Customer Reviews

Ignition

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

 

 

Simple review of the new box set: 1. Does not contain all of the available albums, even though four CDs could contain at least six, if not seven records instead of four. I don't count the mono mixes as a true extra feature. In other words, this isn't a definitive set, and doesn't contain one of the best ones, Volunteers. 2. There is no new remastering, or rarities as is available on the single CD releases. 3. Price is very high for a set that contains essentially four records that weren't very long in the first place. The Simon and Garfunkel box set is a whole lot cheaper with five records plus rarities and remastered sound (as a comparison). 4. Any booklet included in the box set isn't worth all the extra money. No booket is, no matter now nice. 5. I'm a big box set fan, and enjoy collecting this type of product, but this one is for completists only who need the mono mixes (big deal). Recommendation: Buy it used, as it's not worth the retail price. Better yet, buy the individual CDs which aren't really expensive anyway compared to this box set. Avoid this set, and force the company to come out with a truly well thought out product.

The Jefferson Airplane's first 4 LPs, remastered for your listening pleasure. The first two have both mono and stereo mixes. Historically interesting psychedelia, but was this box really necessary, at an outrageous price?

One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small, and the ones that RCA gives you, makes you greedier than all. Apologies to Grace.

Generally speaking, I can agree with some other reviewers who note that this set could offer more value for its rather high cost. However, I totally disagree with those who feel the inclusion of mono versions of some tracks amounts to little more than "filler".
The mono tracks are, in fact, the original released versions of the songs represented here, as issued on 45-rpm vinyl single records. At the time the recordings were made, mono AM radio broadcasts were the medium through which most people first heard this music, and single records were carefully mixed to provide maximum sound from the low-fi radios many people owned.
Not only do the 45-rpm mono mixes still sound great, they can also differ significantly from the stereo versions. The emphasis on certain vocal or instrumental parts can be altered, and even the track length can be different. Frequently, the work went into mixing the "hit" songs in mono because 45-rpm records were a gold mine for record companies. Stereo mixes of the same tracks for LPs were often just an afterthought.
So boycott this collection, if you choose, because of its high price, but listen first with an unbiased ear to those wonderful mono versions of songs like "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit". They are well worth your attention.

Great set if you want these 4 CDs. 45 years later, they still hold up well. I love the energy, craft, and creativity that permeate the discs. That being said, it is unlikely that you will be happy if you already own them. The remastering is nice, the mono versions and nice, but it is probably not worth buying again for them.

If you're a fan and don't own these CD's already, this is a great buy. Those who are expecting a box set with anything extra will be disappointed. This is strictly for those who recognize the Airplane as one of the seminal groups of the 60's and wish to enjoy their golden era.

I saw numerous Jefferson Airplane concerts in my day. Too many, my mom would say.

Be that as it may be or been....my blessed pointy little head loves this CD collection. What fan wouldn't? It's all here. About as fine a set from start to finish as one is gonna find. Bill Graham brought us three major groups in the Psychedelic era...Quicksilver Messenger Service....The Grateful Dead...And The Airplane....anyone who was anyone in the circuit can attest to that....dead or alive...
If you were around in '69 and it was New Years Eve....those were the bands playin' Winterland...amd if you had to drive a stick shift for the first time and it was your girlfriend's Mercedes Benz and you had some San Francisco hills to negotiate on the way home and you made it out alive until you got to Santa Cruz after you dropped her off and such...
but I digress slightly..
Any complaints about this CD are just not justified... True Believers will love it. ya had to BE there, people.. let's not rely on wimpy newbie hippies to mediate or meditate on one of the greatest Rock Bands of the millenium...and it WAS OUR millenium, little wiseacres!
yeah, ya lil varmints...keep away from my porch! I've got a mouthful of tobbacy juice and I'm gonna squirt the hell outta you rascals, so JUST BACK OFF! Got it?
K then...peace, and plastic fantastic LOVE!!!!

Unka BK