One of the manifestos of California pop-rock music from the late '60s. A sound very much tied to its time, some might say aged not so well, but if you like these sonorities, those of pop, folk, and California acid rock, the Surrealistic Pillow remains one of the most enjoyable and iconic albums from that entire "scene." Smooth and easy to listen to, as it is essentially an album of folk-pop-rock songs with an acid twist, it marks a qualitative leap for the Airplane. Partly because Grace Slick arrives and brings with her the two songs that make the album timeless (one borrowed from her brother-in-law, Darby Slick, a legacy of the Great Society, the other composed directly by her, and it’s a masterpiece, the perfect pop song, lisergic in lyrics and exquisitely crafted from music that draws inspiration from Ravel and Davies’ "Sketches of Spain") and with her voice she finds the balance in a style characterized by almost always communal singing, featuring beautiful interweaving of male and female voices (the Fairport Convention will recall some of this, particularly in certain pieces). Partly because Balin dresses up as an inspired folk singer-songwriter, a folk sound that is veiled and almost unreal, that of his other masterpiece, "Comin' Back to Me." Just as with the other superb lisergic ballad "Today." Friendly participation from Gerardo Garcia, if you please. Kaukonen treats us to two minutes of acoustic virtuosity. In short, a jewel of an album.
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