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| Red Octopus | 
 enlarge | Artist: Jefferson Starship
Label: RCA
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $6.96
You Save: $5.02 (42%)
New (32) Used (12) from $5.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 16669
Format: Extra Tracks
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 71223
UPC: 828767122328
EAN: 0828767122328
ASIN: B000ANVPJM
Release Date: September 13, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | Fast Buck Freddie - Jefferson Starship, Slick, Grace | | • | Miracles - Jefferson Starship, Balin, Marty | | • | Git Fiddler - Jefferson Starship, Creach, John | | • | Al Garimasu (There Is Love) - Jefferson Starship, Slick, Grace | | • | Sweeter Than Honey - Jefferson Starship, Chaquico, Craig | | • | Play on Love - Jefferson Starship, Slick, Grace | | • | Tumblin' - Jefferson Starship, Balin, Marty | | • | I Want to See Another World - Jefferson Starship, Kantner, Paul | | • | Sandalphon - Jefferson Starship, Sears, Pete | | • | There Will Be Love - Jefferson Starship, Kantner, Paul | | • | Miracles - Jefferson Starship, Balin, Marty | | • | Band Introduction - Jefferson Starship, | | • | Fast Buck Freddie - Jefferson Starship, Slick, Grace | | • | There Will Be Love - Jefferson Starship, Balin, Marty | | • | You're Driving Me Crazy - Jefferson Starship, Smith |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 If Only You'd Believe In Miracles, So Would I June 4, 2006
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
It fascinates this reviewer that the second release of Jefferson Airplane, SURREALISTIC PILLOW, was their greatest commercial success, just as RED OCTOPUS, the second release of Jefferson Starship was theirs. It was all downhill from there and here.
RED OCTOPUS was a mainstay of the mid-1970s AOR playlist. Unlike the Airplane, whose politically-minded, drug-fueled, and musically daring discography made them a pure Counterculture band between 1966 and 1972, Jefferson Starship stayed largely within the bounds of convention on 1975's RED OCTOPUS. Virtually all the songs are pure love songs, and the vast majority of them will someday make the Vegas lounge jump with no problem at all. RED OCTOPUS is a musical departure from the band's usual formula. RED OCTOPUS showcases the talents of Craig Chaquico, Pete Sears, and Papa John Creach, each of whom contributes a unique signature that carries this album in the direction of Fusion Jazz. Even the rockers, such as "Fast Buck Freddie" have an agreeable AM slant, while Paul Kantner's obligatory Oriental/Sci-Fi contribution, "I Want To See Another World" is a three-part harmonized love song shared by Kantner, Grace Slick and Marty Balin.
Thirty years on, the incessant romancing on RED OCTOPUS sounds more than a little sappy, but it WAS the album for it's time and place, a lush, laid back, and well-crafted production, perfectly geared to the tiffany glass fern bar crowd.
Jefferson Starship could and would never replicate the success of RED OCTOPUS. On subsequent albums the band retreated into it's habitually overproduced electric anthem sound even where the largely RED OCTOPUS-like material didn't warrant it. It's no wonder they fell to the nadir of "We Built This City On Rock And Roll," a piece of utter pop trash that is painful to contrast with SURREALISTIC PILLOW's "Somebody To Love," the title track of CROWN OF CREATION, or even the signature RED OCTOPUS number, "Miracles."
In it's forty year lifespan this protean band perfectly mirrored the rise and fall of Rock.
From Red to Blue to Red Again..... January 30, 2008
11 out of 15 found this review helpful
As most of you know, the moat outside my castle has a sea serpent. For the most part he behaves. However, every so often he becomes very revolutionary, shouts anti-conventional epithets with youthful rebellion. Refuses to cut his hair and follows heros like Che. Yes, it's disturbing. What's worse is trying to pick out cuisine for him at the fish market. I've never seen so many lobster claws thrown back at me!
Anyway, I figured a good way to temper his mood was to get a playmate for him. So I went down to the local pet store and saw a sale - Octopus 50% Off. Never one to pass up a bargain, your Metamorpho investigated this. Sure enough, there they were; blue ones, yellow ones, orange ones, red ones. But a very coy red one caught my eye by batting her lashes (does an octopus have eyelashes? who cares?), so I bought that one and brought it home. The sea serpent was thrilled and they played badmitton almost immediately. I was most happy. But that leads to this review of "Red Octopus".
I remember the Jefferson Airplane and the chemistry they had. What a band. And it wasn't so much that the music was precise, which, at times, it wasn't. It was the fact that they exhibited creative freedom. It was chaos that jelled. It was whatever they felt it should be. And that spark is what drove the music into a special arena.
What happened eventually was that they were all not on the same page. Members left and the Airplane material had less spice. Unfortunately they crash landed. But, certain members still got along and decided to reconstruct- only this time they built a starship. Sleek, sturdy, ready to take off towards a new century. However, new, in this case, doesn't mean better. We shall see why.
Well, we still had Grace, Paul and Marty from the old band, but they filled in the line-up with Craig Chaquico (a young, ace guitarist), Pete Sears (keyboardist/bass extraordinaire as well as David Freiberg), John Barbata (drums) and Papa John Creach (who plays wicked violin). They were then set to take on the world. Mind you, all of these musicians were outstanding in their expertise, but there is just something, oh, I don't know, that doesn't sit right in my complicated mind. Let's see if I can figure it out.
We have the miraculous "Miracles", Marty Balin's smooth love ode that is vying for the honor of world's most overplayed song. Still, it is a calling card for the music contained herein. Grace's "Fast Buck Freddie" is still a great tune with vast musical runs. "Hold a dollar bill up to the mirroir"-oh yeah. Her "Al Garimaso" is a nice pop ballad done in her inimitable way. Even Grace can be calmed down ---sometimes. He co-written tune, pop-friendly "Play On Love" contains one of my favorite lines by her; "Who's been telling you about perfection? And how did he get in here, that's the question". And, that is the question.
Aside from this, we have the bubbling fiddle instrumental "Git Fiddler",the obligatory Marty Balin tunes "Sweeter than Honey" (rocker) and "Tumblin" (saccharin love ballad). Also, a space rocker, "I Want to See Another World" (the reason for building a spaceship, I suppose), the pleasant, varying moods in the instrumental "Sandalphon", and the pleasant groove of "There Will Be Love" (whereby Marty, Grace and Paul actually sing in unison!).
The rest of the c.d. gives you live extras of most of the tunes. While mostly well done - Grace goes flat in quite a few places. That is not a complaint. That is just Grace. In all, a nice respectable pop album. I suppose what was so difficult for me was the fact that Airplane changed and went to a more glossy, contemporary sound. It was a nice winning formula as history has proved. However, I still wonder if this went against the grain of their true nature? From revolutionaries to capitalists. Or, maybe the RCA executives finally got wise and made some demands. Who knows? But, it is a good c.d. after all.
In any event, the red octopus I bought had a hard time surviving in the turbulent water in my moat. The sea serpent did not mix well with her either. He is a picky one. Anyway, I finally took the red octopus out and brought her to a river. She hugged me with her tentacles and was happy to be released into the main stream. After all- that's where she belongs.
squidding on thin ice - as always --Metamorpho ;)
 Starship In '75 January 27, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Jefferson Starship enjoyed their first and only number one album with Red Octopus. While this album doesn't have the rebellious bite of their Airplane recordings, it is a pleasing collection of songs. "Miracles" is probably the band's best song and Marty Balin has never sounded smoother with Grace Slick providing powerful backup and "There Will Be Love" contains a classic Balin-Kanter-Slick vocal interplay. The album has some good rockers such as Slick's "Fast Buck Freddie" & "Play On Love" and the scorching "Sweeter Than Honey" which contains fiery fiddle playing from Papa John Creach. Red Octopus is often overlooked, especially stacked up against Airplane recordings, but is it is a superb collection of rock songs by a veteran rock group that never sounded tighter or more well-oiled in their career. The newly remastered version greatly improves on the sound and the four live tracks are welcome bonus.
Rare Intersection of Commercialism and Quality April 2, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
There's no denying that Red Octopus is one of the most successful commercial albums ever produced by a previously counterculture band. On this second official release of Jefferson Starship, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Marty Balin and company boldly toss off the last vestiges of the Jefferson Airplane era and stride boldly into the world of mid-70s corporate rock. And as much as I truly despise that genre, I'd have to say that Red Octopus manages to achieve that rare intersection of broad commercial appeal and quality.
What song is more symbolic of an era than Miracles? Perhaps only the reconstituted Fleetwood Mac of the early Buckingham-Nicks era comes as close to commercially evoking the mid-70s spirit of album oriented rock radio. As blatantly commercial the appeal of Miracles is, I still like it. The line "I had a taste of the real world (just a drop of it), when I went down on you girl" was one of the most daringly suggestive lines of the day and also one of the most pointedly passionate. It still sounds that way today and the full version of Miracles is a song of which I never tire.
By and large, the rest of Red Octopus is a very enjoyable album. Never has Grace Slick's voice rang out with more confidence and authority. In addition to Miracles, my favorites are Fast Buck Freddy, Al Garimasu, Play On Love, I Want To See Another World, and the instrumental Sandalphon which is briefly evocative of Procol Harum. I enjoy the bonus tracks as well, although the shortened version of Miracles just doesn't do it for me. The play of Papa John Creech and the musicality of Pete Sears add much to the aural appeal of Red Octopus.
I agree with the reviewer from Florida who feels that Red Octopus constitutes the apex of creativity for Jefferson Starship as a band. It was all downhill from here and it was especially painful to hear the depths to which they ultimately sunk with the execrable "We Built This City".
If I had to recommend one album by Jefferson Starship, Red Octopus is the only one to which I give an enthusiastic recommendation. Not only is it good, but it is at a bargain price as well. Now that I've rediscovered it, it will never gather dust.
fantastic April 5, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I don't know if I'd call myself a big Jefferson Starship fan, because most of their music besides this album hasn't really caught my attention, but Red Octopus RULES. I LOVE this album. Every song.
Maybe it's the meaningful vocal melodies with lots of emotion, or maybe it's the guitar playing. Whatever it is, I love this baby.
"fast buck freddie" seems like a song that goes all OVER the place the first time you listen to it, without any of the vocal melodies really catching on. However, listen to it a few more times, and find out that it really IS a good song. Of course "miracles" is a classic, especially the longer version. Great song. A great way to blend female and male vocals, too. I won't argue with anyone who says it's the best song on the album.
"git fiddler" is another highlight. I love instrumentals and this is a really good one. "tumblin" is a typical 70's ballad, but who cares? "I want to see another world" is a strange one. A song that really stands out from the rest of the album. It's loud, sounds important, and you won't forget how the chorus goes. The chorus is great. "saldalphon" sounds SO MUCH like a Procol Harum song. It must be the slow-building keyboards that help me come to this conclusion. Very soft, beautiful, memorable song. "there will be love" is the song that carefully blends great emotional singing with emotional guitar playing. What a song this one is.
But do you want to know which song makes the whole thing near perfect? It's "Al Garimasu (there is love)" POWERFUL, slow-building, flawless female vocals. BEST SONG EVER. I'm serious. PLEASE listen to Red Octopus. "AHHHHHHH, I want to FE-EL YOUR LO-O-OVE" You don't realize how good this song is.
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