Going back in time… Early seventies, former century (November 1970) Everything is nice with this album. The title is epic, the cover, both outside and inside is beautiful, The music, big and simple, very divers. The lyrics ànd the
musicians. Jack Casady’s bass and Grace Slicks’piano are the backbone but Jerry Garcia’s inspired (steel)guitar plying is so uplifting.
The cover featured a piece of Russian folk art from a painted lacquer box, attributed to CCCP (U.S.S.R. in Russian).
The inner dust jacket was decorated with collages of musician photos, writings and doodles. Original pressings included a full-color booklet as well, with lyrics, poetry and drawings mostly done by Slick during the recording sessions and collected daily by Kantner.
It started as a Paul Kantner solo project but it evolved into a real ‘Jefferson’ album. A lot of guest-musicians, most from the bay area. And the sessions led directly to Crosby’s solo masterpiece, If Only I Could Remember My Name, which features many of the same players and was recorded around the same time. But as Davids Crosby first solo album is (now) graded as a masterwork, this album is still mostly overlooked and underrated. Blows Against The Empire didn’t contain a hit single, and so the album has faded from memory over the years. One of the most overlooked records of it’s time.
Based on the works of science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, particularly the novel Methuselah’s Children. Kantner went so far as to write to Heinlein to obtain permission to use his ideas. Heinlein wrote back that over the years many people had used his ideas, but Paul was the first one to ask for permission, which he granted. The first rock album to be nominated for Sci-Fi’s prestigious Hugo Award ( 2 ever be nominated). Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship. It is also the first album to use the “Starship” moniker.
As
usual the music
critics
were divided over this album. Reviewing in Christgau’s Record Guide:
Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau found Kantner’s
singing and melodies “murky” while believing, “for all
the record’s sci-fi pretensions (does Philip K. Dick actually like
this stuff?) it never even gets off the ground.” He graded it a
C-plus.
It was voted number 850 in the third edition of Colin
Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
In The Rolling Stone
Album Guide (2004), Paul Evans said while its experimental quality
may have impressed in 1970, the album “now suffers from
concept-album creakiness”.
William Ruhlmann was more
enthusiastic, giving it four out of five stars in his review for
AllMusic. “Kantner employed often dense instrumentation and
complex arrangements”, he wrote, “but there were enough
hooks and harmonies to keep things interesting.”
I remember listening to it on the old record player, age fifteen or sixteen. Cover in the hands and headphones on the ears and the mind wonders off on an epic imaginairy space travel… Blows Against the Empire: a pot-fueled trip through the galaxy, With a stolen spaceship, visiting a place where babies grow in trees…
Here’s
the label info of the two versions i have on vinyl. First the version
which
has title and artist at the bottom of the front
cover:
Paul
Kantner / Jefferson Starship – Blows Against The Empire
Label:
RCA Victor – LSP-4448
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album,
Indianapolis Pressing, Gatefold
Country: US
Released:
1970
Matrix / Runout (Side 1 Label): ZPRS-9053
Matrix
/ Runout (Side 2 Label): ZPRS-9054
Matrix / Runout (Side 1
Runout Stamped): ZPRS 9053 12S ArtisianⅠ A1
Matrix / Runout
(Side 2 Runout Etched ): ZPRS-9054-5S
Matrix / Runout (Side 2
Runout Stamped): Artisian[Logo] Ⅰ A2
Discogs
Price indication (sept. 2020)
Lowest:
€0.74
Median: €2.52
Highest: €16.80
Pressing
variation RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis
1st
Pressings have 110/130 grams vinyl, not Dyna Flex. Released with
gatefold jacket, Included Inner artwork imagery sleeve and 8 page
Lyrics and illustrated booklet.
Mastering info from stamped
“circle w/ 2 drumsticks” symbol (the mastering stamper for
Artisan) in runout on side 2.
Includes white/black printed inner sleeve and 8-page colored booklet with lyrics and artwork.
Only 1970 versions of this release have this booklet with colored artwork..
Cover has title and artist at the bottom of the front.
Later reissues have title and artist at the top of the front cover.
Catalog number only on the spine of the cover and center labels.
And my second version (reissue) which has title and artist at the top of the front cover:
Paul Kantner / Jefferson Starship – Blows Against The Empire
Label: RCA – LSP-4448, RCA Victor – LSP-4448
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1976
Matrix / Runout: Side 1: ZPRS 9053 37S
Matrix / Runout: Side 2: ZPRS 9054 39
Notes
Tan label background, estimated release date 1976.
There is a small “RE” on bottom left of front cover, Cover (Gatefold) design is arranged different and has “Title/Artist” name on top of cover unlike 1st pressing: Blows Against The Empire
Includes the inner artwork sleeve and the 8 page lyrics illustrated booklet, the last page has the # LSP-4448 RE.
This vinyl pressing is made with Dyna-Flex vinyl, although not explicitly stated on the label
As it has the old LSP-4448 number, it seems to be a transition reissue before the label reintroduced the black label with the dog and the new AFL1-4448 number, which VinylBeat.com dates starting from 1976.
Discogs
Price indication (sept. 2020)
Lowest:
€1.26
Median: €2.10
Highest: €10.08
Tracklist
A1 Mau Mau (Amerikon) (Paul Kantner/Grace Slick/Joey Covington) (6:35)
a heavy bass driven song to begin the album. Lots of ernergy and the famous sentence: ‘my only office is the park’ and ‘we come to stay!’
Drums – Joey Covington
Guitar [Lead] – Peter Kaukonen
A2 The Baby Tree (Rosalie Sorrells) (1:42)
a beautiful banjo intro with strange lyrics that could have been written in this Corona era. ‘you gotta watch out if you sneeze’
A3 Let’s Go Together (Paul Kantner) (4:11)
again a very different song from the former. This is epic. ‘Wave goodbye to America, say hello to the garden’ Again a strong bass with beautiful piano playing and vocals of Grace Slick.
Banjo – Jerry Garcia
Drums – Bill Kreutzmann
A4 A Child Is Coming (Paul Kantner/Grace Slick/David Crosby) (6:15)
after the intensity of ‘Lets go together’ this ‘feel good’ song closes side one and brings you back to earth. the break midway in the song is beautiful. The song ends with (again) beautiful bass playing by Jack Casady.
Bass – Jack Casady
Guitar, Vocals – David Crosby
B1 Sunrise (Grace Slick) (1:54)
a beautiful beginning of side 2. The beauty of a sunrise translated into music.
Bass – Jack Casady
B2 Hijack (Paul Kantner/Grace Slick/Marty Balin/Gary Blackman) (8:18)
after the short intro of Sunrise the journey takes off with ‘Hijack’. a piano driven star ship trip, room for 7000 people, searching for Free minds Free bodies Free dope and Free music. You gotta ride said the doctor of space… Hijack the starship
Congas – Graham Nash, Joey Covington
B3 Home (Paul Kantner/Phil Sawyer/Graham Nash) (0:37)
soundscape
B4 Have You Seen The Stars Tonite (Paul Kantner/David Crosby) (3:42)
this song takes you on the journey. Dream away ! beautiful steel-guitar by Jerry Garcia.
Guitar – David Crosby
Percussion – Mickey Hart
Steel Guitar [Pedal] – Jerry Garcia
B5 X M (Paul Kantner/Phil Sawyer/Jerry Garcia/Mickey Hart) (1:22)
soundscape
B6 Starship (Paul Kantner/Grace Slick/Marty Balin/Gary Blackman) (7:07)
and the journey continues. Immaculate intro by Captain Trips on guitar and Harvey Brooks on the bass. Best song of the album !
Bass – Harvey Brooks
Guitar – Jerry Garcia
Vocals – David Crosby, David Freiberg, Graham Nash
Soon to come: part 2
... And now the story continues…
Jefferson Starship – Roswell UFO Festival 2009, Tales from the mothership
