The Bark Sessions

[CookOfTheHouse]

Still with Balin on board, JA started recording BARK and it was suposed to feature "Emergency" "Have You Seen The Saucers?" "Mexico" "You Wear Your Dresses Too Short", "Up or Down" and "Bludgeon of a Bluecoat". "Have You Seen The Saucers?", "Up or Down" and "Mexico" were released on the Early Flight LP but whatever happened to Emergency and You Wear Your Dresses Too Short studio versions?? Were they ever released?? (Bludgeon was omitted 'cause it sucks)

[PipPosseSoows]

+1

[MilkTrain]

who knows? Emergency sucks too, big time! love mexico and HYSTSaucers. Bark is prob my least fave JA album. I do love Crazy Miranda tho.Grace Slick at her scathing best! I think Long John Silver is far better than Bark although i suppose LJS sounds more like a Paul/Grace album than a JA

[PrayForPlagues]

Whaaa, "Emergency" sucks? Sure, it doesn't really rank up there in substance or vision as the parallel work Paul did during the early 70s, but I still enjoy the song and it's a total manifestation of everything that is Marty Balin. I do have to say that it's hard for me to resist any Marty track though- even the god awful stuff Jefferson Starship stuff in the late 70s. I also believe "Drifting" was a great one that had potential.
I loved the performance of "Emergency" on "Go Ride the Music"- Jorma and Jack seemed to really get into the song as much as Marty did. Totally could have been a charting song, IMO. Far better than the somewhat similar "Up and Down", which comes off as very desperate and derivative. I don't think "Dresses" had much potential as an album song- one of those songs that would simply fall flat in the studio, like "Other Side of this Life" or "Mau Mau (Amerikon)". I do however enjoy the live performances- it's obviously much more jam oriented. I've never seen or heard of anybody possessing the studio recordings of "Emergency", "Dresses", or "Bludgeon".

[Lather69]

"Emergency" was included in the boxed set. From what I've read, the "Saucers" and "Mexico" cuts included on the new record weren't going to just be repeats of the single, but live renditions (I'd like to hear those if they could be found), and "Bludgeon of a Bluecoat" would have featured a special guest turn by (of all people) Little Richard! Also, I saw somewhere (I think it was on the old JBase db of Airplane set lists) that they recorded a song called "Upstairs Revolutionary Maid." I may have hallucinated that, as I have never seen it confirmed anywhere else.

"Bark" is also my least favorite Airplane album. It sounds very slapped together and the band members are clearly disinterested in being a band any more. It's sad really. All their friends kept telling them that it would be a shame, to break up such a grand success and tear apart the game. But emptiness weren't were it (was) at, neither (was) feelin' pain...

[PrayForPlagues]

they recorded a song called "Upstairs Revolutionary Maid." I may have hallucinated that, as I have never seen it confirmed anywhere else.

Indeed they recorded a demo of a song by that name. PK confirmed it hisself, although I believe it was during the LJS sessions rather than the Bark sessions. He said it was never used again by the Airplane, Starship, or PERRO although he still has the lead sheet hidden in his collection of songs somewhere and would like to bring it out sometime soon.

[TakeMeOnYourFlight]

It looks like if a 1970 album would have happened, apart from Mexico, Grace's other contributions probably would have been Frozen Noses (I'd very much like to hear this if someone has it available,) and Surprise Surprise.