Jefferson Airplane Takes Off [France Bonus Tracks]

• Artist: Jefferson Airplane
• Rating:
• Release Date: January 08, 2002
• Genre: Rock

Review

The debut Jefferson Airplane album was dominated by singer Marty Balin, who wrote or co-wrote all the original material and sang most of the lead vocals in his heartbreaking tenor with Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson providing harmonies and backup. (Anderson's lead vocal on "Chauffeur Blues" indicated she was at least the equal of her successor, Grace Slick, as a belter.) The music consisted mostly of folk-rock love songs, the most memorable of which were "It's No Secret" and "Come Up the Years." There was also a striking version of Dino Valente's "Get Together" recorded years before the Youngbloods' hit version. Jorma Kaukonen already displayed a talent for mixing country, folk, and blues riffs in a rock context and Jack Casady already had a distinctive bass sound. But the Airplane of Balin-Kantner-Kaukonen- Anderson-Casady-Spence is to be distinguished from the Balin-Kantner-Kaukonen -Casady-Slick-Dryden version of the band that would emerge on record five months later chiefly by Balin's dominance. Later, Grace Slick would become the group's vocal and visual focal point. On Takes Off, the Airplane was Balin's group. [The 2002 French re-release includes four bonus tracks: "Go to Her," "Let Me In," "High Flyin' Bird," and "That's Alright."] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Blues from an Airplane	Marty Balin, Skip Spence	Jefferson Airplane	(2:14)
Let Me In	Marty Balin, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(2:58)
Bringing Me Down	Marty Balin, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(2:24)
It's No Secret	Marty Balin	Jefferson Airplane	(2:39)
Tobacco Road	John D. Loudermilk	Jefferson Airplane	(3:29)
Runnin' 'Round This World	Marty Balin, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(2:40)
Come Up the Years	Marty Balin, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(2:32)
Run Around	Marty Balin, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(2:39)
Let's Get Together	Chester Powers	Jefferson Airplane	(3:35)
Don't Slip Away	Marty Balin, Skip Spence	Jefferson Airplane	(2:34)
Chauffeur Blues	Lester Melrose	Jefferson Airplane	(2:28)
And I Like It	Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen	Jefferson Airplane	(3:16)
Go to Her [*]	Paul Kantner, Irving Estes	Jefferson Airplane	(4:07)
Let Me In [*]	Marty Balin, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(3:30)
High Flyin' Bird [*]	Billy Edd Wheeler	Jefferson Airplane	(2:34)
That's Alright [*]	Skip Spence, Paul Kantner	Jefferson Airplane	(2:19)

Credits

Marty Balin (Vocals), Jefferson Airplane (Main Performer), Jorma Kaukonen (Guitar), Jorma Kaukonen (Vocals), Paul Kantner (Guitar), Paul Kantner (Vocals), Signe Anderson (Vocals), Jack Casady (Bass), David Hassinger (Engineer), Matthew Katz (Producer), Tommy Oliver (Producer), Alex Spence (Drums)