TAKES OFF

"Takes Off" is the debut full-length studio album by US, San Francisco, California based rock act Jefferson Airplane. The album was released through RCA Victor in August 1966. Jefferson Airplane is considered one of the forefathers of the American West coast psychadelic rock style along with acts like The Byrds and The Grateful Dead. This debut album features a slightly different lineup from what most people probably consider the classic lineup of the band featuring Grace Slick on vocals as Signe Toly Anderson performs the female vocals on the album while Skip Spence plays the drums (Signe Toly Anderson was replaced by Grace Slick and Skip Spence was replaced by Spencer Dryden shortly after the album´s release).

The music style is blues oriented rock and folk based pop/rock with only some psychadelic elements (something they would add plenty of on later releases). The vocals are mostly sung by Marty Balin but Paul Kantner also sings on a couple of songs. Signe Toly Anderson only sings lead on "Chauffeur Blues". Most trackss on the album are original compositions but a couple of cover tunes have also found their way to the tracklist. The powerful Clay Warnick song "Tobacco Road" is one of my favorites of the cover songs on the album. Tracks like "Blues From An Airplane", "Bringing Me Down" and the kind of eerie sounding "Don´t Slip Away" are also excellent material.

The musicianship is strong on all posts. Powerful guitar playing and a tight rhythm section. The most remarkable feature in the music are the vocals though. I especially enjoy Marty Balin´s emotional and almost desperate sounding vocal style. Vocal harmonies are also a big part of the sound. The production is well sounding considering that the album was recorded in late 1965 - early 1966. Upon conclusion "Takes Off" is a strong debut release by Jefferson Airplane. They may not have fully tuned into the style they would subsequently play, but this album is still a strong statement and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.