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Not bad, these Jefferson Airplane, actually... and to think I got to know them thanks to the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (yes, remember the bathtub scene with White Rabbit in the background?); then, little by little, I managed to get all their records, also because I liked Grace Slick's voice (to tell the truth, I liked something else more than the voice)!
And then we got to tonight, and I felt like writing this review, but just like this, informal, no pros and cons, just to fill the gap and satisfy a whim.
Premise: the album makes you dream and/or travel, and dreams and journeys are among the most beautiful things that can exist (after Grace).
I'll say the essential: "After Bathing At Baxter's" represents a daring and successful change of direction by Kantner, Slick, and company... despite dominating the Summer of Love with the "commercial" and fantastic "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love", here they decide to break free from the song format, a bit like their friendly rivals Grateful Dead.
Spine-tingling. Dilated lysergic structures and interludes that range from raga blues to instrumental experimentation, Slick’s overflowing vocalizations, Kantner’s compositional genius.
Pieces gathered like 5 mini-suites, kind of a train that travels... and how it travels!
The triumph of freedom... the freedom to invent, to break free from molds, to fly, thanks to intricate melodies, psychedelic levels, space guitars, Zappa, clarinets, jazz, dreamy flutes, whispers, love and LSD, far more than simple folk-rock.
The closing "Saturday Afternoon" is a commemoration of the good past gatherings, but the whole album is a bit of an exaltation of communal life in that '68 San Francisco.
Need I add more? Listen to this acid rock testament!
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