Album: Blows Against The EmpireAvg rating:
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Total ratings: 995
Length: 3:45
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Would you like to go up on A-deck and look at them with me?
Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like to go up for a stroll and keep me company?
Did you know
We could go
We are free
Any place
You can think of
We can be
Have you seen the stars tonight?
Have you looked at all of the galaxy of stars?
I picked this record up recently in the dollar bin at my local record shop. To my surprise when I got home there was weed in the crevice of the gatefold and zigzag rolling papers in the sleeve with the record.
Sor!-ted!
This was and still remains a powerful song for me. Same collection of beloved musicians and singers that perform on If I Could Only Remember My Name since the recording sessions were simultaneous. PERRO came about then as well. Sitting on a beach at night gazing up at the stars, flat on my back looking up at the Milky Way slash across the nighttime sky at Lake Powell, standing in the middle of a eastern trout stream after sunset watching the same Milky Way light up the night sky...have you seen the stars tonight and let your mind and your heart soar waaaaay up there too? Go on, sing along.
"Any place you can think of we can be" I love this song. Paul never got the credit he deserved IMHO.
Purple something or another!
Then went to central park and saw them play for free!
Purple microdot.
Yikes!
The stereo is on the cinderblock and wooden plank shelf behind us playing this song. We're sitting in armchairs in my 3rd floor dorm room circa 1971. Me, Marcus and Pete, side by side facing the 2 picture windows overlooking the campus. We have a clear view of the starry night sky all the way down to the lights at the top of the city skyscrapers shining a mile or two away. Our feet are braced up against the window sill. Our backs are pressed tight against the chairbacks and we grip the armrests firmly. We are ready for take off.
But first this 3:43 seconds of bliss. And then, the sudden segue to X-M and blast off. We take off for the night sky hanging on for dear life to our standard university issue dormroom chairs. Now, we are miles above the city looking down at the lights, from A-Deck. We are far away from campus. Far away from America. Searching for a better way.
You didn't need to be high in 1971 to get this album. But you did have to be there.
It was a lost opportunity. The Sixties were a moment of national self-awareness where the questioned was clearly framed "What the f**k do we think we're doing?" Then every hippy in college was introduced to disco and cocaine. We squandered our moment for "It's Raining Men."
Kudos
I picked this record up recently in the dollar bin at my local record shop. To my surprise when I got home there was weed in the crevice of the gatefold and zigzag rolling papers in the sleeve with the record.
How was it? :D
You like where the DJ is talking, am I right?
The stereo is on the cinderblock and wooden plank shelf behind us playing this song. We're sitting in armchairs in my 3rd floor dorm room circa 1971. Me, Marcus and Pete, side by side facing the 2 picture windows overlooking the campus. We have a clear view of the starry night sky all the way down to the lights at the top of the city skyscrapers shining a mile or two away. Our feet are braced up against the window sill. Our backs are pressed tight against the chairbacks and we grip the armrests firmly. We are ready for take off.
But first this 3:43 seconds of bliss. And then, the sudden segue to X-M and blast off. We take off for the night sky hanging on for dear life to our standard university issue dormroom chairs. Now, we are miles above the city looking down at the lights, from A-Deck. We are far away from campus. Far away from America. Searching for a better way.
You didn't need to be high in 1971 to get this album. But you did have to be there.
Purple something or another!
Then went to central park and saw them play for free!
The stereo is on the cinderblock and wooden plank shelf behind us playing this song. We're sitting in armchairs in my 3rd floor dorm room circa 1971. Me, Marcus and Pete, side by side facing the 2 picture windows overlooking the campus. We have a clear view of the starry night sky all the way down to the lights at the top of the city skyscrapers shining a mile or two away. Our feet are braced up against the window sill. Our backs are pressed tight against the chairbacks and we grip the armrests firmly. We are ready for take off.
But first this 3:43 seconds of bliss. And then, the sudden segue to X-M and blast off. We take off for the night sky hanging on for dear life to our standard university issue dormroom chairs. Now, we are miles above the city looking down at the lights, from A-Deck. We are far away from campus. Far away from America. Searching for a better way.
You didn't need to be high in 1971 to get this album. But you did have to be there.
Iwasthere!
But first this 3:43 seconds of bliss. And then, the sudden segue to X-M and blast off. We take off for the night sky hanging on for dear life to our standard university issue dormroom chairs. Now, we are miles above the city looking down at the lights, from A-Deck. We are far away from campus. Far away from America. Searching for a better way.
You didn't need to be high in 1971 to get this album. But you did have to be there.
mtbiker493 wrote:
I always mocked that song, and then a musician friend of mine did an acoustic cover, and showed me how it's actually a pretty good song. It's just their production that really really really hurts the ears.
Over 3,000 albums and I never had this experience. Figures.
Haven't heard this song in ages.
The entire side of the LP that has this song is incredible. Each song flows into the next, as if they artists were all on acid when they recorded it. (which is likely). I believe Crosby helped out Kanter/Slick and Co.
Would like to hear the whole thing some time, or at least 2-3 songs in sequence.
I thought I left that somewhere.
jb
mtbiker493 wrote:
Talk about a bonus! Great record and great recreational activities ahead (albeit a small amount I'm sure) - I've got this one at 8 for the fact I love looking at the stars, hard to do even where I live (15 miles out of Seattle) and one of the reasons why I like to backpack in the wilderness....Long Live RP!!
"In 1970, while Jefferson Airplane was on break from touring, singer-guitarist Paul Kantner recorded "Blows Against the Empire". This was a concept album featuring an ad hoc group of musicians (centered on Kantner, Grace Slick, Joey Covington, and Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane; David Crosby & Graham Nash; and members of Grateful Dead and Santana) credited on the LP as "Paul Kantner & Jefferson Starship", marking the first use of that name. This agglomeration was informally known as the Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra, a moniker later used on a Kantner album in the early 1980s."
The Airplane with help from Crosby and a fair amount of acid. Please play the entire side some time.
it was beautiful and a very impressive recording
Peace, Paul.
Signe Anderson, Jefferson Airplane Singer, Dies at 74
you do that! disco is probably your best suit!
Bleyfusz wrote:
Arf!
Do goats really get stoned (on drugs, not because they've committed adultery or whatnot)? I'd like to see that! Mind you, Brits do say "pissed as a fart" which makes even less sense - you can get a goat stoned but you can't get a fart drunk.
Here's a quote from Wiki (and we all know if it's on Wiki, it's gotta be TRUE...)
Jefferson Starship, reunion and recent events: 1974 to present
Main article: Jefferson Starship
to for Flight Log album ad, 1977. From left: Grace Slick, Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Jack Casady, Spencer Dryden.In 1974, four years after Blows Against The Empire (the Jefferson Starship-prototype album with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick), Jefferson Starship was formally launched with the release of the album Dragon Fly and its single "Ride The Tiger". Balin sang on one song, "Caroline," and in addition to Kantner and Slick the band consisted of David Freiberg (keyboards, bass), Craig Chaquico (lead guitar), Pete Sears (bass, keyboards), John Barbata (drums) and Papa John Creach (electric violin). Jefferson Starship continued in one form or the other into the 80s, but never achieved the critical acclaim of its predecessor band.
After the acrimonious events that resulted in Jefferson Starship's 1984 breakup, Paul Kantner reunited with Balin and Jack Casady in 1985 to form the KBC Band. They released their only album, KBC Band (which included Kantner's hit, "America"), in 1987 on Arista Records. The KBC Band also featured keyboardist Tim Gorman, who had played with The Who, and guitarist Slick Aguilar, who had played with David Crosby's band.
With Kantner reunited with Balin and Casady, the KBC Band opened the door to a full-blown Jefferson Airplane reunion. On March 4, 1988, during a Hot Tuna San Francisco gig at the Fillmore (with Paul Kantner, as well as Papa John Creach joining in) Grace Slick made a cameo appearance. This led to a formal reunion of the original Jefferson Airplane, featuring nearly all the main members, including founder Marty Balin, but without Spencer Dryden. A self-titled album was released by Columbia Records to modest sales but the accompanying tour was a success. In 1996, Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Balin, Casady, Dryden, Kantner & Kaukonen attending & performing at the ceremony. Grace Slick was absent, as she was unable to travel due to medical reasons.
(I love the last line - "medical reasons." I wish I could have used that excuse when I showed up to work stoned as a goat on a toxtail with more drugs than the local pharmacy.) That was then, this is now.
I've never heard this song before, but it's hard to believe it's not Jefferson Airplane. Good song - and I think I might have been one of those hippy stoners building utopia - except I wanted a marble fountain and they told me it was too "establishment." Dang.
This track made me dream of being in California back in the day. Now I'm HERE!Yeah. Not bad.
This album is a masterpiece...
I always chalk up these ludicrous ratings to keyboard cats.
Jerry on pedal steel - takes me back....
Used to sit and listen to this in my bedroom back in SE Michigan when I was in high school. I'd look at picture books of California (read: Big Sur) and dream of going to college here. That never happened, but through fate here I am nearly 40 years later writing this in Grass Valley, just a tad south of RP's "broadcast house."
similar California dreaming for a CT teenager, visions of the great open West flooding out the metropolitan stranglehold of people I just wanted to get away from
now happy in the wet woods of OR
My memories of Jefferson Airplane/Starship are tainted by a very poor performance. The audience actually began demanding a refund, to which the elegant, daughter of high society- Grace Slick responded, "You want your money back? Well you aint gettin'n it back mother fuckers!"
Somehow they never sounded the same again.
Mark
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
With your comment you got me thinking of my only experience seeing Starship with Grace and that other guy, can't remember his name but he can sing like a bird and used to record and tour with Elvin Bishop. He was the singer that took Starship commercial. Anyway, Lakeland Florida, about 1979 or 80. Lakeland police at the civic center was not going to have any more dope smoking in the civic center. They where using this concert as an example of there inforcement and up coming policies for future concerts. Pady wagon buses where outside and there was no shortage of pot smokers at the concert to fill up the buses since many concert goers have been to shows at the civic center and there was never this police action before. The band got wind of the police action, they played several tunes directed at this unnecessary police action. I believe they even did a blues type improvision tune to the police telling them to F#*k off and die. After that, they never sounded the same, in a good way though.
Yup, and the best thing Kantner's ever done.
Used to sit and listen to this in my bedroom back in SE Michigan when I was in high school. I'd look at picture books of California (read: Big Sur) and dream of going to college here. That never happened, but through fate here I am nearly 40 years later writing this in Grass Valley, just a tad south of RP's "broadcast house."
Have You Seen The Stars Tonight/Rickover's Dream/Honey and the Moon/Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You.
Some of this stuff takes me into deep space/deep feelings, but in this moment it's workin.
This album is a masterpiece...
Yup, and the best thing Kantner's ever done.
), and they've been linked in my mind ever since. They had similitiaries in that they were both solo efforts, from the same place and time, made excellent via. the contributions of many (most) of the best musicians in the San Francisco area. It's a real shame Crosby's Masterpiece has gotten NO airplay on RP. Come on Bill!
), and they've been linked in my mind ever since. They had similitiaries in that they were both solo efforts, from the same place and time, made excellent via. the contributions of many (most) of the best musicians in the San Francisco area. It's a real shame Crosby's Masterpiece has gotten NO airplay on RP. Come on Bill!
Well, here they are...