Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album, "Surrealistic Pillow."
Besides being known for its undisputed beauty, it is one of the most influential albums on the global rock scene. Its style has been classified as "folk-rock-based psychedelia," given its melodic and complex material and the album's closing track, "Plastic Fantastic Lover," which, despite its blues-based rhythms and use of sounds in a completely innovative way, has an "almost" electronic character.
An album that certainly also contains tracks more closely tied to the era in which it was released, with blues-rock and ballad atmospheres, but which is a sort of precursor to psychedelia.
This LP is considered one of the key albums of the psychedelic movement and the so-called "Summer of Love."
Jefferson Airplane played at the three major rock festivals of the late 1960s—Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969), and Altamont (1969)—as well as appearing at the first two Isle of Wight festivals.
Their work's fusion of folk rock and psychedelia was entirely original for its time, in line with musical developments at the time, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, the Yardbirds, and the Beatles in the mid-1960s.
In addition to the celebrated "Somebody to Love," it contains the masterpiece track, "Comin' Back to Me," and the magnificent "White Rabbit," as well as the truly magical acoustic track, "Embryonic Journey," as well as "Plastic Fantastic Lover," a still-current, beautiful, and captivating track, which I cited at the beginning.
A historic, beautiful, and innovative album, to which we fans of progressive rock and psychedelic rock certainly owe something.
The Tracks
1. She Has Funny Cars
2. Somebody to Love
3. My Best Friend
4. Today
5. Comin' Back to Me
6. 3/5 of a Mile in Ten Seconds
7. D.C.B.A. – 25
8. How Do You Feel
9. Embryonic Journey
10. White Rabbit
11. Plastic Fantastic Lover
Line-Up
Marty Balin (Vocals, Guitar)
Grace Slick (Vocals, Piano, Organ, Flute)
Jorma Kaukonen (Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Paul Kantner (Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Jack Casady (Bass, Guitar)
Spencer Dryden (Drums, Percussion)
Featuring
Jerry Garcia (Guitar on tracks 4, 5, 11)
