LONG JOHN SILVER

A minor improvement on the dreary 'Bark', this 1972 album from the seminal San Francisco psych purveyors - their 7th overall - nevertheless confirmed that Jefferson Airplane's best days were behind them. Featuring most of the group's key players(Kantner, Slick, Kaukonen, Casady) but lacking the song-writing skills of departed co- frontman Marty Balin(who was replaced by Papa John Creach) 'Long John Silver' is a brief, rustic affair, boasting a strong country influence and with a less experimental edge than their classic-era albums from the 1960s. However, whilst 'Bark' failed to muster even a single decent track, this follow-up at does at least have a few enjoyable nuggets up it's sleeve, even if the crumbling state of the group's various complex relationships and their obvious lack of focus and enthusiasm shown here become pretty obvious as the album progresses. 'Twilight Double Dealer' shows flashes of the old cosmic fire, with Grace Slick giving an impassioned performance at odds with the detached nature of her colleagues, whilst both 'Milk Train' and 'Trial By Fire' allow Finnish guitarist Kaunonen to vent his strong blues streak. That said, 'Long John Silver' is still a pretty inconsistent offering, especially when compared against the likes of 'Surrealistic Pillow' and 'Crown Of Creation', with some critics and fans suggesting that maybe, just maybe, Jefferson Airplane should have called it quits when the sixties finishes. Like that decades hopeful hippie dream, a dream that died in a welter of bad drugs, broken promises and unattainable ideals, the once pioneering Bay Area outfit merely faded away, churning out distinctly mediocre stuff once the 1970s began. Although the style is in check, the substance on this disappointing release is noticeably lacking. One for the die-hards only then.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012