"JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - TAKES OFF" (PSYCHEDELIC FOLK-ROCK MONO VERSION US 1966)

"Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off" is the debut album of San Francisco Rock band "Jefferson Airplane", released on "RCA Victor Records" in 1966.
Recorded 18/12/65 – 31/03/66 – 4 months before the release of Byrds' "Fifth Dimension" and Beatles'Revolver, this is a surprisingly Psychedelic album.
RCA held it in the can for 5 months until September, although it could have been released in May 1966 and had the fabulous claim to be the first Psychedelic album.


It failed to crack the Billboard top 100 and is many times ignored given the brilliance of the releases that would follow.
This is unfortunate as it is an album that can stand on its own merits.

"Marty Balin" met "Paul Kantner" in 1965 and their resultant musical relationship would lead to the creation of the "Jefferson Airplane".
While there would be several personnel changes during the group's early existence, by the time of "Takes Off" release, lead guitarist "Jorma Kaukonen", bassist "Jack Casady", drummer "Alexander 'Skip' Spence", and co-lead singer "Signe Anderson" had all joined "Jefferson Airplane".

This was really a "Marty Balin" album.
The "Paul Kantner"-"Grace Slick" axis did not exist as yet, and the other group members had not begun to assert themselves.
As such, "Marty Balin" wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven songs.

His "Blues From An Airplane" is the first track on the album and was a great way to kick off a recording career.
His performances on "It's No Secret" and the cover song, "Let's Get Together", show his versatility and the purity of his voice. He and the band even manage to pull off an interesting version of the often-recorded "Tobacco Road".

It would be his track, "Come Up The Years", written with "Paul Kantner", that would point the way to the group's future.

The musicianship is really good.
Some powerful guitar playing and a TIGHT rhythm section.
The most remarkable feature in the music is the vocals though.
I especially enjoy "Marty Balin"'s emotional and almost desperate sounding vocal style.
Vocal harmonies are also a big part of the sound.

The mid-tempo ballad "It's No Secret" was released as a single.
"Jorma Kaukonen" uses "Gibson J-200 Studio Acoustic-Electric Guitar" and "Epiphone Jorma Kaukonen". "Jack Casady" plays with "Epiphone Jack Casady Signature Bass" with "Versatone Bass Pan-O-Flex" Amplifier.

see also "Got a Revolution!: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane".