“Marty was the one who started the San Francisco scene,” says Bill Thompson, Balin’s roommate back in the mid-’60s and former manager of both the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. The Jefferson Airplane, initially a folk-rock venture, came to epitomize the psychedelic scene, scoring a gold record in 1967 with its second album, Surrealistic Pillow.
Jefferson Airplane were one of the best-known bands of San Francisco’s legendary 60s psychedelic rock scene. They were pioneers of the genre and the first band from the area to achieve mainstream commercial success.Jefferson Airplane was formed in 1965 in San Francisco by singer Marty Balin, who recruited musicians to explore the new folk-rock sounds that were then revolutionising the pop world. There were a few lineup changes as they found their feet, but by 1966 they were signed to RCA Victor and had settled on the lineup of Balin (lead vocals), Signe Anderson (vocals), Paul Kantner (guitar & vocals), Jorma Kaukonen (lead guitar), Jack Casady (bass) and Skip Spence (drums). Their debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off was released that summer.
Stylistically, the album took the jangly folk-rock of other West Coast bands like The Byrds into darker, harder-edged territories. Most of the songs were written by Balin, either by himself or as collaborations with Kantner, Spence and in one case Kaukonen. It also contained three covers, one being “Let’s Get Together”, written by fellow San Francisco folkie Dino Valenti (also the song where they sound their most Byrds-like, complete with jangling 12-string guitar). This was the band’s only album with Skip Spence, before he left to form Moby Grape, where he played guitar (he was never really a drummer, being persuaded by Balin to pick up the sticks and join the band). The dominant voice throughout was that of Balin, with Kantner and Anderson adding harmonies and singing lead on one or two songs each (they all shared lead vocal duties on “Let’s Get Together”). Also notable even at this early stage in the band’s career was Casady’s innovative and powerful bass playing, which drove most of the songs.
Stylistically, the album took the jangly folk-rock of other West Coast bands like The Byrds into darker, harder-edged territories. Most of the songs were written by Balin, either by himself or as collaborations with Kantner, Spence and in one case Kaukonen. It also contained three covers, one being “Let’s Get Together”, written by fellow San Francisco folkie Dino Valenti (also the song where they sound their most Byrds-like, complete with jangling 12-string guitar). This was the band’s only album with Skip Spence, before he left to form Moby Grape, where he played guitar (he was never really a drummer, being persuaded by Balin to pick up the sticks and join the band). The dominant voice throughout was that of Balin, with Kantner and Anderson adding harmonies and singing lead on one or two songs each (they all shared lead vocal duties on “Let’s Get Together”). Also notable even at this early stage in the band’s career was Casady’s innovative and powerful bass playing, which drove most of the songs.
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Bodacious DF | |
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Studio album by | |
Released | October 1973 |
Recorded | 1973 at Record Plant, Sausalito |
Label | RCA Records |
Producer | Billy Wolf Doc Storch Bodacious DF |
Bodacious DF is a 1973 rock album, the only release by the short-lived band of the same name.
After leaving Jefferson Airplane in 1971, founder Marty Balin produced an album by the band Grootna in 1972. He then formed the band Bodacious DF with Grootna members Vic Smith and Greg Dewey (also from Country Joe & the Fish), as well as Mark Ryan (from Quicksilver Messenger Service) and Charlie Hickox.
The band broke up shortly after the album was released; Balin joined Jefferson Starship in 1975, and frequently performed the Bodacious songs 'The Witcher' and 'Driving Me Crazy'. Hickox and Smith collaborated with him on songs for Jefferson Starship's album Spitfire (1976), and Greg Dewey's brother Nicholas Dewey wrote a song for Earth (1978).
- 1Track listing
![Marty Balin Balin Rar Marty Balin Balin Rar](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEL854xg95g/UUSQG2oNm5I/AAAAAAAAEDM/Y1mRCUtuFVE/w1200-h630-p-k-nu/folder.jpg)
Track listing[edit]
Side one[edit]
- 'Drifting' (Jesse Osborne) – 4:30
- 'Good Folks' (Lonnie Talbot) – 7:30
- 'The Witcher' (Marty Balin, Vic Smith) – 6:26
Side two[edit]
- 'Roberta' (Balin, Smith, Trish Robbins) – 4:25
- 'Second Hand Information' (Charlie Hickox) – 4:53
- 'Drivin' Me Crazy' (Smith) – 7:06
- 'Twixt Two Worlds' (Balin, Smith) – 5:30
Personnel[edit]
- Marty Balin – lead vocals
- Mark Ryan – bass, background vocals
- Greg Dewey – drums, percussion, background vocals on 'Second Hand Information'
- Vic Smith – guitars, background vocals
- Charlie Hickox – keyboards, background vocals on 'Second Hand Information'
- Additional personnel
- Rhani Kugel, Anna Rizzo, Trish Robbins – background vocals on 'Good Folks'
- Boots Hughston – saxophone on 'The Witcher'
- Production
- Billy Wolf – producer
- Doc Storch – producer, engineer, mixdown
- Bodacious DF – producer, arranger
- Kurt Kinzel – assistant engineer
- Stephen Stone – photography
- North Beach Camera, Luigi Alfano, Jack Wright – photographic assistance
- Bob Fried – artist
- Recorded at Record Plant, Sausalito
- Mastered at Lacquer Channel, Sausalito
References[edit]
- Bodacious DF (Vinyl insert). Bodacious DF. New York City: RCA. 1973. APL1-0206.CS1 maint: others (link)
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