Crown of Creation
| Crown of Creation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Jefferson Airplane | ||||
| Released | September 1968 | |||
| Recorded | February – June 1968 | |||
| Studio | RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Acid rock, psychedelic rock | |||
| Length |
38:23 56:04 (2003 reissue) |
|||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Al Schmitt | |||
| Jefferson Airplane chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Rolling Stone | (neutral) |
38:23
Crown of Creation is the fourth studio album by the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, and was released in September 1968. It saw the band continuing their development of psychedelic music from their previous album, After Bathing at Baxter's. The group had also been dabbling in electric rock with some references to science fiction in the lyrics. In most of their lyrics The Airplane expressed views regarding the hippie ethos, left-wing politics, and anti-war messages. For those reasons, they did not have a commercialized sound, and the singles the band released were not big hits. It would prove to be the pinnacle of The Airplane's psychedelic experimentation, for their next studio album, Volunteers, explored more into country rock and hard rock.
Upon release, the album—while not the group's best-selling work—was still a success and peaked at number six on the Billboard Pop Charts and was eventually certified gold. The opening single, "Greasy Heart", was released in April 1968 and became a modest hit on the Hot 100 chart. Even though the album brought the band back into the Top 10, it remains Jefferson Airplane's most overlooked work.
Prior to recording, the group had their manager and promoter Bill Thompson purchase a large 20-room, three-story, home at 2400 Fulton Street near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco where the members would live communally. Costing $73,000, the home, known as "The Airplane" or simply "The Mansion" included a refurbished basement with a built-in recording studio. The band became a tight grouping and much of their composing began at their new headquarters. The combination of individuals continued the experimentation and visionary lyrical compositions that made them quintessential in the San Francisco psychedelic rock scene. Writing was generally equal between the group members as they all took part in one or more tracks. The band intended Crown of Creation to be their personal reflections on commercialism, crime, and coming of age in the face of the bohemian enclave assimilated with San Francisco during this period.
...
Wikipedia