Jefferson Airplane - Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1969

Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Live at the Fillmore East 1969 features the definitive edition of Jefferson Airplane, icons of 1960s psychedelic rock and political agitation. Jack Casady and Spencer Dryden hold down the free-floating rhythms on bass and drums, Jorma Kaukonen launches feedback-laced guitar solos, and Paul Kantner adds rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Topping it all are the voices of Marty Balin and the '60s acid queen, Grace Slick. In concert, the Airplane were always more rough and ready than on their acid-hued vinyl. Outside the studio, they were ramshackle and punky, which is why they were sometimes referenced when talking about punk bands like X, who also had male and female lead singers. Despite having six albums under their belt, mostly consisting of original material, the Airplane's live set has a lot of mediocre blues and folk filler. Some of their more characteristic repertoire is sacrificed to workman-like renditions of "Uncle Sam Blues" and "Come Back Baby," albeit with some ripping Kaukonen guitar solos. Balin's raucous rant on "You Wear Your Dresses too Short" is embarrassing in its soul-singer aspirations. Assuming this was their set sequence, it takes a while for the Airplane to congeal on stage. They ride roughshod over much of their materiel, but pull it together two-thirds of the way through on one of their most complex tunes, "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil." With its shifting time signatures and overlapping vocal lines and harmonies, it's a challenge to pull off live, but they do, with soaring vocals from Balin and Slick and a long instrumental jam with a fractured guitar solo from Kaukonen and a feature slot for bassist Casady, the most innovative and powerful bassist from that era. That paves the way for a darker version of "White Rabbit," the mock celebration of "Crown of Creation," and their show closer, a hyped rendition of Fred Neil's ballad "The Other Side of This Life." As they always did, the Jefferson Airplane land high. --John Diliberto Amazon.com

One Song Makes You Larger...

This is not "Bless Its Pointed Little Head," but I am so happy I purchased it. The recording is a mixed blessing - some songs are first rate an inspired and Jorma and Jack soar - inspired by their Hot Tuna collaboration. Very interesting to hear "Uncle Sam Blues (Live)" having owned it for years on the Hot Tuna live recording. The Other Side Of This Life (Live) is the best performance on the record and "Volunteers" and "Good Shepherd" are also solid. You Wear Your Dresses Too Short (Live) has vapid lyrics (what was Marty thinking), but there is a moment of frenzied perfection in it, so I will not delete it from my iPod. Four and a quarter stars. School of Rock album, honestly. July 29, 2008

Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1969

We found It to be in very good condition and was very pleased with the transaction. My grandoughter made this purchase as we both use the Account.
thank you bev nichols and brandy cooper June 19, 2008

Possibly the best live Airplane available

Having always been a huge fan of Bless It's Pointed Little Head, I've been disappointed again and again by other live Airplane releases. Thirty Seconds has its moments but, well, the Airplane was dying a slow death, and it's for that reason that I haven't bought Last Flight. Then there are the various Monterey releases, which are good but marred by off-key vocals, and then there was that truly awful Fillmore compilation a while ago. This one, though, has it all, with incredible versions of Good Shepherd, Pooneil, and Other Side. Yes, there's a bit of embarrassing stuff--Marty on "Dresses", though the jam behind him isn't bad (which, actually, is a preview of later Airplane, with Jorma and Jack jamming away, apparently oblivious to the lame material they're playing behind. Or perhaps they were all too aware, hence Jorma's "my body's getting tired from carrying others' loads"). In addition, 3/5 and Plastic Fantastic pale compared to the Pointed Little Head versions, and Jorma's blues tunes make me want to listen to Hot Tuna instead. Take those out, however, and you've go an album of around the same length as Bless Its Pointed Little Head (no, I haven't actually counted the minutes) and arguably as good or better. December 27, 2007

Jefferson Airplane on Auto-Pilot

What an incredible disappointment this disc is! With each new Airplane "live" release I anticipate the sister album to "Bless its Pointed Little Head," one of the greatest concert albums of that era, alas it is not to be, sadly again. Which I don't understand, because as a devoted fan of the Jefferson Airplane I firmly believe there has to be more seminal "live" material of the perfected quality heard on "Pointed Head" locked away in an RCA vault somewhere in California.

I know, because I (sort of) clearly remember hearing the Airplane play one of the greatest concerts I ever attended in the gymnasium of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia on about, Nov. 25, 1969, a few days before these New York recordings were made. I am still naïve enough at 54 to purchase this CD thinking this would capture "my J.A. concert" and I was going to trip back in time to a magical night in Philly when the Jefferson Airplane were soaring in full flight, instead I get this bummer of a crash landing.

Part of what made the U. Penn. Concert so memorable was the song selection from the Airplane catalog,, gems like "If You Feel", "Young Girl Sunday Blues", "Triad" and "Lather" as well as the (then) new stuff, "We Can Be Together" and "Hey Frederick". None of which appear on this cd, consisting of a tired rehash of songs that are better performed elsewhere. The songs on "Sweeping Up The Spotlight" (you know they have lost control of their music with such a lame title) sound rushed, as if they are very nervous (doubtful) or hopped up on too much speed (more likely). The exception is a bad version of "Good Shepard" that is so lethargic (with Jorma singing like he is in the john) it begs to be put out of it's seven minute misery. Two other mediocre time wasters are tepid renditions of "Uncle Sam's Blues" and "You Wear Your Dresses Too Short". The later was supposedly written for Otis Redding before he passed, and was wisely turned down by other soul music greats. Though Areatha Franklin did a version of "Come Back Baby" written by that famous guy, Traditional, that leaves Jorma's arrangement staring into the punchbowl at the Kool-Aid Acid Test.

So what is good about this recording? Jack Cassady saves the day with a bass solo in the middle of "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" that will make you stop what you are doing and lose track of time--he is a master. They all are, which is what made the Jefferson Airplane so great. But it deepens the sorrow of their passing into music history when decidedly less-than stellar efforts are released and offered up as part of that history. August 26, 2007

Going Through the Motions

There seems to no middle ground on live Jefferson Airplane cd's. I've loved this band for 40 years but this material sounds perfunctory and uninspired to me. I think "Live at The Fillmore East" is their best concert cd, followed by "Live at Monterey." I also dislike "BIPLH." August 24, 2007

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