Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock movement. Various successor incarnations of the band have performed under different names, reflecting changing times and performer lineups, known as Jefferson Starship, and later simply Starship.

Influence

The original Jefferson Airplane, along with the Byrds, the Doors, the Grateful Dead, The Lovin' Spoonful, the Mamas and the Papas, Tommy James & the Shondells and to some degree Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will always be associated with the more melodic end of the north American rock spectrum and in due course other groups, such as Steely Dan and The Eagles, continued to blend elements of folk, jazz and rock and bring the results to a global audience. Of all these bands, Jefferson Airplane excelled in the psychedelic domain and in their penchant for pretentious track titles, which came to characterize the 1965-75 era.

Related Topics:
Byrds - The Doors - Grateful Dead - The Lovin' Spoonful - Mamas and the Papas - Tommy James & the Shondells - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Steely Dan - The Eagles - Psychedelic

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British bands apparently influenced by the mellow lyricism of the west coast sound included Barclay James Harvest, David Bowie, Curved Air, Family, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, the Moody Blues, the Small Faces, Pentangle and Yes. The Beatles have always stressed the influence that the Beach Boys had on their musical development (especially Pet Sounds) but it seems likely that other music from the west coast also spread eastwards and played a key part in making pop music more symphonic and less predictable than it had been before 1965. The era of trans-Atlantic jet travel ushered in a decade earlier and the ability to send TV broadcasts by satellite also facilitated a faster interplay of musical influences across the Atlantic. Donovan was evidently one of the first British pop musicians to become aware of them and was undoubtedly influenced by the group to some degree. He famously namechecked the band in his 1966 song "The Fat Angel" (included on his Sunshine Superman LP in 1967), written many months before the Airplane had become internationally known.

Related Topics:
Barclay James Harvest - David Bowie - Curved Air - Family - Fairport Convention - Jethro Tull - King Crimson - Moody Blues - Small Faces - Pentangle - Yes - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds - 1965 - Donovan - Namecheck

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The role of the American Forces Network (AFN) with powerful medium wave radio transmitters situated in West Germany and "pirate radio" ships in the North Sea bringing US hits to the ears of European youth should also be recognized as a force that extended the global reach of West Coast music in the 1964-1972 period.

Related Topics:
American Forces Network - Medium wave - West Germany - West Coast music

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Record producers who worked with the original band included Greg Edward, Rick Jarrard, Matthew Katz, Ron Nevison, Tommy Oliver and Al Schmitt.

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