Surrealistic Pillow

Good album. I actually own it, but last time I listened to it was several years ago.

It exceeded my expectations. I thought I would only enjoy "White Rabbit" (which I've always liked and found very interesting), but I ended up enjoying a pretty large number of songs: "Somebody To Love", "Today" (really liked the guitar work here), "Coming Back To Me", "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" (very good), or "Plastic Fantastic Lover".

It is also clear that, at least for me, the more involved Grace Slick is, the better (similar feeling as with Stevie Nicks in Fleetwood Mac).

It's in the range of 3,5 stars for me (but giving this 4 stars because of "White Rabbit").

Not bad, I even know one song :-)

3.5/5. I’ve always primarily been aware of Jefferson Airplane through the two big hits “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit” which are both movie soundtrack staples (anytime I hear somebody to love I just think of the cohen brothers film “a serious man.”) Those are both great songs of course, but there’s also some solid deep cuts here like “My Best Friend” or the fingerpicked instrumental “Embryonic Journey.” Though some of the track list is fairly standard (but not bad) 60’s psych-rock that doesn’t stand out too much compared to its contemporaries. But this was a fun listen all around, enjoyed my time with it.

psychadelic

Interesante. Me gusta el pase de folk clásico a un rock más psicodelico. Decente

Absolutely essential album on the list no doubt! However, a bit embarrasing to admin, but I have never listened to the whole thing! Only know 2 big hits like Somebody to Love and White Rabbit so this should be an interesting journey, for sure at least 3 based on the hits alone. After listening to this, "Today" is sick track as well and album has a general great psyuchedelic vibe and is classic for a reason, probably at least 3.5 RYM and I will be generoius here and most likely round up to 4 stars.

good road trip album. few complaints, not very much banjo at all, kind of a let down since he’s wielding that banjo so intently on the album cover. feels like false advertising. needed more grace slick lead vox, her songs (somebody to love, white rabbit) are the stone cold bangers of the album. 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds is the other big standout for me
the rest is pretty meh for me, just sounds a bit like b tier grateful dead tracks..really gorgeous guitar playing throughout that sounds wayyy more interesting in headphones though

I went into Surrealistic Pillow already knowing the big hits in "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" and yeah, they totally live up to the hype. Grace Slick is just on another level, and honestly, I wish she sang lead on everything. Outside of those heavy hitters, the rest of the album was a bit of a surprise. It’s got this weird mix of folksy, acoustic stuff and bluesy tracks like "Embryonic Journey." Some of the quieter moments feel a little dated and slow compared to the energy of the singles, but as a whole, it’s a pretty cool time capsule of that 1967 San Francisco scene. It’s not perfect, but those highs are so good that it’s easy to see why it’s considered a classic.

Weirdly these poster children of the 1960s counterculture morphed into the 1980s corpo-synth-pop machine that produced "We Built This City" and "Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now", fuckin' sell outs!

I can understand the importance and merit of this, but I was a bit disappointed with it after recently becoming aware of "Somebody to Love" and several other tracks on here.

The highs are undoubtedly great and carry the entire thing, but this is an uneven ride where much of the surrounding material is that slow dirging style of sugary psych-folk which sets my teeth on edge. The pacing is very "off" and it felt like the album never sustained any momentum at any juncture.

I always kind of thought Jefferson Airplane, and the song White Rabbit specifically, were a bit gimmicky in the sense that this is music for long haired, hippy stoners. To be fair, I was a long haired, hippy stoner in high school and I did love this album. I haven’t listened to Jefferson Airplane since high school and I honestly wasn’t really expecting it to hold up for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it today. It’s just a solid psychedelic rock album.

Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are both stand outs. The rest is fine. Would have preferrer more of Grace Slick on lead vocals. 3/5.

somebody to love, and others

La de White Rabbit no se por qué pensaba que era de The Mamas and the Papas. Está bien, un poquito largo de más pero tiene cosas que decir.

2.91

Somebody to love is obviously a great hit.

I will not include the bonus tracks from the 2003 reissue in this review.

Ahh, Jefferson Airplane, one of the pioneering groups of psychedelic rock, helping usher in the San Francisco sound. They were very much at the forefront of the counterculture movement with their two big hits from this record, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit". While the latter is more prominently featured across media than the former, both are damn good with their punchy song structures and Grace Slick's powerhouse vocals. Very few lineup changes felt as impactful as Grace becoming the female vocalist for Jefferson Airplane, alongside jazz drummer Spencer Dryden also brought into the fold, and those two singles proved that impact. But here's the thing - how does the rest of Surrealistic Pillow hold up?

Well, I'd say the album is pretty good, albeit a tad dated in places. For a record clocking in at only 33 minutes, we run through a variety of soundscapes with the band's distinct psychedelic folk sound. Spencer's syncopated drumming all over "She Has Funny Cars", the hauntingly beautiful love ballad "Today" that featured gorgeous vocal harmonies and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia on that airy lead guitar, the elegant acoustic guitar ballad "Comin' Back to Me", the groovin' rocker "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds", the obtuse country-rock duet between Grace and Paul Kanter on "D.C.B.A.-25", the three-guitar instrumental piece "Embryonic Journey" that gives way to the jazz-inspired call for expanding one's mind on "White Rabbit"; this album is quite the trip. Speaking of trips, a good deal has been said about how the lyrics on this record were likely written while the band members were taking acid and other such drugs, which certainly add to the surrealistic wonderment and the desire to enlighten oneself.

That said, yeah, this album is dated, and it can't be denied. Besides the obvious drug influences of the time and how emblematic the lyrics feel in the lead-up to the Summer of Love, there are some other notable quirks here and there. Besides her vocals, Grace Slick also laid down recorder on "How Do You Feel" and "Comin' Back to Me", which are pleasant but add to how time-locked this record is to early 1967. Also, for as much as I think Paul, Marty Balin, and Jorma Kaukonen do a solid job with their respective vocals, it's evident that Grace was the best vocalist in the group, and it's not even close. Finally, there are admittedly a few weak songs that didn't quite fit with the rest of the record, like the plodding lead single "My Best Friend," which was written by the band's former drummer Skip Spence, or the goofy Balin-penned closing track "Plastic Fantastic Lover" that's only saved by once again having Jerry Garcia play lead guitar.

All in all, there is more to Surrealistic Pillow than its two big singles that I wound up having a good time with. Jefferson Airplane would continue to experiment with psychedelic rock until their split into other groups, like Jefferson Starship. At the very least, they've already etched their mark into history with this record.

Not really blowing me away, but probably the best psychedelic rock album not made by The Beatles on the list.

Sometimes feeling a little Beatles, sometimes there's some Dylan in there. Some classics like Somebody to Love and White Rabbit.

But yeah. It's great for psychedelic rock. Fine for me.

A great psychedelic rock record with some bangers. I'm not fond of the ballads but it's still a nice addition to my collection.

Favorite Song: Somebody to Love ; White Rabbit

Some real highlights on this album, where they lean into the psychedelia, Interspersed with some songs that feel like they’ve come from a different band. Overall still great album though

First time listening. Love the psychedelia. Can see this being revised to a full 5 star one day.