JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

The hangover album.

1967 San Fran was quite the party by all accounts, and Baxters summed up beautifully the craziness of the scene, a snapshot of "acid incense and balloons" as the song goes. It couldn't last of course and 1968 was a bit of a drag in comparison, even the Airplane were not immune. "Crown of Creation" is anything but its grandiose title, a huge drop off in majesty from the two previous stunners. The band sounds tired (which they were, being on a crazy schedule), the songwriting sounds phoned-in, and the album is the spiritual hangover of the four 'classic line-up' albums. I think that even those who like the songs of this set would admit it doesn't have the same fresh vibe of the previous two. That's not to say there aren't some gems of course.

Let's start with what's great, namely the first and last tracks. "Lather" is fantastic leftover psychedelia, a little present from Grace to her boyfriend Spencer who was turning 30. She sings of lost youth and a boy stuck in childhood as his friends come of age. What makes it work is the haunting childlike melody that is beautiful but eerie along with her clever, slightly deranged sounding delivery. The closer "The House At Pooneil Corners" is a drop dead classic, a monster split personality epic with apocalyptic tones on one side and breezy contrasting psych chorus on the other. The definitive version is the live rooftop performance they gave for Godard in New York, beautifully filmed by the master filmmaker. Search for it on YouTube, it's there in all it's glory. For the record they pulled this rooftop stunt two months before the Beatles copied it.

I'm afraid things go downhill from there. "Triad" is Grace doing a boring Crosby track, being as hypocritical about relationships as Kantner would later be about wealth. She chooses to exalt how sophisticated an open three-way relationship is, then she later admits in an interview she'd want no part of such a relationship...ok, thanks Grace. Marty sounds especially deflated on tracks like "Star Track" where he essentially lets the boys noodle for long stretches. Kaukonen and Casady were outstanding players who were stretching out on Crown as they were in the live shows, but their jamming isn't enough to elevate these proceedings to masterpiece level. The title track is particularly boring and repetitive, perhaps as uninspired as I've ever heard this line-up. Don't get me wrong, Crown is still a good album with enough to make it worth owning-it simply falls a bit short of the other three Airplane classics. Most rock fans are going to want to own all four albums by the classic line-up, from Surrealistic Pillow to Volunteers. An amazing band.

This could be a nice introduction record to Jefferson Airplane, which is one of the bands associated with the west coast psychedelic movement together with the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, United States of America, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Love and It's a Beautiful Day. The basic sound of Jefferson Airplane is rooted within folk and bluesrock with some slightly psychedelic effects. The band plays these styles with a great amount of enthousiasm which is especially hearable within the many multivocal parts. This collection covers Jefferson Airplane's most succesful period from Jefferson Airplane takes Off to Volunteers. The songs come forth in a chronically following.

Because Jefferson Airplane did change a lot in songwriting, but far less in sound, this compilation listens like a studio record. That makes this compilation a lot better then most others. Further it contains their greatest hits "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" and a good selection of less known songs. My favourite songs seem to come from the "Crown of Creation" record with its titlesong, the instrumental (and by far the most psychedelic of this record) "Chusingura" and "Lather" (an artrock song with lots of added sound effects like typing, explosions, etc., etc.).

This record is a nice buy for those who are not welknown to Jefferson Airplane. It's however not progressive and should not be tried by prog purists and the like. 3,5 stars.

The Airplane's masterpiece

The Summer of Love? As mentioned in my Pillow review Kantner (and others) have stated that the true magical moment in San Fran was '66, not the "summer of love" 1967. The Airplane were coming off the success of "Surrealistic Pillow" and its hit singles. They had taken on Bill Graham as manager and were working very hard trying to record the follow-up while gigging, all throughout that magical summer when tour buses began rolling through the Haight and young people were flocking there from across the country. It was one of those situations where something quite special had taken place but the magic was unsustainable and would be ruined ultimately by human nature. The initial innocence and the taste of freedom and expression were wonderful combined with the intoxicant of youth, but within another year the scene would degenerate into excess, hard drugs, scam artists, and eventually poisonous politics. Despite the chaos of 1967 or perhaps because of it, Baxters would be the masterpiece of Jefferson Airplane. It stands with "Piper" and "Sgt. Pepper" and the other great albums of 1967.

Recording began May 22nd 1967 making "Baxters" the product of the craziness of that summer. It was recorded mostly in the middle of the night by a band trying to turn their previous album on its head. With the success of Pillow the band had nearly complete carte blanche to do whatever the hell they wanted without concerns about the commercial potential, and they were smart enough to realize such attitudes among the suits would not last, so they made the best of it. The album was pretty much written in the studio without central planning, mostly by Kantner, the band bursting with creative intent and fueled by copious amounts of hallucinogens.....along with heavy drinking by Grace and Spencer. But it mattered not...this was the party, this was the time where they could do little wrong, and this was the album that would capture Jefferson Airplane at the peak of their career.

While it's true that the album was experimental and ambitious, what makes it a masterpiece is something much simpler: "Baxters" was change mostly unsullied by cynicism and dysfunction. While true that darker topics were entering the writing, by sheer luck, magic, or something else, this is the album that listeners can inhale to experience life, joy, sunny June morning dew on the grass, children laughing, first kiss innocence. For the band descent had already started via egos, factions and cocaine, but for the listener the album captured a moment that could always be held tight. These feelings were not only a San Fran thing. Young people everywhere would soon feel a longing for escape. All these years later the escape wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and what was seen as old fashioned has in some ways been redeemed. Still, one has to hand it to the musicians for leaving such documents of the period.

This masterful rallying cry of chaos begins with an erupting bit of feedback before the "Pooneil" track becomes a textbook example of what Grace could do with her voice. The multi-vocalist approach was so instrumental in Airplane's vibe, Grace's sultry and powerful wail, Marty's smooth and comforting piece of the puzzle. At the same time the Casady/Kaukonen wing were making their greatest leaps forward in their playing. The track bleeds into "A small package" which is a direct result of the band trying their hand at being Zappa/Mothers. It is a bit silly and indulgent as its critics charge and yet it works perfectly in the concept of this album. You have to remember, this is not an album to play here and there while running errands. This is a piece that is to be savored in its entirety when you have time to shut out the world and dissolve into it.

Marty was feeling marginalized by this point, being openly ridiculed by Jack and Jorma for his "square" tastes. Sadly his only writing contribution here is the lovely "Young Girl Sunday Blues" which is probably the albums most "normal" track. "Martha" is this lovely, lilting, kaleidoscope ode to a young mischievous girl who hung out in the band's social circle. It turns into "Wild Tyme H" which famously finds the band exclaiming proudly "I'm doing things that haven't got a name yet." In "The Last Wall of the Castle" Jorma is ferocious, the fuzz guitar leads entering a new and heavier territory. He would become very enamored with the Cream approach which would lead he and Casady to Hot Tuna.

"I wrote what was interesting to me assuming people had read this stuff. But there's a larger record-buying audience out there that doesn't know [&*!#]." -Grace, about "rejoyce"

And then we get to "rejoyce" which is the album's finest moment for me and proved that Grace was indeed more than a charismatic singer. Loosely based on Joyce's "Ulysses" Slick twists the lyrics and takes them different places, while coming up with some of the Airplane's most interesting recorded music. With the guitars mostly quiet she conjures epic dreaminess and fantasy with her voice and piano, utilizing disjointed sections, some eastern influences, and "discordant, brooding, ominous chord sequences" aptly described by Airplane biographer Jeff Tamarkin (Got A Revolution - The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane.) "rejoyce" always leaves me to wonder what could have been had the Airplane veered this direction with their next album, had they went for a sparser and more experimental studio mind bomb as opposed to heading more in the rock direction favored by the grooving Tuna boys.

On Halloween 1967 the singers were not around, so the future Tuna and Dryden set about laying down what became the 9 minutes of pure improvisation known as "Spare Chaynge." A bit long winded but largely successful if you like guitar noodling, it again fits this particular album just fine. After Grace's witty "Two Heads" the album closes with Paul's tribute to "acid, incense and balloons" at the park. "Saturday Afternoon" evokes the spirit of the hippy celebration as well as any song ever did. Baxters is one in a series of triumphant albums by this great American band, your favorite will depend on your tastes. All of albums through Volunteers belong in every respectable rock collection.

"To us, Baxters was a performance and artistic success because, like spoiled little brats, we got to do whatever we wanted to do. But I say "spoiled little brats" with a certain amount of fondness." -Jack Casady

This live Woodstock Experience of Jefferson Airplane is simply incredible, far superior to the studio albums because they are best heard unleashed from the studio, with vibrant improvisations and jamming and trippy freak out extended jam solos. It is a loud live performance, Grace Slick roaring into the mic along with the crunching guitars and pounding drums. All of the versions are different than the studio in many ways, specifically in how Grace changes rhythms and phrasing on the verses. The band are clearly having fun and it shows in the way they launch into experimental interplay of guitars and drums, such as on the frenetic '3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds', with its flawed vocals and chaotic tempo.

The concert boasts some of the most well known Airplane songs such as essential 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit'. The crowd roar their appreciation, or it may just be the laced brown acid that was not "specifically too good" according to Chip Monck. It is great to hear how the band addressed the crowd such as the intro where Grace tells it how it is, "you have seen the heavy groups now you will see morning maniac music, yeah, believe me, it's a new dawn." Then they launch into the blistering rock beat of "The Other Side of This Life" from "After Bathing At Baxters", one of the few chosen from that album. On this set the band leave behind all the saccharine balladic mush heard too often on their early albums and they rock it up ten notches. There is nothing from the Slick-less "Takes Off" and not that much from the more recent "Crown of Creation". Instead the band revel in a lot of improvisation and blues rock with a psychedelic tinge. At times Rolling Stones riffs are heard, specifically "Jumping Jack Flash" and it works well with Slick's soulful vocals. Jack Casady on bass and Spencer Dryden's drums maintain a constant burning rhythm that the crowd would have relished in after waking from slumber. Great music to eat breakfast too that may or may not have resembled Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast.

The actual Woodstock set of Jefferson Airplane began on Saturday morning, and the band remind the crowd with their "Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon" that is improvised and raw but so great vocally, Grace and Marty whipping up a storm trading off each other. The set originally went for 1 hour and 40 minutes, 8:00am - 9:40am and featured the following songs; "The Other Side of This Life", "Somebody to Love", "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds", "Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon", "Eskimo Blue Day", "Plastic Fantastic Lover", "Wooden Ships", "Uncle Sam Blues", "Volunteers", "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil", "Come Back Baby", "White Rabbit" and "The House at Pooneil Corners". This double disc set features all of these in track order so if one listens only to these songs they can get a feel for what the crowd heard on that infamous performance. The rest of the material from Disc One "Volunteers" is the remaster of the "Volunteers" album, not as good as the live stuff but interesting in its own way.

Highlights of the Woodstock set are the venomous anger in "Eskimo Blue Day", with expletives but some very cool instrumental sections. The band have never sounded so aggressive than on this live set. It is certainly a far cry from "Surrealistic Pillow" which only scraped the surface of what they bad are capable in the live arena. From the forthcoming "Volunteers" album, the live set does have the title track and a ridiculously long version of "Wooden Ships" clocking a whopping 21 and a half minutes, but the band are towering in their virtuoso musicianship throughout. This is followed by the blues marinated 'Uncle Sam's Blues' with Marty blazing away on guitar and vox. The lyrics are anti war which are appropriate in the Vietnam War era setting.

Also from "Volunteers" is "The House at Pooneil Corners" to close the set that jams along and grinds up the crowd with crunching guitars and heavy handed percussion. Slick wails with crazy sustained vocals on "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil", and it jams for 15 minutes, with some nice laid back bass, guitar and sporadic drum fills. It builds to a duet of power vocals, much of which seems to be made up on the spot, but I don't think there would be any complaints from the stoned crowd. 'Come Back Baby' brings things up to a heavy blues wakeup call after a short break with the crowd clapping for an encore.

As the album closes down, it has been an enjoyable trip back to 1968, and it is always a delight to hear the Woodstock material that thankfully has finally been released to see the light of day from all the artists concerned. From Hendrix to Jefferson Airplane, there is no mistaking the Woodstock music as quintessential from all the bands involved; these are powerhouse performances that helped change the face of rock music. This is part of that musical history and it is indispensable.

"Surrealistic Pillow" is a trippy psychedelic album that bristles with kaleidoscopic lyrics and unusual time sigs, like mood swings that may occur under the influence. The main drawcard is the two quintessential Jefferson Airplane tracks, 'Somebody To Love' and 'White Rabbit'. However there are other songs on offer that are worthy of attention. There is the jaunty rhythmic 'She Has Funny Cars' with a pounding drum beat and jangly guitars driving it. The rocking '3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds' is terrific with strong harmonies and silver lined with simplistic guitar riffs. 'Plastic Fantastic Lover' is short burst of psych rock to close the album. Given the lyrics it is focussing on the "Space Age" where everything had to be modern, made of plastic, and computerised, hence the reference to "IBM", and the electron tube was replaced by the transistor, hence the references to the "TV program waste".

Grace Slick, formerly of the Great Society is a welcome addition to the lineup and remained with them for many years. This lineup is hyped as the most essential and it is hard to disagree once you hear Slick's powerhouse vocals. Jerry Garcia had some input as spiritual adviser (!) and it features some incredible bass playing from Jack Casady.

'Somebody To Love' is a grand excursion into passionate vocals and a melody that jams into your brain, and has haunted airwaves for decades. One has to admire the powerful vocals of Grace Slick who is a tour de force on this album. Once you hear 'White Rabbit' you will never forget that melody. It has a raga rhythm and psychedelic lyrics based on Alice in Wonderland; "one pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small, and the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all, go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall." Other characters are drawn into the bizarre lyrics such as the "hookah smoking caterpillar" the white rabbit, the white knight who is "talking backwards", the red queen, who is "off her head", and the dormouse. One can take from the mushroom and acid soaked lyrics what they wish, but the final sentiment culminates with the enigmatic "Feed your head!" Perhaps this was the catch cry of the flower power movement. It is all captured in 2 and a half minutes, a perfect conceptual masterpiece. Even the way Slick sings in an Arabic Eastern lilt, along with the Bolero rhythm, is completely out of the box. The song simply stands alone in the canon of Haight Ashbury counterculture and psychedelia.

Certainly it is not a perfect album though, with dated sugar coated songs such as 'My Best Friend' that could be mistaken for something from The Partridge Family. I am no fan of the quieter moments on the album that are not sung by Grace such as 'Today', and 'Coming Back To Me', sung by Marty Balin. It is a real hit and miss affir for me, with moments of grandeaur and some moments that are dated and dreary. The album was groundbreaking in 1966, it rings with a distinct reverberation, a result of the large recording room's high ceilings at RCA studios, and the placement of the microphones. This is of course part of its charm. Nevertheless, despite all its flaws, "Surrealistic Pillow" has been touted as a milestone album and as a spawn of 1966, a year of change, pre-Woodstock era, it is a pillar of importance; and the best thing from Jefferson Airplane.

This is my first review here... i've made a few reviews , maybe 4 or 5 around half a decade ago under another name, but well i never stopped reading and visiting this rich site , every week and for many many years now.

I've choosed Jefferson Airplane... their 1st album , a logical start, as it takes off, and one of my fave album by the band

"Blues From an Airplane" is a short impressive start for their official musical carreer... the flight is goin' to be turbulent to say the least... no PanAm class lounge affair flight here...

The title of the song is kinda paradoxal, i imagine the blues been basically more earthy, but sometimes it can fly as well for sure, and not only Jefferson Airplane proove this fact... it reminds me a blue fog... like in a Carpenter movie.

"Let me In" was always a fave song for me , and easily in the top 10 songs of the band i played the most... this is seedy garage psychedelic rock at it's most hard-hitting... modern rock bands should take some lessons... and the bass rolls and rolls down the hills here...

"Bringing me down" is another good song... a more versatile version of what the byrds were doin' at the time (ok where are the byrds in progarchives?)

"It's not a secret" and "tobacco road" are not the best here but it ain't bad

"Come up the years " open the 2nd side of the LP with a delicate pop folk sound... it's so delicate and bright

"Run Around" is the return of a good rocker, the bass is jumpin' again...

"Let's get together" is not written by any of them but it's pleasant enough even if not essential, the vocals here by Signe Anderson are really close to what Grace Slick will do in their following 2nd album...

This album is a real good affair ... and an important recording to understand the fast- evolving year of 1966... a record suspended between two eras... there's more than seeds of evolution here

8/10

A simple promotional compilation produced with songs that are easy to sell. What, then, are between hymns of the Californian Rock. A compilation does not disappoint in the end. But useless, in hindsight, and that does not add anything new (there's always something new to say about Jefferson Airplane). Interesting photos of covers, beautiful interior photos from a live (but looks like a Heavy Metal band!), Lean but well-done biography and song biography interesting (but mostly useless) are the package of this compilation.

In less than half an hour are here explains Jefferson Airplane. And they succeeded. Not a masterpiece, for sure.

A perfect moment from the real Summer of Love, '66

"Somebody once said there was a period, maybe about a week in 1966, where anything you wished for would come true. Like you know, 'wish upon a star' kinda stuff. And sure enough, it did." -Paul Kantner

I've heard both Airplane and Dead members say '66 was the real thing while '67 was for the tourists. I wasn't there but I'll take their word for it. This iconic work was created at the tail end of 1966 and is deserving of its status. Sometimes I see people question why the earlier classic albums are rated so highly. After all, these albums seem quaint by today's standards and they lack today's sophisticated recording techniques. I've never understood these reviewers though, from my perspective albums like Pillow, Piper, Rubber Soul, and Days of Future Passed are about as good as music gets. While the later works of all of these bands would get more experimental and complex, and while I would call many of them masterpieces as well, there is something special about the early work.

I think there are several factors which make these works appealing. What comes through in the early work is band relationships which are still firmly in the "band of brothers" fun stage. They are not yet tired and plagued by infighting. Their drug experimentation was still in the wide-eyed stage of hallucinogens and mostly good vibes, as opposed to some of the dark excesses that came later. But most importantly to me, the one foot in each world effect, the transition, the blast off, this is the moment I find so exciting. These works are the moments when the traditional songs are just starting to morph. The branches are just starting to sway in the breeze. So you get to hear songs which are still fairly traditional on the exterior being ever so subtly twisted by the infancy of the counterculture, and it is that combination of the innocent and mischievous which is so unique. Yes in a couple of years everything would get very radical. But I for one find the initial altering of the consciousness as exciting as the full blown party. It's like those first partying experiences in your teen years which were so memorable and largely innocent. Those naive and heavy moments with friends. Bands can't really recapture that spirit of wide-eyed wonder any more than people can recapture their youth.

The album was recorded a mere two weeks after Slick joined the band in November of 1966. As a testament to how talented and resourceful they were, the sessions took two weeks and cost $8K. The collective charisma and enchanting power on display place Pillow among the very best iconic albums of the 1960s or any decade for that matter. Slick brought a combination of power and sexuality a full decade before anyone knew who Ann Wilson or Stevie Nicks were. Along with Marty Balin's wide range and generally likable presence, the Airplane had one of the most entertaining and formidable vocal fronts of any band. The had the ability to play off of each other and trade leads for great variety. Behind them were a band every bit as interesting as the Dead or the Doors. For 1966 Kaukonen had an aggressive and sometimes caustic edge to his playing while having the ability to spin pure sunny beauty with the delicate "Embryonic Journey." Textural contrast is all over this album as it songwriting variety. From the whimsical sweetness of "My Best Friend" to the hazy strains of "Today", Surrealistic Pillow proves Kantner's magical quote about 1966.

The sparks fly early in the lead off track "She Has Funny Cars", it is the moment when Balin's smooth voice is first joined by Grace's tentative, soft entrance to the band. An interesting track with different sections that range from chilled to urgent, that abrasive guitar edge already getting in your face. "Somebody To Love" is a single I thought I was sick of years ago from radio play, along with "White Rabbit." Wrong. In the context of the original album, nicely remastered, both come alive with a new power. "Somebody" rocks out while "Rabbit" beguiles with masterfully played leads, completely subtle but mysterious. "Comin Back to Me", recorded the first of November 1966, is among my favorite Marty Balin moments. After a delicate acoustic/flute opening that is pure San Francisco flowers, he dreamily sings "the summer had inhaled and held its breath too long, the winter looked the same as if it never had gone." I love that. It's a very poetic and fragile piece but effective. Kantner's "DCBA-25" is another typical sunny psych number whose lilting guitars simply transport you to the Haight, very upbeat, very happy, as the three vocalists harmonize behind it. "How Do You Feel" is a love song with more acoustics and Grace's recorder, great harmonies and completely high-minded. The album closes with Balin's uber cool delivery on the catchy, lyrically clever "Plastic Fantastic Lover" which is commentary on television, and features some Jerry Garcia guitar work.

It is what a wide-eyed, joyful, cynicism-free masterpiece feels like. If you're young and wondering if you should bother with these albums from half a century ago, made by people now in their 70s, the answer is a resounding Yes. They won't provide the adrenalin rush of the latest Haken album but there is much more to life than what is currently cool. Be amazed by what the mid 60s artists did when they were replacing the templates.

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

Quality overview of an important American band

"Somebody once said there was a period, maybe about a week in 1966, where anything you wished for would come true. Like you know, 'wish upon a star' kinda stuff. And sure enough, it did."

And so Paul Kantner kicks back with a cigarette and fondly recalls how the real days of magic were actually the summer before the Summer of Love. The summer of 1966 in San Fran was when it all came together in pure magic for those who lived there. Anything can and did happen. By the time the rest of the country heard about it and poured in for '67 Summer of Love, it was a bit ruined by the popularity and this got markedly worse in the following years. I have heard this same sentiment relayed by prominent scenesters in both San Fran and London, that the period just before the Summer of Love was better than the hyped period. Sorry for the false start but I loved the above quote despite my loathing for much of the counterculture's politics. There's no doubt they knew how to throw a party.

"Fly" is an amazing time capsule not just for those interested in the Airplane, but for everyone wanting to experience a bit of San Fran in the 60s. Its biggest selling point is that it features not only quality JA live video, but the story is told by the members themselves. All of their classic line-up are featured along with their manager. This is the real deal, not one of those lame DVDs which features a bunch of silly unknown "critics" dissecting the group's album. Instead we get the story of Airplane from beginning to end, told in glorious detail by Paul, Grace, and the others, from the comfort of their living rooms. Even Spencer Dryden is featured shortly before we lost him. Most importantly, the musical segments are full and complete songs. Nothing worse than "song excerpts" cut short just as you're starting to get into it. This DVD respects the music.

The main feature is just over an hour and alternates between band members talking and the music clips. Both the narrative and the music were outstanding and informative. I only wish it were longer. The music clips are naturally very old and thus the sound quality is not like todays, but it's not bad really and can be turned up enjoyably loud. It begins with "It's No Secret" featuring the first pre-Grace vocalist Signe Anderson, followed by two clips from Monterey. Live cuts of "White Rabbit" and "Crown of Creation" from The Smother Brothers show were highlights for me. The iconic and creepy psych of "Lather" was assembled into a music video. Their historic live rooftop performance of "Pooneil Corners" is included, which the Fab Four copied a few months later-who says the Brits were always first? There are some cool videos to accompany the Volunteers material and it closes with a live acoustic performance of "Embryonic Journey" at their Hall of Fame induction.

Bonus features include a wealth of additional interviews. There are also many high quality photographs uncovered. Highly recommended.