Jefferson Airplane: Nothing In Particular

Musical history is fraught with notorious events, little nuggets of the past that can/should pique the interest of many a music fan. One such incident occurred on September 15, 1968 in Amsterdam. This was Jefferson Airplane's first major European tour of Europe with The Doors as the main headliner. While playing "Plastic Fantastic Lover" a stoned Morrison leapt onto the stage erratically dancing and spinning with a frenzy until falling at the feet of Marty Balin. A hospitalized Morrison was unable to perform their set so Manzarek had to step up to the mic. This is one of those anecdotes that makes the history of rock and roll so interesting, especially to any fan of '60s culture.

Earlier that year the band had fired their manager Bill Graham, replacing him with Bill Thompson. The band was primed and ready to tackle Europe. This CD includes the band's full set, a total of ten tracks plus some extra bonus material culled from The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour taken from 1967/68.

The Airplane start their set with the psychedelic pop of "Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon" followed by the extended bluesy jam of "Rock Me Baby", ending with ferocious feedback. The playing is classic Airplane but unfortunately the sound quality isn't very good. At times the guitars sound too distant or too close to the mic as well as assorted crackles and pops. The catchy psych of "If You Feel Like China Breaking" features Slick's powerful vocals and shard-like guitar. More great tracks include "Crown Of Creation", "White Rabbit" and of course the classic "Somebody To Love" where Slick sings up a storm.

With better sound quality this would have been an exceptional release. As it stands, it is still a band playing in their prime and for that it is worth hearing.

Track Listing:
1. Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon (5:23)
2. Rock Me Baby (9:40)
3. If You Feel Like China Breaking (4:42)
4. Crown Of Creation (3:36)
5. Today (3:42)
6. Somebody To Love (3:45)
7. Plastic Fantastic Lover (4:33)
8. Nothing In Particular Jam (10:44)
9. In Time (4:27)
10. The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil (7:38)
Bonus Tracks: From the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967 and 1968)
11. White Rabbit (2:40)
12. Somebody To Love (3:06)
13. Crown Of Creation (2:53)

Added: April 30th 2017
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1884
Language: english

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