Customer Reviews

Long John Silver

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When this album was released, it was pretty much dismissed as being a bad album. It does sound more like a compillation of solo tracks rather than a album released by a unified band, sort of along the lines of the Beatles White Album. If it wasn't for Jorma's contributions, this would feel more like a Jefferson Starship album. But that said, the songs are all stong. The only letdown (for me at least) is the lack of their trademark vocal blend, opting more for single voices than harmonies. Still, a worthy last studio album (I'm purposly ignoring the crappy reunion album)from a really great band and as someone one said "the worst they might ever do is still better than most band's best".

LJS was released in mid-1972 by the post-Balin & Dryden line-up of JA, and represents their last studio album. New drummer Covington had quit the band, replaced by ex-TURTLES/CSNY drummer John Barbata. The music, mostly Slick, Kaukonen and Kantner compositions, are harder, more guitar-riff jam oriented than the older material on BAXTER'S or CROWN OF CREATION. The flower-power-love band they were no more. Jack Casady's bass sound is incredable here - thick with more than an edge of distortion in places. Grace Slick, fueled by alcohol, lets loose an impressive torrential punk angst against vegetarians ("Eat Starch Mom"), The Roman Catholic Church ("Easter") and sings the praises of down-and-dirty sex ("Milk Train"). Most of the songs on LJS lumber along at mid-tempo, with fewer variances in chordal structure than previous JA releases. A good, solid, drug & alcohol fueled rock n roll album. But if you're searching for the summer of '67 Jefferson Airplane that loves you, tread not in these dark unfriendly waters...

While the Airplane was splintering, at least they decided to go out with a bang. This is more of a desperate"Im going down in flames" then a farewell album. Regardless of the state of mind and affairs that were going on within the band, this is one angry Airplane. So have a toke, do another shot and enjoy this somewhat sloppy, loud kiss goodbye to the flower age. "Aerie(Gang of Eagles)", "Long John Sliver", "Trial By Fire" "Milk Train", and "Eat Starch Mom" are the best thingies here. Each track is one barrage of fury after another, like they knew this was going to be their last statement and they were going to show you that putting an end to their eight year flight over the countries wasn't a picnic, it wasn't pretty, and they really did hate to see it end. I did too.

Long John Silver is a true classic. It was released originally during a time of great turmoil in the United States and expresses in the inimitable Airplane style both the frustration and anger as well as a raw vivaciousness that had really broken through the surface of American society. It was a time in many ways similar to our own. It was the last ful year of the disastrous War in Vietnam, it was an election year which ended unbelievably in a victory for Republican candidate Richard Nixon in spite of the Watergate break-in and cover-up which also happened that year.
The song Son of Jesus also raised the issue of Jesus having offspring thirty years before the Da Vinci Code.
It seems to me that a US re-release of this album might be very well timed, but in the mean time, I am grateful for this French version although the sound quality does not come up to the level it could if it had been remastered from something closer to the original master tapes.

I have to say that the reviewers below are pretty much on target with this one. LONG JOHN SILVER is probably not the best intro to the Airplane's recorded work. But it has a kind of fury to it that is just short of punk rage. I can't count the number of times I've come home from a long hard day at work and reached for this record and blasted Grace's "Eat Starch Mom"-- a masterpiece of unfocused rage (who's the target: vegetarians? uptight parents? anybody that Grace doesn't like at the moment?). It's as furious as anything by the Stooges, the Dolls or the Velvets--and that's high praise indeed.

Grace DOES sound strained on this one--at least a good deal of the time. "Milk Train" proves that she could still pull off a smooth, snaking vocal, simultaneously earthy and ethereal, and as good as her best 60s work. But elsewhere she sounds, at best, like she was in the in the next room.

I found out years later that many of the tracks were originally recorded as instrumentals, with the lyrics written and the vocals inserted only later. Grace Slick as an afterthought is a somewhat difficult concept to accept, but there you have it. So I'm guessing that "Aerie," "Starch," probably "Easter" and certainly the title track were really pretty much Hot Tuna pieces with Grace jumping in after the fact. If you listen to LJS with this in mind, the buried, sometimes strained vocals start to make sense. You may also realize that the problem is less Grace's voice (she's doing bang-up work on "Aerie" for instance) than with the production itself.

Yes, this is a fiery, edgy album, but let's not forget that JA were never just a docile, peaceful hippie band. The irony about the band was that the sweet voice belonged to the male singer (Marty) and that the angrier, edgier voice belonged to the female lead. It's not so surprising then, that once Marty departed, the furies were unleashed.

I have to say that the reviewers below are pretty much on target with this one. LONG JOHN SILVER is probably not the best intro to the Airplane's recorded work. But it has a kind of fury to it that is just short of punk rage. I can't count the number of times I've come home from a long hard day at work and reached for this record and blasted Grace's "Eat Starch Mom"-- a masterpiece of unfocused rage (who's the target: vegetarians? uptight parents? anybody that Grace doesn't like at the moment?). It's as furious as anything by the Stooges, the Dolls or the Velvets--and that's high praise indeed.
Grace DOES sound strained on this one--at least a good deal of the time. "Milk Train" proves that she could still pull off a smooth, snaking vocal, simultaneously earthy and ethereal, and as good as her best 60s work. But elsewhere she sounds, at best, like she was in the in the next room.

I found out years later that many of the tracks were originally recorded as instrumentals, with the lyrics written and the vocals inserted only later. Grace Slick as an afterthought is a somewhat difficult concept to accept, but there you have it. So I'm guessing that "Aerie," "Starch," probably "Easter" and certainly the title track were really pretty much Hot Tuna pieces with Grace jumping in after the fact. If you listen to LJS with this in mind, the buried, sometimes strained vocals start to make sense. You may also realize that the problem is less Grace's voice (she's doing bang-up work on "Aerie" for instance--unfortuantely it's a bit buried in the production) than with the production itself.

Yes, this is a fiery, edgy album, but let's not forget that JA were never just a docile, peaceful hippie band. The irony about the band was that the sweet voice belonged to the male singer (Marty) and that the angrier, edgier voice belonged to the female lead. It's not so surprising then, that once Marty departed, the furies were unleashed.

The last Jefferson Airplane album, Long John Silver (1972) shows a band on the verge of disintegration, exhausted, daring to be abrasive, and displaying all their transit wounds to their public. Melodies never quite get off the ground and tempos are turgid, but it conjures up the endgame in an always-fascinating history. "Eat Starch Mom" is a demented raver by Slick, in which her hard edge and bile becomes almost unbearable, but is mitigated by anti-hippie black humor; "Trail by Fire" could be off of Volunteers; "Twilight Double Leader" is Jefferson Starship avant la lettre. For those who aren't afraid of intensely expressed bad feelings.

The band at this point was fading away and people were going their own ways. In some respects this cd matches that one as others have pointed out , this one is like each member coming up with a few songs and then that's it. The interaction is not so strong but at least at this point they had realized that the end of hippiedom had already happened. People were out working supporting their families the commune age was done. The dream of world peace was lost in a drugged out haze of indifference and this record reflects this realization completely. That's why they changed their name to jefferson starship a great rock and roll band if there ever was one for sure. And one song on here 'twilight double leader' is that group already. This is their most average release for sure musically. But a average ja cd is way above alot of other bands music for sure.

This June 1972 album by the Jefferson Airplane, released here by the Spanish branch of BMG, features the seventies line-up of the band. Papa John Creach and various percussionists help the nucleus of Casady, Kantner, Kaukonen and Slick.

Adorned, in this fine CD version, by a tightly packed bunch of maduro, rustic looking, mind affecting stogies, this was the last proper studio LP from the Jefferson Airplane. The band members' side projects would soon became their main projects: Hot Tuna, Paul Kantner and Grace Slick, Jefferson Starship as well as various PERRO collaborations.

The instrumental playing is of a very high level. Jorma Kaukonen's loud electric guitar (an unifying factor) and Papa John Creach's excellent, spicy electric violin dominate the proceedings, with effective support by the rest of the band. Everything is a bit relentless though and I would have enjoyed more rhythmic shadings. An external producer might have helped! The band already produced themselves, maybe with better results, on their previous album ("Bark".)

Among the nine tracks featured, there are quite a few strong tunes. I especially like: "Trial by Fire", "Milk Train", "Twilight Double Leader" and "Each Starch Mom".

Overall, the recorded sound is good although maybe, a times, slightly congested. This must have been the intended result; I do not subscribe to the "bad recording" theory. The digital mastering is good.

The vocals prove quite strong, although I find that they can be a bit too buried in the mix to my liking.

Overall, the lyrics are adequate even though they can sometimes be meandering (particularly on "Alexander the Medium" and on "Aerie".) The "sacrilegious" lyrics to "The Son of Jesus" or "Easter?" have always seemed downright embarrassing to me.

Although not the first album to buy by this band, I still like its best tracks very much. I rate this album **** but I feel that *** ½ would be more adequate. Still, I would definitely not want to be without it.

Jefferson Airplane / Long John Silver: "Milk Train" is the best song on this album. It is a wonderful Papa John Creach song with lyrics added to it. This album is fuzzy and loud, which is fine, but what kills the album is its ridiculously PREACHY and ignorant lyrics. Honestly, by the time you hear half of the last track (Eat Starch Mom) you want to throw the disc out a window. Two stars (not even Papa John could save this one).