I first have to acknowledge that I haven't posted since January. Do you know how much has happened to me since January? I've run a full marathon, a half marathon, signed up for a triathlon and I rode my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles. So, I've been a little busy. And I know I've promised this before, so you have no reason to believe me, but I swear I'm going to be better. And I WILL get through this list! I'm almost in triple digits!
So, yesterday I listened to Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane, and I must admit, I kinda liked it. I've never really known much about them, except that they eventually became Jefferson Starship (and then Starship) and gave us "We Built This City" and that song from Mannequin.
This album is nothing like either of those songs. You're probably all familiar with "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," unless you're musically illiterate like some people I know. ;-) Anyway, there were several other really groovy, psychedelic 60s tunes that I very much enjoyed. I felt a little like Johnny Bravo ("Hey there, groovy chick. You're really happening in a far out way!"). Some non-released highlights for me were the instrumental "Embryonic Journey" and the opening track "She Has Funny Cars."
If you know your Airplane history, then you know that this was the first album by the band with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden. The album peaked at number three and the two aforementioned singles hit #5 and #8 respectively. It was also the album that heralded the psychedelic sound of San Francisco that would define the City by the Bay for the remainder of the decade.
I would highly recommend this album, especially if you're into this sorta thing. I went through a huge 60s phase in high school, and I'm sure my 16 year-old self would have dug this.
Track Listing (my favorites are bolded): 1. She Has Funny Cars 2. Somebody to Love 3. My Best Friend 4. Today 5. Comin' Back to Me 6. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds 7. D.C.B.A.-25 8. How Do You Feel 9. Embryonic Journey 10. White Rabbit 11. Plastic Fantastic Lover
Grade: ★★★ This was the third album by The
Young Rascals, and proved to be their strongest by far thanks in part to the
number 1 title-track. Did I like it? Sure, it was OK.
Knowing that they supported The Beatles at Shea Stadium in '65 and they were
the first rock band signed by Atlantic Records helped me understand
exactly why this album is on my list.
★"A Girl Like You": This is one of my
favorite tracks on the album. Opening with an almost classical piano
intro, it quickly shifts into a beautiful swing arrangement before exploding
into an almost big-band feel on the chorus. One of four singles
released from the album, it reached number 10 on the U.S. Billboard
Charts.
★ "Find Somebody": This song marked a return to the group's
garage band sound with a psychedelic twist. Fuzztone guitars and some
catchy lyrics make this an often overlooked gem.
"I'm So Happy
Now": An OK
pop ballad, but in the end, kind of forgettable.
"Sueño": Some might say that the Latino-inspired
"Sueño" was an unexpected surprise, but I found it to be just a
little disjointed when compared to the rest of the album.
★ "How Can I Be Sure": Aside from the title track, this is
probably the band's most recognizable tune. Not many pop songs of the day
featured accordions, but this one did, and put it to good use. It reached
number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Charts and Dusty Springfield had a hit with it
the following year.
★"Groovin'": I was never a big fan of
this song, but I found a new appreciation for it when put in context with the
rest of the album. It's a great song to listen to on a lazy Sunday
afternoon. It was the band's first (and only) number 1 single in the U.S.
and their only top 10 single in the U.K.
"If You Know: The B-side to the 1966 single "Lonely
Too Long," which is a great song, makes a belated appearance on this
album. This is not a great song.
★ "I Don't Love You
Anymore": Yes,
it's a horrible name for a song, but in my opinion, it's just as good as
"How Can I Be Sure."
"You Better
Run" This
would have been an OK song until they whipped out the slide whistle towards the
end.
★ "A Place In The Sun": The band turned in one superb, if not
subdued, cover of this Stevie Wonder Motown hit.
"It's Love": I absolutely hated this song. I'm
not really sure why, but it just drove me absolutely crazy. Not a great
way to end the album that I may have given 4 stars otherwise. Sorry, Little
Rascals...er, YOUNG Rascals.
★★★★ The fourth album by The Byrds saw
them expand on the psychedelic experimantation they had begun on their previous
LP 5D (Fifth Dimension). They also introduced new layers of
music such as brass and reverse tape special effects, as well as allowing
bassist Chris Hillman to contribute a couple of country & western
inspired tunes that would foreshadow the direction the band would soon begin to
take. Overall, I enjoyed the album a lot more than I expected.
★"So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star": A
US Top 30 hit that satirized teenybop bands such as The Monkees, who had
achieved massive success without playing on their own records.
Ironically enough, Roger McGuinn was the only member to play on The Byrds'
chart-topper "Mr. Tambourine Man." This is a great song
that I never get tired of hearing.
★"Have You Seen Her Face": The first of
four Hillman-penned songs and the third single released from the album.
The song had a dismal showing on the Billboard Charts (it peaked at #74), but I
quite liked it.
★"CTA - 102": Named after a quasar
discovered in the early '60s, this song saw the band experiment with studio
trickery to produce sci-fi sound effects and expand on similar themes explored
in their earlier hit "Mr. Spaceman." Ulitmately, this
was a much more serious song that speculates on the existence of
intelligent extraterrestrial life. I like this song, but the second half
(the half where they create alien voices) sounds like there are gremlins
trapped in my iPod.
"Renaissance Fair": This was one of David
Crosby's contributions that was based on, wait for it, a Renaissance
Fair! It was an OK song, but kind of forgettable.
"Time Between": This was another Hillman song that
features future Byrd Clarence White. It's very obvious that Hillman was
heavily influenced by Paul McCartney on this one.
★"Everybody's Been Burned": This is probably
one of the darkest Byrds songs ever. It's also one of their best.
David Crosby's crystal-clear vocals are complemented by Hillman's fluid
bassline and McGuinn's understated guitar solo.
★"Thoughts And Words": In addition to the
country-inspired songs that Hillman contributed, he also wrote this
LSD-inspired song that features backwards guitar effects to simulate a
sitar. I guess all the sitar players were busy with The Beatles.
It's still a great song.
"Mind Gardens": This is one of the most annoying songs
that I've had to listen to before I die. It's just a bunch of nonsense
Shakespearean references on top of ridiculous studio sound effects.
★"My Back Pages": This was The Byrds' fourth
cover from the Bob Dylan album Another Side Of Bob Dylan, and as you can
imagine, was met with a little opposition from some of the band members.
Most notably, David Crosby felt this was formulaic, safe and a step in the
wrong direction. However, since the album's release, it has become one of
the band's strongest Dylan interpretations.
"The Girl With No
Name": This was
another country-inspired song by Hillman and it always reminded me of the
America song "A Horse With No Name" (no offense to any girls who
might be reading this).
"Why": This song appeared as the B-side to
an earlier Byrds hit, "Eight Miles High" nearly a year before the
release of this album. Its inclusion was insisted upon by Crosby,
probably because he wanted to increase his share of the songwriting credits on
the album.
