Disco de Jefferson Airplane: “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off”

Jefferson Airplane's 1966 Debut album, "Takes Off" is a sign of a very talented bunch of induviduals who haven't really learned to work together musically yet. All the right aspects are there- Good bass, good lead and vocals. It is evident that some songs were written to fill space on the LP, like "Run Around", before Kantner emerged as the lead songwriter of the group. Marty Balin, the groups founder, proves to do a great job of putting together an album for his newly founded group. To get to like these songs you have to spend time listening to them- "let the sun shine through the curtains". Give it time and you'll love it. Definetly not a bad album considering it's the head of the 50+ albums of the Jefferson Airplane family. Worth your time!

Although it possesses its own "psychedlic" character, I suppose, this album is far removed from the self-conscious psychedelia of Crown of Creation and Baxter's. It might even be described as innocent.

Lots of love songs. Great stuff. "Runaround" is a true classic, as are a number of others.

When I bought this CD, I knew what I was getting into. This is, after all, a Jefferson Airplane album WITHOUT Grace Slick, something that was hard to comprehend. And I have read a couple other reviews that blast this CD for studio omissions. I know nothing about that, so it does not affect my opinion. My only true complaint is the repetition of all songs, stereo and mono. Granted, it is a short album without the "echo", but that would have been fine.

Other than that, I think this is a great album, and I listen to it frequently. It shows that J.A. had a talent for folky feel-good music. Marty Balin is a great singer, and this album reflects that more than future releases that drowned him out in favor of the acid rock. "It's No Secret", "Blues From an Airplane", "Runnin Round This World", "Run Around", and "Don't Slip Away" all have a different flavor than other hits of that era, and J.A. has a great reputation for their brand of music. "Come Up The Years" is the only slow Balin ballad, and is pretty good. "Let's Get Together", if I am not mistaken is a precursor to "Come Together", made a year or two later. I prefer "Come Together" myself.

Over all, I was impressed by this early effort. It is not a "Surrealistic Pillow" or "Crown of Creation", but it is a sound seed to be respected.

"Jefferson Airplane Takes Off" is a modest debut showcasing the Airplane in its musical infancy. The music on this CD is, with a few notable exceptions, commercial folk-rock. It lacks the imagination that characterizes the repetoire of more established folk-rockers such as The Byrds and Lovin' Spoonful. What we have are standard three-part folk harmonies and electric twelve-string guitars augmenting what are essentially songs about young love. The two "message" songs, "Get Together" by future QMS member Dino Valenti and "Tobacco Road" by Nashville tunesmith John D. Loudermilk round out a consistently entertaining but inconsequential set. The playing of lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady is generally tentative, although "Let Me In", the hardest-rocking song here, has a rock-bottom roaming bassline and a to-die-for distorted guitar solo with enough feedback to signal what is just around the corner sonically for this group. Special mention should be made of the intriguing and surprisingly tight drumming by future Moby Grape rhythm guitarist Skip Spence. He'd only picked up the drums months before! His work on "Let Me In" is also stellar. Songwise, the best work is Marty Balin's and these are the band's early classics: "Come Up the Years" is a song about lust for a minor and sung sweetly without a trace of lechery ; "It's No Secret" is an unabashed and exuberant declaration of love; and "Blues From An Airplane", co-written with Spence, is a moody, heavy-rock rumination. His vocals soar throughout and he is ably assisted by the strong-voiced Signe Anderson (Grace Slick's predecessor) who has a rich solo on "Chauffeur Blues". A diverting album, but more for Airplane enthusiasts as the good stuff is just around the corner. In fact, there is little indication here of what the band is capable of doing. This edition includes both the stereo and mono mixes of "Takes Off" and a bonus track, "Runnin' Round This World", left off of the original album because it contains the word "trips". Why couldn't RCA have included bonus tracks on all its remasters? God knows, Airplane fans have had to buy these CDs a second time because of RCA's misleading claims on the first (inferior) CD editions of these albums.

Everything the Jefferson Airplane was to become was evident from this, their 1st album. As much as I love every JA album (Yes, I even loved Bark, Long John Silver & the reunion album) for me Takes Off has stood the test of time & is one of the albums I most frequently revisit. Other albums were more radical but for this one it was all a brand new revelation. The Sundazed reissue restores the long sought after original mono version. This sound on this pressing is rich & full bodied with a clarity and definition that just isn't there on the CD. The whole Sundazed reissues series of the original five is great but the effect is most pronounced on Takes Off & After Bathing At Baxters though none are as good as the Mobile Fidelity version of Crown Of Creation. Of course the MFSL Creation album is out of print & finding a copy will run you a small fortune while these will run you under $20 a pop & for the quality I don't think there is a better deal out these.I do wish they would reissue Bless It's Pointed Little Head as my original copy is pretty much trashed & then all the original classics would be available to the public.