Legendary Bands - Jefferson Airplane Posters

Though their reputation has been mauled by association with the musical crimes of Starship, Jefferson Airplane was San Francisco's acid-pop juggernaut of the late 1960s, pioneering a psychedelic scene that spread to the far corners of rock. Combining exploding multi-vocal melodies with wild sonics and rock inventions, Jefferson Airplane served as a mind-expanding house band for the tune-in drop-out era.

Jefferson Airplane was formed in 1965 by rock tenor Marty Balin and included raging raga-blues guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, supercharged bassist Jack Cassady, and 12-string rhythm-man Paul Kantner. After a solid folk-rockish debut, Takes Off, which featured the distinctive dual vocals of Balin and Signe Anderson, drummer Spencer Dryden replaced Skip Spence, who left to form Moby Grape, while Grace Slick took over for Anderson.

The new line-up recorded 1967's Surrealistic Pillow, a Summer Of Love classic that produced two signature hits, Slick's "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love." Next was an adventurous leap to After Bathing At Baxter's, a tripped-out experiment that often plays like free jazz. The artsy/pop dichotomies were further honed for Crown Of Creation and the live blitz of Bless Its Pointed Little Head. The band peaked with 1969's Volunteers, a protest album with the group's best-realized collection of songs.

The Airplane followed with three tepid albums and split in 1974. By then, the band had already splintered into side projects: Slick, Kantner and sometimes Balin in the mellow acid trip of Jefferson Starship, Kaukonen and Cassady with their blues jam outfit Hot Tuna. Starship eventually dropped the "Jefferson," succumbed to revolving-door lineups, and degenerated into one of rock's most unctuous embarrassments. The original 1966 Airplane, minus Dryden, reunited for a 1989 summer tour and a stiff album. Starship disbanded in 1990, about 15 years too late.

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