Customer Reviews

Bark/Long John Silver

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Interesting how frequently reviewers of BARK say, in effect, the album stinks, except SONG X. Of course, it's a different song for everyone. Somebody thinks "Feel So Good" is the best thing the Airplane ever recorded. Another guy thinks "Never Argue With A German..." is pure genius. Even Joey Covington, no critical darling in general, gets some love from some for his off-the-wall "Thunk" and somewhat less so "Pretty As You Feel." There isn't a track on the album that someone somewhere doesn't think isn't the best thing to come down the pike since, well, VOLUNTEERS.

My take was always, to keep it short and sweet: lots of good stuff but not cohesive. I felt that way when I was 19, and I feel that way today. But it's way too simplistic to blame its erratic feel on any one cause (Marty's departure; Spencer's departure; the "death of hippie," whatever). There was some evidence that Kaukonen and Cassidy were getting antsy and were thinking of pulling out and putting all their energies into Hot Tuna (well, that and speed skating). But had the band overcome all the divisiveness and soldiered on after all--unlikely as that may have been--BARK would have been viewed as something of a transitional album and not one of the band's last gasps! Probably it would have been seen as something on the order of the Rolling Stones mid-70s efforts (not their best, but not necessarily the bitter end).

My main cavil: like Grace Slick, I kinda sympathized with Paul Kantner's sentiments, but unlike Grace, I wasn't emotionally involved with him (of which I'm sure we're BOTH glad) and felt no compunction about calling didactic sludge "didactic sludge." I won't say that I never goosestepped along to "When This Earth Moves Again," but only in the privacy of my own living room, and only for the briefest of moments. Mainly I just felt a bit sad that he incapable of penning anything as pretty as "D.C.B.A.-25" or "Martha" anymore and that everything he wrote had to be anthemic. On the other hand "Rock and Roll Island" did rock mightilly, and preceded by "Lawman" provided for a brief stretch in which the album looked like it was really gonna take off.

It didn't quite. But I agree with those who maintain that BARK has plenty of good moments. And also with those who insist that its problems are not so much the material as the overall flow. While Paul Kantner seems bent on summoning "all [his] people from the countryside" (and presumably, this would include his bandmates) to march onward toward some sort of romantic but ill-defined revolution, Jorma is distancing himself from the band, from the "movement," and seemingly from life itself as he abandons Golden Gate Park for his "Third Week In the Chelsea."

The tensions make for some fascinating moments. And those who guessed the end was near were sort of right. But they would go out with a LOT more bang than whimper with LONG JOHN SILVER, their last studio effort, before the '88 reunion effort (also something of a stylistic grab bag, but certainly not the disaster some of its critics would have you believe it was). LJS is considered by many fans to be the band's fieriest album--with some tracks approaching a kind of proto-punk rawness. One wag once opined that "Eat Starch Mom" was pretty much Grace Slick meets the Stooges. Point being, the band's collective creative juices had hardly DRIED up by the time they BROKE up. All the group's members would go on to do good work in the future. It may have been tempting for critics to talk about the Airplane "crashing in burning." But the truth was less dramatic, and not nearly such good copy. They basically just went their separate ways.

Given that both Bark and Long John Silver are out of print in the U.S. (as I write this)and being offered only at inflated prices, this reasonably priced "two-fer" from U.K.'s Evangeline label is most welcome. There are plenty of reviews of the two albums on the individual album sites; what you probably want to know is the source of the master for this version. Unfortunately, the budget packaging offers not a clue, other than that it was licensed from Sony BMG. I could only compare selected cuts on these albums with the same cuts mastered by Bill Lacey on "Jefferson Airplane Loves You" (1992) and can report that the new discs are notably less muddy and offer a much enhanced high end. They sound like they could be 2000-era masters, but whether they will please hard core audiophiles, I can't say. I no longer owned these discs on either LP or CD, so, for the price, I'm satisfied, unless and until Sony BMG comes up with reasonably priced new releases that reproduce the original brown bag and cigar box packaging. Let me add that listening to the entire Long John Silver album after a gap of perhaps 34 years was a revelation. An album I recalled as being mediocre suddenly came alive with a vocal and instrumental ferocity that (double tracking aside) seemed almost like JA at their "live" best. If only "Feel So Good" on Bark were replaced with the extended version found on "JA Loves You!" I would give this compilation 5 stars if it wasn't for the lack of mastering info and the budget packaging.

Bark and Long John Silver were the only albums I was missing from the Jefferson Airplane/Starship 66-78 era. For this I got two albums for the price of one.

These albums were the last of the Jefferson Airplane before the horrible 1989 albums. The big thing missing here is the silky smooth voice of Marty Balin who left the band in 1970 and later returned in 1974. The male voice replacement for him (drummer Joey Harrington) didn't come close to replacing him. These albums also had alot more of Hot Tuna tunes played under the name of Jefferson Airplane. The fracturing of the band is clearly felt.

Bark is closer to the earlier Jefferson with some strange psychdelic songs like "Never Argue with a German If you are Tired" and "Thunk" Long John Silver has more of a commerical sound of the Jefferson Starship.

It was brilliant to combine these two breakthrough albums. Together, they represent as good an example as any of what made Jefferson Airplane the most unique of American bands of the sixties.

This gives a good chance to complete your airplane collection with CDs. Good quality for à fair Price makes it worth buying these late Airplane Classics

the last Airplane albums, and still not a good recording quality,but if you're an Airplane fan they have certain cuts which I love, such as " Trial By Fire" among others,which are good to hear once in a while. Nice to have.

I ran out and bought these when they first came out on vinyl. Even as a rabid Airplane fanatic I was a tad disappointed. They'd come out with Grunt, and immediately there was a deluge of Slick/Kantner product (BATE, Sunfighter) and Hot Tuna (culminating in Burgers, their early best.) As a wee consumer even I knew they were saving their best for their side projects.

That being said there is much, much to recommend with both Bark and Long John Silver. Bark has the lovely "Pretty As You Feel" with tasty guitar by Carlos Santana, great background vocals from Grace, and understated lead vocal by Joey Covington (but not good enough to forgive "Thunk.") Jorma's bittersweet and melancholy kiss-off to the band "Third Week At the Chelsea". Grace wrote and delivered two of her best songs - "Crazy Miranda" and "Law Man" (in which art imatates life in the mid-1990's when Grace pulled a shotgun on a cop and actually lived to tell.) "Wild Turkey" is a kickin' show piece for Papa John Creach. Paul's two opuses "War Movie" and "Rock & Roll Island" haven't dated so well. We won't discuss Grace's "Never Argue With A German...". Just put the bottle down, Grace, step away from the booze...

"Long John Silver" is proto-punk, and I'm not kidding. It's largely dominated by Grace, Jorma and Jack. In fact, in one of the rare instances of Jack Casady, the ultimate Rock Bassist, writing a song - title blood curdler "Long John Silver," howled with glee by Grace and a roaring Airplane behind her playing Jack & Jorma's idea of a pirate jig. "All men are ruled by a flag or a game / but nobody's got you if you don't sign your name!"

Grace and the boys whoop it up again on "Aerie" (one of Grace's best songs - ever;) "Milk Train" (all kinds of snarky double-entendres with Papa John's snaky fiddle;) and "Eat Starch Mom." Grace, Jorma, and Jack channel the Stooges and deliver a preepmtive strike on punk 5 years too early. Hippies my buttocks! Iggy could've sung this track. "Trial By Fire" is stomping electric Hot Tuna. Paul is clearly saving his best stuff for his solo work. An editor would have helped here. "Son of Jesus"? "Alexander the Medium?" Where's the guy who wrote "When I Was A Boy I watched the Wolves"? It's hard to quibble when that was so brilliantly done on "Sunfighter" but Paul didn't bring his A-game to the Airplane anymore.

All in all, not quite as awful as rock critics would lead you to believe. But Marty is missed. Seriously missed. Any and all songs would've done better with his tenor and harmonies. But as has been often said, even the Airplane at their worst is better than most groups' best.