Weirdest Jefferson Airplane Song

[usedtobebabson]

Well, I never said Woodstock wasn't a symbol of the sixties, I said I don't think Woodstock meant the end or beginning of the counter culture and hippie movement. A lot of people have said they think it was the end of the hippie movement, and I've even heard some people say it was the beginning of it. It is indeed a symbol of the 60s, I just don't think it was something that meant the end or beginning of anything. It was just in it's time and place, where some consider it the end of the hippie movement. But that may have been because nothing that big ever topped it at that time, but yet people forget the Isle of Wight 1970! The attendance records there were between 600,000 and 700,000, possibly 800,000, and it had some of the same acts from Woodstock. I didn't mean to diminish Woodstock's role as a symbol of the 60s, I just don't think it was the end, and I'm really sorry if I offended you Babson, I intended no offense at all.

Interesting! So while haight/Ash was the beginning of the counter-culture spread in the US, Woodstock was the beginning of the counter-culture spread across Europe? Back then it was not such a small world, and world communication was lacking. My opinion is that it was not completely about the Music, but more about the Vietnam Police action. As in all puppet Government wars, The US seemed to have by far the most troops over there. The Music was a reason, to get together, and show you were opposed to the war (So it could include the multitudes of us that did not partake in the marching and carrying of signs). To ignore this connection, I think, is to loose your understanding of the time, the events, and the driving forces behind the counter-culture.

[Susan Butcher]

There were already scenes in London, Munich and Prague well before Woodstock. I'm not sure about the rest of Europe. LSD arrived in Sydney around 1966 and got mixed up with the surfing and rock crowds. By 1968 there were Australian hippies colonising the East Coast.

[redrabid]

There were scenes in other European cities too, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, even in a few much smaller towns. But in some cities, the scene had a much harder political edge: Paris and Berlin for instance. At the time I thought that more inspriring than the American politically naive scene. What did I know of what was to come. Who was naive, I ask myself now.

[okeedoe]

The counter culture in Prague during the 60's? A hippies behind the iron curtain ?I wouldn't know that.But I know that the scene was flourishing in ex Yugoslavia in the same form as it was in western Europe.It was a very liberal, open, ''semi'' socialist country with almost complete free market.Yugoslavian passport was considered as one of the most serviceable in the world because we were able to travel visa free everywhere with it.(except for the Warsaw pact countries,China and a couple of others)I remember many hippies traveled to India and Nepal. Some of them only to never came back.There was a lots of drug cassualties.A record companies issued new albums and singles of British and USA bands at the approximately same time as they were issued in those countries.Many of those were in the market even earlier than in West Europe. The same was with film distribution. I''ll tell you an another thing,comrades: when I was sixteen I could go in any bar, caffe,restauraunt,beer house or liquor store anytime I like and order whatever I like with no questions asked.We had a lots of fun back then.

[redrabid]

So not a lapsed priest, but a converted commie? Doesn't make much difference though.

[okeedoe]

Proletarians of all lands, unite!lol

You old biddy.Do you want war?

[Susan Butcher]

There was a company in Czechoslovakia making LSD for research, and it leaked out to artists and musicians. But at the end of 1968 the Russians took over the country and the fun stopped. After that it was all very serious and political, because unauthorised gatherings were outlawed. This is what I've read, anyway.

[nicktecky]

Sorry guys, I'm getting very confused! As a newbie, perhaps there's an agreed interpretation on this group that I haven't worked out yet, so apologies for any offence in advance.

FWIW, this what I understand:

THE counterculture (difficult to define because there have been many different countercultures over the years) started with the Beat generation in the mid 50s with an emphasis on personal accountability for demanding social reform, and on protest and revolution where reform isn't delivered. Numerous artistic endeavours were part of this; Comedy, Drama and Music, Cinema, Graphic Arts were all used to spread the central message. Anti establishment on both sides of the Iron Curtain. By the 60s this had developed into violence, both street protest and terrorism (urban guerilla, freedom fighter, terrorist, only the viewer changes). The long term outcome is still to be decided. Difficult to establish how effective the CC has been delivering social change because there have been so many other sources of social pressure for change.

Hippy, psychedelia: born from the counterculture, the message was Peace above all and self knowledge as a path to freedom. All that's left is the music, and everything else has been subsumed by fashion. Failed as a message because it didn't deliver social change and the association with drug taking divorced it from the mainstream. Jury out on the environmental message though.

THE music: rock n roll born in Memphis with Elvis Presley from different Southern US influences. Developed alongside social and technological change to deliver a huge variety of sub-genres, a RnR generation being about 5 years, every generation moves forward rejecting the previous orthodoxy. Inherently paradoxical it combines popular entertainment with love, poetry, dance as well as social protest and awareness. Revolutionary in the relationship established between performer and audience, there is no end is sight. Rock On!!

[okeedoe]

Right,we haven't fully discussed about Europe 19th century counterculture so far .And we also haven't even tried to digest Chinese cultural revolution at all.

But we obligatorily admire and praise Grace Slick.So, for your own good on here, write a post in that manner.And be quick about it.

[nicktecky]

Hey no problem there, it's why I'm on this site!

I came to this site because I rediscovered Grace's voice only recently, and have previously said I rate her alongside Aretha and Dusty.
I was looking for a CD of STL as I originally heard it in 1968 on a CBS sampler. The JA version was nothing like what I remembered. Then I found the Collector's Item double, and Grace's voice was electrifying, so I then moved on to Dreams (couldn't believe I had to get it from Korea!). Again, staggering voice and a couple of great songs so I wanted more! So far that's been it. But I have found an old compilation (Sixties Chicks Columbia) which has Grace singing WR live, and it sounds like it might be a GS live session. For me, it just shades the JA version and I thought this might mean there was another Grace/GS live album somewhere. Perhaps you guys know?
I've bought Sunfighter, Baron & the Nun with Wreckin Ball on the way. But I realise it is really only Grace I am after!

I take it that the counterculture is usually equated with the whole San Francisco, Hippy, free concert LSD/dope psychedelia thing on this site. Fair enough, it is Jefferson Airplane after all!

Again, apologies for any offence, just put it down to an old time Londoner with a little too much world weary cynicism for his own good! It is probably born of seeing "We Shall Overcome" on Newry Bridge transmuting into bombs in my local pub courtesy of PIRA.

[usedtobebabson]

I remember when gracy Slick locked eyes with me at Tanglewood, Mass. on August 12th 1969. Her eyes bore right into me. I had snuck into the press area and was right below her on the stage, about 10 feet away, with nobody in between us. 8 years later my son was born on August 12th. Coincidence you say

All that's left is the music, and everything else has been subsumed by fashion. Failed as a message because it didn't deliver social change and the association with drug taking divorced it from the mainstream. Jury out on the environmental message though.

That is the propaganda the war on drugs has taught you to believe. A nation of sheep we are! methinks! Small crowds marching in the streets in protest, always got out hand, Billy Clubs and one time, bullets were the government's answer. But the peace children gave us the ultimate protest weapon. Numbers and unity. That is what wins and overcomes. Did a small student revolt at a community college in '68. Our method was simple. Make a set of demands, take it to the students, and ask them to unite as one voice. Go to the faculty with your demands. One social change this brought about was girls could now wear jeans and pants and miniskirts to a public school instead of knee length skirts for the first time in history. What we were gonna do if our demands weren't met was never revealed. That's because all we were gonna do was cry, and would not be violent. This philosophy would never have been there and girls would still be wearing knee length skirts to school if it wasn't for the flower children. Their numbers and unity changed the way puppet government wars are fought today. I just don't like the way that is posted, it seems like you agree with the propaganda.
The Government was more afraid of Flower Children, than all the marching in the streets. They could deal with the street marchers. No problem with lots of blood. But the Flower Children, and all their thinking outside of the box! They had no weapons to fight that with, and understandably, were shaking in their boots. Thus, began the war on drugs, which was really a war on the flower children. I hope that clears a little of it up!

[okeedoe]

OK,Nick.Welcome.Apologies weren't in order.
By the way,are you a Cockney ?

[nicktecky]

Cockney, no.
Born in London, but lived outside until I started work, then joined the old commuter rat race.
But I've been thinking about that whole swinging London thing, and it was quite incredible that so many bands were in one place at one time. I won't go into too much detail but just about every Brit band you can think of would have been in Soho and lining up at the Marquee. Alexis Korner was a huge influence. In the same place were all the specialist record shops selling all those newly imported US 78s. Muddy Waters, BB King ....
Carnaby Street is 5 minutes walk away. Twiggy, the Shrimp, David Bailey, Terence Donovan were all there. The whole area is a hub of the film industry, so all the new film directors and actors were there. Abbey Road studios is 5 minutes away on the Tube.
I'm surprised the place didn't spontaneously combust!

[SuperSlick66]

The Levi Commercial Song...so random..

[ericthompson13]

For weirdest all i have to say is jefferson airplane is just a pretty bonkers band in general but i guess a small packaga of value will come to you shortly, or maybe meadowlands.
For most annoying, it's no secret, hands down. As soon as marty says, "You got me jumpin up and down" all i can do is imagine marty jumpin up and down and its too funny a picture to enjoy the rest of the song.