Blows Against The Empire is one of a group of albums that was produced by an extended family of Bay Area musicians, usually referred to as PERRO (Planet Earth Rock N Roll Orchestra), that primarily comprised members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
OK this isn't really a Jefferson Starship album, though the name does appear on the cover - that band didn't form until about four years later. This is a Paul Kantner/Grace Slick project that was recorded right after "Volunteers". They are helped by most of the people who appeared on David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name", which was being recorded at the same time. Jerry Garcia, Crosby and Nash, and sundry others. The album is a sci-fi concept story about a bunch of hippies who steal a starship and "establish a brave new world in some distant galaxy". The music is the thing this is an awesome album and everyone on it is at the top of their form. Lots of great interplay between Garcia and the piano player, not sure who it is. Four great bonus tracks on this.
Side one
1. "Mau Mau (Amerikon)" Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Joey Covington 6:33
2. "The Baby Tree" Rosalie Sorrels 1:42
3. "Let's Go Together[n 1]" Kantner 4:11
4. "A Child Is Coming" Kantner, Slick, David Crosby 6:15
Side two: Blows Against the Empire
1. "Sunrise" Slick 1:54
2. "Hijack" Kantner, Slick, Marty Balin, Gary Blackman 8:18
3. "Home" Kantner, Phil Sawyer, Graham Nash 0:37
4. "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite?" Kantner, Crosby 3:42
5. "XM" Kantner, Sawyer, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart 1:22
6. "Starship" Kantner, Slick, Balin, Blackman 7:07
Remastered CD bonus tracks
11. "Let's Go Together[n 1]" (alternate lyrics) Kantner 4:22
12. "Sunrise" (acoustic demo) Slick 1:21
13. "Hijack" (acoustic demo) Kantner 7:02
14. "SFX" (raw sound effects for XM) Kantner, Sawyer, Garcia, Hart 2:04
15. "Starship" (Jefferson Airplane live, recorded September 14, 1970 at Fillmore West) Kantner, Slick, Balin, Blackman 10:07
16. "Radio Spots" (hidden track) 2:57
Paul Kantner – vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, banjo, bass machine
Grace Slick – piano, vocals
Jerry Garcia – banjo on "Let's Go Together", pedal steel guitar on "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite", sound effects and vocals on "XM", lead guitar on "Starship"
Bill Kreutzmann – drums on "Let's Go Together"
Mickey Hart – percussion on "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite", sound effects and vocals on "XM"
Joey Covington – drums and vocals on "Mau Mau", congas on "Hijack"
Jack Casady – bass on "A Child Is Coming" and "Sunrise"
David Crosby – vocals and guitar on "A Child Is Coming" and "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite", background vocals on "Starship"
Graham Nash – congas on "Hijack", sound effects on "Home", background vocals on "Starship"
David Freiberg – background vocals on "Starship"
Harvey Brooks – bass on "Starship"
Peter Kaukonen – lead guitar on "Mau Mau"
Phil Sawyer – sound effects on "Home" and "XM"
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Blows Against The Empire is one of a group of albums that was produced by an extended family of Bay Area musicians, usually referred to as PERRO (Planet Earth Rock N Roll Orchestra), that primarily comprised members of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
OK this isn't really a Jefferson Starship album, though the name does appear on the cover - that band didn't form until about four years later. This is a Paul Kantner/Grace Slick project that was recorded right after "Volunteers". They are helped by most of the people who appeared on David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name", which was being recorded at the same time. Jerry Garcia, Crosby and Nash, and sundry others. The album is a sci-fi concept story about a bunch of hippies who steal a starship and "establish a brave new world in some distant galaxy". The music is the thing this is an awesome album and everyone on it is at the top of their form. Lots of great interplay between Garcia and the piano player, not sure who it is. Four great bonus tracks on this.
Side one
1. "Mau Mau (Amerikon)" Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Joey Covington 6:33
2. "The Baby Tree" Rosalie Sorrels 1:42
3. "Let's Go Together[n 1]" Kantner 4:11
4. "A Child Is Coming" Kantner, Slick, David Crosby 6:15
Side two: Blows Against the Empire
1. "Sunrise" Slick 1:54
2. "Hijack" Kantner, Slick, Marty Balin, Gary Blackman 8:18
3. "Home" Kantner, Phil Sawyer, Graham Nash 0:37
4. "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite?" Kantner, Crosby 3:42
5. "XM" Kantner, Sawyer, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart 1:22
6. "Starship" Kantner, Slick, Balin, Blackman 7:07
Remastered CD bonus tracks
11. "Let's Go Together[n 1]" (alternate lyrics) Kantner 4:22
12. "Sunrise" (acoustic demo) Slick 1:21
13. "Hijack" (acoustic demo) Kantner 7:02
14. "SFX" (raw sound effects for XM) Kantner, Sawyer, Garcia, Hart 2:04
15. "Starship" (Jefferson Airplane live, recorded September 14, 1970 at Fillmore West) Kantner, Slick, Balin, Blackman 10:07
16. "Radio Spots" (hidden track) 2:57
Paul Kantner – vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, banjo, bass machine
Grace Slick – piano, vocals
Jerry Garcia – banjo on "Let's Go Together", pedal steel guitar on "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite", sound effects and vocals on "XM", lead guitar on "Starship"
Bill Kreutzmann – drums on "Let's Go Together"
Mickey Hart – percussion on "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite", sound effects and vocals on "XM"
Joey Covington – drums and vocals on "Mau Mau", congas on "Hijack"
Jack Casady – bass on "A Child Is Coming" and "Sunrise"
David Crosby – vocals and guitar on "A Child Is Coming" and "Have You Seen the Stars Tonite", background vocals on "Starship"
Graham Nash – congas on "Hijack", sound effects on "Home", background vocals on "Starship"
David Freiberg – background vocals on "Starship"
Harvey Brooks – bass on "Starship"
Peter Kaukonen – lead guitar on "Mau Mau"
Phil Sawyer – sound effects on "Home" and "XM"
GET DOWN HERE
