Emily: Jefferson Airplane was one of the first bands to
bring psychedelic sounds to the mainstream, and Surrealistic Pillow is perhaps
the defining sound of the 1967 Summer of Love. It’s definitely psychedelic, but
more focused than I expected. Rather than the rambling 11-minute-plus acid
trips that emerged a bit later, this album is a bit more focused and concise.
Each song embodies the free spirit of the era – it’s easy to imagine Grace
Slick surrounded by a bunch of hippies dancing/swaying/feeling the love in a
San Francisco park as she croons Somebody to Love – but the short lengths keep
the album moving and the listener engaged. This formula works best with
faster-paced songs that mix elements of folk, electric guitar, and early
psychedelia. The best song on the album, however, is a bit different. White
Rabbit slows things down a bit, with Slick’s haunting vocals and a sparse arrangement
incorporating trippy images of Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole
and veiled references to psychedelic drugs. Although a symbol of the
counterculture sweeping the late ‘60s, this album and the aforementioned songs
have earned their place in the pantheon of popular music. Perhaps we all have
some hippie in us after all.
Favorite Tracks: White
Rabbit; Somebody to Love; How Do You Feel
Zack: Going back and re-listening to albums that I
haven’t listened to in forever is quite an experience. I was really into
Jefferson Airplane back when I was a senior in high school, but now that I am
rapidly approaching my senior year of college, I must confess that I was
feeling unfamiliar with this album that I must have listened to at least a
dozen times a few short years ago. The unfamiliarity made it feel like this was
the first time I was listening to it all over again. While I definitely thought
it was good, I must admit that it didn’t have the same incredible aura that I
remembered. Don’t get me wrong; White Rabbit and Somebody to Love are still
both fantastic. But the rest seemed to be hurt by the lofty expectations of
memory.
Favorite Tracks: White Rabbit; Somebody to Love; 3/5 of a
Mile in 10 Seconds
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