by Robert Wilkinson
For our rockin' New Year's Eve, much hipper than anything on tv, we're be shakin' all over with an early Brit rock and roll musical icon and flying high with the lead player for the Jefferson Airplane! Tonight we rock the house!!
Johnny Kidd (born Frederick Albert Heath, 23 December 1935 – 7 October 1966) was the lead vocalist for Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, known for one GIANT hit in 1960, covered by many of the heavies who came after. It's of note that there were two lineups of the Pirates. The first group who played on the 1960 hit all quit in 1961 to become Joe Meek's Tornados, going on to record the 1962 mega-hit "Telstar."
After they left the Pirates, Johnny recruited the second lineup described in this piece from Wikipedia (which strangely has disappeared from his bio). “The four piece band would prove to have a profound effect on another touring band at this time. Watching Kidd perform in the center front of the stage, with Farley directly behind him on drums and Spence and Green flanking him on either side, inspired Roger Daltrey, the then guitarist of "The Detours," to lay aside his own guitar, dismiss his own group's singer and concentrate on vocals. This allowed rhythm guitarist Pete Townshend to concentrate more on playing lead.” ”In time a stage act had also emerged with Kidd and the Pirates dressed as actual Pirates. Kidd would don an eye-patch and carry a cutlass which he would swing around on stage, damaging the wooden framework, and high kick in time with the music of the band. By 1964 the "British Invasion" was taking shape and Kidd was left in the shadows.”
More on his legacy: “In hindsight Kidd was both musically and visually important for the rock music genre. Long before the likes of Paul Revere and the Raiders and Alice Cooper and other such performers dressed up for a performance, Kidd and his contemporary Screaming Lord Sutch were already doing so. Kidd and the Pirates were a transitional band. In a time before bands like The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and The Animals, Kidd was recording music that placed increased emphasis on electric blues and R&B. His records circa 1961–64 included Willie Dixon's "I Just Want To Make Love To You", Bo Diddley's "I Can Tell", Willie Perryman's "Dr Feel-good" and Richie Barrett's "Some Other Guy". … Many rock historians consider Kidd's UK Top 50 disc "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues" c/w "I Can Tell" (December 1962) to be the sonic bridge between British rock and roll and British beat/British R&B.” He died in a car crash in 1966 at age 30. For your enjoyment, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates!
The monster from 1960! Here’s the studio original of “Shakin’ All Over”
From what has been called the greatest live album ever recorded, here’s the Who Live at Leeds pounding out the most famous version of the tune! “Shakin’ All Over”
The Guess Who also made it a staple of their performances, and here they are live and cranking in 1983 with their version of “Shakin’ All Over”
In 1964, the Searchers gave us their take on “Shakin’ All Over”
We’ll complete our homage to this tune with a 1973 Led Zeppelin soundcheck performance of “Shakin’ All Over”
Here was his first hit! From June 1959, this infinitely derivative tune went to UK #25.“Please Don’t Touch”
Another hit by Johnny and the second lineup which went to #3 in 1963, more in the Merseybeat atmosphere than the hard rocking “Shakin’” “I’ll Never Get Over You”
From November 1963 when the Beatles were on their rocketship, Johnny gave us this pop offering that went to #20. “Hungry for Love”
We’ll close with a tune from December 1962, which is considered “the bridge between British rock and roll and British R&B! “A Shot of Rhythm and Blues” Here’s another version of the tune from a band who broke big at the end of Johnny’s career. From the BBC sessions, the Fab Four’s version of “A Shot of Rhythm and Blues”
For the encore, the tune that brought us here! Shake it one more time to the pounding beat of “Shakin’ All Over” (The video literally has nothing to do with the band, but I thought we could remember when we had the energy to dance like this!)
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Our second set features the brilliant guitar work of Jorma Kaukonen (December 23, 1940), lead player for the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna! As a founding member with Marty Balin and Paul Kantner, these three created sonic tapestries of sound! Today we’ll focus on his work with the Jefferson Airplane.
A great early live audio-only performance by Marty on vocals of “It’s No Secret”
Here’s a very early version of the Jefferson Airplane, before Grace Slick took over for Signe. I have two gigs from Vancouver. The first is 19 minutes of early psychedelic folk on January 14, and the second is 36 minutes from January 16
Jefferson Airplane in Vancouver January 14, 1966
Jefferson Airplane in Vancouver January 16, 1966
From 1966 with Signe still doing lead vocals, an hour and 32 minutes of Jefferson Airplane at Winterland - October 1966
Here’s Signe’s last concert on 15 October 1966, and Grace Slick’s first show in November! Welcome to an hour and 12 of pre-Grace Slick JA and the first concert they did with her! Jefferson Airplane Live At The Fillmore - First and Last
Last year I had a full 2 hour 7 minute set at the Fillmore in Nov 1966, but it’s disappeared. I did find this 44 minute segment, so enjoy Jefferson Airplane Live At The Fillmore – Nov 1966
From February 1967 at the Fillmore West in SF, 57 minutes of psychedelic music at their peak! This one leads off with a Ronald Reagan rant against music and the light show. Jefferson Airplane Live At The Fillmore – Feb 1967
I found it again! Live at the Fillmore West in May 1967, “Comin’ Back To Me. ” For contrast, here’s the original studio version of “Comin’ Back To Me”
Here’s Marty fronting the Jefferson Starship in a live 1999 concert, giving us the backstory on how the song came into being! “Comin’ Back To Me”
I found it again! Here’s the entire hour and 4 show from March 1967 of the JA live at the Café A Go Go in NYC! ”Come Back Baby”
Here’s a 6+ minute clip from that show, and it’s great! ”Come Back Baby”
In 1967, they gave us the driving ”Waiting For You”
I found it again and more! Their two shows in March 1967 at Winterland have reappeared, and they’re great! From March 10, here’s 52 minutes of The Jefferson Airplane Live at Winterland – March 10, 1967 and here’s their hour and 14 set two days later! The Jefferson Airplane Live at Winterland – March 12, 1967
Here are a few more live video performances, some of which Marty wrote, performed as only the Jefferson Airplane could!
From the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in the Summer of Love 1967, here’s the Jefferson Airplane live doing "Somebody To Love” From the same show, “Flyin’ High Bird” and “Today.” We'll close this act with "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil"
From Surrealistic Pillow, Jorma shows off his chops on “Embryonic Journey.” In 1996 at the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jorma hasn’t lost a beat in 30 years! “Embryonic Journey”
From After Bathing at Baxter’s, one of my favorite JA rockers that shows Jorma could make a guitar talk in several psychedelic languages! This song is the sound of revolution! “Last Wall of the Castle”
Speaking of Baxters, this is one of my all time favorites, and it rocks! “The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil”
Also from Baxter’s, a 9+ minute instrumental that is not as free form as it sounds. “Spare Chaynge”
Back to live video performances!
From 1967, a very live television performance of Grace’s biting “Two Heads”
I found it again! Here’s an hour and 37 of the JA in Toronto in August 1967! Jefferson Airplane - Live in Toronto August 4-5, 1967
From the August 4 show, an hour of Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead - Live in Toronto 1967 (The first two are the Dead, while the JA get 9 songs.)
Here’s their first appearance on the The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. The first two tunes are obviously Grace singing to a backing track with the rest miming. The light show was great for the era. “White Rabbit,” which we follow with “Somebody to Love.”
They came back on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968 and did another two-fer, including Grace’s jab at the establishment “Lather” and “Crown of Creation”
From 1968 on The Perry Como Show, the Airplane live performing "Watch Her Ride" (the video quality is poor, but psychedelic).
Live at the Matrix in Feb 1968, a great 10 minute audio-only live performance of “The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil”
Here’s the whole gig! Jefferson Airplane Return to the Matrix - 1968
From September 1968 on The Ed Sullivan Show, “Crown of Creation”
Live on a hotel rooftop in Nov 1968, a great video of the JA performing “The House on Pooneil Corners”
From Woodstock, live in 1969, the Jefferson Airplane opening with “3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds.”
From there we go to two of Grace Slick’s iconic tunes! First, the song that propelled the JA to the radio, “Somebody To Love” followed by her equally trippy bolero based in the immortal Lewis Carroll character that many radio stations refused to play, “White Rabbit”
Also at Woodstock, the legendary song that called a generation to a non-violent revolution! “Volunteers”
We’ll finish their Woodstock set with a live performance of “Uncle Sam Blues”
From the disastrous 1969 Altamont gig, here’s the Airplane doing “The Other Side of this Life”
From 1969 live on The Dick Cavett Show, the Jefferson Airplane (with a guest appearance by David Crosby) performing “We Can Be Together” and “Volunteers”
Here’s part 2 of that Dick Cavett appearance! “Somebody To Love” and “Psychedelic Jam”
Four audio-only gems!
From May 1968, again at the Carousel, a classic jam of the best of the Bay Area, including Jerry, Elvin Bishop, Jack Casady, Mickey Hart, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Miller, and others in the groove with “Rock Jam”
From 1969, a 40 minute jam featuring John Cipollina, Jerry Garcia, Nicky Hopkins, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, David Freiberg, Papa John Creach, and more! Live at the Matrix – Quicksilver, the Airplane, and Jerry Garcia
A tale of escape written by young idealists, here’s the quadraphonic studio version from Volunteers of a song Marty wrote with David Crosby and Steven Stills, the iconic “Wooden Ships”
From 1970, Live at the Family Dog, a great video of the Jefferson Airplane performing one of my all time favorites, “The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil” And from what looks like the same gig, “Eskimo Blue Day”
Here’s an awesome hour of the JA playing live at the Fillmore in May 1970! Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1970
Live at Winterland 1970, here’s the JA in one of their final incarnations in an audio of “Wooden Ships” (Marty left the band in March 1971).
Here’s an awesome 2 hours and 6 minutes of the JA playing live at the Fillmore in November 1970! Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1970
Here's the studio version of the biting rocker by Grace Slick, the in-your-face "Greasy Heart." ("Don't ever change people, even if you can, don't change before the empire falls, you'll laugh so hard you'll crack the walls!" Wow.)
From March 2014, Marty with Jorma Kaukonen & Jack Casady @ The Fur Peace Ranch cranking out “Volunteers”
For our finale, 2 years ago I found a full 80 minute documentary that takes a great look at San Francisco in the 1960s called “Fly With the Jefferson Airplane,” but the clip is nowhere to be found. However, I did find most of it in short parts with Spanish subtitles. For your enjoyment,
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 1
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 2
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 3
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 4
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 5
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 6
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 7
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 8
“Fly With the Jefferson Airplane” Pt. 9
I think all 9 parts will autoplay once the first is done. For your enjoyment, Fly Jefferson Airplane – The Story of the Jefferson Airplane
For our encore, a 22 minute video from their 1989 reunion tour titled Jefferson Airplane – Still Flying
Jorma, your music inspired a musical revolution, and gave us all a vision or three of possibilities unknown before the JA took flight. Signing off with part of a song you covered, written by Donovan:
Fly Jefferson Airplane, get you there on time.
Fly Jefferson Airplane, get you there on time.
He will bring happiness in a pipe,
He'll ride away on his silver bike
And apart from that he'll be so kind
In consenting to blow your mind.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
Fly Translove Airways, get you there on time.
We'll be flying at an altitude of thirty-nine thousand feet
Captain High at your service.
Copyright © 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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