AAA Vinyl

Paul Kantner RIP. When is this parade of dead rock icons going to end? Can we at least have a short break?

Even before mono mixes again became desireable, Jefferson Airplane fans preferred the greater clarity and less reverberant atmposhere of "Surrealistic Pillow's mono mix.

The original mono record (RCA LPM-3766), not common to begin with, became quite collectible as did mono Stones albums on London and British Decca—including the mono Aftermath, which shares a very similar sonic signature in both mono and stereo.

That's not surprising since the late, great engineer Dave Hassinger, recorded both at RCA's Music Center of the World, in Hollywood, California. Hassinger also recorded Jascha Heifetz, The Grateful Dead and The Electric Prunes for that matter.

While he recorded a great deal of rock, those records, because of their tonal richness and transient delicacy indicate that his heart was into classical and acoustic music. Both had unique sonics in their respective catalogs.

Surrealistic Pillow broke the group internationally, which was kind of a miracle since RCA at the time (if ever) was not known as a rock label. But "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" became generational anthems and the album a '60s decade icon.

In 1967 this was one of those "get stoned, sit down in front of the stereo, turn the lights out and travel elsewhere for fifteen minutes" records along with Strange Days and Day's of Future Past not to mention Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

In retrospect it's really a mild folk-rock record enhanced by Marty Balin's haunting balladry. It holds up well almost fifty years later (scary!).

Balin and Kantner's "Today" is as poignant and moving as it was back then and it and the side-ender "Comin' Back to Me" threw a one two adult emotional punch in the face of a generation mostly looking for liberation—though of course the album and later Airplane records covered that too!

Jerry Garcia plays the guitar part on "Today", which Balin wrote for Tony Bennett, who never recorded it. It's not to late Mr. Benedetto!

How good is this reissue? Listen for yourself. Even dumbed down to an MP3 it's an astonishingly good reissue—better than the original mono in my opinion. The tape's rarely been used since the original release so its still fresh.

Recommended without reservation!