Reviews (page 3 of 13)
Surrealistically soporified!
Really good
San Francisco psychedelic masterpiece!! I still get goose bumps when I crank Somebody to Love to ear bleeding levels. My only complaint is it's too short!
If you ask me to name a Psychadelic record from the 60s, there's a VERY good chance that this will be the one I mention. It's excellent, one of the best examples of that type of sound that I know.
"Somebody to Love" is surely one of the tracks that embodies the 60's vibe but hadn't appreciated how strong the whole album would be. White Rabbit is obviously another classic of the psychedelic vibe, and "Embryonic Journey" a classic from multiple TV shows.
Fabulous album! This is going to stay on my playlist. Great band, amazing songs, all good. Five stars
Based on “White Rabbit”, people seem quick to write Jefferson Airplane off as just a psychedelic rock band, but I don’t think that description does them justice. They can do it all. They rock on “Somebody to Love”. With “Today” they prove they write a top notch ballad. “Coming’ Back to Me“ is beautiful in its simplicity. “3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds” sports some great electric guitar work. On “How Do You Feel” they give the Mamas & the Papas a run for their money with lush harmonies. “Embryonic Journey” is an upbeat acoustic instrumental. They tackle the blues “In The Morning”. Check out the spectacular bass lines on “Come Back Baby”. This production value is right up there with the best of that time period. I one of the first things that jumped out at me is the brilliant use of stereo. This is another album best listened to with headphones on. This is truly a great album. The musicianship is top notch, they make great use of harmonies and sophisticated lyrics and melodies. Will be listening again and again.
"Surrealistic Pillow" is the second studio album by American rock band Jefferson Airplane and the first one with vocalistic Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden. Folk rock, pyschedelic rock and acid rock. Yep. The album is cited as one of the quintessential works of early pychedelic rock and the 1960's counterculture era. The one and only Jerry Garcia was credited as "spiritual advisor," was involved musically and coined the album title as he described the music as being "as surrealistic as a pillow is soft." Word. The album was a commercial success hitting #3 in the US. A Bo Diddley drum beat opens "She Has Funny Cars." Pyschedelic guitars. Marty Balin and Grace Slick on lead vocals. Materialism in American society. "Somebody to Love" was originally recorded by Grace Slick's former band The Great Society but this is the version that hit it. Slick's vocals come on strong. The pounding music. One true love will nuture us through tough times. The first single "My Best Friend" was written by former drummer Skip Spence. This is more pop with a bluesy guitar. Vocal harmonies and three lead singers, Balin, Slick and guitarist Paul Katner. Very Mamas and Papas. Hey it's "Dark Star!" No, it's "Today" with Jerry Garcia on lead guitar. A folk, rock ballad Balin wrote to Tony Bennett who was in the next studio. Unfortunately, Marty never met Tony. The marching band drums, the seductive pyschedelic guitar and "One pill makes you nervous.......go ask Alice when she's ten feet tall" begins "White Rabbit." Another song written while Slick was in The Great Society. But, this version....Good Lord. One of the best ever rock vocal performances in my world. Using Alice in Wonderland imagery to follow the white rabbit (your curiosity...drugs)...a slap at parents who read their children these books and wondered why they did drugs. Yeah, why? The album ends with "Plastic Fantadtic Lover." Co-lead guitars, acoustic and electric pyschedelic. About TV addiction...even back then, eh? This is a great album. Besides the pyschedelic 60's sounding music, there's elements of pop, blue grass and blues. Great, great vocals. The multiple lead singers and harmonization really highlight the Mamas and Papas' influence. Some clearly iconic songs of the time that have held up. A classic.
Somebody to Love My Best Friend Today 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds Plastic Fantastic Lover White Rabbit
A landmark album of San Francisco psych rock and 1967 in general. When Grace Slick joined Jefferson Airplane the band started to make great albums one after another, but Surrealistic Pillow is their strongest one they recorded together. It sums up the Summer of Love perfectly and in such a high quality - the songrwriting, the clear production, the singing, the lyrics are all there. Slick brought two songs with her when she joined the band - Somebody to Love, which was originally a slower and more melancholic song, and White Rabbit that she wrote herself - both songs became big hits and are classics today. Slick's amazing voice adds a lot to the sound of the band. All other songs are great as well. The album is a mix of psychedelic rock, blues and folk-rock by the band that had a really great line-up at the time with Slick, the main songwriter Balin, singer and rhythm guitarist Kantner, guitarist Kaukonen, bassist Casady and drummer Dryden. Besides the hits, my favourite songs are the opening 'She Has Funny Cars', Balin's hauntingly beautiful 'Today' and Kaukonen's fantastic 'Embryonic Journey'. 5/5
This album sounds amazing and feels like the epitome of "flower power". I loved the jazzy and rock and roll sound of it, mixed with great melodies and lyrics.
I always knew I liked Jefferson Airplane, but I didn't realize I was weird about them until listening through this album.
Good stuff, many interesting ideas and solid psych-Rock
two of the greatest songs ever.
Great classic psychedelic rock. I already knew and liked a couple songs going in and found several more. This is going on rotation.
The album that gave us Somebody to Love and White Rabbit! Great stuff Saved tracks: She Has Funny Cars, Somebody to Love, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, White Rabbit, Go To Her
San Francisco psychedelia at its best in the late 60s. Everyone should own this piece of musical history.
One of my all-time favorite albums
Great early psychedelic rock. White Rabbit and Somebody of Love solidify this as essential.
Perfection.
"White Rabbit" alone makes this an era-defining cultural mammoth, and then having "Somebody to Love" on same album? Geddouttahere! Fave track - As well as those too monster tracks, gotta love the noodling of "Embryonic Journey" and the sixtiesness of "Plastic Fantastic Lover"
amazing production. smooth. soothing. great vocals and back vocals.
Seminal.
Oh come on. My childhood!
Her neon mouth with the blinkers-off smile Nothing but an electric sign You could say she has an individual style She's a part of a colorful time Secrecy of lady-chrome-covered clothes You wear 'cause you have no other But I suppose no one knows You're my plastic fantastic lover Fucking hippies made an excellent album. They all turned out to be some of the most awful rotten people later! 5/5
Awesome, love embryonic journey. For the longest time I thought Janis sang on white rabbit.
Great album. Folksy and relaxing yet stimulating.
Loved this - it sounds so psychedelic consistently throughout, yet each song feels like it's own. I heard so many sounds and riffs that influenced artists after this was released.
I love this album. As a ten year old when it first came out in 1967 I heard the singles White Rabbit and Somebody to Love on my a.m. radio and knew something was different. But it wasn't until years later when I discovered the band Hot Tuna that I went back and listen to the Jefferson Airplane collection. This album is one of their best. "Today", "Embryonic Journey", 3/5 of a Mile, "Come Back Baby"; all define a period and a gene.
This album got me into psychedelic rock.
Big 60s energy without feeling too cliche. A fun listen for sure.
Love this album! Almost every song could be played on radio
Loved it. Good vibes. Would listen to again.
I mean, yeah the big singles here are doing some carrying, but not by much. The whole album is stellar, front to back.
I should've been born in the early 50s. I love this genre. I was shameless singing and being judged by my dogs lol
Great record. Never listened all the way through until now but I can still remember how taken I was when I heard White Rabbit for the first time. Still an all time song. Not a bad song in the bunch. Fantastic, important record. Hard to think of any peers to this even in terms of 60s psychadelia. One of a kind.
Classic
Surrealistic masterpiece.
Classic ! One of my all time favorite
Trippy maar goed
One of the most outstanding and wonderful albums of the psychedelic 1960s
This really is something special. Of its time, but also timeless in ways.
Jefferson Airplane evokes exactly what the trippy 60s were like. A bunch of hippies singing of the mystic arts: groovy and harmonic but with a rough edge. It has the hooks and hits as well as the more magical and experimental songs that take you on a peculiar journey. The lofi 60s style combined with the fuzzy bass, the concerning wailing strings, the anxious hollow drums, and the beautiful harmonies by Slick and Balin bring about models of control (capable of guiding your journey) and comfort (to not overwhelm you). There are plenty of songs that push you to dance and sing along, while the calmer folk tracks sit you back down and pay attention to the strange lyrics and instrumentation. I'm obsessed with these mystical 60s albums like United States of America and Electric Music (by Country Joe), but none sound as polished and focused as this one. The record is fantastic, and so is the track ordering (almost). We start off with 3 loud and fun groovy tracks. Then 2 really trippy tracks full of powerful yearnful vocals by Balin, smoothly bridged together. Then we get 4 tracks that gradually transitions from loud and rough acid rock to slow and loving acoustics. (Why does "Embryonic Journey" have 17 million plays on Spotify?) We reach our conclusion with 2 tracks that feel too short, but "White Rabbit" is our popular commanding track with the least discrete lyrics of the summer of love. "Plastic Fantastic Lover" is our chaotic bluesy finish, but feels a bit anticlimatic. Let's talk about the bonus tracks. As anticlimatic as the closer is, it does transition well to the really bluesy "In the Morning" but that definitely feels too long at over 6 minutes, and sounds like a more polished but less interesting Country Joe song. Not a big fan of the pure blues "J. P. P." "Go to Her" is decent and catchy with captivating melodies, but I could see why it was cut. "Come Back Baby" is an awesome jam track (what a sick guitar solo), definitely warrants Jerry Garcia as their spiritual advisor. My only real complaint is that I wish the last 2 tracks were moved elsewhere. It should have ended with a cheery or dreamy track like "My Best Friend", "How Do You Feel", or "Embryonic Journey", of course changing the ending a bit to feel satisfying.
What a beast of an album. Genre defining stuffed with classic hits instantly put you in a mood and feel like immediate choices for soundtracks to paint the idea of 60's. Grace Slicks vocals are just amazing.
The Summer of Love, compressed into one album. Grace Slick’s powerful wail soars over a moody bed of guitars, lending an uneasy thrilling current to the music.
"Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson Airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson Starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons Project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft."
Hippie music generally gets a "pass" from me, but this is just too poppy to for me to ignore. It's really, really good.
Jefferson Airplane's best album by a wide margin, with some of their greatest hits. 'Somebody to Love,' and 'White Rabbit' are just fantastic songs, and even though the other songs on the album aren't necessarily hits like those two, they all carry a great energy and tune that makes this a worthwhile album to listen to again and again. Also, Grace Slick is a hell of a singer.
Great 60s psychedelic rock. White rabbit is an all-time favorite.
Brilliant album. Of course I already knew Jefferson Airplane but I hadn’t had the chance to listen to an entire album of theirs before : what a colourful experience ! Though very psychedelic, the album highlights true blues and folk influences (“In the Morning” and “Embryonic Journey” are my two favorites, plus the mind blowing “How do you feel”). Of course the two bangers “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to love” (thanks to the amazing Grace Slick) are the must-hear of the album, but they shouldn’t sum up the whole album which is so diverse and so good. It’s a 5/5, obviously.
Great flow
Already knew it, fabulous !
That 2nd Track is Masterpiece
Never heard this entire album until it came up here. I of course know the two stone cold classics and I think that they are both absolutely superb songs. Somebody to love is a Grace Slick singing tour de force and White Rabbit is a simply amazing song. So I thought I'd take a close look at each of the other songs and reflect on the impression they leave and base my rating on them. 1. She Has Funny Cars; this song did nothing for me. 3. My Best Friend; this one I like a lovely ballad with some really beautiful harmonies as Grace takes a backup role and does so expertly. 4. 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds; a nice song again with really nice harmonies and some really nice guitars. 5. How Do You Feel; I like this one too. Starts with a nice flute, some great acoustic guitar and more beautiful harmonies. 7. Plastic Fantastic Lover; I know this song, perhaps a lesser known single. Not the tour de force of the 2 better known songs, but a very good song. Beautiful guitar parts both acoustic and electric lead, makes for another very strong song. 8. Go to Her; The final song ending the album on an upbeat note, unfortunately this one ends the album on a similar note as it begun with a somewhat unremarkable song. So here we have it an 8 song album, 6 of which are excellent and two somewhat unremarkable. The good far out weighs the bad and I would rate the album as a whole at 5 🌟
A classic
Awesome
the airplanes really aced it on this
Somebody to Love is Grace at her best and has one of my favorite guitar solos/outros. White Rabbit is the psychedelic anthem of anthems. Today & Coming Back to Me are Marty Balin at his best. Helluva band and a great album from start to finish.
One of the peak psychedelic albums. Embryonic Journey is amazing. Somebody to Love is probably the best song to come out of San Francisco during that period.
What should a 1967 psychedelic rock album sound like? This. This. This was an amazing and wonderful convergence of talent. The whole thing is amazing. But I still especially like Grace Slick...
I found this album to love! Great sounds of the 60s!!
Wow. Thank goodness for Grace Slick. Somebody to Love and White Rabbit (two of the greatest songs ever) really elevate this album. The rest is solid 60s rock, some psychedelic, some acoustic folk, some blues.
An album with “White Rabbit” and “Somebody To Love” should probably get a 5 based on those two songs alone. I thought the rest of the album is great. Other standouts included “She Has Funny Cars”, “My Best Friend”, “3/5 Of a Mile In 10 Seconds”, “Embryonic Journey” and “Plastic Fantastic Lover”.
(Y)
FIVE STARS An all-time classic and a personal favorite of mine. As is usually the case with those five-stars albums, I won't write a full-blown review about this particular record, because others have already written wonderful stuff about it and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. It's just a gem. Go and listen to it a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: more than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter
fucking amazing album.
Fuck Yeah Bro
beautiful!
Adorei o álbum, uma das músicas era conhecida graças ao resgate de mix popular no Tiktok da segunda faixa Somebody to love
Annoyingly this album is not on Spotify in its entirety. Annoying as I'd like to add this to my regular rotation but until Spotify gets its poop in a group I cannot. I had to listen to it on YouTube, shock horror. I love Jefferson Airplane and this album, solid 4.5 from me, rounded up because Someone to Love and White Rabbit frequently pop into my brain at random
Rock solid psych, compact with a certain something that ties it all together
white rabbit, somebody to love, great late 60s album.
Great psych rock album
Classic 60s jam band. Some very popular tunes on here, didn't realize they switched up vocalists on tunes. Very mixed bag of tunes, some very psychadelic, some heavy rock, and some simple jams.
Loved it, so many tracks I'd heard before but didn't know were all one album together
Unavailable mostly in my Spotify :(
I dig
Doses precisas de psicodelia com vocal feminino arrebatador.
One of my all time favourite albums.
*****
Compelling from start to finish. I listened to this three times today and I might go back for more tomorrow. Best track: Somebody to Love
Classic
”The album is considered to be one of the quintessential works of the early psychedelic rock and 1960s counterculture eras.”
-Great rock album -"She Has Funny Cars" "Somebody to Love," "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds," "White Rabbit," "Plastic Fantastic Lover," and "Go To Her" are all fantastic
fucking joy to listen to
Pretty fire
a psychedelic classic, never got bored of it. “comin’ back to me” is so haunting.
Almost gave this a 5. I've always loved White Rabbit and Want Someone to Love but the whole album truly holds up. I love the production sound, the instrumentals, and Grace Slick's voice is just perfect for the sound of the era. Maybe I should have made this a 5...
Amazing album! Definitely on the more psychedelic side and very summer of love.
She
One of the best
Seems awesome, but it is not complete in spoty
Some of the better drug induced music from the 70s. Really enjoyed this. I knew a number of the tracks, which always helps.
Classic 60s vibe and great vocal harmonies!
Great energy and moods
Can definitely hear the sounds of San Francisco during the hippie movement in this album 9/10
Some excellent songs on this album - White Rabbit, Somebody to Love
Funky 60s vibe.
Awesome psycadaelic rock classic
Dope album! Some all time hits on here with "White Rabbit" and "Don't You Want Somebody To Love". The album was consistent through and through. No notes.
Very average 60s album with a couple recognisable songs in there but nothing special Specific rating - 3.7 Fav song - somebody to love Least fav- 3/5 if a mile in 10 seconds
I’m giving this 4 bc it’s varied and interesting. I had it on in the background during work and was caught in a few moments. I suspect if I replay it in a more attentive environment I may kick myself for giving it 5 stars. But my reviews are based only on first listen vibes and personal taste so,
First time listening. Love the psychedelia. Can see this being revised to a full 5 star one day.
Knew the big hits of course, they're enduring 60s classics. But I was also pleasantly surprised by the rest of the album. Good tunes, varied without being too wanky
070726 1:01 4
Somebody to Love is a great song. White Rabbit is obviously iconically. Overall the album has a nice sound, not too many weird parts. I would definitely listen to this over and over again. 4/5
4.2
A super fun listening experience with catchy songs and great instrumentation. I
niceeeeee
и всё-таки мощный альбом и как будто под определенный вайб должно был бы залететь сказочно, а так просто красиво
77/100
Yup. Really like this. Just sneaks into a 4/5
flower power! Girls voice is amazing. feel like im in my 60s rock era again. Dk how I haven’t heard this. Wow coming back to me is so melancholic. Missing someone i don’t have
I've found that a lot of the late 60s San Francisco sounds stuff hasn't aged that well, but this is a cut above. Perhaps because it's fairly folky (and sometimes pop-y) for psychedelic rock. And perhaps because tracks like White Rabbit are just insanely good. Feed your head! 4.5*
Is White Rabbit very different for them? or is it just so familiar to me that it sounds different from the rest of the album. Zooming out, is very British Invasion-y.
This is some of the best the psychedelic side of the 60's had to offer. Most of the instrumentation is great and the lead vocalist on this especially Grace slick do such a phenomenal job it is absolutely praise worthy. I am not the biggest fan of the more blues style tracks on here as I find the more rock and pop tracks to be where Jefferson Airplane shine the most (at least on this record). What more can be said its great music. Fav tracks: She has funny cars, Somebody to love, My best friend, comin back to me, and White rabbit
Легко, ненавязчиво,приятно на фоне, с вайбом Битлз, дослушать желания не возникло
i'd only heard "somebody to love" and "white rabbit", which are keystones in psychedelic music. but there are some other gems here is as well. slick's voice is powerful and the only person i've heard come close to matching that timbre of it is amber webber from black mountain. "3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds" is a cool tune. i even like the proto-rap in "plastic fantastic lover".
Reminds me of the Beatles but with a bit more of a rock twang to it? The female voice in some songs is really nice. Very nice guitar across the board Favourite song (s): my best friend, coming back to you, D.C.B.A Least favourite song(s): nothing really stood out here, embrionic journey, white rabbit, really the whole album Overall rating: 8.9/10
Classic
Des singles cultes et des titres plus calmes/Simon and Garfunkel core plutôt chouettes !
Wall to wall
Not generally a fan of psychedelic music but I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this
Not something I'd be likely to put on, but one has to acknowledge the impact the album still has on music.
Ik vond het best aangenaam en enkele hele toffe liedjes
Wall to wall bangers. Some of my fav music to come out of the 60s in here. Somebody To Love was my fav song of the album. White Rabbit and She Has Funny Cars were my other highlights. In The Morning was my fav first listen
Gear: 64 Audio Duo Artwork: 🪮🪕🩷 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: ✌️🌸✨ Rating: 🐇🐇🐇🐇/5
I always held Jefferson Airplane in a slightly higher regard than many similar bands of that era. It always felt like they were trying to do something unique for the sake of it sounding cool. This record shows that. 4/5
Actually, a feel gaining some energy while listining to this album, good one i rate it 7/10 : )
One of, if not one of the greatest rocks albums ever. This has that The Who/Elvis feeling. Today, She Has Funny Cars (as it should), DCBA -25, and White Rabbit are my all-time favorites by this band. I have undoubtedly never heard of Jefferson Airplane before discovering this site but I am glad I do now.
very Iconic sounds
I haven't heard quite a few songs on this album. I found myself enjoying the first song and it blends right into somebody to love. Good so far. Not a fan of 3rd song but its alright. Middle of the album flowed well but really did not like last song.
surrealistic pillow is like the piper at the gates of dawn if they reeled in the whimsy to an actually tolerable level and made it good
Really good, loved the psychedelic vibes. Always been meaning to listen to this album. Fav Songs Somebody To Love White Rabbit Today Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Yes, absolutely. A stellar psych-rock album; a great intro to immerse oneself in the genre
Pretty strong album. The playing is good, and the rockers rock pretty hard. Tracks 4 and 5 drag it down a bit, and keep this out of 5 star territory for me.
Cool album. Standout songs: She has funny cars 3/5 of a mile in 10 seconds How do you feel
Pochette mythique, Somebody to Love, white rabbit, quelques excellentes pistes. Du tres bon Jefferson Airplane même si un peu inégal.
Just lovely. Dreamy without being soporific. Psychedelic without pissing me off. Grace Slick is a bit under-utilised despite being the coolest thing about the band.
Don't think I've ever heard this before, wasn't expecting much (probably unfairly cos the singles are great) but was pleasantly surprised! Definitely a bit hippy dippy, but mostly in that Forever Changes way, where the trip has gone bad and the Manson family are lurking off screen. 'D.C.B.A. -25' and the proto-Robbie Basho sound of 'Embryonic Journey' were my two faves that weren't 'White Rabbit'. Will listen again.
Uneven, but some of the songs are iconic. Best when they lean into the bluesy rock.
Somebody To Love is a powerhouse. Embryonic Journey is a beautiful acoustic number. White Rabbit is a classic. Overall, a very good psychedelic pop album. Solid 3.75/5.
Really like the psychedelic vibes of this album. I thought they underused the female vocalist. She has a much more distinct sound, whereas I felt like the male vocalist sounded like a 3rd member of Simon and Garfunkel. It doesn’t surprise me the two biggest hits from this album were the two songs where she was the lead vocalist.
In addition to the two well known cuts, there a a bunch of interesting tunes in this one. One has to step their mind back in time to truly appreciate I believe. For me it is listenable as well as significant and thus the rating.
Really enjoyable slice of psychedelic rock
good, the songs with the female voice were the best ones
Raw sound compared to their Jefferson Starship incarnation. “In the morning” and “Come Back Baby” are two superb blues tracks.
The hippiest of all hippie bands. To be young in the Summer of Love... ¨Somebody to Love¨ might be one of the best all time jams.
Cool
I was only familiar with two songs on this album, the obvious ones, so I didn't know what to expect. Surprisingly, my favorites ended up being the ones not sung by Slick: "In The Morning" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover". There's some really bluesy stuff here and I am thoroughly impressed. Not what I thought it would sound like at all!
Попытки познакомится с творчеством Jefferson Airplane предпринимались мною с детства. Слушал их, как водится, с подачи "важнейших групп в психоделическом роке" и... не находил того что мне нужно. Теперь, послушав Surrealistic Pillow в сознательном возрасте, я сформировал почему мне так показалось тогда. Дело в том, что этот альбом не пытается делать психоделик-рок таким, к которому я привык, слушая своих любимых Beatles, Doors, The Move и несколько других исполнителей из того времени. И вот послушав тогда Jefferson Airplane, в 14 лет я подумал "а где психоделика то??" ни тебе ломанных ритмов, не вскриков, никаких вам тут меллотронов, оркестровок, экспериментов с записью и так далее. Это скорее некий блюз-рок и фолк с заходом на территорию психодела, достаточно деликатный и не кричащий. Да, само собой, некоторые приметы жанра здесь без сомнения имеются, но т.к. они не были "доведены до предела" то и детским ухом считаны совершенно не были. Ныне же я послушал это как досаточно неплохой альбом, с местами, довольно клёвыми блюз-роковыми мелодиями. Любимое с альбома: Today 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds In the Morning
Opened a mew window onto this band and reopened windows into forgotten music
So I really wanted to give this a three because the main tracks are soooo overplayed they…. Drive me a bit down the rabbit hole… Into the void. But I have to admit, it’s decent album. Boolean: yeah, it’s good to hear these full albums before I die.
Oldi but goldies, sehr schöne Musik
The worst type of reviews are like the low score ones on this album that just say "hippies". Way to write off a great album for the stupidest reasons. It's good, with high highs
Really liked it so far!
Female vocals nail it every time. Male vocals are less powerful. Good overall and enjoyed the listen through. Some necessary 60s music to consume.
Out of a lot of the older rock and classic rock albums on this list, this is one of the freshest and liveliest.
gets it done for me
Hyvä setti. fiilasin.
Great songs on here!
Great album! I hadn't heard it but really dig it. Lots of range in styles too.
Some real classic songs…Grace Slick was a powerhouse in those days 🎸
Very good
Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are both absolute all-timers, so no big surprise this album rocks, even if none of the other songs are quite as good as those two. That said, She Has Funny Cars, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, and Plastic Fantastic Lover are all really good songs that made this well worth it. An easy suggestion to anyone, basically.
Adorable and groovy. Not mind blowing enough to be a 5 but very enjoyable
Enjoyed this a lot- had a lot of Jefferson Airplane's hits on it, and the b sides had a lot of distinct sounds & experimentation with genres and instruments. Great music for a nice sunny day, nothing that stood out as bad. Overall- good album. 3.5 to 4 / 5
For whatever reason, I didn't get into the JA when I was getting into the other acts of the era. Since then, I've come around, and this is absolutely a great album. A few of Marty’s songs don't hold up for me, but overall, one of the great psychedelic records of the era
Really good and modern for 60s, hadn't heard of them before this
Bops
I liked this!
This album is both folk and groovy. I've actually heard "White Rabbit" before and I didn't realize who it was by (my favorite song here, by the way). I liked the use of both a female and male vocalist for different songs, it kept the dynamics interesting. Actually, every song featuring the female vocalist as lead was fantastic ("Somebody to Love", "White Rabbit").
really good album very good vibe and long enough vibe 8/10
I liked it gave me nostalgia like the music my dad would listen to and sometimes Beatles vibes
bisschen wie fleetwood mac
This is a timeless classic and a very good album from start to finish. While listening I felt that unmistakable late-60s psychedelic energy — dreamy, trippy, and full of life all at the same time. Surrealistic Pillow captures Jefferson Airplane right at their peak. Grace Slick’s powerful voice steals the show on tracks like “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” which are still two of the most iconic songs of the psychedelic era. But the whole record is strong. There’s a perfect balance between the raw, edgy rock side and the softer, more melodic folk-psych moments. Songs like “Today,” “My Best Friend,” and “Comin’ Back to Me” show a gentler, almost romantic side, while the hits bring that rebellious, mind-bending intensity. The production is warm and the playing feels loose but tight at the same time. It’s one of those albums that genuinely feels like it hasn’t aged. Even after all these years, it still sounds fresh, exciting, and full of that pure San Francisco spirit. Definitely a classic worth owning. One of the best and most important records from the Summer of Love era.
White Rabbit and Somebody to Love are all time greats.
"Somebody to Love" is phenomenal, and the whole world seems to agree from the looks of it. 100 MILLION VIEWS!!!! WHAT!!!! This album is lovely so far though. For sure Added "My Best Friend" to my playlist! Really good song! I'm already starting to like this album a lot, seems to be a bit more up my alley Really good album! Something I'd hear my grandpa or uncle like. Maybe my dad on some songs. So fun
I liked it not my style but nice!
Banda muy de los 60, beatlelera. Resaltan mucho las guitarras y las voces. Con algún que otro tema movido, la mayoría son más tenues, aterciopelados. Es un álbum para escuchar mientras cocinas o tenes una cita (bajito, de fondo).
This is pretty nice 60s music. Tracks like white rabbit and somebody to love are well known and still bang. The rest is easy to listen to. I like it.
That was a fun album I definitely need to revisit.
Wow, I liked this a lot more than I expected. I only knew the big hits before, but the rest of it is really good, too.
Reminds me of college.
Pretty chill classic rock, slightly psychedelic. Good to put on in the background as well. Fav Tracks: White Rabbit, Somebody to Love, Plastic Fantastic Lover
Was not hugely impressed at first but it grew on me
Pretty much the sound of the Summer of Love. 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 has that hazy, slightly dreamy psychedelic feel, but it’s still very song-focused. The melodies stick, and the back-and-forth between the vocals keeps things interesting throughout. It’s not perfect all the way through, but the best moments really stand out. Easy to see why it became such a staple of the era.
nice few bangers on this, finally some 60s psychedelic i found enjoyable
first impressions: very good! very Beatles-Esq
Don’t you want somebody to love ? Don’t you need somebody to love ? Wouldn’t you love somebody to love ? You better find somebody to love
I knew a few songs, especcially the second one, i like it, i would rate it like a 4 probably?? I have to high grades this month😅, avarage higher then 3🤣
Yeah, this bangs. I was expecting it to be boring ass generic 60's slop that went for WAY too long but I was pleasantly surprised. This thing was creative and fresh in every song, with a nice mix of instruments and they kept everything unique but still thematic. Go To Her was the best song on here, but any of the songs with the female vocals were mint.
Great classic album
Really loved the overall vibe of the album. Some if the folky stuff dragged a bit too long though.
Here's another record from back in the day that I used to love but later put aside when I got into other stuff, and haven't heard in ages. So much of this is so good. “Somebody to Love" was a hit for a reason; these angry-sounding tracks are what I like best about the Airplane. The intro line "When the truth is found to be lies / and all the joy within you dies" has kind of a contemporary feel, doesn't it. The guitar instrumental "Embryonic Journey" is of course something I've heard here and there since then, which is a good thing. And who can resist "White Rabbit." Sure we've all heard it 40 million times, but hey, it's got both threatening-sounding Grace Slick vocals AND interesting acid flamenco instrumentation. Don't forget to feed your head, kids. Finally, "Plastic Fantastic Lover" is a great song - I either forgot or only just noticed the interesting stuff going on with the bass on this. “My Best Friend" was a skip track for me back when I listened to this all the time in the 70s. I'm still not a big fan of that song; it's the part of this record that sounds the most like normal mid-60s music, which isn't very interesting to me. But while I used to skip "Today," too, I'm noticing some things with it that I didn't appreciate at the time. 4 stars
This was really enjoyable but started to lose my interest toward the end.
It has some of the all-time great standards on it... but maybe a little distrscting filler too?
One surprise with this list has been how most psychedelic stuff hasn't really grabbed me. But I loved this. The mixture of soft folk and harder blues works really well, and the vision and creativity on tracks like White Rabbit are brilliant.
I liked this but it was kind of repetitive. Her voice is great. 4
Impressive album. Long track and interesting throughout. Female vocal is so distinct and hauntingly beautiful. Great musicians and more than just a hippie band clearly
Interesting music, I liked, more or less, every song. There are a couple of them that were really good. 3,5/5
I really liked the moody songs on this album. Favorite songs: Today, Comin' Back to Me, Embryonic Journey, J.P.P.Mc Step B. Blues
Some total bangers. Very enjoyable listen.
This is a classic psychedelic trip that still feels fresh because it’s got a real blues soul under all those trippy effects. The way the voices layer on top of each other and that deep, melodic bass line from Jack Casady really make the sound feel thick and alive. Even if it gets a bit "folk-ish" here and there, the overall vibe is super immersive and powerful. It’s a solid listen that hits the spot without being too much.
Plus one star for White Rabbit. I could listen to that song on repeat and never get tired of it.
Fräck psykodelisk rock och några låtar får toppbetyg.
Where Psychedelic Rock really hit the mainstream. Both White Rabbit and Somebody To Love has become staples for Classic Rock stations, and for good reason. White Rabbit especially is one of the best build up in any song to date. The rest of the album is pretty good as well. Not every song is a hit, but they all fulfill the Psychedelic spookyness really well and set a tone. There are better Psychedelic albums from this year and even better Jefferson Airplane albums though.
Liked it a lot, but wasn't high enough to love it.
Goed album
This is a genre I don't really listen to all that often, but I enjoyed this album quite a lot. I seem to recognise the track 'Embryonic Journey' from the F.R.I.E.N.D.S finale, but I could be wrong. Either way, it is a really lovely instrumental track to separate the first half from the second half of the album, with 'White Rabbit', a more upbeat song, following straight after. My only slight issue is that after 'White Rabbit', the songs weren't quite as strong as the first half of the album. I enjoyed the order of this album though; there weren't too many of the same feel in a row, but there was never a point where the change was so drastic or unexpected. All in all, this is an album I would probably listen to again. Favourites (In Order): Embryonic Journey Somebody To Love She Has Funny Cars
7/10
Today, Comin Back To Me, Embryonic Journey, and In The Morning are some of my new favorites. White Rabbit and Somebody To Love are still iconic though.
Seminal release. I’ve known the song White Rabbit for as long as I have been alive. There are tons of other gems in this too, like Somebody To Love and Today. For being a psychedelic album, it is firmly rooted in a folk and rock tradition. Grace Slick has a voice that could move mountains. Overall, great listen and it’s a San Francisco album through and through.
It’s a good album, I loved Comin’ Back To Me. Other than that, not any bad songs, just all the songs kinda sounded the same to me. Overall, I think I would give this one a 3.8/5!
Solid psychedelic rock album. I liked how it wasn’t too trippy, like a lot of entries in the genre can be Top songs: Somebody To Love, How Do You Feel, Go To Her
It’s very strong and powerful a song that’s popular in movies. Giving wensday the show but very 60s
no conocia esta banda me encanto
Nice rock. Good singing, good instruments. 4/5
Iconic songs and good quality. 4 of 5
My best friend!
mind if i do a j?
Favorite Track: White Rabbit
Expected to hate this, but liked its idiosyncratic 60s folk pop rock.
classic
A strange mix, some great psychedelic songs and then some pretty forgettable kind of soft-folk stuff.
very good album with a couple iconic hits that make it stand out,
Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Strong tentpole songs in Somebody to Love and White Rabbit (a contender for best build-up and release during the psychedelic era). Enjoy most of the other upbeat songs. The slow songs are a bit of a drag.
Pretty good for psychedelic stuff. Libra couple of these from way back.
4 out of 5. This album is a classic and some other good songs here besides the hits.
8/10 bien sesentoso Canción destacada: Somebody to love
Favorite track(s): She Has Funny Cars, Somebody to Love, 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, How Do You Feel, White Rabbit Heard before Previous rating: 8/10
A good album with solid hits somebody to Love White Rabbit, My Best and Today. I think the rest of the album is good and you can get into it but the highlight is definitely Grace Slick’s singing. It drives this album forward. This is what’s most memorable.
One of my favorites: bluesy, trippy, great
I'm always down for some psych rock, so this was a lot of fun! I've listened to a bit of their stuff before and always enjoyed it, so listening through a full album was a delight!
Few classics but some tracks likely need the devils lettuce to enjoy properly
pretty good but any longer and it would've gotten boring
All of these stars belong to Grace Slick
This is a great airplane album. Probably won’t listen to another seeing as this is there best but still really enjoy it. Somebody to love and white rabbit where the only songs I knew before and rabbit is still there best song!
Groovy baby, yeah!
Classic album. Great hits like white rabbit and somebody to love. Bit of range including blues, rock and psych. Some songs not as memorable, but I don't have anything bad to say about the album
Some good guitar tunes on this album
Album No. 0175 on my list. Before listening to this, my knowledge about Jefferson Airplane had been restricted to general awareness of their existence and a rough idea of the period during which they were active. I’m glad this changed however, because I did enjoy the album! “Surrealistic Pillow” is probably the best hippie/flower power album I’ve encountered so far. For an album recorded in 1967, the sound is pretty neat, and I found many of the songs quite good. Very hippie-esque lyrics indeed; cool, psychedelic bit still catchy vibes, decent instrumentation. Good stuff overall. Peak hippie to me, but in the best way possible. Good mixture of male-, and -female-voiced songs as well. I will add “She Has Funny Cars”, “Somebody To Love” (I’ve realized that I had known this song before, but had no Idea who the artist was), “Embryonic Journey”, and “White Rabbit” to my playlist. Will certainly listen to this again! 4/5 stars!
Touch of psychedelic
Listened to about half of the music and enjoyed it.
Having heard this album described as an exemplar of 60s psychedelia, I was expecting some more... psychedelic. White Rabbit and a couple more tracks definitely are trippy, but the rest is different shades of blues and twangy, mellow 60s rock, like the Yardbirds or Tommy James and the Shondells. It's pretty good stuff, honestly, a relaxing and ear-catching album with a couple of crazy songs that jump out and grab you.
I didn't know White Rabbit, but it stood out massively while listening to this in the background. Superb. And I already knew Somebody To Love, which is also great and I didn't know who the original artist was. Definitely enjoyed this one.
A mixture of the forgettable and really quite good. It’s a shame more of the tracks don’t have the female vocals (apparently those songs also written by her) as they have a bit more bite and vigour. As a “moment in time” album and the psychedelic sounds it just about tips a 4, just.
Is this Paul Simons "Evil Twin" / less straight brother on drugs? It's like looking out the window of a train with rolling fields of guitar stretching out into the distance ("Embryonic Journey"). Then in the carriage there is some batty women singing a gentle warble which is odd but compelling. Then finally just to confuse it further you are in 2026 and can hear something resembling a typical 60's pop track only to be flung in the opposite direction with a deeply blues brake on full ("In the Morning"). To have these styles behave in conjunction with each other is a treat. Bar the odd song that sounds dated like "Go to Her" and some elements of others which I am personally not a massive fan its still relevant today and I must revisit this as cracking.
I really enjoyed this album and that's not just because two of the tracks featured on the soundtrack of EA's Battlefield Vietnam. Its a long, weird, trippy blend of folk and rock with some epic vocals and cool blues motifs. I really enjoyed the female folk vocals in particular, which give this other worldly vibe to the album. "White Rabbit" was a real highlight but the album is generally quite varied as it winds along it's long leisurely journey. Feels like one for a few close friends in a smoky living room. There are plenty of bands from this period that have similar elements but none of them seem to munge them together to make anything quite like this.
Klinkt als iets wat je op motortreffen zou horen, op een goeie manier!
It’s a great album, go ask Alice
Pretty nice album
last song in the morning but all in all quite like the album
This album was really nice! I liked the song today very much!!!
oh i don't think i knew this was them. i like the dreamy stuff
Essential Album. Mostly brilliant. Needs more Grace.
....
8 / 10 - Sehr abwechslungsreich (Rock&Roll, Folk, Psychadelia, Blues, Instrumental, ...) - Einige interessante Songs mit dabei - Das Album Reissue auf Spotify (57min) zieht sich am Ende, aber das 33min original Release ist genau richtig und aus einem Guss, trotz der Abwechslung - Sollte von vorne bis hinten aktiv gehört werden Favs: - Somebody To Love - White Rabbit - She Has Funny Cars
At first it's hopping back and forth between rock and folk, then some blues layers in. Unexpected, enjoyable.
Immersing myself in the sonic tapestry feels like diving into a pool of time capsule gems. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - Somebody to Love - Today - Embryonic Journey - White Rabbit
Feed your head.
3.5
Didn't know who Jefferson Airplane were by name, but instantly recognised a bunch of tracks here. The album started off really well. "She Has Funny Cars" and the classic "Somebody to Love" were proper jams, but then I found the slower, less heavy tracks to be slightly dull, but not unpleasant - realistically all of it was good. Vocals from Grace Slick were a massive highlight, totally different calibre to the other vocals, shame they weren't on more of the tracks. This was heading for a surprise 5 based on the start of the album, but took a dip to a 3 in the middle, so I'm going to balance out at a 4. Enjoyable throughout, and worthy of a few playlist submissions.
Always enjoyed 'Somebody to Love' when it would pop up in public so I'm glad the rest of the album lives up to that beautiful shining psychedelic goodness. Only wish some of the really good tracks such as White Rabbit and D.C.B.A-25 were a little more developed Highlights: Somebody to Love How Do You Feel White Rabbit D. C. B. A.-25 She Has Funny Cars
I liked the soundscape throughout the entire album. It's rare for a 60s album to have such an appealing soundscape.
A very appropriate album title. This is unusually mellow but still has a lot of rough edges. Maybe a bit unfocused but enjoyable nonetheless.
so this album is gonna have a lot of banjo, violin, clarinet, and recorder, right? right? she has funny cars--love the little background twangy guitar plastic fantastic lover--you know that 70s italian disco/rock song that's supposed to sound like english (and does!) but is actually gibberish? yeah just randomly thought of that for no particular reason prisencolinensinainciusol--oh wait wrong album comin' back to me--ooh i dig it. this tempo & style is much more my speed. the slow acoustic guitar; the softer vocals, a little flute / recorder action. somebody to love--oh i know this song WAIT SPOTIFY WHY DID YOU PUT THAT ON SHUFFLE??????? how do you feel--who does this sound like??? the beatles? yes but i feel like there's someone closer white rabbit--love this absurd little ditty ok after the spotify shuffle fiasco i have now listened +/-1.5 times. nice light rock. leans acoustic and esoteric. enjoyable overall. not every song stood out, but the rest were pleasant enough in the background. coming back to me, somebody to love, white rabbit are probably top songs. i'd say high 3/5 rounded to 4/5
Really, really good. Aside from the obvious hits, I was surprised I have never listened to this album, and very pleased while listening to it.
4.3 Really is a classic, not a bad song on the album
me gusta.
buen album, me sorprendió
Enjoying this far more than anticipated. Somebody to love is on more than one of my playlists, but I'm almost tired of it even though its good. But 4 tracks in they're all great. Possibly a bit same-y, if this goes on for the whole album I will get bored.
Surrealistic Pillow (1967) is Jefferson Airplane’s second studio album, and the first featuring Grace Slick as lead vocalist. It was apparently recorded a mere two weeks after she joined the band. The album combines elements of folk-rock and psychedelic rock both of which are genres I really enjoy. I’m very familiar with the singles (‘Somebody to Love’ and ‘White Rabbit’) but hadn’t listened to the rest of the album all the way through. Those two tracks definitely stand out due to Slicks powerful vocals, but the album as a whole is excellent. It’s softer and leans into folk more than I expected, but that’s not a bad thing at all. I love the Southern Californian folk-rock sound (Crosby, Stills & Nash is one of my all-time favourite albums), and the psychedelic elements of Surrealistic Pillow are obviously evolving from the same folk-rock sensibilities, albeit Jefferson Airplane was a San Francisco band developing their own scene. In contrast to the rock tracks ‘Embryonic Journey’ is a beautifully delicate folk guitar instrumental. The stillness before the storm of ‘White Rabbit’. This track made me think of Nick Drake (who I also love), but again as Five Leaves Left wasn’t released until 1969, it’s echoes of Jefferson Airplane in Nick’s work, rather than the other way around. Another album to add to my ever growing vinyl wish-list. Note - the version I rated was the original 1967 US release. The 1967 UK release had a different track listing, and the 2003 reissue contains six additional bonus tracks. Side A: She Has Funny Cars - 3/5; Somebody To Love - 5/5; My Best Friend - 3/5; Today - 4/5 Comin' Back to Me - 4/5 Side B: 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds - 4/5; D.C.B.A.–25 - 3/5; How Do You Feel - 3/5; Embryonic Journey - 4/5 White Rabbit - 5/5 Plastic Fantastic Lover - 3/5
#46/1001 🇺🇸 More 60s Psych. This is definitely one of the better albums from this age and has more of folk and blues feel. 2 songs in and i thought this was going to be a 5 but it fell away a little bit. The Grace Slick vocal / composition tracks are undoubtedly the stand outs. White Rabbit and Somebody to Love are just majestic. Having said that i really liked Comin' Back To Me too. Best tracks: Somebody to Love, Comin' Back to Me, White Rabbit, She Has FUnny Cars. Ps Silliest album title so far.
Muy roquero, con un toque blues, me parece que es un buen disco, definitivamente me guardo allgunas cosas.
At times it sounded so 60s then ahead of its time. Need this record.
Loved much of this, especially the tracks when Grace was in full flow. (I also love her earlier recording of Don't You Want Somebody to love, with The Great Society.) Her influence on Siouxsie, Florence etc struck me, and is something to be grateful for. However, there are some less impactful, more meandering tracks. Sometimes it's so difficult to choose between 3 and 4, but I think it's got to be a round-up.
The 60s was such a beautiful time for music, everything is so groovy yet at the same time slow and calm. (My favorite song has to be Comin’ Back to Me)
It was Jefferson Airplane...a little weird...a little rock...psychedelic...the works.
Es ist ein faszinierendes Zeitdokument der späten 60er: psychedelisch, mutig und voller ikonischer Momente. Die Mischung aus träumerischen Harmonien und kraftvollen Rockelementen wirkt bis heute frisch. “Somebody to Love” – Der energiegeladene Hit mit Grace Slicks markanter Stimme. “White Rabbit” – Der psychedelische Klassiker, inspiriert von Alice im Wunderland. Top Songs die das Album abrunden.
i liked it
Queen vibes
Extremely pleasant listen. I hadn’t heard of them before but have heard their songs.
This was good! An unexpected classic hidden in its songs that I did not know was their song. I'm going to listen to them more in the future (specifically this album) whenever I get more time. I liked a lot of these songs especially "Comin' back to me"
“Somebody To Love” is one of my favorite late 1960’s song. And “White Rabbit”- so good! Enjoyed the album more on the second listen than the first. Fun 60’s album.
A mix of early 60s sytle harmonious songs and the more interesting psychedelic numbers including the big hitters. An interesting listen, will give a generous 4
+Somebody To Love +My Best Friend +Today +White Rabbit
actually surprisingly good
Vilken tid när White Rabbit kunde leta sig högt upp på topplistorna! Meget mys, några mellanspår som alla har nåt men inte när de där extatiska höjderna. Men soundet generellt, så mkt bättre än trista Grateful Dead. Fyra!
White rabbits baaaaaby. Och så är den redan över? Vem är jag att inte ge denna en fyra? En etta? Nä? En trea so vanligt? Kom igen.
This is a really good album. I loved Grace Slick's vocals. The music is psychedelic, sure but it's also folky and bluesy. The two big hits reign supreme. The surprise for me was "Coming Back To Me."
Yeah, okay, I'm into the psycahadelia
Good psych rock
I feel it's cheating to rate this one higher than the Lou Reed album, its simply more approachable. That said I did end up listening through it twice. I've heard more of these songs, I think it pops up on classic radio sometimes.
I enjoyed Surrealistic Pillow quite a bit more than i thought i would have. It has that typical sound of a 60s Psychedelic rock album like The Beatles or The Beach Boys but i think i would compare this most to The Mamas And The Papas due to the addition of a female singer. This easily is some of the more enjoyable psych-rock sounds i have ever heard with it being good ear candy without getting too weird. I thought that the vocals here were good too with each of the singers all giving some really good performances. I also think this went at the perfect pace, enough to give me my fill but not too long. This is easily among the better psych-rock albums on this list. Best Song: Comin' Back To Me Worst Song: White Rabbit
Хороший альбом, знаю 1 пісню, подобається. Не фанат такої музики,7/10. Розумію, чому він можн подобатися.
very psychedelic and my vibe
So many great songs.
One of the greatest psych albums.
She Has Funny Cars has a very similar riff to Last Train to Clarksville. Love the tempo change about 45 seconds in. Somebody to Love is SO good but we KNEW this. My Best Friend is ADORABLE. Very cool discordant and jazzy ending. Today is also real good but we also knew THIS. Comin' Back to Me is BEAUTIFUL. 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds is pretty good but quite samey. Great name though. D.C.B.A.-25 - I didn't even notice this song happening so can't be too memorable. How Do You Feel - the harmonies and tune remind me of Ticket to Ride. Really good. Embryonic Journey - GREAT name. Great nostalgic guitar at the start; reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel. White Rabbit - love the words, and dark edge to the song, and the rock aspect ramping up. Love the unusual song structure too; not following the verse-chorus-verse etc format. Plastic Fantastic Lover - very good. In The Morning - too plodding. Very hard to win me over to blues. J. P. P. Mc Step B. Blues is very good - reminds me of The Byrds. Go To Her - very good; hot lyrics! Come Back Baby - not bad.
Tiene sus dos grandes hits y suenan muy bien en general