Monsters at the time, but unknown now
Here is something that I think ties in with a recent Podcast conversion concerning play-lists.
While listening to Crown of Creation by Jefferson Airplane it struck me that the average indie loving punter would only really know two tracks by this group: White Rabbit and Someone to Love. During the sixties and seventies, particularly in the USA, they were gods (and a Godess) of all they surveyed. Certainly, their first four or five albums are brilliant and, in our retro-obsessed times, Crown of Creation would stand up for release tomorrow. And yet, while contemporaries like The Byrds, Crosby Stills Nash (and Young), and Captain Beefheart are always tipped as influences by the latest skinny 20-something gang touting for custom, the Airplane have all but disappeared from rock's rich tapestry.
Any other suggestions for Big Groups at the Time who are now ignored or never listened too? ELP are in the same boat I reckon.
Mind you, having said nice things about JA, a Stalinist removal of the whole Jefferson Starship period who be appropriate in my eyes
- More from Jim Thomas.
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Grateful Dead
I'm actually quite familiar with the works of Jefferson Airplane (although I agree they're hardly mentioned these days) but I've heard next to nothing by the Grateful Dead. I'm not even sure what they're supposed to sound like - I'm thinking sort of country rock with long improvisational breaks but I could be wrong. Seems they are never spoken about or played today - yet they were apparently (in America at least) a Very Important Band in their day....
Go for it, Stephen
I would probably not be the first to admit,mea culpe, I "got into" the Dead long before I heard them, and whilst, yes it's true, their reputation is based on permastoned impro jams on triple live product, actually, the recorded studio stuff, much as they allegedly hated the studio, much of it (when re-mastered, tis true) brushes up lovely. May I suggest as starters American Beauty and Workingmans Dead as a launching pad, then cherry picking tracks off others, like Touch of Grey and Black Muddy River off In the Dark and Pride of Cucamonga off Mars Hotel, and before you know it, you'll be checking out Dick's picks, Old and In the way and Grayfolded. Addictive stuff!
Thanks
I'll certainly check them out sometime soon - cheers.
You might also try
Terrapin Station. It's one that splits the fans, but I like it a lot. It's certainly not representative of mainstream GD, if there is such a thing.
If you like the improv. stuff, check out the double CD made from editing together zillions of Dark Star performances; it's called Grayfolded, mentioned by Retro above.
Finally, check out the live archive at etree; there's plenty of GD stuff available in the lossless flac or shn formats that you can download free, encode as wavs and burn onto CD.
Grayfolded...
....is on e music. No Grateful dead is, but quite a lot of Jerry Garcia blugrass, often in cahoots with Dave Grisman (I think that's his name)
Agreed on JA and ELP...
...various reviews I read of Jefferson Airplane reissues commented on how much their work had been almost totally forgotten whilst their contemporaries remained 'hip'. Grossly unfair situation, in my opinion- their 60s work was fabulous and I even liked some of 'Long John Silver' when I had that on vinyl around 6 or 7 years ago. That's enough to make one forget about Starship...
ELP have similarly and very unfairly been airbrushed. Whilst you'll often find good things said about the early Genesis and Yes albums around more open-minded publications, and Van Der Graaf Generator and King Crimson still get a fair amount of critical acclaim, ELP are always prog's biggest whipping boys.
Part of the problem was the way they bloated up around 1977 with that 'Works' stuff and the non-event comeback albums of the 90s but I adore their 1970-3 work and to my ears, it still stands up as radical rock music. They are often bombastic but they were capable of some lovely lighter moments- always liked Greg Lake's acoustic piece 'The Sage' myself. I personally don't think Muse or Mars Volta are all THAT far away from the ELP template, and I've seen a few modern rock acts (The Decemberists, Wolfmother) acknowledge them in recent interviews.
The Grateful Dead I never quite got into. It's odd, because I love bands like Man (who were compared to them) and contemporaries like Quicksilver Messenger Service, but I rarely find myself in awe of the 'Dead in the same manner. I do like 'Blues For Allah' (especially the second side, which is wonderful) and some of 'Live/Dead' though.
thanks for this
I confess, despite liking all this west coast pyschedelia stuff (including Love - another Name Check group) I have not (knowingly) heard The Dead. How this has happened, I don't know. Going to sort that out asap!
the folly of youth
Despite clicking over the half century a couple of years ago I had never heard the Dead, so I took advantage of the mid range bargains and bought Workingman's Dead for £4.00
Brilliant and now depressed didn't discover them years ago.
Jefferson Airplane? Just get Volunteers (Oh Grace Slick was gorgeous!!!!)
http://faizaouajdi.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/grace.jpg
Workingman's Dead
I plan to start with this one too, then American Beauty. Talking of which, totally agree with you about Volunteers and Ms Slick!
If you want to hear Grace in all her glory
I really do recommend that you seek out a copy of "Baron Von Tollbooth And The Chrome Nun", which is credited to her and Paul Kantner.
There's a lot of folklore about these people, well worth reading up on. The title refers to the two of them, and was dreamt up by David Crosby, another of their Fulton Street buddies.
Seven inches of pleasure indeed.
Can I put in a shout for Sopwith Camel
They were never what you'd call "monsters" at any time, they only did one album in the '60s and another in the early '70s, but I love them both.
These days, if you say you like Sopwith Camel, most people think you're a biplane nut, and claim never to have heard of the band.
The first album is called Sopwith Camel, and is sometimes referred to as "Frantic Desolation" or "Hello Hello", both titles under which it has been re-released at some time. The second album has the name "The Miraculous Hump Returns From The Moon".
The music is a kind of whimsical, slightly psychedelic sound on the first album, somewhat like the Lovin' Spoonful. The second album is quite extraordinary, with an instrumentation and tone all of its own. The first album's hard to find, but the second (and better) one has now been remastered and released by the guitarist from the band, and is more readily available.
Heartily recommended, particularly the second one.
http://www.camelrecords.net/mission.html
Camel
A different group, I know, but big at the time. I remember seeing The Snow Goose and Moonmadness in Proggie mates' houses during the after pub bifter. Can't really remember what they sounded like though.
Also, I am amazed how everyone seems to have forgotten how big the The Stranglers were in Punk's Year Zero. Everyone I knew had their first three or four albums.
Camel are still going strong
and still play big gigs in the USA, so they probably don't really belong in the "unknown now" bucket.
The Snow Goose is a classic example of what used to be called "symphonic rock" (stop sniggering at the back there, you youngsters) and is a whole album of instrumental music.
If you think that sounds pretty grim, give it a listen, I think you'll be surprised at how well it stands up. Great melodies, fine playing, and lots of tuneful invention.
The Stooges it isn't, but then it isn't meant to be listened to in sweaty clubs while your eyeballs rotate in opposite directions. It's more for enjoying in front of the fire with a nice glass of red and your favourite slippers. Nothing wrong with that.
Stranglers...
I'll bet Hugh Cornwell has a fair old idea why!
Interesting musing on the old fellas; enjoyed the podcast mention of Jet Black, now 70 years young, and still thumping the tubs. I enjoy also enjoy trying to picture Richard Thompson teaching Mr Cornwell the rudiments of the guitar,when schoolmates together, the rudiments of which, its strikes me, being all he took up.
Love Camel...
...one of my favourite bands. Camel quit from live performances around 5 years ago though and Andy Latimer has had some health problems of late, sadly. 'The Snow Goose' steers clear of bombast that you usually get from orchestra/rock crossovers (Deep Purple's 'Concerto...' or ELP's orchestra tour, anyone??), having some lovely melodies. My favourite of theirs though is 'Nude' which is in a similar conceptual vein.
Starship
We all know that they built this city on rock n' roll where did they get the basic materials? B&Q or HMV? Did they get planning permission?
And,why don't bands make albums based on novels anymore? can't they read?
The Snow Goose, War of the Worlds er....
The most baffling thing about Jefferson Airplane...
was that their instrumental "Embryonic Journey" was played in its entirety at the close of the final episode of "Friends". Guh? Wasn't that show supposed to be quintessentially "New York"?