Red Octopus
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Red Octopus
- Artist: Jefferson Starship
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1975
- Total Time: 42:01
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
Technically speaking, Red Octopus was the first album credited to Jefferson Starship, though practically the same lineup made Dragon Fly, credited to Grace Slick/Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship. The difference, however, was crucial: Marty Balin was once again a fully integrated bandmember, writing or co-writing five of the ten tracks. And there can be little doubt that it was Balin's irresistible ballad "Miracles," the biggest hit single in the Jefferson Whatever catalog, that propelled Red Octopus to the top of the charts, the only Jefferson album to chart that high and the best-selling album in their collective lives. This must have been sweet vindication for Balin, who founded Jefferson Airplane but then drifted away from the group as it veered away from his musical vision. Now, the collective was incorporating his taste without quite integrating it -- "Miracles," with its strings and sax solo by nonband member Irv Cox, was hardly a characteristic Airplane/Starship track. But then, neither exactly was Papa John Creach's showcase, "Git Fiddler," or bassist Pete Sears' instrumental "Sandalphon," which sounded like something from an early Procol Harum album. Slick has three strong songs, among them the second single "Play on Love." Like Dragon Fly, Red Octopus reflected a multiplicity of musical tastes; there were ten credited songwriters, seven of whom were in the band. If there is any consistency in this material, it is in subject matter (love songs). The album is more ballad-heavy and melodic than the Airplane albums, which made it more accessible to the broader audience it reached, though "Sweeter Than Honey" is as tough a rocker as the band ever played. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi| Red October: True Blood (2011 Album by Young Reef) | |
| Red Octopus [Bonus Tracks] (1975 Album by Jefferson Starship) |
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Red Octopus
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Red Octopus
| Red Octopus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Jefferson Starship | ||||
| Released | June 13, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | February, 1975 at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco | |||
| Genre | Rock, AOR | |||
| Length | 42:00 | |||
| Label | Grunt/RCA | |||
| Producer | Jefferson Starship / Larry Cox | |||
| Jefferson Starship chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
Cover art of original LP release
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B− |
Red Octopus is a 1975 album by Jefferson Starship. It was the best-selling album by any incarnation of Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off groups, and the single "Miracles" hit #3 on the Billboard chart, being the biggest hit single the band had until that point. The album itself reached #1 on the Billboard 200.
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Contents
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Track listing
| Side one | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length | |||||
| 1. | "Fast Buck Freddie" | Grace Slick | Craig Chaquico | 3:28 | |||||
| 2. | "Miracles" | Marty Balin | Balin | 6:52 | |||||
| 3. | "Git Fiddler" (instrumental) | Papa John Creach, Kevin Moore, John Parker | 3:08 | ||||||
| 4. | "Ai Garimasũ (There Is Love)" | Slick | Slick | 4:15 | |||||
| 5. | "Sweeter Than Honey" | Balin, Craig Chaquico | Chaquico, Pete Sears | 3:20 | |||||
| Side two | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length | |||||
| 1. | "Play On Love" | Slick | Sears | 3:44 | |||||
| 2. | "Tumblin'" | Balin, Robert Hunter | David Freiberg | 3:27 | |||||
| 3. | "I Want To See Another World" | Paul Kantner, Slick, Balin | Kantner | 4:34 | |||||
| 4. | "Sandalphon" (instrumental) | Sears | 4:08 | ||||||
| 5. | "There Will Be Love" | Kantner, Balin | Kantner, Chaquico | 5:04 | |||||
| 2005 CD bonus tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length | |||||
| 1. | "Miracles" (single version) | Balin | Balin | 3:29 | |||||
| 2. | "Band Introduction" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland) | 1:14 | |||||||
| 3. | "Fast Buck Freddie" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland) | Slick | Chaquico | 3:34 | |||||
| 4. | "There Will Be Love" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland) | Kantner, Balin | Kantner, Chaquico | 4:57 | |||||
| 5. | "You're Driving Me Crazy" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland) | Vic Smith | Smith | 6:44 | |||||
Personnel
- Grace Slick – vocals, piano on "Ai Garimasu"
- Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Marty Balin – vocals
- John Barbata – drums, percussion, vocals
- Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, vocals
- Papa John Creach – electric violin
- Pete Sears – bass on all tracks except "Git Fiddler", "Play On Love", and "Sandalphon", electric piano on "Miracles", keyboards on "Git Fiddler" and "Sweeter Than Honey", piano on "Play On Love", "I Want to See Another World", "Sandalphon", and "There Will Be Love", organ on "Play On Love", "I Want to See Another World", and "Sandalphon", clavinet on "Play On Love", Arp on "Sandalphon", vocals
- David Freiberg – vocals, bass on "Git Fiddler", "Play On Love", and "Sandalphon", organ on "Miracles" and "I Want to See Another World", Arp on "Ai Garimasu" and "There Will Be Love", keyboards on "Tumblin'"
Additional personnel
- Bobbye Hall – percussion, congas
- Irv Cox – saxophone
Production
- Jefferson Starship – producer
- Larry Cox – producer, engineer
- Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
- Steve Mantoani, Jeffrey Husband – recordists
- Paul Dowell – amp consultant
- Dave Roberts – string and horn arrangement
- Recorded and Mixed at Wally Heiders, San Francisco
- Mastered by Kent Duncan, Kendun Recorders, Burbank
- Live tracks recorded at Winterland, November 7, 1975
- Bill Thompson – manager
- Frank Mulvey – art director
- Jim Marshall – liner photograph
- Gribbitt! – graphics
Chart positions
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Billboard 200 | #1 |
Singles
- "Miracles" (August 23, 1975) #3 US (Billboard Hot 100)
- "Play On Love" (December 13, 1975) #49 US
References
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. Red Octopus at Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ "CG: Jefferson Starship". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Jefferson+Starship. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
| Preceded by One of These Nights by Eagles |
Billboard 200 number-one album September 6–12, 1975 September 27 - October 3, 1975 November 1–7, 1975 November 29 - December 5, 1975 |
Succeeded by The Heat Is On by The Isley Brothers |
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums
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