Dragon Fly
	Produced by Jefferson Starship and Larry Cox
	Released on October 1974
	US CHART POSITION #11 . . . GOLD RECORD (2/19/75)
	Find it at GEMM
BFL1-0717 cover [high resolution photo]

T his seems as good a place as any to ask if Jefferson Starship belongs in a discussion of progressive rock. I guess it all depends on whether you believe a band can play progressive rock without being a progressive rock band. A lot of classic rock bands, many of them formed in the psychedelic ‘60s, were pushing artistic envelopes that sometimes got mailed to strange and exotic destinations. Santana, Grateful Dead, CSN and The Doors come to mind. San Francisco, nexus of the hippie stoner bands, nurtured an experimental environment where music was written to transcend the real. As Paul Kantner sings on the opening track, “We got something to learn from the other side.” And Dragon Fly goes to some strange places, musically and lyrically. “Ride The Tiger” is a classic, with a riff worthy of BOC, while some of Grace Slick’s songs (“Be Young You,” “Devils Den”) are just creepy cool. The presence of violinist Papa John Creach gives the arrangements an added dimension, just as the lead guitar work of Craig Chaquico keeps the band grounded in rock. But playing progressive rock is like playing professional billiards: you have to call it before you shoot. While Dragon Fly features some progressive flights of fancy, it’s felicity not alice aforethought. Put enough talented musicians together, some of whom have an artistic or mystical bent (Kantner, Slick), and you’re bound to detect the scent of prog in the air from time to time. So the answer is, no, Jefferson Starship is not a progressive rock band, but rather a rock band with a progressive personality some of the time. Netting Dragon Fly is still a good idea, as it contains several very strong tracks (including Tom Pacheco’s “All Fly Away,” from which the album’s title is taken, and Marty Balin’s “Caroline”). Incidentally, I think “Caroline” is about five minutes too long.

BFL1-0717 back cover	BFL1-0717 lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. RIDE THE TIGER    (Paul Kantner/Grace Slick/Byong Yu)    5:06
2. THATS FOR SURE    (Jerry Gallup/Craig Chaquico)    4:56
3. BE YOUNG YOU    (Grace Slick)    3:45
4. CAROLINE    (Paul Kantner/Marty Balin)    7:27
5. DEVILS DEN    (Grace Slick/Papa John Creach)    3:59
6. COME TO LIFE    (David Freiberg/Stephen Schuster/Bob Hunter)    3:44
7. ALL FLY AWAY    (Tom Pacheco)    5:24
8. HYPERDRIVE    (Grace Slick/Pete Sears)    7:39

CREDITS

PAUL KANTNER -- rhythm guitar, vocals
GRACE SLICK -- piano, vocals
JOHN BARBATA -- drums, percussion
CRAIG CHAQUICO -- lead guitar
PAPA JOHN CREACH -- violin
DAVID FREIBERG -- bass, keyboards, vocals, piano, organ
PETE SEARS -- bass, keyboards, piano, harpsichord, organ
Marty Balin -- lead vocal (4)
Larry Cox -- engineer
Pat Ieraci (Maurice) -- production coordinator
Paul Dowell -- amp consultant
Steve Mantoani -- recordist
Acy Lehman/Frank Mulvey -- art directors
Peter Lloyd -- illustration

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