Paul Kantner, Grace Slick & David Freiberg, Baron Von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun (side A)

1973's Baron Von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun leaps out to an energetic start with "The Ballad of the Chrome Nun" — it strikes me as a sort of precursor to Patti Smith's rock songs, but I'll likely never know whether Smith was influenced by Grace Slick.  There's still some softness here, and throughout the album, that would never be at home on any album associated with punk — the drums are low in the mix and lack impact, while layered vocal harmonies fill the foreground.  The rest of the album generally lacks the drive of "The Ballad of the Chrome Nun", with memorable songs like "Walkin'" alternating with less focused tracks.  Guests range from Jerry Garcia, whose guitar solos are prominently featured, to the Pointer Sisters, who are apparently some of the voices filling the foreground.  Kantner and Slick are working to move away from the overt hippie influences on 1970's Blows Against the Empire, but they haven't settled into the commercial rock template of Jefferson Starship.  The resulting album wanders between these influences, along with some straightforward rock that has a bit in common with late-era Jefferson Airplane — the magic of their talents is obvious in places, but it generally fails to sustain.  The front cover image, which depicts the muscle of human bodies, references nothing, which seems to further reflect the album's confused search for direction.