One for Jorma /Airplane/Tuna fans

[Minnesota Flats]

Perk up your ears at around 16:50, Guildies, when he mentions what electric guitar he played on "Surrealistic Pillow": I had never heard that before:



I had to do a fist pump when he opines that "Baxters" and "Pointed Head" are the two albums that best caught the essence of The Airplane. Despite the fact that, at least for many, "Pillow" was their signature album, I've always felt it was "Baxters" by a country mile.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Shoot: my memory must be goin'! I knew I'd seen PICs of him with a T-Bird someplace before:



This one must've been taken shortly before Skip and Signe had left:



I also remember reading in an interview that he despised the Ric he played early on (and on "Takes Off") and that he threw it against a wall as soon as he got another electric that he liked better.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Some other, random, "new-to-me" PICs I stumbled across this morning. Thought maybe somebody else here might find them interesting:

1965, "pre-Casady" Airplane: Jorma, Paul, Skip, Signe, Bob Harvey (bass), Marty:


Jorma w/Ric, Signe:


Jack with Guild SFII #1:

 

[Minnesota Flats]

The Bob Harvey saga:

Bob Harvey - Feature Stories - Stomp And Stammer

Flight of a Lifetime: Bob Harvey on His Adventures with . . .

stompandstammer.com

 

[Rocky]

Jorma w/Ric, Signe:

Didn't realize it was a Rick 12. Could that have ended up in Kantner's hands at some point.

Apparently they were both playing Rick 12's early on.

 

[Rocky]

The Bob Harvey saga:

Bob Harvey - Feature Stories - Stomp And Stammer

Flight of a Lifetime: Bob Harvey on His Adventures with . . .

stompandstammer.com

Great picture of Kantner with his 'first Jefferson Airplane' guitar as mentioned in his 80's ad: https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/1980s-guild-ads.216595/page-3#post-2154566

The article says it's a photo of Slippery Rock String Band, but that is unmistakably Kantner, and the other members look an awful lot like Signe, Marty and Jorma. Couldn't swear whether the drummer is Skip or not.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

That drummer is probably Jerry Peloquin, who very briefly (a few weeks) preceded Spence in the lineup. According to what I've read, he left following a dust up with Kantner.

 

[DrumBob]

I knew Jorma played a Thunderbird in the early days of JA, as well as a Rickenbacker 360-12. They started out as a folk/rock band emulating the jangly Rick sound of The Byrds. You can hear that on the first album. Once they recorded Surrealistic Pillow, Jorma's Rick 12 disappeared forever.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Just the mixed tuning key orientation alone on the Ric would drive me nuts.

Aren't 12-strings ornery enough without adding that?

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Did Jorma give hisT-Bird to little brother, Peter?


Grace with Vox Tempest @ Great Society recording session:

 

[adorshki]

Perk up your ears at around 16:50, Guildies, when he mentions what electric guitar he played on "Surrealistic Pillow": I had never heard that before:



I had to do a fist pump when he opines that "Baxters" and "Pointed Head" are the two albums that best caught the essence of The Airplane. Despite the fact that, at least for many, "Pillow" was their signature album, I've always felt it was "Baxters" by a country mile.

Agreed re Baxter's, I only really warmed up to Pillow about ten years ago. For Spencer Dryden's opening to "She Has Funny Cars"-sheer Krupa.


And now we know why Jorma's guitar sounded so "crisp". Saw the T-bird info before, though.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

Hmmmmm...

In this undated shot of The Great Society performing (while Grace was still with them) Jerry Slick (her brother-in-law on R) appears to be playing a T-Bird:

 

[Rocky]

Hmmmmm...

In this undated shot of The Great Society performing (while Grace was still with them) Jerry Slick (her brother-in-law on R) appears to be playing a T-Bird:

Zal cast a long shadow among electric folkies.

 

[Bill Ashton]

I have not read this whole thread, but in Jorma's book, he related that "White Rabbit" was done with his Guild and a Standell (solid state) amp.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

and a Standell (solid state) amp.

I've always assumed that that is one of the reasons his tone usually tended to sound pretty raw.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

What the heck: why go only half-way down the rabbit hole (apt metaphor for this thread, to be sure):

Jorma, age 2 (before he joined The Airplane):



Marty, age 5(?):



Grace, age 16:

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Hmmmmm...

In this undated shot of The Great Society performing (while Grace was still with them) Jerry Slick (her brother-in-law on R) appears to be playing a T-Bird:

A small correction. Should be "Darby Slick (her brother-in-law on R) appears to be playing a T-Bird". Jerry Slick (her husband) was the drummer

 

[mellowgerman]

Oh heck yeah, Airplane party! Count me in! I've saved so many random Airplane photos over the last 20 years, they're scattered and mixed in all over my computer, google drive, external hard-drives, etc. but here are a few cool ones I had easy access to:

 

[Minnesota Flats]

here are a few cool ones I had easy access to

Cool. Thanks.

In that PIC of Casady poppin' a top, the guy on the right looks like Will Scarlett the harp player, who played with Hot Tuna early on.

 

[Minnesota Flats]

A small correction. Should be "Darby Slick (her brother-in-law on R) appears to be playing a T-Bird". Jerry Slick (her husband) was the drummer

Thanks: I did get that crossed up.

Bare with me: I'm only 10 years younger than her, so my brain is a bit "road worn"!