Surrealistic Pillow

Pseudo psychedelia from 1966 although released in 1967 including the iconic “white rabbit”

Expected to hate this, but liked its idiosyncratic 60s folk pop rock.

classic

Couple of bangers but it got old in between tbh

This wasn’t the brand of flower child hippy music I was raised on, and it turns out not to be my favorite. There’s nothing particularly offensive or bad about the music and it has moments of enjoyment. But I just don’t connect to the energy or message of the songs and the “psychedelic” elements are sorta laughable, “Surrealistic Pillow”?! “Embryonic Journey”?!

Better than I was expecting. Has its moments (Somebody to Love, White Rabbit), and probably a good album for 1967.

A strange mix, some great psychedelic songs and then some pretty forgettable kind of soft-folk stuff.

Cool to find these songs. Sound like inspirations for Allah Las. One standout song in the album, the rest were kind of okay though. My guess is this is a foundational album for a lot of rock, and I guess I simply do not have the depth of knowledge of this genre's history to fully appreciate this album.

White Rabbit, Embyronic Journey, and Somebody to Love are obviously classics. Especially White Rabbit - what a gripping track. But outside of those, the album falls kind of flat for me. Wish we had more of the eeriness that White Rabbit brought, and more of the folk guitar texture of embryonic Journey.

This album is a mix of psychedelic and folk rock. Vocals are fine (sometimes bad). I preferred the singing in the first half. Instrumentals are good and even great at times. My favorite track was "Today". I really liked the instrumentals on "Plastic Fantastic Lover", but the vocals are bad on that track.

Not very innovative but very good.

Trippy vibes.

Loved it! Very funky, perfect length, good variation

A couple of standout tracks in Somebody to Love and White Rabbit, and She Has Funny Cars was a solid opener. I just wasn't that impressed by the rest. Should have let Grace Slick sing lead on most of this. What a voice. 3 Stars.

Somebody to Love is an absolute all-time banger, and is the only reason I feel somewhat favourably to this record. The rest is unfortunately pretty mediocre boomercore with only the odd moments of hilarity (Comin' Back to Me) to break up some long periods of tedium. Disappointing, but far from the worst example of this kind of music.

Every song the girl sings - 🤠 Every song the guy sings - 🥱

Some great songs and some other songs. Culturally significant but the album as a whole is just barely over the mediocre hump.

It’s kind of amazing that some members of this band are responsible for “We Built This City.”

If the back half sags a little, it doesn't hurt it so much that this it's not one of the best albums ever recorded.

this is sorta the corner of classic rock that i don't mind but have trouble really getting that much out of. White Rabbit is so leaps and bounds above. the rest... inoffensive, which i mean both complimentary and derogatory. if i feel strongly later on that i've underrated this i'll go back and boost it

very good album with a couple iconic hits that make it stand out,

3.5

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.

She Has Funny Cars - 4.5/5 Somebody to Love - 4/5 My Best Friend - 4/5 Today - 4/5 Comin' Back to Me - 3.5/5 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds - 4/5 D. C. B. A.-25 - 3.5/5 How Do You Feel - 3.5/5 Embryonic Journey - 2.5/5 White Rabbit - 4/5 Plastic Fantastic Lover - 4.5/5 In The Morning - 4/5 J. P. P. Mc Step B. Blues -3.5/5 Go To Her - 4/5 Come Back Baby - 4/5 Somebody to Love - Mono Single Version - 4.5/5 White Rabbit - Mono Single Version - 4/5

When I was eight years old I first heard this album when my best friend borrowed the album from his brother and played it for me in his bedroom. Coming from a family that regularly listen to the King family, it was quite a shock and also my introduction to psychedelic rock. Being that young I didn't understand any of the references regarding drugs in the song White Rabbit, but it immediately became a favorite.

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

3/14 Never listened to Jefferson Airplane before but didnt realize the song "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" was from them.

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

I enjoyed some songs however not all

somebody to love ❗️❗️❗️ today and comin back to me are such sweet songs. i love them solid album tbh i haven't heard something like this in a while

Hello, old friend...

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.

Fokin disco pasado de verdura, el nombre es perfecto y todas las canciones tienen la vibra exacta de sus nombres 🙂‍↕️ god bless a los few estadounidenses que si hacen cosas chidas

Tenho um forte carinho por este disco. A banda Jefferson Airplane serviu de fonte bibliográfica no TCC da minha graduação, onde eu fiz uma análise do movimento contracultural estadunidense da década de 60, tomando como ponto de partida o trabalho da banda e como ele refletia as vertentes culturais, estéticas e ideológicas do período. Por conta disso, eu ouvi esse álbum inúmeras vezes enquanto escrevia o meu artigo. E para melhorar, eu estava em um auto-exílio em um pacato vilarejo do interior paulista, longe de todos meus conhecidos, e onde o silêncio era apenas ocasionalmente interrompido por pássaros e locomotivas. Consequentemente, é difícil não ser transportado de volta àquele lugar e àquele tempo toda vez que toco este disco. Com este prefácio, você leitor já vê que esta não será uma review livre de viés. Uma coisa que sempre me agradou neste álbum, mesmo antes desse nosso laço acadêmico e temporal, é sua produção. Ela é crua, fria e íntima. Me traz as mesmas sensações dos primeiros álbuns do Black Sabbath. Esse estilo faz eu me sentir dentro do estúdio, sentado em um lindo tapete ornamental, lá fora está frio mas aqui dentro há calor e conforto. O liricismo deste álbum é simples porém lindo. Temos o destaque clássico de White Rabbit, uma canção geracional (que inclusive eu usei como título do meu trabalho), com suas letras fantasiosas alá Lewis Carroll, mas além dela temos outras canções repletas de beleza e ternura, como Today e Comin’ Back To Me. Nas faixas mais agitadas, os vocais excelentes de Grace e Marty dominam completamente o ouvinte. A instrumentalização é emblemática do período em que o disco foi feito. Este não é um disco experimental, e nem precisa ser. De fato, as composições são em larga medida simples. O disco te conquista não por sua complexidade, mas pelos detalhes mínimos, e pela emoção palpável por trás de cada acorde e cada batida. É perceptível que a banda amava tocar, e que o estúdio estava repleto de emoção nestes dias. E como é de se esperar, não posso deixar de mencionar o quão rico este disco é em contexto histórico e cultural. Não vou me aprofundar muito nesse tópico, pois se eu começar a digitar a respeito do período contracultural americano esta review ficará gigantesca, com muitas páginas, tal qual meu TCC… E não é pra isso que estamos aqui, não é? O assunto é música e o que este disco apresenta é exemplar e atemporal. Ótimo. 5/5

One of my favorites: bluesy, trippy, great

Trop vieux Et boring

Lovely stuff.

The ‘2 songs’ are brilliant and the rest does not quite reach those heights but pleasant enough. Those songs drag the rating up though….

Breezy enough for a sunny spring morning

Great album, love “My Best Friend” particularly - on the “Didn’t Make The Long List of My All Time Favourite Albums of All Time” list, so a solid three stars.

I struggled through this

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!

Great classic rock.

Few classics but some tracks likely need the devils lettuce to enjoy properly

The kind of album I expect from this book. Not spent much time listening to Jefferson Airplane before, but know some of the hits. Steady mid ground for me. Nice to hear. 3 Number tracks Fave track Others 12/03/26

There's a couple of really great songs on here, but also a lot of filler. 3.0/5.0: Good

pretty good but any longer and it would've gotten boring

First album: 3 stars. All songs were good; this may be a genre that I should listen to more. All songs are going in the playlist.

All of these stars belong to Grace Slick

6/10 better than the other rock ones so far!

This album might be the closest I'll ever get to experiencing the Summer of Love. I dig the sound. But it's the singles that really blow me away. Most of that comes from the powerful vocals from Grace Slick. The other vocals on the album feel diluted in comparison. Somebody To Love White Rabbit

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

It’s ok - the two big songs over-shadow everything else, but it’s not bad. I doubt I’ll listen to anything over than those two again, though.

Ugh fine I guess

If it was the 60s and I only had access to like five bands I would probably be into this

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!

I don't think this would have stood out much for me except Grace Slick's vocals. White Rabbit is amazing. The rest of the album feels hit or miss.

Folk rockish? Not my usual flow but not the worst either. I liked today and Somebody to love.

White Rabbit

Touch of psychedelic

This album was painful. Did not enjoy at all.

Listened to about half of the music and enjoyed it.

I liked this, actually I thought that I'd like it more than I did. Somebody to Love was by far my favorite song on the album. Comin' Back to Me and Go To Her were other ones that I liked, but the rest of the album was just fine. I didn't hate any of them, I just didn't really love any of them either.

Of its time . Missed it when it first came out - can't say I'm that sorry .

Two stand out hits, the rest all sounds a bit samey and dated.

If not for the strength of Somebody to Love and White Rabbit, this would have been a 2. Not a fan. But Somebody is such a solid song in my ears.

*Spooky at times, but great late 60s record

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.

Jorma can really play. Some timeless classics on here and a lot of dated stuff that can stay unplayed.

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.

Ironically, this album is far from surrealistic. It's about exactly how you would expect a 1960s Rock band to sound like. A generic album that has the words "love", and "baby" over, and over. Favorite Track: "Somebody To Love".

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.

Very nice. Some absolutely incredible tracks and some mediocre ones.

It’s the dawn of psychedelic rock, sure, and Grace’s entry to the band makes for a couple of classics, but as an album it has its holes

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!!!

didn’t realize how many songs i knew on this album. looks like it’ll be a bad listen, but it wasn’t so bad. will i listen again? not necessarily. some songs are just tired

Perfect beach background music, great hits on the album too.

oh i don't think i knew this was them. i like the dreamy stuff

Mixed bag. Couple of proper bangers though.

Good memories of a sunny afternoon close to Cambridge.

Laurel Canyon classic

Essential Album. Mostly brilliant. Needs more Grace.

Never listened to these guys before; I don't know why I always assumed that they were more 70's southern classic rock. Pretty solid listen; I dug how varied it was. Also I never knew that these guys were responsible for 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit'.

If this was all Grace Slick, it would be a nailed-on five star album. She's a fantastic singer. Unfortunately, a lot of this record is bog-standard hippie shit. Still...White Rabbit! What a song! 😍

Це, мабуть, найкращий або хоча б один з найкращих альбомів, серед тих, що мені вже пропонував цей сайт. Супер

....

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.

A pretty standard late 60s San Francisco psych rock album without much that makes it stand out from the pack. "Somebody to Love" is the highlight thanks to Grace Slick's vocal performance. "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" is also enjoyable and the most roaring rocker of the bunch. The psychedelic feel comes primarily from the lyrics - which often, even on "White Rabbit," can be more silly than trippy - and the echoing effect on many tracks. And on some tracks that feel is missing entirely, including the limper ballads and pop songs that make up the back half of side one. It's nice to hear flute on some of the sparser tracks, but it doesn't add enough to make them interesting. Lastly, "How Do You Feel" sounds distractingly like "Ticket to Ride." A decent listen, but this scene produced better albums.

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

Odd vocals Started off weak, got better

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

Standouts: - She has Funny Cars - Today - The reverby drums on this added so much atmosphere - Comin Back To Me - The acoustic track was a surprise but enjoyable and fits right in - 3/5 of a Mile In 10 Seconds - White Rabbit - I can't believe this is on this album?? (I apparently started listening to bonus tracks here) - In the Morning - The psychedelic blues jam goes so hard here ooh psychedelic this is the sorta stuff I was looking forward to discover from this journey; psychedelic goodness with some fuck ass genres thrown in. Psychedelic/Blues/Folk is not a combination I expected but it sounds amazing. THIS ALBUM WAS IN 1967??? This outperforms many modern psychedelic albums... Ridiculous album, the blend of psychedelic and blues sounding this good this early on is mind boggling. Enjoyed almost every song on it. Unexpected 5 wtf

I liked the soundscape throughout the entire album. It's rare for a 60s album to have such an appealing soundscape.

interesting...

Cool album

I'm really conflicted here because everyone needs to hear White Rabbit and Somebody to Love. Those are the only tracks I knew before listening to this just now. I was really surprised to hear so many tracks that don't feature Grace Slick at all. I don't know enough about the history to know why but what a fumble because her vocals sound huge on here. All of the other tracks don't hold up to that level at all and are almost just another band's sound entirely. So to "must hear before you die" tracks and then a bunch of flower-child shovelware.

A very appropriate album title. This is unusually mellow but still has a lot of rough edges. Maybe a bit unfocused but enjoyable nonetheless.

It's groovy. Can vibe with it. Hasn't been my genre in a while but very nice.

Un buen álbum para escuchar una mañana lluviosa o tirado tomando sol.

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

This was great, grace clock voice was amazing.

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.

Surrealistic Pillow is an alright album overall, the songs are good but a little bit repetitive, not really my style of music overall but still fairly enjoyable. 3/5.

Still amazing

I hadn’t heard of Jefferson Airplane before this suggestion. The album was okay. There wasn’t anything mesmerizing or remarkable.

I was ready to pan this one after being pretty unimpressed by other psychedelic rock albums on this list but it actually grew on me as it went on. I thought the bluesier songs were pretty good and the woman singer was pretty compelling. I’d heard “white rabbits” exclusively through movies and tv shows but it was actually an interesting song all on its own.

4.3 Really is a classic, not a bad song on the album

me gusta.

Nice. Not my type of music. I enjoyed the blues of one of these songs

Disco muito bom, diferente do que costumo ouvir, ainda assim me prendeu e irei ouvir outras vezes.

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.

kinda an overrated album imo. i liked a some of the folky songs but it felt all over the place genre-wise and lacks cohesion.

She Has Funny Cars - 3/5 Somebody to Love - 4.5/5 My Best Friend - 2.5/5 Today - 3/5 Comin' Back to Me - 3/5 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds - 3.5/5 D.C.B.A.-25 - 3/5 How Do You Feel - 3/5 Embryonic Journey - 3.5/5 White Rabbit - 4.5/5 Plastic Fantastic Lover - 3/5 It's a fairly middling album where the highs were way high above the rest. I understand its placement in the list as one of landmark psychedelic rock albums but it's just kind of meh to me outside of Somebody to Love and White Rabbit. Overall: 3/5 Favorites: Somebody to Love, White Rabbit

I'll be honest, I find this to be a bit boring. It's decent but boring. I do like Somebody to Love though.

Grace Slick it's Jefferson Airplane's soul & fire. If she had assumed the lead vocals in all of the songs, this album would be a lot more better. But still... a classical. 5 stars.

Decent

Good album but personally not my cup of tea should’ve a 4 but I’m giving it a 3

This was interesting. Somebody to love and white rabbit are the standout songs here. They sound so different from the rest of the album. I’m pretty disappointed in it because I thought there would be more of that sound.

At times it sounded so 60s then ahead of its time. Need this record.

Maybe if I hadn’t listened to so much bad psychedelic music already by doing this project then this would have been okay but I have hippies-on-acid-being-lame PTSD and consequently cannot give this a fair shake. However, credit where credits due, these songs are surprisingly short, which was a definite improvement over most of the other psychedelic music I’ve suffered through to-date.

I loved it? I've really been wasting my life only listening to 2 Jefferson Airplane sounds. Every song is a banger.

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.

Here we go, third or fourth or fifth time listening to this I really don't know it's really that forgettable. My Best Friend and DCBA 25 were pretty fun songs but I can't imagine coming back to this one voluntarily again, because I really tried back when I was into acid. Got to the end of White Rabbit and I thought, "that's it?"

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)

One thing that stands out to me is that Grace Slick was very underutilized by Jefferson Airplane. Both tracks where she is lead vocal are outstanding and something special - the remainder of the album does really stand out to me. Also, the recording/mixing on the album made a lot of the brighter details a bit too harsh on the ears.

Ok

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.

Great music.

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"

No doubt this is great, but the two best songs (you all know which ones are they), are just too good compared with the album average.

YESSSSSSSS

“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.

Think Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are the highlights or maybe it’s just that they were more familiar. Familiarity not breeding contempt here. A few others were decent enough eg DCBA - 25 with its jangly guitars. Interesting album with different influences throughout but ultimately not that compelling. Wavered around giving a 4 but went 3 again.

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

Too much of that baroque 60s Grace Slick shtick going on for me to get into. Similar to Nico in that respect but at least the underlying VU music is very good. Much prefer the more naturalistic vocals of their contemporary Sandy Denny.

Folksy rocky psychedelic in parts, never rising above a 3 for me. A solid 3, but left me a bit underwhelmed

+Somebody To Love +My Best Friend +Today +White Rabbit

this was fun! I liked!

Not great listening conditions. Would revisit, but doesnt resonate on first listen

actually surprisingly good

As much as I enjoy psych rock and proto-prog, this is some boring psych rock.

My wife and I saw Starship open for Heart and it’s hard to believe that the same band who gave the world Somebody To Love would later be responsible for We Built This City. Regardless of where they have ended up, there is no denying the influence of songs like the aforementioned Grace Slick led track along with White Rabbit in ushering in the jangle and psychedelic folk blues that would be the soundtrack for the counter culture of the late 60s. These two tracks stand out while the rest of the record is fine. I admittedly found most of this to be rather forgettable and sonically homogenous without Slick’s leading vocals.

Liked this even more than I thought I would. Great psychedelia from front to back and was the perfect thing to get me through a boring plane ride. Favorite Songs: “Somebody to Love”, “Comin’ Back to Me”, “White Rabbit”, “Go to Her” Low 5.

Actually thjs album is absolutely fantastic. For me it's 3.5/5, but overall it's at least 4.5. "Today" is extremely beautiful and important song. "Somebody to love" - absolute hit for centuries. "Embryonic journey" has unbelievable instrumental. "White rabbit" - nice story about Alice in Wonderland and LSD. I think this is true hippy era album

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!

Hmmm svårt. Tror det landar på en stark trea! 60-talet är fan en bra period för musik alltså.

4:a om bruden hade sjungit allt

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."

Nothing special

Yeah, okay, I'm into the psycahadelia

I didn’t know anything besides the 2 very famous songs here, which I’ve always liked, particularly White Rabbit which is a classic. The rest of the album was decent, perhaps more folky than I expected but the bluesy In the Morning caught my ear out of those that were new to me.

Some strong songs on here but alot of in between songs didnt hit with me

This album is dated. I often like music from the past but this one stayed in the 60s. If this is the rock and roll upon which Starship built this city, then its foundation is pretty shaky. They have two decent singles and one fantastic guitar player in Jorma Kaukonen who I would have liked to hear more from. Embryonic Journey is so short and the rest is so tedious.

Good psych rock

Jefferson Airplane is the "Ship of Thesius" of bands. They went through two different name changes, had a completely different sound, and replaced all of their members by the end. Hard to believe this is technically the same that does "We built this city on rock and roll." Decent album, but the light acoustic numbers were not the wake up call I needed this morning. Also, I think with "White Rabbit" & "Somebody to Love"from this album, and "Seven Nation Army" from the White Stripes album, we should have our bases covered for songs used in movie trailers.

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.

This album is pretty good. I think I grew out of this psychedelic phase in music. There is aspects of it that I enjoy. I like the weird. But I think it’s a pretty limiting genre. I’m very aware that this is a pretty hot take but whatchya gon’ doooo?

Jokes on you I LOVEEE jefferson airplane, they are so cool and the story of her trying to drug the president?? DIVA

Fun little album. Not too much of my thing though 2.8/10

This is my type of music. White Rabbit is utter perfection. Keep on fearing and loathing in Las Vegas.

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

Psychedelia with teeth and feelings. Rating: 4.5/5 Short Review: This album feels like sunshine drifting into a mild existential crisis. It is dreamy, political, romantic, and slightly unhinged in that very 60s way. Soft on the surface, sharp underneath. Favorite Track: White Rabbit, because obviously. Hypnotic and still hits.

Like it 3/5

Хороший альбом, знаю 1 пісню, подобається. Не фанат такої музики,7/10. Розумію, чому він можн подобатися.

very psychedelic and my vibe

Surrealistic pillow was a pretty good album. I already had heard the most popular songs, White Rabbit & Somebody to Love. The rest of album was fine, In the Morning was an unexpected bluesy surprise!

I was interested to find out that the 2 main singles from this album were written by and brought to the band from the lead singer when she joined as they are by the best songs on the album, with the rest having a more folky vibe.

peak

Still relevant, still revolutionary.

So many great songs.

One of the greatest psych albums.

Honestly kind of boring with the exception of somebody to love and white rabbit

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.

I liked white rabbit… yea that’s it.

I listened to this a lot as a teenager. Grace Slick has an amazing voice and White Rabbit and Someone to Love are all time favourites. The rest I can leave to be honest.

Tiene sus dos grandes hits y suenan muy bien en general

i was already familiar with a couple of these.. white rabbit being one of my fav songs ever. what they create with electric guitars is so magical and sexy. i love love love. my favs are: somebody to love today comin’ back to me how do you feel white rabbit plastic fantastic lover in the morning rating 4/5

Not my usual jive but I can appreciate it for what it is

Got some gems.

Back in the day when pot was less potent, but the penalty was much worse, is when this album is from.

Overrated and too much of an attempt to sound "trippy and weird". White Rabbit still slaps though.

A fun listen though not much that really stood out

A pleasant listen with some solid groove.

First listen

I feel like it's missing something. It might be that half of it sounds like it was recorded a room away, idk, this one didn't rub me right, maybe if I listen to it again sometime, some of the tracks were really good, but as you got further into the album, it became a lot more boring, which is sad because Somebody To Love is really catchy and gets you in a confident mood. Can't say the same about the rest of the album.. 4/10 sorry

Some awesome songs, but the rest were just okay…3.75!

Surprisingly better than I was expecting. Bit on the long side, could have done with cutting out a few tracks

It's a 4, but a strong 4. White Rabbit and Somebody to Love are of course the iconic tracks from the album. The rest of the album can't even hope to hit as hard, though the very bluesy In The Morning had me rocking along.

JA relies on a nice back-and-forth between the two vocalists and an otherwise unoffensive sound. Today is the only song I save off this album, but it's a fine chill album otherwise. 3/5

There's a lot of flower power-era music out there. Jefferson Airplane sounds like a lot of it. In fact, if it weren't for "Somebody to Love", this would probably get lost in that crowd. Fortunately, it does have Somebody to Love, and that's enough to make it stand out and bump it up a star to four stars.

I just found this album to be fine. There are better ones within the genre, but nothing that was offensive either.

Jefferson Airplane were a middling West Coast folk band until they were joined by Grace Slick in 1967 and two weeks later went into the studio to record this album. There are some filler tracks on here (although pleasant enough in a folky/bluesy style), but the twin hits of Need Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are much stronger, and captured the harder, psychedelic side of the summer of love. Apparently their producer tried to stop smoking marijuana in the studio so they fired him (and found some even stronger stuff). Here’s a fun game - you can create your own band and album by combining a US president and mode of aerial transport, with your favourite art movement and something from your bedroom. Mine is Monroe Glider with Post-Impressionist Duvet! Wonderland-tastic!

Loved the older rock, did not feel like an album from the 60s at all.

Slighty too slow for the first chunk of the album, 3/5 Mile just saved it for me. Tik Tok song in the wild

At first found this pretty normal, just like rock once again. But when Grace Slick solos she sounds so androgynous and amazing. I love Somebody to love and White Rabbit. My best friend is a cute song as well. Apparently a classic of 60s psychedelic rock.

Pretty cool

This album is a great example of why Im doing this project. I’ve never listened to JA beyond radio hits, I’ve never once thought to do so. The album isn’t really to my personal taste but there’s a lot of solid and varied music on here. Glad I got to listen to it. The end.

Very good psychedelic album.

First listen, enjoyed that thanks!

Somebody to Love is so iconic and holds up perfectly. I haven't listened to much Jefferson Airplane, so I was excited for this one because Somebody to love is such a classic. It's stuck in my head so hardcore now and "DON'T YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO LOVE" has been my autistic vocal stim for the day. My bf is about to leave me over it probably. I loveeee some good psychedelic rock (and substances hehe), and Surrealistic Pillow did not disappoint. The late 60's had some awesome psychedelic and I'm thankful for Jefferson Airplane for this beautiful record. A couple other standouts were White Rabbit and In The Morning. White Rabbit was funky and a little eerie with really neat Eastern influences (George Harrison moment). It was a single, along with Somebody To Love, which I think were the best choices for singles - both were included as mono versions at the end of the record too which was cool. In The Morning has some SICK ass harmonica and a swing to the melody that made my ears perk up and was jazzy and cool on a psychedelic album. Really good shit, glad I sat and listened to the whole thing. 5/5 deadass. Added to playlist immediately.

some of the songs were good non of them made it to the playlist

not really my taste but there are some songs i enjoyed such as She has Funny Cars and Somebody to Love

Deux hits, le reste sympa mais pas mémorable

Somebody to Love is great, the rest not so much .most arenot very distinctive, but still pleasant psych-folk/rock. While this is a pretty important album embodying the sound of the summer of love it is not actually great - merely distinctive and solid. Weird mixing of the slick vocals make it seem like I’m listening in the next room .

A few bangers

Oh cool, it's the band that became the band that became the band that technically wasn't the band and was hated by the band that became the other bands and banned from being called the band. I didn't mind this, it was alright... A few of the songs were great, "Somebody to Love" in particular. As a whole I was a bit underwhelmed. For all the hate it gets, I'd rather listen to "We Built This City" than this... You know what? I'm going to do that. *MARCONI PLAYS THE MUMBA, LISTEN TO THE RADIO...*

Que aburrido.

I'm glad I relistened because this is a lot better than I remember. I love the surreal sounds, the rich, psychedelic production and the super catchy melodies. Even some of the less standout songs are quite memorable. I love the dense moments like White Rabbit, 3/5 of a Mile and Today the most, but the more stripped back songs are also great.

First time I have heard this one all the way through.

Interesting to hear music moving from pop to psychedelic. The songs that made Jefferson Airplane—specifically, Grace Slick—famous are here, with Somebody to Love and White Rabbit. They don't hide the ball with the latter, an ode to magic mushrooms. Some of the deep cuts were interesting, as well as eclectic, ranging from pop to blues to outright experimentation.

SO SO good - i see the influence that other notable artists had on this album - one of the songs sounfs so similar to a beach boys track forgot which one tho - i knew white rabbit beforhand just as a standalone but man the other stuff is so good like ive been thinking a lot about "Today" "my bestfriend" and "shes coming back to me" i didn't really care much for track 6 or 7 tho :/

I only knew two of the songs, Somebody To Love and White Rabbit yet the album sounds really familiar maybe because it has entered the psyche as music of that era.

interesting and ecclectic album

Oldie but a goodie

A genre defining album. In particular Grace Slick’s position as a political forward thinking vocalist. A huge influence on female singers.

very good listening experience, altought I kinda lost the plot at end, I give it 4 stars

kinda boring, nothing really special about it, it sounds good tho

Det her kunne jeg ret godt li'. Er lidt ubeslutsom i forhold til stor 3'er eller lille 4'er, så det bliver den gennemsnitlige, som jeg hele tiden lander på alligevel.

This thing sounds great. A fair bit of variety

Some bright spots. I would give it 3. Stars if I could.

Well crafted psychedelia with a couple of very memorable tracks.

шедевральний альбом від шедевральной групи,10 зайців з 10

Pretty much what I think of when I think of psychedelic rock. A little long but I enjoyed it overall.

Apart from Somebody To Love, this is a bit too old for me to enjoy

Peak album. Has its classics. Today has to be one of my favorite songs from this album such a beautiful flute sound in background

dad-ish songs. not really my type

Kan ikke si jeg hørte veldig aktivt på. Men virker helt ok, kanskje jeg sjekker ut igjen, men mest sannsynlig ikke.

Ganske nice, noen bangers og gode vibes. 3/5

Nokre bangers her. Har aldri tenkt over kven som stod bak dei før no.

i liked this oneeee

Eh.... 2 good songs and a bunch of stuff that's a bit too hippy for me

I really wanted to like it but it was so samey.

loveeee them def will listen agaib

The song titles were incredibly unique. I’m not too upset with the genre. Very impressed with the songs that included bluesy elements.

If you told me this was a compilation or best of, I’d have believed you. Felt like 3 seperate albums inter woven, yet not an exactly cohesive.

Never heard of this band but I love the aesthetic. Im about to listen to the album while sleeping and again in the morning. It is decent I like it not my favorite but still pretty good I love the beat and instrumentals. ”White rabbit” & “somebody to love” vocals and just the song over all is one do my favorites from the album I really like this album and will listen to it again 💿

Not my vibe. Passed after 3 or 4 songs

Come for Grace. Stay for Jorma and Jack.

not my kinda music :/

An essential 1960s album as in Top Ten albums from the 1960s to own and that sort thing. Psychedelic perfection. Eleven perfect tracks. Era defining stuff. Neat. The mono version has less reverberation. Quite a bit less. Both (mono & stereo) sound great to me. Yes, I have a copy of each. Jerry Garcia plays guitar on a few tracks and shines in the role of sage adviser. It must have felt like a revolution being my age in 1966/67. Someone hand me my plastic fantastic lover and close all the doors. Stay free, freak.

Masterpiece! My first five star

favorite - J.P.P. Mc Step B. Blues 6/10

Two untouchable classics—“Somebody To Love” and “White Rabbit”—carry the whole record. Beyond those, most tracks drift by without leaving much of a mark. Iconic peaks, forgettable filler.

liked it, my style, but it bored me a little

I'm suddenly getting the urge to take a bath with a toaster. 8/10

So much to like here. The Slick tracks are great and the whole thing has aged surprisingly well.

In terms of sound, this album is very much rooted in the 1960s (and in terms of aesthetics as well). That’s not meant as a dig, it’s just interesting how a decade can be so immediately recognizable. This album maybe drags a bit in the middle but has a number of great songs, including one of my very favorites, White Rabbit.

White Rabbit is an all time great. I think this YouTube comment sums up this album well: "The problem with artist these days is very few are willing to take the heroic amounts of LSD to make a classic such as this.."

Honestly, this didn’t vibe with me at all, although a couple songs were good, mainly the singles. There’s nothing wrong with the music, and I guess I never felt like it dragged on I just didn’t subjectively enjoy it.

Just left me cold. I get why it’s on the list as a key part of the flower power movement….its therefore historically significant. As a listen with modern ears (and a first listen for me) I just find it another one that’s stuck in its moment and hasn’t aged very well. Glad I gave it a go, but won’t be coming back again. 2.5 rounded down to a 2

not gonna lie I’ve tried to listen to this album three different times and I keep getting distracted and not finishing it. I think that means it’s probably not that good bc it can’t keep my attention at all.

I like the genre. and a couple of songs. Overall. Not my favorites.

fantastic

Me fascina white rabbit y he encontrado canciones que me gustaban y no sabia como se llamaban, a parte de descubrir otras tantas muy chulitas.

Banging Lovely Somebody to white rabbit with

Iconic! Love it

blah

Completely fine

didn’t know the band name until i heard somebody to love 1. my best friend 2. today 3. comin back to me

I enjoyed this

bored

I got bored

Saved - Today

Enjoyed this but haven’t been itching to go back

Jefferson Airplane might be the singular example of psychedelic rock. There are plenty of other notable artists that engaged with this genre, but few are the example. White Rabbit is the example of psychedelic in my book. Somebody To Love is up there as well, which is why I find them to be the example of the genre. Their lyrics are poetic and mesmerizing, while the guitar and bass are other worldly. The vocals themselves are powerful; grabbing your attention with each word. And each song transports you to a place and time.

Outside of the hits it's pretty bland, Plastic Fantastic Lover is strange and clashes thematically.

Favorite track: She Has Funny Cars

The Dead and their Pranksters were careening down King's Mountain in a bus ("driving that train..."), while Surrealistic Pillow's navigators somehow made it through airport security and are now high as hell on a transcontinental flight. There is no doubt that this group and it's subsequent success was born of industry-knowledge, focus, intent, and disciplined musicianship. Balin was familiar with the music industry, having previously had a manager and cut records for Challenge Records. He sought out fellow musicians working in the city to form a band with him to explore emerging folk rock currents, and found his ringers. Eventually they settled on members, wrote songs, and began performing in San Francisco. It wasn't long before Balin's industry connections helped them get multiple recording offers. The story of JA reads like the more light-sided version of a record label cherry picking members for a band of destined-for-success group of attractive, hopeful ringers. Except in history it plays out more like a (yes, opportunistic) musician/businessman Marty Balin, living and working in the San Francisco milieu of '65, having ambition to find working professionals in the city around him to come together and make something big. Balin, with investors, opened a club called the Matrix. It was to serve as the eventual home base for the band that he would form. Surrealistic Pillow is a highly successful album with massive (now, cynically) commercial-ready hits: "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit". It is an album of honed and heady music emerging from San Francisco's scene of fellows such as the Grateful Dead and Kesey's Acid Test parties. Listening back, from decades outside when/where it was born, it warns of a polish or thin facade that a money focused music industry might have erected to sell an emergent scene to the masses. Silverchair and Bush as industry answers to a Grunge question come to mind, making wary. This generational cynicism had painted my view of Surrealistic Pillow for a long time. I'm grateful for the opportunity to revisit this album with open ears, as part of my 1001 albums listening project, and with open ears I found a document of a band of rock-solid players who clearly love working together, carrying (to this day!) the electricity of creative sonic discovery borne on the musical chops to communicate their vision with a level of precision that is antithetical to the edge-of-burning-out teetering intensity of the Grateful Dead's scene. There are no snoozers on this album, and the musical variety is broad. The tracklist is long. The band has a deep lineup of six members, and the record evidences their ensemble cohesion to let each other shine in due measure. There is much to explore and write about in the music here, well beyond the big hits. My biggest impression and takeaway from this album is the precision, clarity, and discipline with which Jefferson Airplane delivered the comminques of what is more often a fuzzy, hazy world, without abandoning or selling out the true gold of that world, in their act of delivery.

Here I was expecting more late 60s psychadelic rock slop, well I feel really silly now. This is actually so good, a fantastic blend of rock with folk and elements of psychadelia too. It really does feel an entire league ahead of what else was popular in the genre at the time, refusing to conform to all the typical expectations and being unapologetically unique.

Really nice variety on the album. W: 4.8/5 P -/5

El disco que todos conocen de este grupo

Decent

⭐⭐÷ Psykadelisk rock. Innehåller två absoluta klassiker i form av Somebody to love och White rabbit som inte går att värja sig ifrån. I övrigt har jag svårt att bli riktigt engagerad och och tycker inte det inte är så mycket som sticker ut, i mina öron upplever jag att den kan ha åldrats dåligt. Om Grace Slick fått ta mer plats hade det möjligtvis kunnat lyfta fler låtar. Hennes röst är grym.

Meh

Många bra låtar, tycker om white rabbit och somebody to love sedan tidigare så det var kul att lyssna på några fler låtar.

lol so you're telling me this was nearly 0.90 higher in rating than the Nico album when this was less interesting by a mile in comparison? Yeah, "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" are both amazing songs, but the non-hits kinda suck ass. So much variance in quality across this band's entire career. For every "Jane" or "White Rabbit" there was also a "We Built This City"