Bless Its Pointed Little Head
Bless Its Pointed Little Head is a live album by Jefferson Airplane recorded at both the Fillmore East and West in the fall of 1968 and released in 1969 as RCA Victor LSP-4133.
Bless Its Pointed Little Head | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | February, 1969 | |||
Recorded | 24–26 October 1968 at Fillmore West, 28–30 November 1968 at Fillmore East | |||
Genre | Psychedelic rock, acid rock, hard rock | |||
Length | 52:48 65:21 (2004 reissue) | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Producer | Al Schmitt | |||
Jefferson Airplane chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Music Box | [2] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Five songs on the album had not appeared on any of the band's previous studio recordings. Many of the Airplane's recordings on the live album were longer than their studio performances. The performance emphasized their vocal harmonies and revealed a harder rocking group. Guitar and bass lines were more in-depth in their construction, revealing complex instrumentals. However, some of the band's hit singles, such as "White Rabbit", were not included. It distinguished a different focus in their live concerts compared to their studio albums.[4][5]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Clergy" (recorded November 28–30 at Fillmore East) | Jefferson Airplane | 1:37 |
2. | "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" (recorded October 24–26 at Fillmore West) | Marty Balin | 4:39 |
3. | "Somebody to Love" (recorded October 24–26 at Fillmore West) | Darby Slick | 4:15 |
4. | "Fat Angel" (recorded November 28–30 at Fillmore East) | Donovan Leitch | 7:36 |
5. | "Rock Me Baby" (recorded October 24–26 at Fillmore West) | traditional, arranged by Jefferson Airplane | 7:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Other Side of This Life" (recorded October 24–26 at Fillmore West) | Fred Neil | 6:48 |
2. | "It's No Secret" (recorded October 24–26 at Fillmore West) | Balin | 3:31 |
3. | "Plastic Fantastic Lover" (recorded October 24–26 at Fillmore West) | Balin | 3:53 |
4. | "Turn Out the Lights" (recorded November 28–30 at Fillmore East) | Paul Kantner, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, Grace Slick, Spencer Dryden | 1:24 |
5. | "Bear Melt" (recorded November 28–30 at Fillmore East) | Kantner, Casady, Kaukonen, G. Slick, Dryden | 11:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "Today" (recorded November 5 at Fillmore West) | Balin, Kantner | 3:50 |
12. | "Watch Her Ride" (recorded November 5 at Fillmore West) | Kantner | 3:19 |
13. | "Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon" (recorded November 5 at Fillmore West) | Kantner | 5:30 |
On the back cover of the LP (RCA LSP-4133), "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" is identified as "3/5's Of a Mile in 10 Seconds".
Personnel
- Marty Balin – vocals, bass on "Fat Angel"
- Jack Casady – bass, rhythm guitar on "Fat Angel"
- Spencer Dryden – drums
- Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar, second lead guitar on "Fat Angel"
- Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, vocals
- Grace Slick – vocals
- Production
- Al Schmitt – producer
- Rich Schmitt – engineer
- Pat Ieraci – beret
- Jim Smircich – cover photography
- Bill Thompson – poster
- Gary Blackman – art direction
Charts
Album
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1969 | Billboard Pop Albums | 17 |
Single
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1969 | "Plastic Fantastic Lover" | Billboard Pop Singles | 133 |
General references
- Bless Its Pointed Little Head (Vinyl back cover). Jefferson Airplane. New York City: RCA. 1969. LSP-4133.CS1 maint: others (link)
References
- Ruhlmann, William. "Bless Its Pointed Little Head". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- Metzger, John (October 2004). "Jefferson Airplane: Bless Its Pointed Little Head". The Music Box. 11 (#10). Archived from the original on 2006-03-25. Retrieved 2006-03-10.
- Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- "Bless Its Pointed Little Head - Review". headheritage.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- Woodstra, Chris; Bush, John; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2007). Guide Required Listening. Google.com. ISBN 9780879309176. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2015.