Stargrazer 2008-07-22
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Jefferson Airplane always had a little bite to their "We Can Be Together" politics. Living at the epicenter of hippie culture in San Francisco as they were, it's hard to duck the flowers and beads when talking about their musical aesthetic -- sort of Haight-Ashbury's answer to the guitar sounds the Velvet Underground was making, plus a heady dose of electric and country blues, plus 3 and sometimes 4 way vocals, plus incendiary musical change-ups that hinted at sprawling psychedelic vistas.
A case in point is "Turn My Life Down," a concise track that starts with a fairly standard coffee-shoppish slide guitar before nimbly slipping into Laurel Canyon-style guitars and Hammonds. Then, suddenly at about 1-and-a-half minutes, the song tranforms into a romping pop melody and searing guitar counterpoint, nearly lifting the track right out of the stereo.
The title track "Volunteers," "The Farm," and "Good Shepherd" all espouse a back-to-nature agenda while simultaneously pointing an accusatory finger at religious zealots and political opportunists. But rather than being soap-boxy, these come off as beautifully constructed songs, scintillating in a raggedy way that is most often attributed to early Neil Young.
If you were concerned things were going to be a bit treacly and trapped in dated politics, Grace Slick delivers two songs that make it clear she was the Kim Gordon of her day. "Hey Fredrick" and "Eskimo Blue Day" are unflinching and raw -- "Either go away, or go all the way in" snarls Slick in the former tune. He voice soars over ambiguous lyrics that seem to search out some sort of meaning in religious and interpersonal dynamics. It could have been a boring graduate-level lecture... or it could be the dynamic and provocative polemic that she delivers here. You don't even notice nearly 9 minutes have passed. She is equally demanding in "Eskimo Blue Day," reminding us in no uncertain terms that "the human name doesn't mean @#$% to a tree."
As if to rub salt into the wide eyes of stupefied right-wingers who may have heard the album in its day, one of the closing songs is a tremulous organ reading of "Meadowlands," a communist-affiliated anthem much-reviled by the "Red Scare" set.
Another quote from the previously mentioned "We Can Be Together" is below. For as rewarding and generally uplifting as this album listens, the Airplane was out for blood -- striking a blow for the youth and pulling no punches in alienating apathists, poseurs, and opportunists. It's delivered with excellent musicianship and some thrilling left-turns too, making this album a real accomplishment from its era. One of my period favorites -- enjoy!
"We are forces of chaos and anarchy, everything they say we are we are, and we are very proud of ourselves."
