The Airplane went thru amazing changes that were not strictly about adjustments in lineup. They started out as a folkie group, then the acid kicked in. The group seemed to be a continuous jostling of power amongst its members. This song jets forth with a unity of all group members.
There are 2 corps to Jefferson Airplane's core:
- Vocals
- Grace Slick, wild
- Paul Kantner, folkie
- Marty Balin, croonin'
- Instruments
- Jorma Kaukonen, guitar
- Jack Casady, bass
- Spencer Dryden, drums
- And plus not forgetting Nicky Hopkins on piano. Mr Hopkins, sainted, played on every recording in the 60s.
With this song, all 6 cylinders are firing. Marty leads the vocals, but it is all an energetic shout. I like how the song is concentrated, it is exuberant political call out. You need not take it at face value, vis-à-vis actual act, but it has the necessary propulsion. That propulsion comes from the tight and urgent musical trio. As in, blast thru a wall. You do not have to buy the political implication, which is gestural at best. I mean, the words are puppet theatre, but encompassed by rock enthusiasm, which has an authenticity, tho as it might be, of earnest youth.
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