THIRTY SECONDS OVER WINTERLAND

This album is more like the Airplane's epitaph, the last round of honour as the group was clearly almost over, just fulfilling the last few contractual obligations. Hot Tuna was already a recording and touring outfit for the last two years, and Kantner and Slick had now done three "solo" albums, the last one replacing the usual guest Marty Balin with David Freiberg (ex-Quicksilver MS). The ex-QMS was coming out of jail after a marijuana bust and had found himself jobless in his former band, so he was not only invited in the last Kantner/slick album but also given credit for it as well as retained as the other main vocalist of the furure Jefferson Straship. With Creach, Barbata, Freiberg and the Kantner/slick couple, the Starship was almost complete and the launching of the side booster rocket of Casady and Kaukonen was now all but done.

If the Airplane had become a real powerhouse with drummer Joey Covington, they had lost much of thaty power when he left on disagreement of him also be able to write and sing. On overcrowded Airplane threatening to crash under its own weight, the group turned to ex-Turtle Barbata, but this was most likely to be the reason of the final landing of the Airplane: his soft drumming style was obviously not fitting Kaukonen and Casady and this is a glaring evidence on this album. Clearly the energy is almost gone and you can feel it. And actually the track selection is already all but ignoring the early classics (only Crown Of Creation was selected), and two typical Tuna tracks. And for the icing on the cake, the album opens on the Kantner now-classic Have You Seen The Saucers? Again telling us how much Kantner was hugely influenced by sci-fi literature. But overall, this album is hardly essential to progheads and I am unable to say if it got a Cd re-issue before the remastering of all their albums.

This is the Airplane swan song although several live albums will still be released after this one. The latest to date (as far as I know) has been released in 2006; it is the very good : "Live At The Golden Gate Park", recorded in May 69, just fourth months before their great Woodstock appearence. But unfortunately it is not yet availbable for reviewing.

This album was recorded in 1972 both in Chicago (24th-25th August) and Frisco (21st- 22nd September). Released in April 73, it will chart to the 52nd position (in the US of course).

It's a pity that we won't have more music available here. A mere thirty-six minutes is not very long. They could have taken advantage of the remastering in 89 onto the CD format to offer more to their fans; but nothing as such will happen, unfortunately.

Airplane has selected five songs out of their two last albums : "Bark" is represented by "Feel So Good". It is over-extended into a long jam session as the Airplane was used to do. Almost each of their live recordings will contain such "reworked" song. The other number from this album is "When the Earth Moves Again" which does not really belong to the best of their repertoire.

The very good opening number : "Have You Seen the Saucers" was a single released in 70 and the song never made an album entry. It is one of the best of this live set. The title track from "Crown" is also available.

The last three songs come from their excellent "Long John Silver". It was probably their most rock-oriented album. Unfortunately the track selection coming out this album is not the best possible. The bluesy "Trial By Fire" was the poorest of this record. The title track or "Aerie" would have made a far much better choice; but we'll have to live with this one.

But both "Milk Train" and "Twilight Double Leader" (including a great guitar solo) will compensate this. If you are looking for JA standards, this album is not for you. You should concentrate more on live albums released much, much later to get these ("Live At Monterrey", "Live at the Fillmore East" or as I have said in my introduction "Live At The Golden Gate Park").

This effort is for die-hard fans. Two stars.