The Jefferson Airplane What IF Game

[JoeD80]

As for Paul Kantner, he lost his muse to Skip Johnson and this seems to have blocked his inspiration completely. No songs by Paul Kantner.

If we're talking Spitfire, the basic music&lyrics of Dance with the Dragon and St. Charles were his with a lot of contributions from band members added, and Don't Let It Rain was his entirely (the line "Moon, I'll get it" being the contribution of China; her first words according to Paul).

Also, the pressures to continue the commercial direction of JS must have troubled him deeply.

It did. In interviews in the early 1980s he talked about others in the band having lots of arguments with him about which direction the band should go in. Mickey and some others wanted to go for the commercial direction of the big stadium tours and attempting to write only hit songs. Paul thought more important was the value of writing songs for the sake of writing, free concerts in the park, and benefit concerts for stuff like the Cable Cars in San Francisco. In '84 it led to him leaving the band mid-concert. Starship went on the commercial path, and Paul joined back up with Marty and Jack for KBC.

[plasticfantastic]

4.Pretty As You Feel(Covington/Kaukonen/Casady/Santana/Shreive) - 4:31

Okay, I'm assuming you mean Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve. I didn't know they wrote on that song! How did that happen?

[redrabid]

Jamming in the studio, when they were recording "Bark". Micheal Shrieve also plays drums on "Feel So Good " (Fenton, p.469).

[JoeD80]

Joey is the drummer on "Feel So Good" (as well as playing congas on "Pretty as You Feel"); Michael Shrieve only plays drums on "Pretty as You Feel." At least that's how the songs are credited in the "Jefferson Airplane Loves You" box set, which Pat Ieraci himself worked on.

[redrabid]

That Michael Shrieve wasn't mentioned as the drummer on "Feel So good" has probably to do wih the fact that he was signed to an other record company. Giving him credits for doing so, would have resulted in all kind of legal hassles. On "Feels So Good" there are two drummers; Mainly Michael Shrieve, with parts by Sammy Piazza mixed in. Read the interview with Sammy Piazza in Fenton's "Circus Tent".

[JoeD80]

Contractual obligations in 1971 wouldn't have mattered for the 1991 box-set release, and Shrieve is credited on "Pretty as You Feel" there, but not on "Feel So Good". Possibly Pat Ieraci just didn't remember who was on the "Feel So Good" track.

[redrabid]

In my post in this game dated Dec.14 2009 I announced the release of a new "JA What If" album: "Out of Grace". Coming soon, I said. But I have to announce that JA disbanded during the recordings of "Out of Grace", due to all kind of internal troubles, "musical differences" as was stated in an short press release.
Looking back, my last post already reads as an obituary. I got so bored by listening to JS and even HT was showing signs of wear. But I enjoyed the game thoroughly while it lasted.
If some of you can prolong the life of Jefferson Airplane in another What If world, please surprise me.
R.I.P: Jefferson Airplane 1965-1978.

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

Eh, good riddance. They lost me halfway through Stolen, they're just old news now. No 60s bands can really keep it together in the 70s like the Bee Gees can, they really know what they're doing.

Kidding of course! But I understand where you're coming from, unable to complete that album. That's about the time I gave up the What If game, I lost balance somewhere and it became a bit tedious piecing together Yellow Fever and Hoppkorv. As for continuing any What-If surprises, I've worked on this a lot and came up with an interesting Great Society what if bio, had they stayed together. I also might finish my J.A what if bio some day.

[redrabid]

Thank you ER68, especially because I know you enjoyed this game too.
My partner, who isn't interested in JA or rock music at all, celebrated this funeral by serving me a good strawberry dish with an excellent bottle of French rose wine.