After Bathing at Baxter's
Studio album by
Jefferson Airplane
ReleasedNovember 27, 1967
RecordedJune–October 1967
StudioRCA Victor (Hollywood)
GenrePsychedelic rock[1]
Length43:38 (original)
67:53 (2003 reissue)
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerAl Schmitt
Jefferson Airplane chronology
Surrealistic Pillow
(1967)		 After Bathing at Baxter's
(1967)		 Crown of Creation
(1968)
Singles from After Bathing at Baxter's
  1. "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil"
    Released: August 1967
  2. "Watch Her Ride"
    Released: December 1967[2]

After Bathing at Baxter's is the third studio album by the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in 1967 as RCA Victor LSO-1511 (stereo) and LOP-1511 (mono). The cover art is by artist Ron Cobb.

Due to the lack of a breakout hit, the experimental album was significantly less successful than its predecessor from a commercial standpoint, peaking at number 17 on the Billboard album chart and failing to attain a RIAA certification. Paul Kantner's composition "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil" was released as a single in August 1967, with him as lead singer and Grace Slick and Marty Balin harmonizing, and reached number 42 on the Billboard charts.[3] The band's singles never again crossed the halfway mark in the Hot 100.[3] It was voted number 595 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).

John Hartford referenced the cover art from After Bathing at Baxter's as the inspiration for his song "Steam Powered Aereo Plane" from his album Aereo-Plain.

Cash Box said that the single "Watch Her Ride" had a "hard rock beat with a backup centering on electrified workouts from lead guitar," "grand imagery" and "fine vocals."[4] Record World called it "one of [Jefferson Airplane's] sinuous, contemporary melodies."[5] Billboard said it has "weird, groovy sounds throughout."[6]

Title and artwork

The album's title was derived from a poem written by the band's friend Gary Blackman. Kantner explained that the title translates to "After Taking LSD", "Baxter" being the group's code word for the drug.[7]

The cover art was designed by Ron Cobb, then a political cartoonist for the Los Angeles Free Press.[7] The front cover depicts the band as a World War I-era triplane with the body of a San Francisco townhouse.[8][9] Cannabis plants are shown growing out of the house's flower boxes.[9][10] The artwork is framed with a red bar on the bottom and a blue bar with white stars on the top, signifying the United States flag.[8] The plane, painted in full color, dispenses confetti[10] while flying over a black and white landscape – embodying the white of the flag – with billboards reading messages such as "CONSUME!" and "DRINK IT"[8] as parodies of American consumerism.[11] The illustration continues onto the back cover, revealing a scrapheap followed by a pile of empty beverage cans. A banner attached to the plane displays the album's title.[8] In 2008, Cobb's original painting sold at auction for $24,000.[12]

The gatefold artwork consists of a handwritten track listing and photographs taken by Alan Pappé of each band member.[13] Author Ken Bielen writes the lack of a group portrait highlights the members' individuality.[8] The inner sleeve features Blackman's poem and drawings by the band and their friends, one of which was almost rejected by RCA on fear it would be misinterpreted as a vagina.[14][nb 1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
The Daily VaultA−[17]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[18]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[19]
Music Story[20]
MusicHound Rock2/5[21]
Record Mirror[22]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[23]

Despite its commercial shortcomings, After Bathing at Baxter's received high praise from a number of critics.[24] One of its most positive reviews came from Jann Wenner in the newly founded Rolling Stone magazine, proclaiming that Jefferson Airplane "could be the best rock and roll band in America today" and that the album was "probably the best, considering all the criteria and the exceptions, rock and roll album so far produced by an American group."[5][24] A review in Hit Parader called the album "excellent" and "a good follow-up to Surrealistic Pillow."[25] In a later interview with the same magazine, the Moody Blues' keyboardist Mike Pinder named it one of his favorite albums, along with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, Younger Than Yesterday by the Byrds, and Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel.[26] Conversely, Paul Nelson gave a negative review in Hullabaloo magazine, writing: "The Jefferson Airplane never even get off the ground with After Bathing at Baxter's. How a great group like this can go down in flames after two fine albums is a real puzzle."[27] The review prompted a reader to send a letter to the magazine saying that the album was "more important than Mr. Nelson thinks it is" and that it "must be graded on a curve, just as Sgt. Pepper was."[28]

After Bathing at Baxter's did not chart in the United Kingdom,[29] but it nevertheless received attention from several British music journals. Chris Welch of Melody Maker praised the instrumental and vocal work and deemed it the "most consistent album yet" from one of the "most mature of America's West Coast groups".[30] Writing for Beat Instrumental, John Ford felt it was a "slight disappointment" compared to the band's earlier material, although he praised the production and "feel" of the album and concluded, "Airplane have good ideas which will flourish, eventually."[31] Norman Jopling and Peter Jones wrote in Record Mirror that the album was "pretentious" and failed to match "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" or contemporary albums by the Byrds and Country Joe and the Fish.[22]

Track listing

Side one

Streetmasse
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil"Paul Kantner4:29
2."A Small Package of Value Will Come to You, Shortly"Spencer Dryden, Gary Blackman, Bill Thompson1:39
3."Young Girl Sunday Blues"Marty Balin, Kantner3:33
The War Is Over
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Martha"Kantner3:26
5."Wild Tyme (H)"Kantner3:08
Hymn to an Older Generation
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."The Last Wall of the Castle"Jorma Kaukonen2:40
7."Rejoyce" ([n 1])Grace Slick4:01

Side two

How Suite It Is
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Watch Her Ride"Kantner3:11
9."Spare Chaynge" (instrumental)Jack Casady, Dryden, Kaukonen9:12
Shizoforest Love Suite
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Two Heads"Slick3:10
11."Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon"Kantner5:09
2003 CD reissue Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil" (long version from Jefferson Airplane Loves You)Kantner11:04
13."Martha" (single version B-side RCA #9389)Kantner3:26
14."Two Heads" (alternate version)Slick3:15
15."Things Are Better in the East" (demo version)Balin2:31
16."Young Girl Sunday Blues" (instrumental; hidden track)Balin, Kantner3:59

Notes

  1. ↑ All lower-case information according to album notes.

Personnel

Jefferson Airplane
  • Grace Slick – piano, organ, recorder, vocals, lead vocals on "rejoyce" and "Two Heads"
  • Marty Balin – rhythm guitar, vocals, lead vocals on "Young Girl Sunday Blues"
  • Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals, lead vocals on "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil", "Martha", "Wild Tyme", "Watch Her Ride" and Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon"
  • Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, sitar, vocals, lead vocals on "The Last Wall of the Castle"
  • Jack Casady – bass
  • Spencer Dryden – drums, percussion, horn arrangement
Additional personnel
  • Gary Blackman – vocals
  • Bill Thompson – vocals

Production

  • Jefferson Airplane – design, notes, song arrangement
  • Al Schmitt – producer
  • Richie Schmitt – engineer
  • Ron Cobb – album cover, artwork
  • The Walking Owls – album title
  • Alan Pappé – photography
  • Recorded at RCA, Hollywood

Charts

Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[32] 17

Notes

  1. ↑ Tamarkin and Butterworth write the drawing in question was what resembled an exclamation point with an eye at the bottom,[14] while Slick said it was a tracing Kantner made of the bottom of a cupcake.[15]

References

Citation

  1. ↑ "Acoustic Guitar Sessions Presents Jorma Kaukonen". Acoustic Guitar. January 8, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  2. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. 1 2 Jefferson Airplane biography, Rolling Stone
  4. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 2, 1967. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  5. 1 2 "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 9, 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  6. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. December 2, 1968. p. 87. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  7. 1 2 Tamarkin 2003, p. 155.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Bielen 2021, p. 91.
  9. 1 2 Wimpfheimer, Seth (September 2022). "Unsung | The Book of Seth | Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's". Head Heritage. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  10. 1 2 Kesler, Jenell (21 August 2018). "From The Vault: Jefferson Airplane - "After Bathing At Baxter's" (1967)". It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Butterworth 2021, p. 48; Bielen 2021, pp. 90–91; Tamarkin 2003, p. 155.
  12. ↑ "A Jefferson Airplane original painting created by artist Ron Cobb for their album jacket "After Bathing at Baxter's," 1967". Bonhams. 16 June 2008. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  13. ↑ Bielen 2021, p. 91; Tamarkin 2003, p. 155.
  14. 1 2 Tamarkin 2003, p. 155; Butterworth 2021, p. 48.
  15. ↑ Fong-Torres, Ben (12 November 1970). "Grace Slick With Paul Kantner: The Rolling Stone Interview – Page 2". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  16. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "After Bathing at Baxter's Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Clutterbuck, Jeff (23 August 2009). "After Bathing At Baxter's". The Daily Vault. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Larkin 2006, p. 604.
  19. ↑ Strong 2004, p. 780.
  20. ↑ "After Bathing At Baxter's". Music Story. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  21. ↑ Selvin 1999, p. 599.
  22. 1 2 Jopling & Jones 1968, p. 8.
  23. ↑ Evans 2004, p. 426.
  24. 1 2 Tamarkin 2003, p. 156.
  25. ↑ Masulli, Delehant & Paulsen 1968, p. 60.
  26. ↑ Pinder 1969, p. 58.
  27. ↑ Nelson 1968, p. 37.
  28. ↑ Magnussen 1968, p. 14.
  29. ↑ Butterworth 2021, p. 48.
  30. ↑ Welch 1968, p. 12.
  31. ↑ Ford 1968, p. 40.
  32. ↑ "Jefferson Airplane Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

Bibliography

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