Red Octopus
Studio album by
Jefferson Starship
ReleasedJuly 1975[1]
RecordedFebruary 1975
StudioWally Heider Studios, San Francisco, CA
GenreArt pop[2]
Length42:00
LabelGrunt
ProducerJefferson Starship, Larry Cox
Jefferson Starship chronology
Dragon Fly
(1974)		 Red Octopus
(1975)		 Spitfire
(1976)
Alternative cover
Cover art of original LP release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [3]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[4]

Red Octopus is the second album by American rock band Jefferson Starship, released on Grunt Records in 1975. Certified double platinum by RIAA in 1995, it is the best-selling album by any incarnation of Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off groups. The single "Miracles" was the highest-charting single any permutation of the band had until Starship's "We Built This City" a decade later, ultimately peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart; the album itself reached No. 1 for four non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. As was common in the era, stereo and quadraphonic mixes of the album were released concurrently.

Following a guest appearance on the preceding Dragon Fly, Jefferson Airplane founder Marty Balin returned as a fully integrated member of the ensemble. Balin wrote or co-wrote five of the ten tracks on the album, including "Miracles."[5] The group attempted to create a commercial sound, which was a total contrast to their past works and paved the musical path for their next two albums.[6]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Fast Buck Freddie"Grace SlickCraig Chaquico3:28
2."Miracles"Marty BalinMarty Balin6:52
3."Git Fiddler" (instrumental) Papa John Creach, Kevin Moore, John Parker3:08
4."Ai Garimasũ (There Is Love)"Grace SlickGrace Slick4:15
5."Sweeter than Honey"Balin, Craig ChaquicoCraig Chaquico, Pete Sears3:20
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Play on Love"Grace SlickPete Sears3:44
2."Tumblin'"Marty Balin, Robert HunterDavid Freiberg3:27
3."I Want to See Another World"Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Marty BalinPaul Kantner4:34
4."Sandalphon" (instrumental) Pete Sears4:08
5."There Will Be Love"Paul Kantner, Marty BalinPaul Kantner, Craig Chaquico5:04
2005 CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
11."Miracles" (single version)Marty BalinMarty Balin3:29
12."Band Introduction" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)  1:14
13."Fast Buck Freddie" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)Grace SlickCraig Chaquico3:34
14."There Will Be Love" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)Paul Kantner, Marty BalinPaul Kantner, Craig Chaquico4:57
15."You're Driving Me Crazy" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)Vic SmithVic Smith6:44

Personnel

Additional personnel

Production

  • Jefferson Starship – producer
  • Larry Cox – producer, engineer
  • Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
  • Steve Mantoani, Jeffrey Husband – recordists
  • Paul Dowell – amp consultant
  • Dave Roberts – string and horn arrangement
  • Recorded and Mixed at Wally Heiders, San Francisco
  • Mastered by Kent Duncan, Kendun Recorders, Burbank
  • Live tracks recorded at Winterland, November 7, 1975
  • Bill Thompson – manager
  • Frank Mulvey – art director
  • Jim Marshall – liner photograph
  • Gribbitt! – graphics

Charts

Chart (1975-1976) Peak
position
Australian albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 69
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 13
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 15
US Billboard 200[10] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ↑ Viglione, Joe. "Miracles by Jefferson Starship - Track Info | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Jefferson Starship: Red Octopus". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. ↑ "Red Octopus - Review". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Jefferson Starship - Biography". billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4042a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "Charts.nz – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. ↑ "American album certifications – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Recording Industry Association of America.
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