"...Ride The Tiger..."
By end of 1973 and well into
1974, the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE of 1966 to 1972 was all but defunct as far as
record buyers were concerned. The cleverly packaged "Long John
Silver" album of July 1972 and its subsequent 'Silver' tour of
August/September 1972 put out as the "Thirty Seconds Over Winterland"
Live LP in April 1973 were lukewarmly received with Winterland not charting at
all in England. Both had clearly signalled a downward slide in songwriting
kudos matched by dwindling sales and original leading lights Marty Balin and
Jorma Kaukonen jumped ship.
But the tour had brought on-board
19-year lead axe whizz-kid Craig Chaquico and suddenly the juices started to
flow again as they prepared their next album in the summer of 1974 (July to be
exact). It was time for a change. Jefferson Airplane (the name) – apparently
owned by the original five members of the band – couldn't be used. So Kantner
and Slick decided on an old-but-new beginning as JEFFERSON STARSHIP. In fact if
you look at the front cover artwork of the original vinyl LP - the album is
actually credited on the sleeve to a trio 'Grace Slick JEFFERSON STARSHIP Paul
Kantner' and then the name "Dragon Fly" below the fab Peter Lloyd
illustration.
Also just to show that all
was not wildly different, the back sleeve photo'd all of the new band and also
showed that they'd even roped in former bandman Marty Balin as a third vocalist
on "Caroline" - something the FM radio stations made a big play about
at the time. The seven and half minute Rock-Prog epic was Kantner and Balin's
first songwriting co-credit since the "Volunteers" LP five years back
– and with the three vocalists on the one song – it felt like the old Plane
crew was back in better clothing - causing huge buzz about the album. Starship
had also gotten Bob Hunter of Grateful Dead fame to do the lyrics to Side 2's
"Come To Life". So a few draws for fans on all fronts.
Released Stateside in
October 1974 (December 1974 in the UK) on their own Grunt Records BFL1-0717 (via RCA) -
the eight-tracker LP and its fantastic leadoff hit single "Ride The
Tiger" (featuring incendiary fretwork from Craig Chaquico) made them stars
all over again (it peaked at No. 11 in the US LP charts). Which brings us to a rather odd situation on 'digital'...
The American CD I own is the
28 January 1997 variant on BMG/RCA 66879-2 (Barcode 078636687926) with an
8-page booklet (DAVID COHEN liner notes) - itself reissued with a different
catalogue number and lesser artwork by US Sony BMG Music Entertainment in June
2007 on Sony A 710529 (Barcode 886971052923). There has been a Japanese Paper
Sleeve reissue in January 2008 subsequently - but naught since. In fact,
neither the 2007 US variant nor the 2008 Japanese issue offers a remaster
credit of any kind - so I'm 'presuming' each used the 1997 transfer. But from
scathing reviews of 2007 issues especially (complaints about its dull sound) -
I'm not so sure.
I mention all of this
because in July 2020 (and for such a huge album in their catalogue) - it
appears that the American CD on RCA 66879-2 from 28 January 1997 is the only
actual 'Digital Remaster' of the album available anywhere – transfers carried
out by MIKE HARTRY and Audio restoration by BILL LACEY (42:43 minutes total
playing time). But it's been deleted years and here in the UK has acquired a
rather nasty price tag of fifty quid or more from online sites (same in the
USA, over eighty bucks in places). So it appears that until another fuller and
fatter variant appears in Deluxe Edition form – this old 1997 American sucker
is what you got. To the music...
1. Ride The Tiger (Paul
Kantner/Grace Slick/Byong Yu song) [Side 1]
2. That's For Sure (Craig
Chaquico/Jerry Gallup song)
3. Be Young You (Grace Slick
song)
4. Caroline (Marty
Balin/Paul Kantner song)
5. Devils Den (Grace
Slick/Papa John Creach song) [Side 2]
6. Come To Life (David
Freiberg, Stephen Schuster and Bob Hunter song)
3. All Fly Away (Tom Pacheco
song)
4. Hyperdrive (Grace Slick
and Pete Sears song)
The album opens on a winner
- lyrics about men in the orient singing to the sky - Zen archer philosophy
nonsense and a great chugging riff that propels the 5:09 minutes of "Ride
The Tiger" along with aplomb. But as it progresses it’s the racing up and
down the fretboard guitar playing of Craig Chaquico that amazes. I can vividly
remember Bob Harris on England's "Old Grey Whistle Test" debuting the
track and pointing this out - even now it still seems Santana-like brilliant.
After the full-on Seventies Rawk of Tiger, the pretty piano entry passage of "That's
For Sure" comes as a welcome breeze - '...you came into this life and you
have a right to exist...' being the central theme. What the Remaster brings out
is the fab interplay between the vocals, guitars and Creach's subtle violin
fills. While the LP's opener is an obvious and genuinely exciting moment,
"That's For Sure" is the song that made me feel the band was 'back' -
brilliant arrangements and delivery. Recorded in 8 July 1974, Grace Slick wails
about the tongues of men - some made of wood and silence - some chasing gold
while children starve in her typically loaded diatribe "Be Young
You". There then comes the epic "Caroline" - seven and half
minutes of the old guard singing about making love, changes people are going
through. It helps that "Caroline" has great musical ideas going on throughout
(brilliantly musical guitar interludes) - and love-song lyrics that feel
thought out rather just functional.
Side 2 opens with Grace
alive and spitting - waxing satirical about the American Dream and pawns and
people scared to talk back on "Devils Den". It's a sexy piano-Rock
little number with near-perfect contributions from the violin bow of Papa John
Creach as it boogies along. Cohen is right in his liner notes to point out
similarities between "Come To Life" and the bass riff in The Four
Tops "I Can't Help Myself" - the song's almost upbeat Pop-Funk
feeling like the Starship is going to go Disco at any moment (or at least their
variant of Rock-Soul). Five and half minutes of “All Fly Away" fades in
slowly on lovely piano notes and a shimmering violin - moonlight above the Rio
Grand - drifting into dreams - climb through time tomorrow - nice Remaster too.
"Dragon Fly" ends on the epic near eight-minutes of
"Hyperdrive" - Grace Slick impassioning lyrics about walls, traps and
circles that go nowhere – about finding a place where you can go to be free.
It's also probably the album's most Prog tune.
Jefferson Starship would
trump "Dragon Fly" with "Red Octopus" the following year - a US No. 1 LP in July 1975. But until someone gets a grip on the 'Grunt Years' as a Box Set or Deluxe Editions of the individual albums - this deleted but cool 1997 CD
reissue/remaster of "Dragon Fly" from 1974 will have to be your (pricey) port of call for their tiger-ride...
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