Jefferson Airplane - Eskimo Blue Day (Live 1970)

[OobyScoobyDoomsday]

They were pretty inconsistent at shows around this time, but this is great. Love it. "You call it rain but the human name doesn't mean shit to a tree." :)

[TheMicomania]

what a powerful lead guitar

[blackweekend1]

i`m in love with Grace`s eyes. so beautiful

[pouchfreeman]

Wow, Grace Slick sure was purty.

[Widzew55]

GRAACE! <3 :)

[AzathothianBrew]

I love Grace Slick's Persian nose.

[junglechef1951]

You find it strange, but the human name, doesn't mean shit to a tree...

[altscribe]

If this doesn't speak to you - give up...

[Timothy1311]

To all the comments about how JA sounded live : I saw them live over 30 times previous to 1971 and yes, they were uneven in performance. Sometimes the element of improvisation didn't work & they sounded out of tune & in need of focus - but when all elements clicked they were the best band in the world. Some nights they transcended themselves and took everyone along for the ride. Truly my favorite rock band. LOVE JA !

[autodelete66]

@Timothy1311 Yes, And they Excelled in 4 areas: Dance ~ Musically ~ Poetic & Political.

No One has come close since.

[pumazpawz]

@autodelete66 Dance?

[autodelete66]

@Timothy1311 Caught them Sun morn. at Woodstock ~ Intense !

[IAmPlaysWithSquirrel]

Her voice is being drowned out by the instruments, either they were tuned too loud or the sound mixing is terrible.

[autodelete66]

@IAmPlaysWithSquirrel Live is never as clear as studio.

[blackmore4]

@TheMojo413 Oh I love "chaos" but only if it's interesting. I hear that interest fulfilled by the singers and rhythm section (especially Casady) because they're able to fly uncharted territory while still serving the song. To my ears, Kauknonen's choices (of notes) had not only been charted umpteen times before but also sabotage the song with both their mediocrity and woeful 'arrangement' in the song structure. I may not be towing the party line but I criticize because I too am a fan.

[blackmore4]

@TheMojo413 No, I know Kaukonen is useless here. Valid opinion may sound like a "whine" to a cloth eared infant such as yourself but your acceptance of such trash deserves it. I actually loved his measured playing on "Takes Off" & "Surrealistic Pillow" but I don't count tedious blues-rock soloing through virtually every song regardless of what the other players / singers are doing as "great".

[SuperGraceslick]

yeah poor jefferson starship w/ as many hits as any other band of the 70's Don't cry too hard FOOL!

[blackmore4]

God... this track in particular makes me Kaukonen-nauseous. What the fuck was he doing? Couldn't he ever shut up with those rotten blues/rock cliches? Are there any "Volunteers" bootleg mixes with him out of the mix completely? Just as on a disturbing amount of the "Baxters" - "Volunteers" material, he wrecks a great song.

[acymru]

It's really all about Jorma and Jack in the end. Their departure led straight to We Built this City.

[frankdialogue]

The sound mixes were terrible in many cases back in the day...Here, the band actually sounds pretty tight, with Paul Kantner a quite under rated rhythm player...Grace's vocal sounds strained; she should have practiced...The studio version is excellent with great vocal & harmony & some of Jack Cassady's best recorded bass playing...I've heard the Airplane sound abominable live, but they're good here.

[alexsaratt]

quem não ama essa obra prima, porra

[johnnyleonard1]

HAPPY EARTH DAY 2011 

[yldann23]

God goddess all that is...

[bigun1999999]

desperately wanted to look up the status of an important delivery but couldn't tear myself away until this vid finished

[Bruflegal]

2 people don't know The Real Art Of Music's definition... TOO Bad for them... This is a masterpiece from JEFF AIR.

[chargrave]

Saw the Airplane at the Bath Music Festival 1970, 40 years on it is still etched in my memory.

[hanaleiroad]

I couldn't get into a JA concert because of everyone rioting. Some people think they weren't as popular as other bands but I know better. Their blues and jazz intersection was so deep. The psychedelic interpretation was the result of the blues and jazz mix ... some people think it is a mis-tuning but it was deliberate. And Grace was not under the influence as much as one would think ... only when she had too much to drink, and then she could not perform.

[slipstream18]

This is The meaning of life for us shitting, pissing, murderous fools that blindly do what the rich tell us to do and believe. The King's have no cloth's! . Airplane nailed it. But they were not alone. Dozens of groups created music this fine back then. It got to your very soul, took you to a very special glorious place. one of the few truly valid religious experience one can have.

[lcolby11]

GREAT SONG

[lcolby11]

WISH I SAW JORMA WITH THE AIRPLANE , I ONLY SAW HIM WITH HOT TUNA,,the Woodstock version of this song is better than this performance

[lcolby11]

WISH I SAW JORMA WITH THE AIRPLANE , I ONLY SAW HIM WITH HOT TUNA,,

[claumaquina]

COMO LE DOY A GRACE SLICK QUE HERMOSA MUJERRRRRR

[TheKPiech]

listen to miles away by kaz piech

[thesyd1975]

It's time people started to really to appreciate what a brilliant band they were, i seem to always read shit reviews in music mags and papers on the band and reissues of the albums.These opinons have probably been handed down from the punk era in the mid 1970's and they have been taken as gospel.personell opinions or not they influence the public so it's good that all this amazing music is now avaliable on youtube to everyone,there is more to the band than white rabbit and somebody to love!!!

[baretous]

@thesyd1975 xept Grace is definetely somebody to love. And Jorma and Paul... ok all of them. I wonder why Grace comes first to my mind !

[thesyd1975]

@baretous Fair enough,they wouldn't have got as much attention if Grace wasn't with them,she was HOT!! no doubt about it,probably the main reason why i first got into them, just seeing Grace on the album covers LOL

[comfortablynumb12345]

@thesyd1975 they were one of the biggest in the west coast before grace slick joined. grace slick's one of my favorite singers but i believe the rest of the members of the band deserve just as much credit as her

[espphd]

The first time I heard this was in the morning after being up all night at Woodstock. "Say it plainly the human name doesn't mean shit to a tree" OMG! Yes! Profound. This song is the truth.

[wellspout]

this recording is poor at best, having seen them live a lot, listen to "bless it's pointed little head" live at fillmore, ie. what they actually sounded like. unfortunately the airplane didn't have owsley doing sound as the dead did, thus not much quality archival live material is extant whereas the opposite is true for the dead. but trust me, both bands were the epitome live acts of the era...sine qua non

[celebrant9]

"You call it rain but the human name doesn't mean shit to a tree."

True words by a brilliant band. Love you Gracie!!!!!!!

[frankdialogue]

Also, Grace had to screech to compete with this noise...Listen to the studio version: The vocal is powerful, but it breathes and has grace...She's just yelling here.

[frankdialogue]

Jorma looks like he's been on a 6 month meth run...Grace looks great, but it's seems as if she saying to herself 'Why the hell am I here?'...This is a pretty hard one to do live...The album production was pristine...Maybe needs a little more reverb or something...Sound quality at concerts has certainly improved since then: but the music today lacks imagination and poetry (in rock for sure).

[soccersuxx]

@banksy7300 i see, thanks for your help.

[banksy7300]

@soccersuxx its just a rant about giving a fuck about our planet

[mediacritic]

Grace was amazing. Look at those huge doe eyes. Beautiful and insanely talented. Rock goddess.

[ioriorioriorio]

@mediacritic Yer aververt....vertpert - trois ... an enigmgma

[soccersuxx]

Anyone know the story behind this song?

[Goingbeach]

Doesn't mean shit to a tree... No one seems to give a shit about trees... Grace you tell it like it is....

[wynterhk]

One of the most compelling singers ever to "grace" a stage

[mazdaplz]

@ladidah9

we need to take moar drugses

[frenchy7322]

Where was Marty Balin in this video?

[frankgump]

@frenchy7322 Marty was probably taking a break.

[threefive00]

JORMA!

[snippoptak]

Love this song!!

[igSgtPepper]

This is a good song. ... uh... yeah....:D

[tunarat2]

I was in the 5th row dead center for the 1989 show at MPP in Columbia, MD. My fucking tape broke 1/2 way through the 2nd side. 1st time that has ever happened to me. I was stoned, tripping, drunk, and coked up. What a show!

[ORELUR]

I remember seeing this on the local PBS affiliate in 1971.I was 16 and it blew my mind. There will never be another band like the Airplane.

[sugarhollowdaddy]

I listened to Baxter's in the summer of 1968 and those tunes still ring in my head today. I was fortunate to catch "Morning Maniac Music" in White Lake, NY (7 a.m. on August 17, 1969) and also was in row 3 at the Airplane's first stop (Milwaukee) on their 1989 reunion tour. No one projected more power on stage than this band. Ever. U2 comes closest today, with a lot more stage equipment and a simpler musical package. Fly Jefferson Airplane. . . . get you there on time!

[Ishmael932]

ptcha1. His name is Jorma Kaukonnen. He and the bass player for JA, Jack Casady, also had a duo for many years called Hot Tuna.

[ptcha1]

what is AIRPLANE quitarist isnt mentioned in the top five hes just as jimmy is not better i used to listen to zep unte i heard this alum

[elps84]

consider how small you are....

[JimmyPage968]

@Ioveasy wouldn't we all?

[alexsaratt]

minha musica favorita!!!

[FreeCityCollective]

This is by a far one of my favourite sets of lyrics of all time. Music now is not nearly so powerful, deep, profound. This is the meaning of life here.

[vectortemple]

"I'm fourteen, and I can't imagine why my generation can't make music like"

Stop whining and GO MAKE YOUR OWN MUSIC!

[Sweeteesweet1]

Pretty awesome, but I think it loses just a little bit without the killer piano Grace played on the album version.

[keyboardwhiz]

@Sweeteesweet1 I think it's Nicky Hopkins on Volunteers, isn't it? Anyway, I think she's generally underrated and even disregarded as a pianist. Her playing is extremely creative on After Bathing at Baxters.

[nan1539]

@keyboardwhiz (Mr.) Nicky Hopkins played on many of the songs on "Volunteers" and was with the Airplane at Woodstock. He was famous as a session player and unfortunately died at age 50 in 1994.

[spacepatrolman]

@nan1539 he was supposed to perform with jeff beck at the newport jazz festival in 69 right after woodstock but he wasnt too well so they performed without him

[keyboardwhiz]

@Sweeteesweet1 I think Nicky Hopkins is playing on this. Anyway, I loved her playing on AFter Bathing at Baxters.

[martinb0820]

Jefferson Airplane and Fairport Convention were the two best bands in history (IMHO).

I first saw JA in November 1968 at the Electric Factory in Philadlphia (and many times after that at the Spectrum), and Fairport at the Academy of Music in 1976, with Sandy Denny... And also Jorma and Jack numerous times over the years, including the Academy of Music in New York and the Keswich Theater.

[PsychLion]

@martinb0820 I also love Sandy Denny. You are luck to have seen both her and Grace live. They are 2 of my favorite singers. :)

[HIDEKIAMPZZILA]

Great!!!!!!

[mikedtw]

@ladidah9

Real happy to read your posting. I'm 55, and I can't imagine either... that's why all the Airplane CDs are in constant rotation in my car! I have loaned out Thirty Seconds Over Winterland to a lot of my young colleagues at work, and they always say this band sounds totally contemporary, and better than what's out there now. I'm glad they're you're favorites, and that people as young as you are keep discovering this awesome band.

[Beatstranger]

what a band! i've never found the words to tell how much they meant (and mean) to me since I listened to surrealistic pillow for the first time. The Plane live is awsome! Jorma? sooo underrated! Paul? one of the most creative rythm guitarists ever.

[geekorthodox9]

i like this song, and i hear some of the jimi hendrix chord changes in this -- something from the work he was doing before he died, the thing he played in the closing scenes of the woodstock movie (land of the new rising sun?) not sure if hendrix influenced this in any particular way, or if the influence went the opposite way, or if they are unique and isolated.

[hodadsmusic]

Loved it! Grace, a completely competent performance.

[vectortemple]

@hodadsmusic - "compentent"?? Please - try harder...

[JimmyPage968]

Jorma Kaukonen is way under rated.

[vectortemple]

So is Paul - his rhythm playing was crucial to their sound on a lot of their great songs - many great chords and sounds.

[IntellectualAmy]

Jorma is a great guitarist and this really does illustrate this fact. Jack Cassidy is an excellent bassist, too.

[7rawlr79]

Pity about the sound, but Grace looks friggin gorgeous :) Musically the Woodstock version is better

[ud]

@7rawlr79 yeah the woodstock one is the best live... I just wish I could find a good live one that also had piano like the album version

[patcshea]

it doesn't matter what it's about. that's the point. actually, it means what you got out of it (if anything). also, any lyric that consists of: "it doesn't mean shit to a tree" will always be a-ok with me. no matter what context. this just happens to be THE context

[Canniballss]

this song is not about global warming, no more comments about that bullshit please.

[shymama8]

haha...they seem pretty lit...i love this

[ThefirstGhostndenite]

While you guys are talking about the warming lies you're missing Jorma and Gracie.... LOL

[vectortemple]

@ThefirstGhostndenite - and Jack...

[rogerjazzfan]

God in heaven! It's Grace Slick. I'm always in love with her!

[shymama8]

me too

[Truck470]

yea loves this song. member when it came out!

[MickeyYahoo]

Great music - but, man, none of them looked very happy about any of it.

[vectortemple]

@MickeyYahoo - this from the time before everyone was required to smile all the time...

[britchey11]

and they were singing about Global Warming in 67

[Rustyshackleford08]

GW is a fraud, google Climategate..lets get over this nonsense.

[britchey11]

i've been following GW since '70, and it seems to be true. ever been outside the lower 48?

[Rustyshackleford08]

Well not according to the scientists who came up with the Theory. Their Climategate emails show they were lying, GW was only made up in the 70's..but only talked about in the early 90's.

[britchey11]

there were some emails that show some were lying, or more worried about people not understanding why it gets colder if we are getting warmer. that harley explains, droughts, heat waves, weird extreme weather, melting glaciers. the weather is changing.

the hole in the ozone was first noticed at the end of WWII by us pilots

[maxonium88]

no words needed.

[avlisk]

There are times when I think Jefferson Airplane was the best rock band ever, and this was their finest song. Can you imagine being in college and Volunteers being released. I can, because I lived through it. What a great time. Up against the wall, Fred!

[dreamzeppelinarcher]

@lonestar- are you serious????? oh my god that is hard to believe!

happy really late birthday, Grace.

[dreamzeppelinarcher]

I am so with you on this. I'm your age and this is my 1.5th favorite band (next to Heart and Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, all tied at first.)

Grace could probably kill all of our teeny bopper singes with a flash of the eye. She is an amazing performer and artist and her influence will never be disputed.

[ladidah9]

Wow! Nice to find some other people who agree!

You're right, dreamzeppelinarcher, her influence will never be disputed, at least in my circle!

[StoneFredFlint]

That is, you can . . . but you gotta proceed through the roots, like Jorma and Jack and Paul did, as did most of the SF Gods. Folk and Blues are the path to far-out electric Kreemo for the Soul! This is, in truth, Folk Music--music by and for the Turned-On People! All Power to the People, kin ya dig it?

[StoneFredFlint]

You can! It's all in the feelin'!

[CadillacL]

I was born in '71 so I missed this era but, I got into the music when I was your age.

I don't understand why this generation

won't embrace this! Its Such AWESOME

music.

[Pianoloud]

Great band of course! and a very beautiful singer!

[janisnum1]

Jefferson Airplane is the most talented band of their time and modern times.....Wish I could them!! Well except for Spencer (he's dead)

[Superfreak69ing]

@ladidah9 an echo in the minds of all of us

[guido6890]

me too

[lonestar3]

Grace turned 70 last week, hard to believe

[Doodsydownunder]

wow, what a song..........why is there no music like this anymore?

[maksmail]

Because drugs are illegal these days. Musicians still use them but not as abusively as they did in late 60's.

[MIKEDURSTEWITZ]

@maksmail drugs were illegal in the 60s too this music is just a lot of creativity, something many musicians put aside for a record deal

[MeinErsterFilm]

Absolutely breathtaking

[laura3903]

I would like to listen to the armonica in this song!!!! It  would sound great!!

[laura3903]

this is the best version!!!!!

[chrishove123]

The woodstock version is really good too.

[ikshields]

She's MINE! MINE I tell you! Y'all get away! Scram!

lol...

[D3f11]

Marty... You are such a talented singer and writer... And let's not forget you helped the airplane "take off" <3 big time.

[D3f11]

Jack and Jorma= fricking amazing. Paul... You wrote some of my favorite songs man... Rock on. Spence... RIP man. Joey C. cannot even touch you.

[D3f11]

I would give anything to date Gracie... Wow so talented

[baretous]

So cool guys ! And Cassady s great to on the bass. C'est magnifique ! Grace at her best. So beautiful. Thanks for the upload.

[raysalsa1]

chrisie hynde from pretenders wasnt bad.

[OldSteamer]

OHHH my fuckin god..

Listen to that please, i meen cmon wtf?

the chords and the melody are awsome..fuckin great!

[Shollym]

you said it! :))

[leadzeppbelly]

I know. They will be disgusted at all those little bitches like Britney Spears and Rihanna and general embecils like that.

[jatsar]

that was awesome!!! Thanks :)

[huggablehowie]

anachronistic geniuses, a dream team of super musicians, even before hooking up with craig and mickey, evolving into the awesome Starship. This music takes me to a new beautiful world!-even in the two thou!

[Axloooo]

the awesome starship??? i don't think its too awesome compare to the airplane

[frankgump]

The Starship was awesome. Awesomely commercial.

[KlausvonJan]

There is one woman from Vermont: Grace Potter, the fantastic singer of Grace Potter & The Nocturnals! Look at them here on youTube!

[popiggy]

Just don't look for her on MTV or the radio and you'll find her

[claumaquina]

hermosa grace slick es mi aor platonicooo.tengo 22 años.claudio rodriguez.soy argentino

[tuzodance]

otra de la sbandas mas exquisitas.... que pone a vibrar y bailar como un loco

musica llena de exitaciones al mundo!!!!!

aprendan!!

[katsimbalis7]

Puta banda doida! A Grace Slick é demais!

[willruddock]

I liked the flute on the studio version.

[frankgump]

Grace played both recorder and piano in the studio version.

[zimmyfromhibbing]

Frank, I believe Nicky Hopkins played piano on the studio version.

[bobksf]

Yes, he did.

[sgib80]

Nicky did *NOT* play piano on the studio version of Eskimo Blue Day. Grace all the way. It's right there on the lyrics sheet (it's like a fake newspaper) on my original vinyl copy. And if you listen to Grace's piano on Blows Against the Empire you can hear the similarities in her playing.

[bobksf]

I stand corrected multiple times. I should have checked the lyric sheet myself. Funny that she's not credited with playing piano anywhere on the outside of the album cover.

[sgib80]

Paul, Grace, & Marty are only credited as "singers" on the album jacket for some reason. Don't know why. Paul obviously plays rhythm guitar, and Marty handled some percussion but both of those are uncredited as well.

[frankgump]

zimmyfromhibbing, Grace played piano on "The Farm", and "Eskimo Blue Day". She played organ on "Meadowlands" and recorder on "Eskimo Blue Day".

Nicky Hopkins played piano on "We Can Be Together", "Wooden Ships" and "A Song For All Seasons"

Grace and Nicky share piano credits on "Hey Fredrick" & "Volunteers".

I guess most people aren't aware what an accomplished keyboard player Grace is. Along with a fantastic vocalist and songwriter.

[BillMorrison90]

Their best performance on this song was taken place in Woodstock...i know because i heard it from my father's vinyl disks...Could someone upload that woodstock performance??It's definitely better than studio or this one...

[johnypebs]

Bill,

I agree, I used to have the vinyl, Woodstock two it's on (still available on Amazon, as cd). I sold it, along with other gems, for drink money when I was a student in 76. Youth is wasted on the young, as my dad used to say.

[robin14669]

Was Spencer Dryden still on the drums?

[jackhillty]

yes, that seems to be spencer back there. this was very soon before his exit from the band (not from his life)

[kristikk92]

Yes, it is Spencer Dryden.

[ivycompton]

I love Grace as much as the next guy, but she's rarely able to pull it off live - sometimes she's not even on key. Bless Its Pointed Little Head's an exception. "Eskimo Blue Day" is incredible in the studio version, but you'd never know it from this sloppy take.

[ledzeprebecca]

I think this take is actually not that bad. I think the ""recording" was not that great though.

[Ronnie7311]

I love the rawness.

[scalar]

She cant hear her voice in the monitors, it's a common problem when playing live.. a crappy P.A. will do that...finger in the ear will help balance the mix...just sayin.

[SEAOFGREEN]

Whether they were intentional or not, I LIKE the BLUE notes from Grace on this take! Very foreign and/or uncomfortable to many Western ears! But interesting! Robert Plant did it alot too, and certainly the worst offender (I mean this in a good way---I love it!) was Jorma---Many people make the comment that alot of Jorma's solo'iong in the JA days was just "out-of-key". Actually he's hitting WEIRD notes in many places, like F & C notes over an E chord! Jimmy Page (Yardbirds era) did it alot too!

[GetBackJack123]

I know you wrote this a while back, but that is why I think Jorma is one of my favorite guitarists. His leads are so amazing for those reasons.

[andymaster12]

I understand what you are saying, grace sometimes gets out of hand cause of her alcohol abuse, but here as raw as it is, i still love it, and after looking at her eyes you know shes trippin balls. how many people can do what the whole band seems to do on acid.

[cautiontracks]

LSD my friends.

[bigsyke2]

yes she was hot, in the words of zoolander shes ridiculously good looking, but anyway great song one of my favs

[iNUrfaCe00]

damn she was a fox.man that guitar tone is like sex man i love this

[wonderlustmistress]

Jesus fckin christ, Grace was such a hottie.

[kevininthahouze]

grace has the best female voice ever!

[p5parker]

Grace is so hot...

[ledzeprebecca]

Beautiful song. This was performed at right about the time she got pregnant with China.

[mentimus]

Grace used to be REALLY sexy, and song is fantastic!

Love this video.

[jackhillty]

ya gotta wonder what she says to jorma at the end. this was around the time they were hooking up while she was with paul - not that she was ever really with anyone but herself.

[yoyopa52]

Damn. This was rock. Rock is dead. Underground, new, different, subversive...b4 being co-opted into the mainstream, b4 stadiums, b4 bullsh*t like the bands today.