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21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If Only You'd Believe In Miracles, So Would I, June 3, 2006
It fascinates this reviewer that the second release of Jefferson Airplane, SURREALISTIC PILLOW, was their greatest commercial success, just as RED OCTOPUS, the second release of Jefferson Starship was theirs. It was all downhill from there and here.
RED OCTOPUS was a mainstay of the mid-1970s AOR playlist. Unlike the Airplane, whose politically-minded, drug-fueled, and musically daring discography made them a pure Counterculture band between 1966 and 1972, Jefferson Starship stayed largely within the bounds of convention on 1975's RED OCTOPUS. Virtually all the songs are pure love songs, and the vast majority of them will someday make the Vegas lounge jump with no problem at all. RED OCTOPUS is a musical departure from the band's usual formula. RED OCTOPUS showcases the talents of Craig Chaquico, Pete Sears, and Papa John Creach, each of whom contributes a unique signature that carries this album in the direction of Fusion Jazz. Even the rockers, such as "Fast Buck Freddie" have an agreeable AM slant, while Paul Kantner's obligatory Oriental/Sci-Fi contribution, "I Want To See Another World" is a three-part harmonized love song shared by Kantner, Grace Slick and Marty Balin.
Thirty years on, the incessant romancing on RED OCTOPUS sounds more than a little sappy, but it WAS the album for it's time and place, a lush, laid back, and well-crafted production, perfectly geared to the tiffany glass fern bar crowd.
Jefferson Starship could and would never replicate the success of RED OCTOPUS. On subsequent albums the band retreated into it's habitually overproduced electric anthem sound even where the largely RED OCTOPUS-like material didn't warrant it. It's no wonder they fell to the nadir of "We Built This City On Rock And Roll," a piece of utter pop trash that is painful to contrast with SURREALISTIC PILLOW's "Somebody To Love," the title track of CROWN OF CREATION, or even the signature RED OCTOPUS number, "Miracles."
In it's forty year lifespan this protean band perfectly mirrored the rise and fall of Rock.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Starship In '75, January 27, 2006
The Jefferson Starship enjoyed their first and only number one album with Red Octopus. While this album doesn't have the rebellious bite of their Airplane recordings, it is a pleasing collection of songs. "Miracles" is probably the band's best song and Marty Balin has never sounded smoother with Grace Slick providing powerful backup and "There Will Be Love" contains a classic Balin-Kanter-Slick vocal interplay. The album has some good rockers such as Slick's "Fast Buck Freddie" & "Play On Love" and the scorching "Sweeter Than Honey" which contains fiery fiddle playing from Papa John Creach. Red Octopus is often overlooked, especially stacked up against Airplane recordings, but is it is a superb collection of rock songs by a veteran rock group that never sounded tighter or more well-oiled in their career. The newly remastered version greatly improves on the sound and the four live tracks are welcome bonus.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic, April 4, 2007
I don't know if I'd call myself a big Jefferson Starship fan, because most of their music besides this album hasn't really caught my attention, but Red Octopus RULES. I LOVE this album. Every song.
Maybe it's the meaningful vocal melodies with lots of emotion, or maybe it's the guitar playing. Whatever it is, I love this baby.
"fast buck freddie" seems like a song that goes all OVER the place the first time you listen to it, without any of the vocal melodies really catching on. However, listen to it a few more times, and find out that it really IS a good song. Of course "miracles" is a classic, especially the longer version. Great song. A great way to blend female and male vocals, too. I won't argue with anyone who says it's the best song on the album.
"git fiddler" is another highlight. I love instrumentals and this is a really good one. "tumblin" is a typical 70's ballad, but who cares? "I want to see another world" is a strange one. A song that really stands out from the rest of the album. It's loud, sounds important, and you won't forget how the chorus goes. The chorus is great. "saldalphon" sounds SO MUCH like a Procol Harum song. It must be the slow-building keyboards that help me come to this conclusion. Very soft, beautiful, memorable song. "there will be love" is the song that carefully blends great emotional singing with emotional guitar playing. What a song this one is.
But do you want to know which song makes the whole thing near perfect? It's "Al Garimasu (there is love)" POWERFUL, slow-building, flawless female vocals. BEST SONG EVER. I'm serious. PLEASE listen to Red Octopus. "AHHHHHHH, I want to FE-EL YOUR LO-O-OVE" You don't realize how good this song is.
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