The Worst of Jefferson Airplane

Track Listings

1. It's No Secret

2. Blues from an Airplane

3. Somebody to Love

4. Today

5. White Rabbit

6. Embryonic Journey

7. Martha

8. Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil

9. Crown of Creation

10. Chushingura

11. Lather

12. Plastic Fantastic Lover

13. Good Shepherd

14. We Can Be Together

15. Volunteers

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Reflecting a sense of humor that not all the Haight-Ashbury bands could share or even afford, The Worst of Jefferson Airplane remains one of the most amusing titles of a '60s rock album. The disc smartly collapses two big singles ("White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love," of course) and other well-selected tracks into a chronological mix that moves from flat-out hard rock ("It's No Secret") to the solo acoustic showcase ("Embryonic Journey") and the gospel/blues blessing "Good Shepherd." --Rickey Wright --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

It's No Secret
Blues From An Airplane
Somebody To Love
Today
White Rabbit
Embryonic Journey
Martha
The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil
Watch Her Ride
Greasy Heart
Crown Of Creation
Chuchingura
Lather
Plastic Fantastic Lover
Good Shepherd
We Can Be Together
Volunteers

Customer Reviews:

DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE 'TITLE'.......2007-01-10

This is a "keeper"!! Especially if your interested in one of the most popular groups of the 60's!! ( And it's a "hard to find" CD, too ) Actually - it the BEST OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE!! Remastered & with 2 Bonus Tracks!! Some of Grace Slick's best work!! & Paul Kantner, Marty Balin on lead vocals.... & 17 memoriable HITS!! GREAT CD!! Another KEEPER to add to your 60's collection!! Includes: White Rabbit, Somebody to Love, and Volunteers. Along with: Embryonic Journey & (of course) Plastic Fantastic Lover!!

Worst Of Jefferson Airplane.......2006-11-04

Easily one of the best greatest hits recordings ever compiled. If you are a fan of the "Airplane", you can't go wrong with this one.

Artistic and Ground-Breaking.......2006-10-14

I remember seeing this album in 1970. I was puzzled as to what was meant by a collection of "worst of," not understanding the intentional and unintentional irony of the title. Overcoming the title, this collection was nominally the best of the first six Jefferson Airplane albums. I say nominally because there are many who feel that this album short-changes the group's scope.

Jefferson Airplane's first album was released September, 1966. Grace Slick had yet to add her considerable vocal talents. The group had yet to achieve the cutting-edge heights they would soon reach. Fortunately, Jefferson Airplane was in the right place at the right time. Music and society were undergoing a revolution and the artists, musical and otherwise, located in Haight-Ashbury were at the forefront of that revolution. Consistent with artists that have great talent but maintain perspective, some members of the group have always taken their fame and the adulation conferred upon them with a good deal of tongue-in-cheek humor. Jefferson Airplane has all the hallmarks of a great group, and this collection is a perfect introduction to the group.

The album kicks off with the peppy and, at that time, hard rock song "It's no Secret." You can hear folk elements in this short song, which is understandable given that folk music was still quite popular when these songs were recorded in 1966. The second song, "Blues from an Airplane," is also folk influenced rock. Both songs have a different style from the subsequent songs, excluding "Martha," which retains a folk influence.

The third song is one of the iconic songs from the 60s. "Somebody to Love" has been used numerous times, along with "White Rabbit," to indicate the psychedelic 60s. The song sandwiched between these two songs is "Today," a gorgeous love song using all the technical tricks known in the mid-60s. The song is highly contrasted by the much faster songs on either side of it. "White Rabbit" is probably the most famous song relating to the psychedelic era. The highly evocative lyrics, the music and powerful vocal style of Grace Slick combined to make this song an instant classic.

Proving that Jefferson Airplane had breadth is "Embryonic Journey." Purposefully or otherwise this solo guitar instrumental fits into the other songs related to psychedelia. This guitar solo presages the later efforts of Yes, who would create similar works.

"The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" is fully psychedelic. The lingering folk influences are gone and the music contains more free-form elements. Even with my eclectic musical tastes I find this song difficult to like. However, the construction of this song pushed the limits of what rock music could be and may have been a formative part of progressive rock. Another bizarre track is "Cushingura." This relatively short, experimental track makes me think of some of the early works of King Crimson, especially "Moonchild" from the 1969 release "In the Court of the Crimson King."

This remastered CD includes two songs not in the previous versions: "Watch Her Ride" and "Greasy Heart." Both songs are nice additions, but there are a couple of minor complaints I have. The first complaint is why did they monkey with the order of the songs? If they were going to change the order, then (second complaint) why not add even more songs to fully use the 80 minutes available on a CD? Then they could have re-titled the CD indicate the expanded nature of the CD.

The rock album "Crown of Creation" released in September 1968 was supposed to be counter-culture. However, the song "Crown of Creation" is more accessible than Jefferson Airplane's psychedelic music. The structure of the music is somewhat dated, and yet the songs complexity is mirrored in some music created today.

"Lather" is a beautiful song that is too short. The song asks the question "when someone is too old?" The magical age in the 60s seemed to be 30. After that age it was generally considered that you could no longer be free spirited; you were caught up in the system, never to be released. This song is quiet and mellow, with Grace Slick's vocals well highlighted as the music remains largely acoustic and in the background, along with abundant sound effects.

"Plastic Fantastic Lover" is a live version of a heavier rock track from the ground-breaking album "Surrealistic Pillow." The music is heavy and sounds similar to some of Jimi Hendrix's music from the same era. This track is early acid rock exploiting the fun of electric guitars. Jefferson Airplane was no slave to style. "Good Shepherd" contains folk, blues and gospel elements, but the rock guitar is an element used also in "Plastic Fantastic Lover." This song is wonderful to reminisce about the flower children era.

"We Can Be Together" is the longest song on the CD at nearly six minutes. As the 60s moved on there was a movement toward understanding and love, and this song targets those philosophies directly. Music like this was a result of a combination of events, including the Viet Nam War and the continued social upheaval in the United States. This song could have been the coda for the 60s.

The last song in this collection is "Volunteers." This song was the grass roots appeal to everyone to be a force for change. Power to the people was the word of the day and the words to this song exemplify that desire. Yet another of the songs from Jefferson Airplane, along with "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" that are used to indicate the 60s.

The 60s yielded a variety of unusual musical combinations. Jefferson Airplane was one of the most influential groups of its era, experimenting with styles that would help steer the course of music even until today, while singing music that was then a social indicator and now a historical artifact.

Enjoy!

Jefferson Airplane Loved You--'Cept Maybe Grace Who Would Just As Soon Kick Your Teeth In.......2006-08-05

There are so many re-packagings of Jefferson Airplane/Starship material out these days that any newcomer to their music must feel a little overwhelmed. If it helps, most of these compilations were way after the fact, "Worst of..." was the original "best of," released first on vinyl in the early 70s. I didn't buy it then because I had everything on it on other records (this being a bit before anybody thought to entice fans with "bonus tracks"). To me all the early Airplane albums were essential, and this package was at best, a good intro for the uninitiated.
But now since I haven't replaced every single vinyl LP with the CD version (have some, not all), this collection makes sense. In fact, it makes damn good sense. In terms of providing an overview of the Airplane's most creative period, this 15 track sampling is hard to beat. Two of the best tracks from the neo-folkie, pre-Grace "Jefferson Airplane Takes Off" open the album on a sweetly melancholic note, a little stiff and unformed yet. Then suddenly you're caught up in the aural whoosh of "Somebody to Love," that sharp almost genderless voice coming out of nowhere. Grace Slick makes a ferocious entry, into the song, into the band and into music history.

It scarcely lets up from there. I've often maintained that the great thing about the Airplane is that the sweetly sappy one was the guy (Marty Balin) and the edgy, neurotic one was the, uh, girl (and even in '67, "chick" scarcely applied to Grace Slick). "Worst of..." balances this odd yin and yang nicely. The shortest and most effective of Marty's "Surrealistic Pillow" ballads, "Today" is strategically placed between the two big Slick numbers (and of course, that would be "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit"). "Embryonic Journey," the celebrated acoustic instrumental from "Pillow" segues into Paul Kantner's lyrical "Martha," one of "After Bathing at Baxter's" gentler tracks.

And then we're off into the era of Kantner's ascendency. Kantner, who was in many ways the glue that held the Airplane/Starship together, was also the object of increasing critical abuse as the 60s wore into the 70s. Truth to tell, he did write a few clunkers in his day, but what's represented here is Kantner at his visionary best. The joyous "Pooneil" is childlike without being mawkish, and "Crown of Creation" made just the right political statement for late '68 (more mournful than didactic, actually, which may be why it holds up today--[other] concerns aside). Then Grace does a brooding slow tempo number ("Lather"), and Marty demonstrates his ability to rock out with the bouncy live version of "Plastic Fantastic Lover." Every band member gets his or her chance to shine, including guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's stately "Good Shepherd," which is lovely, a bit rootsy and prefigures his Hot Tuna and solo work nicely.

And it ends with "We Can Be Together" AND "Volunteers"--two songs that were meant to be played back to back (and often were in concert). If that doesn't close the record on a high note, and if you're not spazz-dancing in the aisles or in your living room by that point, well, I'll eat my bandana.

Worst Is Best - But Could Have Been Better.......2006-07-22

Re-mastered and expanded, 'The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane' has been re-released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jefferson Airplane's first album release. To the original 15 tracks (allegedly selected by the band themselves in 1970) Bob Irwin has added "Watch Her Ride" and "Greasy Heart", chronologically half way through the record. With various 'Best Of' and 'Essential' JA collections out now I just wonder why they chose to mess with the original format - and having decided to do so, why they didn't add more tracks to make best use of the CD running time. For a longer review check out 'HOLDING TOGETHER' (my Airplane/Starship fanzine). The addition of "Let's Get Together", "Share A Little Joke", "Hey Fredrick" etc could have made this even 'worse' and the quite definitive single CD set!

Average customer rating:

Crank It Up!
LOVE the worst
Artistic and Ground-Breaking
Soaring Forever...
Jefferson Airplane is good

The Worst of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Crown of Creation
Surrealistic Pillow
Volunteers
Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield
Cheap Thrills

ASIN: B000002X1Q
Release Date: 1997-07-29

Tracks:

It's No Secret
Blues From An Airplane
Somebody To Love
Today
White Rabbit
Embryonic Journey
Martha
The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil
Crown Of Creation
Chushingura
Lather
Plastic Fantastic Lover
Good Shepherd
We Can Be Together
Volunteers

Amazon.com

Reflecting a sense of humor that not all the Haight-Ashbury bands could share or even afford, The Worst of Jefferson Airplane remains one of the most amusing titles of a '60s rock album. The disc smartly collapses two big singles ("White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love," of course) and other well-selected tracks into a chronological mix that moves from flat-out hard rock ("It's No Secret") to the solo acoustic showcase ("Embryonic Journey") and the gospel/blues blessing "Good Shepherd." --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Crank It Up!.......2006-07-24

This is not one to get if you live next door to a hospital or an old folks' home. Somehow, whenever I put on the album (yes, kiddies, in vinyl), somehow the volume on my stereo cranks itself up. The Worst of covers selections from all of the Airplane's albums before they became Jefferson Starship. It contains the clasics Somebody to Love and White Rabbit from the Summer of Love as well as the anthem - Volunteers. This was Psychadelia at its best. I can't really remember hearing these tunes for the first time. As they say, if you remember the 60s you weren't there.... But they sure still sound good today. Get this collection and expand your horizons!

LOVE the worst.......2005-08-19

Can those (1 or 2) of you who called this album "un-american" uh...drop dead now? I think it's pretty goddamn unpatriotic of old Mister Nixon to do what he did to this country (needless war, thousands dead, stealing, lies, lies, lies...i don't need to go on:)

I could piss myself laughing, thinking of Dickie tripping on acid. He betrayed the american people to no end, and the joke is most definately STILL on him.

But anyways. Yay Aiplane.

Artistic and Ground-Breaking.......2005-04-19

I remember the first time I saw the title of this album, soon after it was released in 1970. I was puzzled as to what was meant by a collection of "worst of," not understanding the intentional and unintentional irony of the title. Overcoming the title, this collection was nominally the best of the first six Jefferson Airplane albums. I say nominally because there are many who feel that the album short-changed the group's scope.

Jefferson Airplane's first album was released in September of 1966. Grace Slick had yet to add her considerable vocal talents. The group had yet to achieve the cutting-edge heights they would soon reach. Fortunately, Jefferson Airplane was in the right place at the right time. Music was undergoing a revolution. American society was undergoing a revolution, and the artists, musical and otherwise, located in Haight-Ashbury were at the forefront of that revolution. Consistent with artists who have great talent but maintain perspective, some members of the group have always taken their fame and the adulation conferred upon them with a good deal of tongue-in-cheek humor. Jefferson Airplane has all the hallmarks of a great group, and this collection is a perfect introduction to the group.

The album kicks off with the peppy and, at that time, hard rock song "It's no Secret." Consistent with the AM standards of the time the song is under three minutes in length. You can hear folk elements in this song, which is understandable given that folk music was still quite popular when these songs were recorded in 1966. The second song, "Blues from an Airplane," also is folk influenced rock. Both songs have a different style from the subsequent songs. "Martha" is another song that has folk influence while retaining a rock flavor.

The third song is one of the iconic songs from the 60s. "Somebody to Love" is now one song that has been used numerous times, along with "White Rabbit," to indicate the psychedelic 60s. The song sandwiched between these two songs it "Today," a gorgeous love song using all the technical tricks known in the mid-60s. The song is highly contrasted by the much faster songs on either side of it. "White Rabbit" is probably the most famous song relating to the psychedelic era. The highly evocative lyrics, the music and powerful vocal style of Grace Slick combined to make this song an instant classic.

Proving that Jefferson Airplane had breadth is "Embryonic Journey." Purposefully or otherwise this solo guitar instrumental fits into the other songs related to psychedelia. This guitar solo presages the later efforts of Yes, who would create similar works.

"The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" is fully psychedelic. The lingering folk influences are gone and the music contains more free-form elements. Even with my eclectic musical tastes I find this song difficult to like. However, the construction of this song pushed the limits of what rock music could be and may have been a formative part of progressive rock. Another bizarre track is "Cushingura." This relatively short, experimental track makes me think of some of the early works of King Crimson, especially "Moonchild" from the 1969 release "In the Court of the Crimson King."

The rock album "Crown of Creation" released in September 1968 was supposed to be counter-culture. However, the song "Crown of Creation" is more accessible than Jefferson Airplane's psychedelic music. The structure of the music is somewhat dated, and yet that complexity is mirrored in some music created today.

"Lather" is a beautiful song that is just way too short. The song asks the inevitable question as to when someone is too old. The magical age in the 60s seemed to be 30. After that age it was generally considered that you could no longer be free spirited; you were caught up in the system, never to be released. This song is quiet and mellow, with Grace Slick's vocals well highlighted as the music remains largely acoustic and in the background, along with abundant sound effects.

"Plastic Fantastic Lover" is a live version of a heavier rock track from the ground-breaking album "Surrealistic Pillow." The music is heavy and sounds similar to some of Jimi Hendrix's music from the same era. This track is early acid rock exploiting the fun of electric guitars. Jefferson Airplane was no slave to style. "Good Shepherd" contains folk, blues and gospel elements, but the rock guitar is an element used also in "Plastic Fantastic Lover." This song is wonderful to reminisce about the flower children era.

"We Can Be Together" is the longest song on the CD at nearly six minutes. As the 60s moved on there was a movement toward understanding and love, and this song targets those philosophies directly. Music like this was a result of a combination of events, including the Viet Nam War and the continued social upheaval in the United States. This song could have been the coda for the 60s.

The last song in this collection is "Volunteers." This song was the grass roots appeal to everyone to be a force for change. Power to the people was the word of the day and the words to this song exemplify that desire. Yet another of the songs from Jefferson Airplane, along with "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" that are used to indicate the 60s.

The 60s yielded a variety of unusual musical combinations. "Sugar, Sugar" by the fictional group the Archie's was playing on pop radio while other groups were making music that would ultimately be regarded as classic rock in its dozens of incarnations. Jefferson Airplane was one of the most influential groups of its era, experimenting with styles that would help steer the course of music even until today, while singing music that was then a social indicator and now a historical artifact.

Soaring Forever..........2004-10-29

This is the best offering of all of the band's early hits. They exploded on the music scene from San Francisco along with The Doors, Janice Joplin, The Greatful Dead and many others from the Haite Ashbury crowd. When they first started, Grace Slick was little more than "stage candy" doing back up vocals and looking good. Once the public heard her haunting voice, the world bought everything the band released.

This CD is arguably the "best of the best" that the Airplane or Starship ever gave to the public and is a must for any "flower child" to make room for, in their collection.

Jefferson Airplane is good.......2004-05-26

It's hard to rate a greatest hits collection. But I'd just say I'd give either 4 or 5 stars to all the songs on this album. Best songs are "White Rabbit" and "Volunteers."

Average customer rating:

Crank It Up!
LOVE the worst
Artistic and Ground-Breaking
Soaring Forever...
Jefferson Airplane is good

The Worst of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Crown of Creation
Surrealistic Pillow
Volunteers
Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield
Cheap Thrills

ASIN: B00000E68F
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

It's No Secret
Blues from an Airplane
Somebody to Love
Today
White Rabbit
Embryonic Journey
Martha
Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil
Crown of Creation
Chushingura
Lather
Plastic Fantastic Lover
Good Shepherd
We Can Be Together
Volunteers

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Crank It Up!.......2006-07-24

LOVE the worst.......2005-08-19

Artistic and Ground-Breaking.......2005-04-19

Soaring Forever..........2004-10-29

Jefferson Airplane is good.......2004-05-26

It's hard to rate a greatest hits collection. But I'd just say I'd give either 4 or 5 stars to all the songs on this album. Best songs are "White Rabbit" and "Volunteers."

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

1. It's No Secret
2. Blues from an Airplane
3. Somebody to Love
4. Today
5. White Rabbit
6. Embryonic Journey
7. Martha
8. Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil
9. Crown of Creation
10. Chushingura
11. Lather
12. Plastic Fantastic Lover
13. Good Shepherd
14. We Can Be Together
15. Volunteers