Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow the 50th Anniversary

[Svetonio]

Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow, as undoubtedly one of most important albums in rock music in general as well, was released on 1st February 1967.




Jefferson Airplane's finest hour imo.


edit: Favourite song: Comin' Back To Me

[rapidfirerob]

An excellent album. Volunteers is my favorite. Paul Kantner is sorely missed.


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[Scrotum Scissor]

While my personal fave is Baxter's and their finest individual tracks are perhaps on Crown or indeed Volunteers, I would agree with Svet in that Pillow remains their most consistent and culturally/historically important album. I mean, more than any other single record I can think of - yes, even Sgt. Pepper and Forever Changes (which are both timeless works in a sphere all of their own) - Pillow still smells and jingles and glitters and signals the Summer of Love. As such it's also a token to how that exact period was sadly prone to stereotyped stigma in retrospect, as it reflects not only the archetypal "peace" morale of the flower child but the generational longing for change, the spiritual quest for alteration and liberation, and the social need for revolution in a way of thinking. As such the album is NOT primarily a sign of hippy ignorant bliss, but of an existential ambiguity and even darkness as well - although the general aura of intense optimism prevails.

And it contains what arguably amounts to the defining solo Acoustic guitar piece ever in rock, "Embryonic Journey".

[Count de Dorcol]

The best album of Summer of Love.

[philsunset]

I strongly suggest buying the recently released MFSL SACD of the Mono version of Surrealistic Pillow. It is stunning at times. The definitive version of the album.

[chescorph]

And it contains what arguably amounts to the defining solo Acoustic guitar piece ever in rock, "Embryonic Journey".

Ed Sciaky, the man who introduced Yes and Springsteen to the masses, used to open and end his Sunday Night Alternative show on FM radio with snippets of that song, and I always wondered who that was.

That song is wonderful and timeless. Jorma is a very underrated guitarist...I could hear that song over and over and not tire of it.

Oh, and it would not feel out of place on a Yes album.

[mogrooves]

Ah, for the days when a "White Rabbit" could be a Top-10 hit! Feed your head, indeed.
I prefer Crown of Creation, but this a worthy exemplar of the annus mirabilis, 1967.

[hippypants]

I prefer After Bathing At Baxters as a fave, but between Surrealistic Pillow and their 1st album, Takes Off, I tend to like the 1st one best.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Jorma is a very underrated guitarist.

Saw him sometime in the 90s with Jack C. in the Acoustic Hot Tuna duo, and Kaukonen blew the minds of everyone present. He's not a "showy" or flashy axeman, but he can pick and phrase in a most original sense and keep a flowing energy through all of it. His playing reminded me a bit of John Martyn's, in that you only get to discern his traits if you actually observe what he's doing while taking in the sound of it. A highly impressive night, that was, and especially for me as an aspiring guitarist myself.

[Oreb]

Completely agree with "Comin Back to Me" as the pick of this excellent album. It was the first time I'd heard a shakuhachi and for that alone it's significant personally. dd to that a haunting, lump-in-throat melody...

All in all, though, I think Volunteers is their peak.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ "Comin' Back" is one of the great, great lost-love songs of the 60s. Interestingly, although it was never a single and at 5:18 is effectively the longest tune on the album, it has appeared in lots of films and TV shows - I also remember it used as a main motive song in a Norwegian radio novel from the 90s.

[Dana5140]

Jack Casady was, and still is, my idol. He's the reason I play bass.

[Trane]

An excellent album. Volunteers is my favorite. Paul Kantner is sorely missed.

If it wasn't for Kantner, I'd have never seen JS twice in the 00's and I'd sorely miss that
I did get to see Hot Tuna a little earlier (as an acoustic duo), but they played nothing from the Airplane

While my personal fave is Baxter's and their finest individual tracks are perhaps on Crown or indeed Volunteers, I would agree with Svet in that Pillow remains their most consistent and culturally/historically important album. I mean, more than any other single record I can think of - yes, even Sgt. Pepper and Forever Changes (which are both timeless works in a sphere all of their own) - Pillow still smells and jingles and glitters and signals the Summer of Love. As such it's also a token to how that exact period was sadly prone to stereotyped stigma in retrospect, as it reflects not only the archetypal "peace" morale of the flower child but the generational longing for change, the spiritual quest for alteration and liberation, and the social need for revolution in a way of thinking. As such the album is NOT primarily a sign of hippy ignorant bliss, but of an existential ambiguity and even darkness as well - although the general aura of intense optimism prevails.

And it contains what arguably amounts to the defining solo Acoustic guitar piece ever in rock, "Embryonic Journey".

Pillow was introduction the Airplane, and I still love it dearly...

But the next two are a step further, IMHO

Ah, for the days when a "White Rabbit" could be a Top-10 hit! Feed your head, indeed.
I prefer Crown of Creation, but this a worthy exemplar of the annus mirabilis, 1967.

I hope you didn't mean annus miserabilis? That would sound very anally Trump-ish.

Jack Casady was, and still is, my idol. He's the reason I play bass.

Rewrote the rock bass playing book with Bruce and Entwistle...

And what a look this dude had.

Reagan & Trump would grow anxiety zits just crossing his path.

[Rune Blackwings]

I hope you didn't mean annus miserabilis? That would sound very anally Trump-ish.

Reagan & Trump would grow anxiety zits just crossing his path.

[Trane]

Love your Symph Weenie subtitle, Jen

[Rune Blackwings]

Love your Symph Weenie subtitle, Jen

Thanks! I used to have a signature that read "Here, have a Snickers....Because you turn into a Nightwish listening symph weenie when you're hungry!"

I since switch it to a line from "The Arcturian Sign"

[Rune Blackwings]

Surrealistic Pillow is one of my favorite Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship albums, although I like After Bathing at Baxter's and Crown of Creation much more and would put those two among my top ten or fifteen albums. Surrealistic Pillow is the first album featuring Grace Slick as female vocalist (and her album Dreams is clearly one of my favorites of all time). She came from a band called the Great Society that played Balin's Matrix club and brought with her two songs-"Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit".




Wished she had brought this one, too:

[Rune Blackwings]

An awesome cover of one of my favorite songs off of Surrealistic Pillow:

[philsunset]

The remaster had some mono extras and there was a poorly received mono/stereo version too.

The mono/stereo version sonically sucked and deserved it's poor reception. Anyone who loves this album needs to purchase the MFSL SACD mono. It's stunning.