Crown of Creation
Crown of Creation | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 1968 | |||
Recorded | February–June 1968 | |||
Studio | RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood | |||
Genre | Rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock | |||
Length | 37:58 55:39 (2003 reissue) | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Producer | Al Schmitt | |||
Jefferson Airplane chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
Rolling Stone | (neutral)[2] |
Crown of Creation is the fourth studio album by the
While failing to eclipse
Background
Jefferson Airplane's third album,
Compositions and recording
The band returned to RCA studios in February 1968 with producer Al Schmitt to record two tracks for their next single, Slick's "Greasy Heart" backed by Balin's "Share A Little Joke". "Greasy Heart" was a hard rock song with wah-wah guitar work from Kaukonen that featured a lyric taking aim at phony socialites yet flopped on release that March, reaching #98 on Billboard and falling off the charts in just three weeks.[9]
The rest of the album was recorded between late March and June during which the band overdubbed numerous distorted sound effects and multilayered guitar sections, with many tracks featuring Kaukonen's newly acquired wah-wah pedal.[12] Marty Balin wrote or co-wrote four tracks including "Share A Little Joke", the funky, wah-wah laden "If You Feel" (penned with band friend Gary Blackman and inspired by the German poet Rilke) and two songs with Kantner, "In Time" and the post-nuclear closing epic "The House at Pooneil Corners", meant as a dark sequel to Kantner's earlier "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil."[13] In concert, the band would sometimes combine the two "Pooneil" tracks together for a medley sequence lasting nearly 20 minutes. Kantner also contributed the heavy acid-rock of the title track, with lyrics borrowed verbatim from John Wyndham's sci-fi novel The Chrysalids, now repurposed as a revolutionary counterculture anthem.[9] When the group appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour to promote the song that November, Slick controversially wore blackface and gave the black power salute at the close of the performance.[9]
Slick also contributed "
Stylistically the album was their most diverse to date, combining the hard rock and studio experimentation of Baxter's with the more concise pop songwriting acumen of Pillow. Overall it was more tightly structured than their previous effort, while retaining a psychedelic feel. Track arrangements are complex and sophisticated, further explaining why the band had no hit-ready singles.[9] Several guest musicians were involved in the development of the album including David Crosby, Bill Goodwin, and Tim Davis.[15] Sessions were completed in between their hectic touring commitments, so recording was prolonged since they only had brief periods in which to work.[16]
Title and artwork
The song "Crown of Creation" provided the album's title, which was taken with permission from John Wyndham's sci-fi novel The Chrysalids and refers to man as the "crown" or highest level of creation. The album cover artwork featured the band members' images duplicated in slightly different positions. In the background, there is a mushroom cloud from an atomic explosion courtesy of the USAF, which references the post-apocalyptic themes of the closing track "The House at Pooneil Corners". The design was produced by John Van Hamersveld in Los Angeles.[17] The vinyl release included a "Brumus sheet", which offered song lyrics and credits along with an image of Robert F. Kennedy's dog, Brumus. The band had dined with RFK at his home in February 1968 after performing at a telethon he sponsored, and later attempted to perform a free show with The Grateful Dead at Speedway Meadows after his assassination, but were prevented from doing so by police.[9]
Release
Crown of Creation was released in August 1968 in the United States in stereo as RCA LSP-4058 and in mono as RCA LPM-4058. It would be the last Jefferson Airplane album to be released in mono and their second and final album to reach the Top Ten, peaking at No. 6.
When the band went on tour in Europe and America to promote the album that fall, many of the album's songs were initially included in the set list, including "Lather", "In Time", "Triad" and "If You Feel" but were dropped within weeks, never to be heard from again.[21] However, "Star Track", "Crown Of Creation", "Greasy Heart" and "House At Pooneil Corners" stayed staples in their live shows through 1970.
An expanded edition of Crown of Creation was released on compact disc on August 11, 2003. Four bonus tracks are included, one of which is "Would You Like A Snack?", an avant-garde piece cowritten by
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lather" | Grace Slick | 2:55 |
2. | "In Time" | Paul Kantner, Marty Balin | 4:07 |
3. | "Triad" | David Crosby | 4:54 |
4. | "Star Track" | Jorma Kaukonen | 3:09 |
5. | "Share a Little Joke" | Balin | 3:04 |
6. | "Chushingura" (instrumental) | Spencer Dryden | 1:17 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If You Feel" | Balin, Gary Blackman | 3:30 |
2. | "Crown of Creation" (lyric based on John Wyndham's "The Chrysalids"[24]) | Kantner | 2:52 |
3. | "Ice Cream Phoenix" | Kaukonen, Charles Cockey | 2:59 |
4. | "Greasy Heart" | Slick | 3:25 |
5. | "The House at Pooneil Corners" | Kantner, Balin | 5:46 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Ribump Ba Bap Dum Dum" (instrumental) | Dryden, Rev. Gary Davis | 2:25 |
Personnel
- Jefferson Airplane
- Marty Balin – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Grace Slick – vocals, piano, organ
- Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, electric chicken, vocals
- Jack Casady – Yggdrasil bass
- Spencer Dryden – drums, piano, organ, steel balls, vocals
- Additional musicians
- Gary Blackman – nose solo on "Lather"
- Charles Cockey – guitar, vocals
- David Crosby – guitar
- Tim Davis[26] – congas
- Bill Goodwin – talking drums
- Danny Woody – bongos
- Gene Twombly – sound effects
- Frank Zappa – musical director on "Would You Like a Snack?"
- Arthur Tripp – drums, percussion on "Would You Like a Snack?"
- Ian Underwood – piano, clarinet on "Would You Like a Snack?"
- Don Preston – keyboards on "Would You Like a Snack?"
- Production
- Al Schmitt – producer
- Richie Schmitt – engineer
- Pat Ieraci – 8-Track
- Hiro – cover and back photography
- USAF– bomb photo, sometimes attributed to the Hiroshima detonation, but is in fact one of the US desert testing explosions.
- J. Van Hamersveld – album design, art direction
- Bill Laudner – road manager
- Chick Casady – equipment manager
- Bill Thompson – manager
Charts
Chart (1968-1969) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[27] | 14 |
US Billboard 200[28] | 6 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[29] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b Eder, Bruce (2011). "Crown of Creation – Jefferson Airplane | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Miller, Jim (October 26, 1968). "Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ Bowling, David (2019). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Crown of Creation". dailyvault.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ "After Bathing at Baxter's". last.fm. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "Jefferson Airplane – Crown of Creation". guitarinternational.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "40 Albums Baby Boomers Loved". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "Bill Thompson Dead at 70". sfgate.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9780671034030. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "Scenes of San Francisco Rock". rockument.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "Product – Crown of Creation". Sundazed.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "Jefferson Airplane". warr.org. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Tamarkin, Jeff (2003). Crown of Creation (booklet). Jefferson Airplane. RCA Records.
- ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
- ^ "Crown of Creation – Back cover (credits)".
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ "Jefferson Airplane – Reviews". willardswormholes.com. Archived from the original on 2015-03-22. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ Crown of Creation:Rear cover
- ^ Crown of Creation:Front cover
- ^ "Jefferson Airplane – Chart Listings". billboard.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 30, 1968. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ Fenton, Craig. (2018). Take Me to a Circus Tent: the Jefferson Airplane Flight Manual (2nd ed.). Infinity Publishing.
- ^ "Crown of Creation – Bonus Tracks". discogs.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ISBN 9780879309176. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ "Sampled with permission and most appropriately from John Wyndham's 'The Chrysalids', written specifically, originally, and humorously/ironically for and at the request of The Hubert Humphrey campaign for President, 1967 or -8 or so" - Kantner, Paul (2003). Lyrica – Paul Kantner's Theory of Everything. Little Dragon Press.
- Jefferson Airplane Loves You box set in 1992. [1].
- The Steve Miller Band.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5806". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "Jefferson Airplane Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – Jefferson Airplane – Crown of Creation". Recording Industry Association of America.
Notes
- Crown of Creation (Vinyl insert). Jefferson Airplane. New York City: RCA. 1968. LSP-4058.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)