Jefferson Airplane, Bless its Pointed Little Head (side A)

Jefferson Airplane had several modes as a band that they navigate between and combine.  They're best remembered for their simple, radio-friendly hits, which are mostly missing from Bless its Pointed Little Head.  The version of "Somebody to Love" that's included here has Grace Slick drifting away from the signature vocal melody, and the instrumental interaction emphasized instead.  My favorite part of the band is their abstract and strangely-constructed psychedelic side, which often combined with pop songs on After Bathing at Baxter's, the album which directly preceded this one.  Here, the extended 11-minute exploration called "Bear Melt", with improvised vocals against a very loose structure, captures perhaps the most extreme example of the band's cerebral, open-ended explorations.  Most of Bless its Pointed Little Head emphasizes Airplane's blues-rock tendencies, which rarely turned up on their studio albums.  Kaukonen, Dryden, and Casady were all incredible players in the genre, who obviously had fun performing together live, and sharing a love of the style.  While this aspect of Airplane feels somewhat dated to me, the talent and enthusiasm always shine through.  The mix of Bless its Pointed Little Head is a bit bass-heavy — as great a player as Casady is, I'd like to hear a bit more of Spencer Dryden's drums.  The amazing textured paper cover changes subtly as ink is applied more in some parts than others, though the punch line of the image is unrelated to the excellent music here.