Jefferson Airplane
Bark

THE REVIEW

Everyone knows who the Jefferson Airplain are. Oh, it's spelled Airplane?

As I was saying, everyone knows the Jefferson Airplane. As far as I'm concerned, when I first started listening to their records, they left me rather indifferent. "Is that all?" I said to myself, "Wow, they've aged pretty poorly," "Is this supposed to be psychedelia? It's more like folk/blues played while on acid," I rambled.

Fortunately, I blindly trust everything written on the internet; and on the internet, people speak highly of these Jefferson Airplain (get it right, Airplane!). So I continued listening to their music, and with each listen, as if by magic, my love for this band kept growing.

As it grew, I got to the point where I took the liberty of reviewing this album of theirs, which many consider a minor episode, to argue that it's not such a minor episode after all.

The golden era of Jefferson, everyone agrees, ended with Volunteers (1969, just in time for Woodstock); and after that? The diaspora? Early retirement? No. The various members of the group went their separate ways, each following their own path; these paths, however, often flow into and out of one another, intersecting, continuing the journey without ever losing sight. The group of artists (or rather, friends) that was at the heart of the summer of love doesn't disperse, and appearances on each other's albums are common: in short, the journey continues even if away from the spotlight.

And so we arrive at 1971, and it seems centuries have passed. The Jefferson Airplane reform (certainly not for the last time) and give birth to this Bark: of the historical lineup, Marty Balin and Spencer Dryden are missing, and a violin is added, in the person of Papa John Creach.

The album opens and closes with two choral anthems in full Jefferson Airplane style (Kantner) "When the Earth Moves Again" and "War Movie": these are two very inspired songs with beautiful vocal blends and lyrics that haven't completely abandoned the hippie dream.

With "Feel So Good", you can feel the Hot Tuna vibe; indeed, Kaukonen sings and plays here, and I would say he does it well since the final result is very pleasant. The atmosphere is relaxed but sparkling at the same time: personally, I really appreciate the correct kitsch sprinkled in the finale. Kaukonen confirms himself as a good songwriter further into the listen: "Third Week in the Chelsea" is also his, a quiet and simple folk song.

"Crazy Miranda": it's Grace's turn. Altered and sarcastic as usual, in this album (both here and in her other song "Law Man"), she seems a bit underwhelming compared to her past glories, in my opinion. It remains, however, a great listen.

One of the best moments of the album is represented by the diptych "Pretty as You Feel"/"Wild Turkey". The first has an atmosphere similar to David Crosby, with Santana's erotic guitar, while the second (instrumental) brings a nice burst of energy. It might be because of the violin, but it reminds me a bit of Zappa's Hot Rats.

Before the end, there's also a burst of experimentation: in "Never Argue With a German if You're Tired of European Song", it feels as if Nico is singing, while "Thunk" is the neo-hired drummer's fun experiment (just to continue the tradition and not make us miss Dryden's sketches).

After all this review, what to say? Bark is a great album, it has great songs, and it has the right atmosphere too. There's that touch of novelty that can intrigue without completely overturning the JA sound. It's somewhat overlooked because it was released late compared to the golden age of the classics: but can you really blame them for that? Listen to it!