Grace Slick & The Great Society ‎– Collector's Item From The San Francisco Scene / Live At The Matrix

Before joining Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick sang lead and played various instruments for the Great Society, who were nearly as popular as Jefferson Airplane in the early days of the San Francisco psychedelic scene. Instrumentally, the Great Society were not as disciplined as Airplane. But they were at least their equals in imagination, infusing their probing songwriting with Indian influences, minor key melodic shifts, and groundbreaking, reverb-soaked psychedelic guitar by Slick's brother-in-law, Darby Slick. Darby was also responsible for penning "Somebody to Love," which Grace brought with her to Airplane, who took it into the Top Five in 1967. The Great Society broke up in late 1966 after recording only one locally released single; after Jefferson Airplane became stars, Columbia issued this stunning live album of the Great Society performing at San Francisco's Matrix Club in 1966 (also released as "Collector´s Edition").

This album did not break any sales-records, but it contains splendid and psychedelic performances of the later hits "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love". Grace Slick proved herself a talented singer: She attempted to imitate the sound of an electric guitar and developed a unique and forceful singing style. "Sally Go Round The Roses" with it's extended instrumental-passage, is an example of what would later come from groups like Iron Butterfly.

Grace has always said that "White Rabbit" was intended as a slap toward parents who read their children stories such as Alice in Wonderland (in which Alice uses several drug-like substances in order to change herself) and then wondered why their children grew up to do drugs. For Grace and others in the '60s, drugs were an inevitable part of mind-expanding and social experimentation. With its enigmatic lyrics, "White Rabbit" became one of the first songs to sneak drug references past censors on the radio. Even Marty Balin, Grace's eventual rival in the Airplane, regarded the song as a "masterpiece."

The historical importance of this genuine live-document can´t be overestimated.


Tracklist:

Sally Go 'Round The Roses 6:32
Didn't Think So 3:23
Grimly Forming 3:54
Somebody To Love 4:28
Father Bruce 3:31
Outlaw Blues 2:28
Often As I May 3:43
Arbitration 4:59
White Rabbit 6:15
That's How It Is 2:39
Darkly Smiling 3:08
Nature Boy 3:10
You Can't Cry 2:58
Daydream Nightmare 4:34
Everybody Knows 2:37
Born To Be Burned 3:13
Father 6:35


Grace Slick & The Great Society ‎– Collector's Item From The San Francisco Scene / Live At The Matrix
(320 kbps, cover art included)