JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

"Jefferson Airplane" is the eponymously titled 8th full-length studio album by US, California based rock act Jefferson Airplane. The album was released through Epic Records in August 1989. It´s a reunion album after 17 years, as the last album released by Jefferson Airplane at that point was "Long John Silver (1972)". 17 years where the band members had worked with other bands such as Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna. The stars alligned in 1988-1989 and made it possible for the classic lineup from the 60s (except for drummer Spencer Dryden) to reunite and record this album.

The music is mainstream pop/rock with a blues feel but also a more 80s AOR feel to some of the tracks that we haven´t heard from the band before (naturally, as they were inactive in the years that AOR rose). You could say that they´ve followed the times and the contemporary sounds and influences. The production is also clearly from the late 80s with a high end drum sound and loads of chorus effects on the drums too. There´s an ugly keyboard piano sound that is used a lot too which really doesn´t give the music the warmth it needs. The tracks are generally well written but it´s hard not to get the feeling that they are not really that relevant and that this reunion perhaps wasn´t the best idea. The musicianship is of course of high class as usual but I wouldn´t expect less from experienced musicians like these guys/girls.

Upon conclusion "Jefferson Airplane" is a rather forgettable album and not the welcome comeback one could have hoped for. The magic was clearly lost in the 17 years since "Long John Silver (1972)" and this is an album you can pass by when going through Jefferson Airplane´s discography. A more organic sounding production would most likely have made the listening experience a little more pleasant on the ears and maybe have provided the songs with a little more intensity and passion, but as it is, the album is a rather cold and uninviting affair. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.