Notes

---

CD 1

[While the following songs were traded to me as the given dates, it appears
that all are from several Sept/Oct '66 Winterland and Fillmore shows that
were collapsed into a show purportedly Sept. 30th! Grain of salt time;
the early period of the JA is steeped in myth, fiction & fantasy . . .
and some of us like it that way 8').]

Other Side of this Life
It's No Secret

Sept. 23, 1966? -- Signe Anderson is the lead singer, but will leave the band
in just two months. The sound of a plane taking off that opens this set was used
for several songs, and is most likely the progenitor of the starship taking off
in Paul's BLOWS AGAINST THE EMPIRE.

--

Come Up the Years
Fly Trans Love Airways

Oct. 2, 1966? -- first appearance of Donovan's "Fat Angel," a.k.a. "Fly Trans
Love Airways." The original fat angel was Mama Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the
Papas, and of course the Airplane was an additional allusion.

--

Don't Slip Away
High Flying Bird

Oct. 7, 1966? -- These songs originally appeared with Signe as vocalist,
although early Grace versions do exist.

--

[We're on a little bit firmer ground with the next; however, there is the matter
of Grace's first show -- either Oct. 16th, or taped for the first time Nov. 6th.
Once again I've given the trading dates to these, but be aware they are debatable.]

Bringing Me Down
Jam

Oct. 14, 1966 -- Signe begins her last three-day run at the Fillmore. Confusion
exists over whether she finished the entire run, or whether Grace stepped in
on the last day, Nov. 16, so I have just put in the known Signe run of the first
two days.

--

Bill Graham intro > jam
3-5ths of a Mile in Ten Seconds

Oct. 15th, 1966 -- first appearance of "3-5ths of a Mile" and with Signe as
vocalist. Grace's version would of course open SURREALISTIC PILLOW.

--

My Best Friend
Plastic Fantastic Lover
Today
White Rabbit
In the Midnight Hour
She Has Funny Cars

Nov. 6, 1966 (Oct. 16?) -- Some have argued this is the third day of the Oct.
Fillmore run, or else another venue closer to that date. A historic concert,
whatever the real date.

--

Somebody to Love -- Nov. 25th, 1966 <-- Grace had performed this with her original
Go To Her -- Nov. 26th, 1966 band, the Great Society, but this is the
first Airplane appearance of the hit. Both
Signe and Grace have versions of the
latter song; this is Grace's.

*****
CD 2

Ronald Reagan's reaction to the new "scene"
Get Together

Feb. 4, 1967 -- classic speech by a young governor as well as a classic
song by Dino Valenti. From the venerable SF NIGHTS collection.

--

Jam
Ballad of You, Me, and Pooneil

Feb. 8, 1967

--

Saturday Afternoon / Won't You Try

May 19, 1967

--

Saturday Afternoon / Won't You Try
Martha

Oct. 2-5 (?), 1967 -- rehearsals for recording AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S. Very
haunting "Martha" jam with Grace on recorder and keyboards.

--

Young Girl Sunday Blues
Two Heads
Share a Little Joke

Feb. 1, 1968

--

Star Track
Greasy Heart

May 17-18, 1968. Rare live performance of Jorma's contribution to a new album in the
making, CROWN OF CREATION, and Grace's (not the first appearance of "GH," that was
a day earlier on the 17th, and this is from the 18th).

*****
CD 3

Fat Angel -- May 18th, 1968 . . . a later version emphasizing its jam nature.

--

Wooden Ships -- April 26, 1969 . . . first live appearance of the Airplane version;
the song was co-written by Paul, David Crosby, and Steven Stills, who also did a
version of their own.

--

Good Shepherd
We Can Be Together

May 7, 1969 -- more tunes from the album in progress, VOLUNTEERS.

--

Ballad of You, Me, & Pooneil -- June 9, 1969 . . . another version.

--

Good Shepherd
Eskimo Blue Day -- June 13, 1969 . . . from the famous Family Dog shows. The last
song, a favorite, was rarely performed in concert, the most famous version
coming from the commercially available WOODSTOCK II album. I thought about putting
that in, but at the very last moment came across another live version 8').

--

Wild Thyme
Eskimo Blue Day

Oct. 26, 1969 -- a version of "EBD" just a few months after Woodstock.

--

Greasy Heart -- Feb. 2, 1970 . . . now a staple song.

Have You Seen the Saucers -- March 24, 1970 . . . a first appearance.

*****
CD 4

Crown of Creation -- May 1st, 1970.

Mexico -- May 7, 1970.

Eat Starch Mom -- Sept. 3, 1972 -- the Airplane is near the end of its run; Marty
is nearly finished with them, but Grace and Paul pull together, as do Jorma and Jack.

Blind John
Long John Silver
Aerie
Sept. 22, 1972 -- famous last concert of the Airplane; lots of versions exist as
it appeared (in quadraphonic!) on radio. This is the fullest and best-sounding
of the many versions that I have. "Blind John" was on a Micky Hart solo album with
appearances by members of the Airplane, and "Long John Silver" was the album of
the day being promoted; not until 1989 would the original Airplane put out another.
"Feel So Good" indicates the direction Jorma and Jack would head (Hot Tuna).

Love Don't Lie
Sept. 10, 1984 -- Free concert at the Bandshell by Marty and his solo band; Paul
Kantner surprises the crowd by showing up for a few old Airplane tunes: this
lays the groundwork for the KBC Band when Casady joins in, and leads directly
to the Airplane reunion five years later.

Planes
Aug. 18, 1989 -- Riverside Theater, Milwaukee. First stop on the 1989 reunion
tour, and the first public performance of "Planes" by the reunited Airplane
(their first single off the 1989 album).

Good Shepherd
Freedom
Sept. 22, 1989 -- my first Airplane concert! Coincidentally it was 17 years to
the day of the very last original Airplane concert above. "Freedom" was Grace's
contribution to the reunion album that year, and was a show-stopper at the end of
the first set; her version here is so brilliant that a friend of mine who went
along with me said to me, somewhat disgustedly, "she has NO right to still sing that
well!"

Summer of Love
True Love
Crown of Creation

Sept. 30, 1989 -- two songs from the reunion album, and an old favorite as encore.
This free concert in Golden Gate Park was the last full concert by the original
Airplane, and was a memorable experience of mine.

She Has Funny Cars
Oct. 7, 1989 -- last appearance of the original Airplane, who performed five songs
in Washington D.C. at a free concert to highlight the plight of the homeless.

*****
CD 5

Brief snippets of interviews I have done with Airplane / Starship members followed
by songs of that particular member:

Hal talks with Jorma

Plastic Fantastic Lover -- Sept. 28th, 1989 -- the last JA show at the Fillmore.

Hal talks with Papa John

Somewhere Over the Rainbow -- Oct. 9, 1992 . . . Paul's new lineup of the Jefferson
Starship, featuring Paul, Jack on bass, Prairie Prince on drums, Slick Aguilar (who,
btw, was once lead guitarist for Crosby and Nash), and a new female vocalist,
Darby Gould, formerly of World Entertainment War.

Hal talks with Darby Gould

Genesis Hall -- Darby sang covers suggested by Paul: interesting choice, no? 8')
Also from the Catalyst, Santa Cruz, concert where Papa John played SotR. I was
backstage beforehand talking to Papa John, and perhaps they both played and sang
these numbers for me, as I had asked about SotR and told Darby I was a Fairport
Convention fan. . . .

PERRO -- the studio efforts here were done at Wally Heider's studio in SF, and
include an interesting mix of people: here David Crosby experiments with a new
song of his with help from Paul and Jack (Phil?) and Jorma and Grace and Jerry Garcia.
Paul dubbed them "the Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra" and had them guest
on several early Jefferson Starship albums. This selection is #15, the fourth
in various tries of Crosby's song. He never finished it, but Paul did.

Mountain Song
Have You Seen the Stars Tonight

Feb. 13, 1994 -- this is Paul Kantner and Jack and Diana Mangano (Darby's
replacement) at the Seva Benefit, along with Tim Gorman on keyboards. Here Paul
plays the unfinished Crosby song above with his own lyrics, and then invites
Crosby to sing on another song they wrote together, the gorgeous "Have You Seen
the Stars Tonight."

Transcaucasion White Boy

More PERRO-influenced music; from the working tapes of BARON VON TOLLBOOTH
AND THE CHROME NUN (David Crosby's pet names for Paul and Grace).

Silver Spoon

A demo by Grace. Later Jack Casady came in and helped her finish it off for the
SUNFIGHTER album.

BLOWS AGAINST THE EMPIRE

A live performance by the classic early Jefferson Starship (Johnny Barbata, who
played drums for CSN&Y; Papa John; Paul; Grace; and Pete Sears who later also
played for Hot Tuna, and still does on occasion). At Radio City Music Hall in
New York, Oct. 19, 1974. Again you hear Crosby/Paul's HYSTST, as
well as the final arrangment by Graham Nash for Paul's first solo album.