Bless Its Pointed Little Head

Infobox Album
Name = Bless Its Pointed Little Head
Type = Live album
Artist = Jefferson Airplane


Released = February, 1969
Recorded = October 1968 at Fillmore West, November 1968 at Fillmore East
Genre = Psychedelic rock
Length = 55:00
Label = RCA Victor
Producer = Al Schmitt
Reviews =
* "The Music Box" Rating|4|5 [http://www.musicbox-online.com/ja-bless.html link]
Last album = "Crown of Creation" (1968)
This album = "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" (1969)
Next album = "Volunteers" (1969)

"Bless Its Pointed Little Head" is a live album by Jefferson Airplane recorded at both the Fillmore East and West in the fall of 1968 and released in 1969. Five songs on the album had not appeared on any of the band's previous studio recordings. The songs that did appear on previous albums, however, are now completely transformed into much heavier versions. Highlights of the album include Jack Casady's walking line bass playing which dominates the entire set and the blues number "Rock Me Baby" which is a harbinger of Casady's and Kaukonen's later band "Hot Tuna".

Of particular interest is the musician lineup on the Donovan cover "Fat Angel", which demonstrates the versatility of the band. Marty Balin plays bass, Casady is the rhythm guitarist while Kaukonen and Kantner share the lead guitar duties. The album closes with the eleven minute improvised jam "Bear Melt", notable for the exceptional rhythm understanding between drummer Spencer Dryden and bassist Casady.

The Fred Neil composition "The Other Side of this Life" was a particular favorite of the band, having been a staple of their live concerts from the band's earliest days.

The re-released CD boasts 3 bonus tracks.

Track listing

Track times from original LP

ide One

#"Clergy" – 1:32
#"3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" (Marty Balin) - 4:37
#"Somebody to Love" (Darby Slick) - 3:46
#"Fat Angel" (Donovan Leitch) - 7:29
#"Rock Me Baby" (Traditional, arranged by Jefferson Airplane) - 7:40

ide Two

#"The Other Side of This Life" (Fred Neil) - 6:35
#"It's No Secret" (Balin) - 3:22
#"Plastic Fantastic Lover" (Balin) - 3:40
#"Turn Out the Lights" (Paul Kantner, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, Grace Slick, Spencer Dryden) - 0:58
#"Bear Melt" (Kantner, Casady, Kaukonen, G. Slick, Dryden) - 11:06

CD Remaster Bonus Tracks:

#"Today" (Balin, Kantner) – 3:45
#"Watch Her Ride" (Kantner) – 3:19
#"Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon" (Kantner) – 5:29

Personnel

*Marty Balin -- Vocals / Bass
*Jack Casady -- Rhythm Guitar / Bass
*Spencer Dryden -- Drums / Percussion
*Paul Kantner -- Rhythm Guitar / Vocals
*Jorma Kaukonen -- Lead Guitar / Vocals
*Grace Slick -- Vocals

Production

*Producer: Al Schmitt
*Engineer: Rich Schmitt
*Beret: Maurice
*Cover Photo: Jim Smircich
*Poster (Inside): Bill Thompson
*Art Direction: Gary Blackman
*Tracks 2-3, 5-8 recorded October 24-26, 1968 at the Fillmore West, tracks 1, 4, 9 - 10 recorded November 28-30, 1968 at the Fillmore East, tracks 11-13 recorded November 5, 1968 at the Fillmore West

Charts

Album

References

*cite album-notes |title=Bless Its Pointed Little Head |bandname=Jefferson Airplane |year=1969 |format=Vinyl back cover|publisher=RCA |publisherid=LSP-4133 |location=New York City |mbid=a4089c08-8f3b-4a44-ac9b-03829daab5b6