Customer Reviews

Bless Its Pointed Little Head

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just finished spinning the new BIPLH remaster and felt it warranted some detailed comment. First of all, everything about the packaging is terrific; I was especially pleased to see Mike Frankel's photos from one of the actual Fillmore East gigs where the album was recorded. ("Ah, so that's what they were wearing...")

BIPLH itself has been appreciably remastered, with heightened clarity and instumental image separation. Certain sounds that got smudged on earlier masterings, like Spencer Dryden's high-hat and Jorma Kaukonen's lightning-fast lead fingerings are brought crisply forward, making the live performance itself more staggering than ever. ("Some o' them chords," indeed.) The drums are the biggest sonic difference over the previous issue, but the group interplay in general is also easier now to separate in the mind's ear -- for instance, I found it possible to just focus on Paul Kantner's Leslie-fied guitar noodlings in "Bear Melt," which exposed the brilliance of his contribution to one awesome mother of a live performance.

I note, with some pain, that the sticky smudge which plagued the earliest issues of this album on CD during Jorma's introductory lead on "Plastic Fantastic Lover," is back -- though digitally glossed over. (But I can still hear it -- and it was fixed for the previous issue!) But the big sonic disappointment for me is how Jack Casady's bass comes off -- such a consistently brilliant performance, but why doesn't it reach down to my system's sub-woofer, even with the bass enhanced?

Jack's Guild Starfire II roars through my sub-woofer only on the last three numbers, the bonus tracks added to this remastered CD and allegedly intended for the original release but booted due to vinyl's time constraints. Here, suddenly, you can feel the bass as well as hear it. Why not for the bulk of the album? A mocking reminder of what SHOULD have been.

As for the three bonus tracks (all three from the Fillmore East and apparently, unlike everything else on the record, presented in the sequence they were recorded live), I suppose I can believe they were considered for inclusion, but it doesn't sound as though they were mixed for inclusion. Marty Balin's vocal on "Today" is fairly trippy and weak at the beginning; if he's half the perfectionist I think he is, he would probably have wanted to overdub this in the studio had it reached that stage of ultimate consideration. On the other two songs, "Watch Her Ride" and "Won't You Try", both beautifully performed (the latter remarkably close in spirit to the song's Woodstock performance), every member seems to be playing and
singing at equal volume, as heard on the Airplane's lamentable (and apparently completely unmixed) LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST album. These tracks also needed some additional studio fine-tuning, if only just to make a more pleasing and less combatative stereo setting for the band.

But the unpolished presence on these tracks on this -- the most virtuosic of all live '60s rock albums, in my opinion -- weakens the whole. Not enough for me to subtract a star, though.

This is a great album. Having seen the Airplane many times in SF, both loud and soft, I can tell you they varied wildly as a live band. They could be too loud, off-key singing, terrible. BUT. On a good night, they were untouchable. This album is almost as good as they got - not quite, but close enough to give you an idea. Sure would be nice if Amazon listed the bonus tracks so we would know whether to buy another version of it! At any rate, if you don't have it and like the Airplane to any degree, buy this record. I think it was Casady who was quoted as saying something along the lines of "This was the first live recording of ourselves we listened to where we didn't all get up and leave the room!" Listen to "Its' No Secret" on the first album, then listen to it on this album and you'll see why they could tear your head off live.

When the Airplane recorded this blitzkrieg onslaught of out-of-control psychedelic rock, they were the biggest band in the US and, observed from a ballroom floor they were Great.

This particular set is played faster (amphetamines?) than most by JA, but you'll soon get the picture. We're talking sonic boom, here with an overlay of dueling vocalism, the likes of which have never been heard again.

This was a band with four vocalist/songwriters (Marty, Paul, Jorma, Grace), transcendental overdrive built in to the engine and more than a little craziness (Grace Slick, mainly). There is also the matter of the bass player known as "God" to his adherents, Jack Casady. He never fails.

I could go on, but hey, I'm a bit biased. This group was my favorite live group. For contrast, try JA's "Crown of Creation", an inky, dark slab of psychedelia from 1968. (By the way, Jorma Kaukonen is one of the great ones, then AND now).

Incredible live cd. The Airplane at their best. This cd captures the pure energy and musical ability this band had. Wonderful exciting versions of 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds and its no secret. Grace shines on Somebody to love and has never been better than the bluesy 11 minute version of Bear melt. A must have for any Airplane fan.

From the heyday of the psychedelic rock era in San Francisco, the album, "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", is a fine recording of a live concert by one of the city's best-known and much-loved bands, The Jefferson Airplane. The concert was recorded, in late 1968, at the venerable rock temple, The Fillmore East, in New York City, and also at its sister venue in San Francisco, The Fillmore West, both owned by one-time Airplane manager, Bill Graham. Combining the powerful vocal mix of Grace Slick, Marty Balin, and Paul Kantner, with the musicianship of Jorma Kaukonen, lead guitarist extraordinaire, Jack Casady, bassist, and Spencer Dryden, drummer, you have an exceptional example here of psychedelic rock, San Francisco-style, at its best recorded live. For instance, give a listen to the intense interaction between the vocals of singer, Marty Balin, and the lead guitar work of Jorma Kaukonen on the song, "Plastic Fantastic Lover", something that is definitely missing on all studio recordings of this song. The energy is phenomenal. Or, give a listen to the intricate interplay, for more than six minutes, no less, between bass, rhythm guitar, and lead guitar on the song, "The Other Side of This Life". Superb.

With guidance from their friend, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane produced their breakthrough album in 1967 with their second studio effort, "Surrealistic Pillow." As a product of those sessions, the band had a huge hit during that year's Summer of Love with the song, "Somebody to Love", sung by Grace Slick. It certainly received plenty of radio airplay from coast to coast. This particular song along with several other memorable songs from the album, namely, "White Rabbit", "Today", and the instrumental, "Embryonic Journey", provided the band with national name recognition, something that all bands of that era sought as a step towards success, fame, and riches. Grace Slick, having had joined The Jefferson Airplane a year earlier, brought to the band a distinctive female voice, an unmatched stage presence, and songwriting ability. It certainly paid off. That same year, the band released its third studio album, "After Bathing at Baxters." And then, in 1968, with the release of the band's fourth studio album, "Crown of Creation", the band decided that it was time for the Airplane to release an official recording of one of its concerts. After all, other San Francisco bands, such as The Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, had similar thoughts in mind. Within a year, all three bay-area bands released recordings of their live shows. Quicksilver Messenger Service released an album entitled, "Happy Trails", that was an exceptional example of the fine San Francisco sound of that era. Additionally, the release of these albums was a way for management of each group to counter the sudden proliferation and popularity of illegal bootleg recordings that easily ate into each band's earnings.

Within a few years of the release of the album, "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", however, members of the Jefferson Airplane began to go their seperate ways. Internal problems within the band came to a head at a live concert at Altamont (California) in late 1969. This particular, and now infamous, free concert featured The Rolling Stones, with the Airplane scheduled to play ahead of them. However, the band, having had a gig in Miami the day before, suffered from exhaustion and jet-lag. In addition, some members of the band felt correctly that the atmosphere that day, at the speedway, was just not right. Tempers flared, and their set before a crowd of more than 300,000 did not go over well at all. It was the beginning of the end.

Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady left the Airplane altogether to concentrate on their other band, Hot Tuna. Spencer Dryden joined the country-rock band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, initially an off-shoot of the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia, once again, lending a helping hand. Grace Slick, Marty Balin, and Paul Kantner eventually formed an extension of the Airplane, and they named the band, The Jefferson Starship. Again, they received a helping hand from several neighborhood friends, among them being, David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Jerry Garcia. The new band included David Freiberg on bass and vocals, formerly of Quicksilver Messenger Service.

Just wanted to stop by and add my voice to the chorus. As almost all the other reviewers have said, this is a great CD. It will make anyone with even a casual interest in psychedelic music very, very happy.

The Airplane manage to rock like a sumbitch and be as trippy as a blacklight Escher poster. There isn't a weak track here, except maybe Bear Melt, which you kinda have to be in the mood for. Although, to be fair, unlike the other tracks, which are actual songs, it really wasn't meant to stand alone. It was intended to be accompanied by a headful of drugs and a groovy light show. Still, even Bear Melt it has its moments, especially Grace Slick's truly strange and, from the sound of it, at least partly improvised spoken/sung intro (that's where I got the headline for this review, although there's nothing especially strange about that particular phrase).

Kantner's Donovan impression on Fat Angel is a little embarrassing, but it's kinda cute too. And the song shows that raga rock can actually rock. A real slow burner.

Interesting that when originally issued, in 1969 (from recordings made in late '68) all the Airplane originals and one cover (The Other Side of This Life) were from their first two albums. Nothing from Baxter's, nothing from Crown of Creation. Probably RCA (and maybe the band) wanted to lean in particular on material from the Airplane's most successful album, Surrealistic Pillow. But that makes the last two bonus tracks, songs from Baxter's, especially welcome. Very rousing version of Won't You Try, although when the band sings/chants "People dancing everywhere" you can clearly hear Marty Balin say wistfully "used to be." Late '68 and already the flowers were wilting.

Jefferson Airplane was the other quinessential S.F. band. Although they leaned more commercial than their counterparts, they were still amazing. The musicianship of Kaukonen/Cassidy/Dryden was quite dynamic. Kantner was an intregal part of all this as well, but the vocals of Balin and Grace was incredible. How those two worked off each other...drove each other. The band is in top form here, simply rocking. 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds just tears it up. Same with the oTHER SIDE of this Life, and Somebody to Love. Purely rocking in the S.F. tradition. It's No Secret sounds so pedestrian on the J.A. Takes Off compared to this reading with Grace in her prime. Oh, and Plastic Fantastic Lover is nothing on Surrealistic Pillow compared to this. Jorma and Jack are on fire here. Jefferson Airplane was a bunch of hippies but they sure could produce sounds with dynamics and interplay where everyone was a star, and contributed to the greater of the collective. Man, you gotta get this if you like this band annd have never heard this effort. This is a band that in their short time together show how their combination was worthy of becoming members of the rock and roll hall of fame.

I wasn't too surprised to read in Jeff Tamarkin's liner notes to this latest CD version of BLESS ITS POINTED LITTLE HEAD that it is the favorite JA album of EVERY single band member--bar none. OK, well, actually, I might not have been too taken aback if Grace--who reportedly enjoyed the studio process a great deal and liked getting the sound that she wanted nailed down--might have selected one of the studio releases, but then again, she comes off brilliantly on this live set (only two solos, but she's prominent on several other tracks, and there is no other recording that even begins to suggest the excitement of her vocal dueling with Marty) that it's really not all that surprising that its a favorite of hers as well.

The other claim that Tamarkin makes both here and in his excellent group bio GOT A REVOLUTION is that this was the unadulterated "live" Airplane--with no studio tricks, sweetening or clean ups. I recall once seeing a review that accused the Airplane of exactly that (finessing the record a bit in the studio). I remember wondering at the time if that were true, and if so, was it so bad? I mean, I certainly wasn't a jaded urban concertgoer in my youth but had been to enough live shows to know that even when they were great, they were seldom perfect soundwise. And if a record was going to be issued of any given live performance, a bit of polishing up or a bit of remixing might well be the order of the day.

Doesn't mean that the vocal trade offs between Marty, Grace and Paul were any less scintillating or that Spencer, Jack and Jorma weren't any less fiery instrumentally. It just means a cleaner recording, after all. Nothing misleading there. It is just enhancement of what's already there.

So I had decided years ago not to worry particularly whether this brilliant live disc was in any way "studio enhanced." If it's not--as Tamarkin insists--well, more power to 'em. If it really was the perfect recording of a really great couple of sets, well, how great that they were captured so well when at their absolute peak. They certainly were less well served by their second live record (their swan song 30 SECONDS OVER WINTERLAND, which while it does have its moments, pretty much documents their decline). And interestingly, the bonus tracks included with this release, supposedly recorded at the same time as the tracks that actually wound up on BIPLH, are inferior to the ones actually used.

Tamarkin suggests that it was only space considerations (the limits of vinyl) that kept these live versions of "Today," "Watch Her Ride," and "Saturday Afternoon/Won't You Try" of the original release. I can't quite swallow that whole. The bonus tracks are much sloppier vocally and much muddier acoustically than anything that actually made the cut originally. And even if the recording quality had been better none of the three tracks improves upon the original studio takes in any significant way.

Now of course, one could also argue that the SURREALISTIC PILLOW version of "Somebody to Love" is the definitive version, and in many ways, it probably is. But the live take included here is an almost complete recasting of the original. Others have commented on the funky opening riffs--not even remotely recognizable as an intro to one of the group's big hits--and Grace's jazz tinged, playfully cool take on the song similarly gives it a whole new dimension. Which is superior? Well, that will always remain the subject of debate among fans. What matters is that for this release, the group was bringing something new to the table.

In fact I've always asssumed that one of the reasons that so many of the tracks on BIPLH were re-do's of cuts from SURREALISTIC PILLOW was precisely because the earlier album, their first major commercial success, had been just a litte TOO commercial for this hippie band. Marty Balin sings "3/5 of a Mile In 10 Seconds" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" like he's on fire. And the instrumentals are equally ferocious--with Jack's patented rumbling bass and Jorma's frenzied leads dancing around like a hot electrical wire. The polished PILLOW takes, recorded under the tutelage of an RCA house producer, are almost sterile by comparison. And of course, stuff from an even earlier era such as the previoiusly unreleased "Other Side of this Life" and TAKES OFF's once tentative sounding "It's No Secret" benefit from the band's newfound assuredness and boldness.

But boldness was precisely what the band's third record AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S did NOT lack for. In fact, when pressed to choose my own favorite Airplane record, I can never quite decide between their most experimental studio release (BAXTER'S) and their vibrant live release (POINTED HEAD). Had the group opted to include live versions of the two BAXTER cuts now offered here as bonus tracks, it would have been a real artistic mistake. "Watch Her Ride" and "Saturday Afternoon" are in no sense superior to the studio versions, and while I welcome having them now (completist that I am), they actually would have undercut the album's strengths in 1969).

In fact, I would encourage any Airplane "newbie" who gets ahold of this version of the CD to ignore the last three tracks the first time through. Abbreviated though it was, there was something magical about BIPLH's flow originally. In some ways, it really SHOULD end with the largely improvised (but brilliantly so) "Bear Melt." That track is a highligt for both Grace (who does a brilliant improvised vocal for the first half of the track) and for the instrumentalists who then turn it into an equally brilliant jam, ending with Grace coming in for the briefest of what Hendrix might have called "slight returns."

Hear it as it was--then go back for the bonus cuts. Best way to relate to them is to pretend that they're a welcome encore to an almost perfect set.

I'm a huge Jefferson Airplane fan. Over the years, I've bought just about all their albums multiple times-first as an LP, then the original CD, then the remastered CD, etc.

"Bless Its Pointed Little Head" is one of my favorite live albums, but they have still missed the mark in the remastering. There is some improvement-the instruments sound clearer and less compressed, but parts of it still sound like an almost skipping record. This is especially apparent in the quieter passages, like the beginning of Bear Melt (which I absolutely love, unlike most people) or Today. I'm guessing that this may be a problem with the master tapes or the recorder used-remember this was from 1969.

A pretty great live album by Jefferson Airplane, with a couple of missteps, graces the CD age with three bonus tracks. This doesn't change the fact that it isn't for casual fans - it just isn't one of those epochal live albums (ex: Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East), but Bless Its Pointed Little Head proves that Jefferson Airplane was a wonderfully talented live band. Not only that, but it shows how the Airplane differed in live and studio formats. Their studio work tended to be tighter; here, they stretch out, for better and for worse.

Your liking of this album will be mostly determined by how much you enjoy late-60's psychedelic rock. If it's your favorite, perhaps you'll even like "Bear Melt" - an eleven minute jam with warped Grace Slick monologue. I, for one, consider that particular track pretty good, but I only listen to it rarely. And even if you don't, the rest of the album, especially "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds," "It's No Secret," and "Somebody to Love," shines brightly. All throughout, the kinetic energy between the group is on display.

I believe that in many ways, Bless Its Pointed Little Head is woefully underrated. It receives heavy competition, perhaps, from Live at Fillmore East, which has a somewhat better track list, and from Live at the Monterey Festival, with its brilliant extended version of "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil." Taken on its own terms, however, its a wonderful document of the Airplane live, and the feel is similar to the aforementioned alternates. If you're looking for a live Jefferson Airplane album, this is a fine choice, with attractive packaging and a live version of one of their finest tunes, "Today," though newcomers to Jefferson Airplane should start with Surrealistic Pillow.

Oh, and by the way, "We Built This City" wasn't even a thought in the minds of the Jefferson Airplane-caricature called Starship when this was made. Wasn't it recently voted one of the Top Ten worst songs ever?