HiRez Poll Jefferson Starship - RED OCTOPUS [Blu-Ray Audio]

[Bill Houston]

Jefferson Starship is not really my cup of tea beyond "White Rabbit", but I'd still recommend this album. Also, I'm grading these Quadios hard as Rhino did such a good job with this first wave so please don't be turned off with my reserved recommendation. "Miracles" and couple other songs on here are pretty solid but in general I don't see me throwing Red Octopus on too often. Bonnie "Prince" Billy or Chicago would do better to scratch this particular musical itch.

This is a good but unspectacular mix. Nothing wrong with it, but it left me wanting more. I made the mistake of listening to Black Sabbath, J. Geils Band, and then Suede right after Red Octopus and that pushed the grade down even further.

Sonically, this album seems a bit slight as well. Not a lot of wallop to it but I understand turning the bass and drums up might throw off the vibe for endless rounds of hackey sack and horoscope readings that fueled the writing of this album. Fidelity is excellent.

Music: 6.5
Mix: 6.5
Sonics: 8

 

[Doug G.]

I gave it an 8. The production is fine. It's the material that suffers. It just isn't JA. I would rather have had RCA release more JA records in quad. "After Bathing At Baxter's" or "Crown of Creation" would be fantastic in quad.

Doug

 

[himey]

Jefferson Starship is not really my cup of tea beyond "White Rabbit"

I have never associated White Rabbit with J Starship. Are you familiar with J Airplane? Much different vibe.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I have never associated White Rabbit with J Starship. Are you familiar with J Airplane? Much different vibe.

Is there a brief explanation for the name change?
Not sure I want to wiki the group(s). Though I might if there are juicy details!

 

[himey]

Is there a brief explanation for the name change?
Not sure I want to wiki the group(s). Though I might if there are juicy details!

I'm interested, but the sound is so different, it was due. Just "Starship" phase too!

 

[Doug G.]

They just wanted to seem to fit in with the times. You know, be modern and all that. I mean, "Airplane" was just so...passe.

Doug

 

[edisonbaggins]

I'm interested, but the sound is so different, it was due. Just "Starship" phase too!

Yeah, I'm only vaguely aware that the entity went from a hippy, San Francisco Sound under the first name, a bit poppier with the second name, then full-blown pop with the last.
I have at least one record from each incarnation.
Guess I'm wondering if there are key personnel for each era, or anything more specific, prompting the renamings.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

Yeah, I'm only vaguely aware that the entity went from a hippy, San Francisco Sound under the first name, a bit poppier with the second name, then full-blown pop with the last.
I have at least one record from each incarnation.
Guess I'm wondering if there are key personnel for each era, or anything more specific, prompting the renamings.

Yeah.
Marty Balin quit, Kantner & Slick stopped touring to have a baby they named "god."
Lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady quit the band to form Hot Tuna.

There's a song about it on the Bark album.

 

[Doug G.]

Drug abuse was a BIG factor, if not THE biggest factor, in the dissolution of the Jefferson Airplane. It is the reason Marty Balin quit. They just couldn't function as normal human beings, anymore, and this was true of a lot of bands falling apart in those days.

Doug

 

[ar surround]

The overall album and mix would be 9 for me. However there is that bloody song Miracles, a composition, performance, production and a beautiful quad mix, all of biblical proportions. I played it three times before moving on to the next track. I cannot believe that the song is almost 7 minutes long as it actually seems too short. If it was the only song on this album, I'd give the album a 10. Therefore, I give the whole album a 10.

 

[edisonbaggins]

The overall album and mix would be 9 for me. However there is that bloody song Miracles, a composition, performance, production and a beautiful quad mix, all of biblical proportions. I played it three times before moving on to the next track. I cannot believe that the song is almost 7 minutes long as it actually seems too short. If it was the only song on this album, I'd give the album a 10. Therefore, I give the whole album a 10.

Oh, thank heavens. I've seen people pan that song as cheesy, yet I found it to be the crown jewel of this album. Maybe the whole damn lot of 4 albums. I really, REALLY like it. It makes me feel something.

 

[ar surround]

Oh, thank heavens. I've seen people pan that song as cheesy, yet I found it to be the crown jewel of this album. Maybe the whole damn lot of 4 albums. I really, REALLY like it. It makes me feel something.

I know the mods don't like us to digress, but I'm really LMAO about you mentioning the panning of Miracles. I had a girlfriend back when this song came out. I was telling her how much I loved the song and asked what she thought. She said that she hated it and, "How can you stand his voice?" This from a girl who told me that I should get Art Garfunkel's album because it's mellow. Needless to say, there eventually were no 'Miracles' for us as a couple.

 

[quicksrt]

I'm going with a 9. I like the sound, and mix, and most of the material is a 10. But for 2.5 or 3 songs that are just not solid 10 grade songs..
A very strong suggestion for demoing quad material to show off the format, your equipment, or just 4-chan surround done well.
It's a demo disc, and that is high praise.

 

[gvl_guy]

Oh, thank heavens. I've seen people pan that song as cheesy, yet I found it to be the crown jewel of this album. Maybe the whole damn lot of 4 albums. I really, REALLY like it. It makes me feel something.

I think some people are music snobs. "It was overplayed on the radio. It's no good." Speaking as a radio person, the songs I love the most are the ones I heard all the time on the radio (or played on the radio myself.) Sure, at the time it got way overplayed and I got seriously tired of it. But now, 48 years later, I can seriously appreciate it.

 

[Progfiend]

Aside from the song “Miracles”, I had not heard this album. To me the mix is quite adventurous and the fiddle jam with Creach is very cool. The mix makes very good use of the quad field and everything sounds bright and clean. I don’t like to knock off points simply for being unfamiliar with an album, but I agree with a few others here, some of the songs just aren’t that strong. Great sound and great mix though, so I still give it a 9.

 

[Healthcare29]

Voted a 7, nothing wrong with the Quad, some good songs & some very bland.

 

[Dynamic Editor]

Is there a brief explanation for the name change?
Not sure I want to wiki the group(s). Though I might if there are juicy details!

Not sure about Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship, but I do know that following an incident with some particularly deep hoopla, Jefferson Starship became Starship. Knee-deep hoopla, one could say.

 

[Dynamic Editor]

Currently up the track "Miracles" and I worry this album will come in one ear and out the other. The production and musicianship is perhaps above-average, but it's not upheld by good songwriting. It reminds me of Roxy Music b-sides written by members who aren't Bryan Ferry in that respect.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Not sure about Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship, but I do know that following an incident with some particularly deep hoopla, Jefferson Starship became Starship. Knee-deep hoopla, one could say.

I had that cassette as a kid.

Saaaaaara!!! Saaaaara!!!

 

[madscot]

Is there a brief explanation for the name change?
Not sure I want to wiki the group(s). Though I might if there are juicy details!

I read that one of the original members left and stopped them using the name, so they changed airplane to starship, then another original member left and stopped them using the name so they dropped the jefferson!