her singing was my introduction to the opposite sex.

I have heard comparisons of this album to any Beatles album, and the comparisons are correct. This album matches anything that the Beatles put out during the same period. The unfortunate thing about this album is that only two of the songs, "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" are the only two songs that get airplay on the radio. There is so much more on this album that is very contemporary, and I am positive that radio listeners would love the other 9 songs on the album if they heard them.

The first song on the album, "She Has Funny Cars", is probably the BEST song on the whole album. The others are very close runner ups, but "She Has Funny Cars" really rocks. Other great songs are written and performed by Marty Balin, like "Today", "Comin' Back To Me" and "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds". The second side of the album has Embryonic Journey, a great instrumental, and I'm surprised that this has never found its way into a movie. Another song that I love is "How Do You Feel?". The lyrics of this song are wonderful.

Again, FM radio stations that play what they call "Classic Rock" should play the other songs on this album on the radio, so more people would buy the album on CD.

Their Most Famous, But...
It's certainly their best-known album, with the closest thing they ever had to hits in "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit. This album was my first exposure to the Airplane and to the mid-Sixties San Francisco rock renaissance in general. " It has a passel of great songs (I'd include "She Has Funny Cars" and "Today" and "Coming Back To Me" among their best), and Marty Balin was never again so prominent (as singer and songwriter) on an Airplane album. So what's not to like? For one, the production sounds wrong to me--everything's drenched in reverb, and it waters down the power this band projected at their best. For another, it sounds like a folk-rock band in transition--not a bad thing in itself, just (again) Jorma's lead guitar and Jack's bass, especially, come through a lot louder and clearer on later albums. So by all means pick this up, but also check out "After Bathing at Baxter's" and "Volunteers" and "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" for a more complete picture of what this band could do.

You can see a complete list of all Jefferson Airplane discography, or go back to the Jefferson Airplane tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.