Blows Against the Empire [Expanded Edition]

by Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship

Overview

Paul Kantner's debut solo album actually was credited to "Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship," the first use of the "Starship" billing, predating the formation of the group with that name by four years. Kantner used it, extrapolating on the name of his current band, Jefferson Airplane, to refer to Blows's science fiction concept: A bunch of left-wing hippies closely resembling his San Francisco Bay Area compatriots hijack a government-built starship and head off to re-start the human race on another planet. Kantner had presaged this post-apocalyptic colonization idea on "Wooden Ships" on the last Airplane album, Volunteers, and here he expanded it out to album length with the help of members of The Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Crosby, Stills and Nash, plus assorted others, a shifting supergroup informally known as PERRO, The Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra. (Kantner later would borrow that name for a subsequent solo album.) Blows actually was a little loose as concept albums go, seeming as concerned with the arrival of Kantner and Grace Slick's baby as with the departure of the starship. Kantner employed often dense instrumentation and complex arrangements, but there were enough hooks and harmonies to keep things interesting. Blows eventually went gold, and it was even nominated for a science fiction award usually reserved for novels. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2005
Label:	Bmg / Legacy / Rca / Sony Music Entertainment
UPC:	0886977024320
Rank:	4125

Tracks

1. Mau Mau (Amerikon)
2. The Baby Tree
3. Let's Go Together
4. A Child is Coming
5. Sunrise
6. Hijack
7. Home
8. Have You Seen the Stars Tonite
9. X-M
10. Starship
11. Let's Go Together [Alternate Lyrics]
12. Sunrise [Grace's Acoustic Demo Tk. 8]
13. Hijack [Paul's Acoustic Demo Tk. 5]
14. SFX
15. Starship

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Paul Kantner   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Jefferson Starship   Primary Artist
Mickey Hart   Primary Artist,Drums
Jerry Garcia   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Banjo,Guitar
Grace Slick   Primary Artist,Vocals,Keyboards
Graham Nash   Vocals (Background),Guest Artist,Vocals,Percussion
David Freiberg   Vocals (Background),Vocals
David Crosby   Vocals (Background),Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Peter Kaukonen   Guitar
Bill Kreutzmann   Drums
Jack Casady   Bass
Joey Covington   Drums,Percussion
Jorma Kaukonen   Guitar
Harvey Brooks   Bass

Technical Credits

Phil Sawyer   Audio Engineer,Composer
Paul Kantner   Audio Production,Design,Composer,Producer
Don Wardell   Project Coordinator
Covington   Composer
Joe Lopes   Engineer
Graham Nash   Composer
Joey Covington   Composer
Grace Slick   Composer
Jeff Tamarkin   Liner Notes
Jerry Garcia   Composer
Rosalie Sorrels   Composer
David Crosby   Composer
John Snyder   Digital Producer
Jefferson Starship   Performer
Mickey Hart   Composer
Marty Balin   Composer
Allen Zentz   Engineer
Pat Ieraci   Engineer
Jim Goldberg   Design
Gary Blackman   Composer