Takes Off (Deluxe)

Performer: Jefferson Airplane
Engineer: Dave Hassinger
Producer: Matthew Katz; Tommy Oliver
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: This newly remastered 2003 deluxe edition contains bonus tracks. Jefferson Airplane: Marty Balin, Signe Toly Anderson (vocals); Paul Kantner (guitar, vocals); Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen (guitar); Jack Casady (bass); Alex "Skip" Spence (drums). Originally released on RCA Victor (3584). Includes liner notes by Jeff Tamarkin. There is a reason why the Jefferson Airplane was the first nationally renowned proponent of San Francisco rock. As much as they bucked establishment values, the sextet offered a musical mixture of California folk-rock and white blues that was nevertheless easier to digest than the sounds of their contemporaries. TAKES OFF, their debut recording, made before Grace Slick joined the band, goes to great lengths to establish them as the obvious next step on a pop staircase of the Beatles, Byrds, and Rolling Stones. Signe Anderson and Marty Balin's distinctive, folky harmonies give TAKES OFF a lived-in warmth and a loved-in counterculture vibe that defined the times. Covers of John D. Loudermilk's infamous "Tobacco Road" and The Youngbloods' '60s anthem "Let's Get Together" may have symbolized their community's alienation from their parents' values, but the Airplane versions were less calls to arms than sympathetic pats on the back. However, Jorma Kaukonen's boppy R&B guitar leads and Jack Casady's free but steady bass lend the Airplane's debut some heavy rock muscle.

One of the quintessential San Francisco psychedelic bands, the Jefferson Airplane brought together interests in acoustic blues, folk, and rock music. Add political topicality and modal improvisations, and you have an inspired, mind-bending sound that could have only sprung forth from the late '60s. In their initial, most beloved phase, they were powered by the powerful dual lead vocals of Grace Slick and Marty Balin and the serpentine guitar of Jorma Kaukonen. They went through a traumatic series of personnel and name changes over the decades (they ventured into commercial AOR in the late '70s and early '80s) but their early work retains its seminal power.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25