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Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane
A noted music journalist offers a close-up look at the complex history of Jefferson Airplane, chronicling the band's origins in 1965 San Francisco and their influential role in 1960s and 1970s rock 'n' roll, which paved the way for other Bay Area music greats, including the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and Santana.
408 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 18, 2011
I had waited impatiently for many years for someone to tackle a complete history of one of my favorite bands, Jefferson Airplane, and when I finally saw the book in my local store, and then the author's name on the book itself, I knew right away that all would be well. I had enjoyed Jeff Tamarkin's wonderfully well-written, impeccably researched, enthusiastic and informative liner notes for various Airplane and Hot Tuna CDs for quite a while, and sensed that he was the perfect man to handle this job. Happily, that indeed turns out to be the case, and his Airplane history, "Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane," featuring all those qualities that made his liner notes such a joy, is the volume that I and many others had been waiting for.
Tamarkin not only gives us a thorough history of this seminal San Francisco group--starting in 1965, when Marty Balin (nee Martyn Buchwald) decided to put a new kind of band together--but also follows it through its dissolution in 1972 and on to its various offshoots (Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, KBC Band, etc.). Covering the pre-hippy days of the mid-'60s, through the Nixonian years and right on to J.A.'s reunion in 1989, Tamarkin also gives us a concise primer of a fascinating period of recent history. The book is replete with details of the band's principals but not exhaustingly so; that is, it never gets bogged down with excess back story, but rather gives us all the info we need to understand all the band members as fully fleshed-out people, limiting their back biographies to quick 10-page chapters. I have been a fan of Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Spencer Dryden and especially Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady for almost 40 years now, and still found an incredible amount of unknown information about them in this fast-moving history. (Spencer Dryden was Charlie Chaplin's nephew?!?! Who knew?) With chapters arranged in cliffhanger fashion, with a fascinating cast of characters and with many astounding stories, this book really does pull a reader in. And yet, Tamarkin does not yield to the temptation to sensationalize his tale. Indeed, to his credit, he admits right up front that there remain many "Airplane mysteries," and lets it go at that. Yes, there are many juicy stories (I love the one about Jack sitting in the mud puddle on DMT, and Grace's escapades in Germany...not to mention that Reality D. Blipcrotch episode!), but many readers, I suspect, will be surprised that this book remains fairly levelheaded, with a minimum of wild sex and drug anecdotes. The anecdotes ARE there, but only enough to give us a feel for the time, place and characters. (One gets the feeling that Tamarkin could regale us with even juicier tidbits over a few drinks one evening.) The author has been given access to virtually every principal character in the Jefferson Airplane story, and the hundreds of hours of insider interviews have helped make this history practically definitive.
On another note, I myself work as a copy editor and proofreader, and thus am happy to report that the book has also been put together virtually faultlessly. I only counted four typos in its entire 400+-page length, and all those were of the punctuational variety. The rare photographs on display are truly special (I just love the one of Jorma in his Cub Scout uniform!), and the book's index is perfectly composed and quite handy when keeping track of the history's large cast of characters. If there is one complaint that I would lodge--and it is a very minor one--it is that in the book's final third, more space has been given over to the exploits of Jefferson Starship than Hot Tuna. As a fan who has seen Tuna some hundred times in concert at this point, but who has never had much use for post-"Dragonfly" Starship, I would have wished for a little more parity here, but I suppose it could be argued that Starship was composed of more JA members than was Tuna, so I'm willing to let the point slide. Besides, this is a mere personal quibble. The fact remains, Jeff Tamarkin has done all fans of Jefferson Airplane a tremendous service with his wonderful book. I have read it twice already, and will surely refer to it often in the years to come. Thanks, Jeff!
Tamarkin not only gives us a thorough history of this seminal San Francisco group--starting in 1965, when Marty Balin (nee Martyn Buchwald) decided to put a new kind of band together--but also follows it through its dissolution in 1972 and on to its various offshoots (Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, KBC Band, etc.). Covering the pre-hippy days of the mid-'60s, through the Nixonian years and right on to J.A.'s reunion in 1989, Tamarkin also gives us a concise primer of a fascinating period of recent history. The book is replete with details of the band's principals but not exhaustingly so; that is, it never gets bogged down with excess back story, but rather gives us all the info we need to understand all the band members as fully fleshed-out people, limiting their back biographies to quick 10-page chapters. I have been a fan of Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Spencer Dryden and especially Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady for almost 40 years now, and still found an incredible amount of unknown information about them in this fast-moving history. (Spencer Dryden was Charlie Chaplin's nephew?!?! Who knew?) With chapters arranged in cliffhanger fashion, with a fascinating cast of characters and with many astounding stories, this book really does pull a reader in. And yet, Tamarkin does not yield to the temptation to sensationalize his tale. Indeed, to his credit, he admits right up front that there remain many "Airplane mysteries," and lets it go at that. Yes, there are many juicy stories (I love the one about Jack sitting in the mud puddle on DMT, and Grace's escapades in Germany...not to mention that Reality D. Blipcrotch episode!), but many readers, I suspect, will be surprised that this book remains fairly levelheaded, with a minimum of wild sex and drug anecdotes. The anecdotes ARE there, but only enough to give us a feel for the time, place and characters. (One gets the feeling that Tamarkin could regale us with even juicier tidbits over a few drinks one evening.) The author has been given access to virtually every principal character in the Jefferson Airplane story, and the hundreds of hours of insider interviews have helped make this history practically definitive.
On another note, I myself work as a copy editor and proofreader, and thus am happy to report that the book has also been put together virtually faultlessly. I only counted four typos in its entire 400+-page length, and all those were of the punctuational variety. The rare photographs on display are truly special (I just love the one of Jorma in his Cub Scout uniform!), and the book's index is perfectly composed and quite handy when keeping track of the history's large cast of characters. If there is one complaint that I would lodge--and it is a very minor one--it is that in the book's final third, more space has been given over to the exploits of Jefferson Starship than Hot Tuna. As a fan who has seen Tuna some hundred times in concert at this point, but who has never had much use for post-"Dragonfly" Starship, I would have wished for a little more parity here, but I suppose it could be argued that Starship was composed of more JA members than was Tuna, so I'm willing to let the point slide. Besides, this is a mere personal quibble. The fact remains, Jeff Tamarkin has done all fans of Jefferson Airplane a tremendous service with his wonderful book. I have read it twice already, and will surely refer to it often in the years to come. Thanks, Jeff!
February 16, 2016
When Paul Kantner died recently (RIP Paul!), I went looking for a book about Jefferson Airplane and was surprised I had not previously come across this masterpiece.
I've read at least a hundred rock bios, so have a solid basis for comparing and rating them. Got a Revolution is one of the best! The enormous amount of detail may not make it the perfect book for casual fans, but it is the requisite bible for aficionados of not only Jefferson Airplane, but the entire sixties San Francisco psychedelic movement. Like Johnny Rogan's classic book about The Byrds, it is an impeccably researched, minutely detailed history of one of the most original and culturally influential bands of all time.
I get bored with rock bios that are simply one debauched drug or sex tale after another. Certainly some of those stories are interesting and also important to understanding the arc of a band (usually why the band or the quality of the music, or both, disintegrated). Tamarkin includes many such tales, but keeps his focus mostly on the music itself, album by album, track by track, from the band's early days at the Matrix on Fillmore Street in Cow Hollow up through Jefferson Starship and finally just Starship.
As someone else mentioned, one does not come away from this book with an extremely positive view of any of the individuals in Jefferson Airplane as people. They all had their faults, but you gotta love 'em. They were unique cats and the tensions and competition between them helped drive the band for a long time. I once ran into Paul Kantner at Café Trieste, a coffee shop in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. I shook his hand and said, "Paul, you're one of my heroes!" He said, "That's pretty scary man," but he was as nice as could be.
I've read at least a hundred rock bios, so have a solid basis for comparing and rating them. Got a Revolution is one of the best! The enormous amount of detail may not make it the perfect book for casual fans, but it is the requisite bible for aficionados of not only Jefferson Airplane, but the entire sixties San Francisco psychedelic movement. Like Johnny Rogan's classic book about The Byrds, it is an impeccably researched, minutely detailed history of one of the most original and culturally influential bands of all time.
I get bored with rock bios that are simply one debauched drug or sex tale after another. Certainly some of those stories are interesting and also important to understanding the arc of a band (usually why the band or the quality of the music, or both, disintegrated). Tamarkin includes many such tales, but keeps his focus mostly on the music itself, album by album, track by track, from the band's early days at the Matrix on Fillmore Street in Cow Hollow up through Jefferson Starship and finally just Starship.
As someone else mentioned, one does not come away from this book with an extremely positive view of any of the individuals in Jefferson Airplane as people. They all had their faults, but you gotta love 'em. They were unique cats and the tensions and competition between them helped drive the band for a long time. I once ran into Paul Kantner at Café Trieste, a coffee shop in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. I shook his hand and said, "Paul, you're one of my heroes!" He said, "That's pretty scary man," but he was as nice as could be.
March 24, 2018
What might’ve happened to sixties music if all the artists had some schooling in contract law, a realistic relationship with drugs and alcohol, and a rewarding monogamous relationship?
Anyway, that didn’t happen. This book does a very good job tracing the complicated history of the Airplane and its spinoffs. But I wish I knew more about the people involved. Tamarkin seems to have access to all the key characters, but his close connection doesn’t cut deep for any of them. So you get all the notoriety but little of the sobriety—just that they’re all much more clean and quiet now. The fascinating thing for me about the Airplane is how such wildly different people ever made music together in the first place. After Bathing At Baxter’s answers that just as well.
Anyway, that didn’t happen. This book does a very good job tracing the complicated history of the Airplane and its spinoffs. But I wish I knew more about the people involved. Tamarkin seems to have access to all the key characters, but his close connection doesn’t cut deep for any of them. So you get all the notoriety but little of the sobriety—just that they’re all much more clean and quiet now. The fascinating thing for me about the Airplane is how such wildly different people ever made music together in the first place. After Bathing At Baxter’s answers that just as well.
July 13, 2019
Back in the pre-historic period before the Web swallowed everything there was an e-mail list called 2400Fulton, named for the address of the mansion where the Airplane were based, in San Francisco. Jeff Tamarkin was one of the regulars because he is not just a writer, but a fan with a deep love for the Airplane. I also have a deep love, and while Surrealistic Pillow was my first album of theirs, I quickly got Takes Off. But then After Bathing At Baxters permanently changed my brain. I wore out several copies of the vinyl, then copied it onto audio cassette, and finally CDs came out. It is still my favorite album of theirs, and possibly my favorite album of all. So when Jeff wrote this book, I had to get it.
I have a theory that some groups have so many geniuses that you cannot keep them together for too long. The Beatles are an example in my mind, and so is the Airplane. The stretch of albums from Surrealistic Pillow to Volunteers is hard to match, let alone beat, and the shards that came out of the band had brilliant moments as well. There were some very good albums by Jefferson Starship, and Hot Tuna is still gigging and worth seeing if they come to your town. But nothing compares to the Airplane. There is a quote from Bill Graham to the effect that when they were "on", no group in the world could beat them. I loved this book, though I imagine you have to be a fan before it will it will be meaningful to you.
I have a theory that some groups have so many geniuses that you cannot keep them together for too long. The Beatles are an example in my mind, and so is the Airplane. The stretch of albums from Surrealistic Pillow to Volunteers is hard to match, let alone beat, and the shards that came out of the band had brilliant moments as well. There were some very good albums by Jefferson Starship, and Hot Tuna is still gigging and worth seeing if they come to your town. But nothing compares to the Airplane. There is a quote from Bill Graham to the effect that when they were "on", no group in the world could beat them. I loved this book, though I imagine you have to be a fan before it will it will be meaningful to you.
October 12, 2018
Trying to explain her song White Rabbit, Grace Slick told author Jeff Tamarkin:
"It's an interesting song, but it didn't do what I wanted it to do. What I was trying to say was that between the ages of zero and five the information and the input you get is almost indelible. In other words, once a Catholic, always a Catholic.
And the parents read us these books, like Alice In Wonderland, where she gets high, tall, and she takes mushrooms, a hookah, pills, alcohol. And then there's The Wizard Of Oz, where they fall into a field of poppies and when they wake they see Oz. And then there's Peter Pan, where if you sprinkle white dust on you, you could fly.
And then you wonder why we take it. Well, what did you read to me?"
If that was all that was in Got A Revolution!, it would be worth the price of admission. It's not, as there's lots more. Jeff's descriptions of individual album tracks are excellent, especially if the reader is familiar with those tracks. He will make you nod your head in agreement while thinking, "Huh! I hadn't thought of it that way."
It's a good book not only on Jefferson Airplane—and there's no "the" before Jefferson Airplane—but also on the '60s and what followed (some of which is still following).
Read Got A Revolution! and feed your head . . .
"It's an interesting song, but it didn't do what I wanted it to do. What I was trying to say was that between the ages of zero and five the information and the input you get is almost indelible. In other words, once a Catholic, always a Catholic.
And the parents read us these books, like Alice In Wonderland, where she gets high, tall, and she takes mushrooms, a hookah, pills, alcohol. And then there's The Wizard Of Oz, where they fall into a field of poppies and when they wake they see Oz. And then there's Peter Pan, where if you sprinkle white dust on you, you could fly.
And then you wonder why we take it. Well, what did you read to me?"
If that was all that was in Got A Revolution!, it would be worth the price of admission. It's not, as there's lots more. Jeff's descriptions of individual album tracks are excellent, especially if the reader is familiar with those tracks. He will make you nod your head in agreement while thinking, "Huh! I hadn't thought of it that way."
It's a good book not only on Jefferson Airplane—and there's no "the" before Jefferson Airplane—but also on the '60s and what followed (some of which is still following).
Read Got A Revolution! and feed your head . . .
December 11, 2012
One of my all time favorite bands... saw them in their prime back in the sixties and they soared. The book explores the history of the band and the times in which they flourished... a great read of the ups and downs of being in a band and what can happen when you become successful... the airplane were an integral part of the san francisco music scene, they were there at the beginning of the folk/rock psychedelic era, one they helped start and for a few short years they flew the highest... intimate details of the band members and other stars of that time, Garcia, Crosby, etc...
read on...
read on...
December 22, 2016
Good read, great band - need more?!
February 9, 2016
I read this book back in 2003 when it came out and I just re-read it after Paul sailed off into the stars on January 28, 2016 for his final journey. I will miss him greatly for he represented a time in history that will probably never be duplicated. I liked the book when I first read it and I liked it even more the second time around. I binge listened via Spotify to the Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, Grace's solo LP's, PERO, KBC, Kantner, Freiberg and Slick, Quicksilver and the Great Society....I'm just now touching down on planet Earth again. The Jefferson Airplane along with the Grateful Dead were major influences in my life and they were the catalysts that I needed to get me out of Western Pennsylvania and onward to the coast of California and down to San Francisco. This book does a great job of capturing what was going on culturally, musically and politically at that time in history. It's no secret that these artist/musicians loved sex, drugs and rock and roll and for the ones who survived it all and are still out there today playing their music, doing their art, I am grateful that they still are doing it, minus free love and the hard drugs. Thanks Jeff Tamarkin for a great read!!
August 5, 2016
Well done biography of the band that appropriately focuses on their prime years (1966-1970) but does a good job of covering the band members' lives up to the end of the century. Lots of bad behavior covered for a biography that was written with the band members' support and contributions. As entertaining as they were, these were difficult people to get along with, especially Grace Slick, with her alcoholism and erratic behavior. Sad that such talented, achieving people should have so many inner demons, but that isn't a new story, I guess. Definitely recommend this book to any fan of the Jefferson Airplane's music.
October 24, 2007
As will be true for many who have read or will read this book, the Jefferson Airplane was/is my favorite rock band of all time. Jeff Tamarkin is the ultimate Airplane scholar, and has a deep familiarity with both the members of the band and their music. His writing is felicitous, and he truly captures the spirit of the times in which the Airplane was created, made their greatest records, and performed their greatest music.
February 17, 2017
There was a period in my life when I took LSD on a regular basis, and the first five Jefferson Airplane albums were very often the soundtrack to those experiences. Described as a band produced "of, for and by the San Francisco acid community" their music charts the whole story of late 1960s' America, from utopian folk-rock to revolutionary disillusionment, and this book is the perfect companion to understanding the tensions that drove the band's songs and lyrics.
July 6, 2018
A book that has lain unread on my bookshelves for some time, I picked this out now as I'm revisiting the Jefferson Airplane back catalogue on CD.
Tamarkin does an excellent job of bringing to life the adventures of all who boarded the Airplane or the Starship.
It's also directed me towards other music that I had been unaware of. It's all good.
Tamarkin does an excellent job of bringing to life the adventures of all who boarded the Airplane or the Starship.
It's also directed me towards other music that I had been unaware of. It's all good.
August 17, 2007
The Airplane are my favorite band.
This book is approached with vivid detail. There are things I never knew about this band that are in this book. The known controversies(Germany concert, "Paul/Jefferson" vs "Grace/Starship") are tackled head on.
This book is approached with vivid detail. There are things I never knew about this band that are in this book. The known controversies(Germany concert, "Paul/Jefferson" vs "Grace/Starship") are tackled head on.
May 27, 2009
If you have read Grace Slicks bio, pull up a chair and read about everyone else in the group. Marty Ballin and Paul Kantner are really illuminated but Bill Graham also appears in this very entertaining book.
July 7, 2013
Clear and concise writing document the journey of one of my favorite 60s groups. While there is mention of substance use, the music always dominates. Tamarkin has done an excellent job of gathering facts and interviewing key people.
May 10, 2019
conventional rock doc. judicious quotes from the (eminently quotable) principals. not sure who is the funniest. probably david crosby. but slick and kantner are right behind.
January 16, 2024
Frankly, I hadn’t thought about Jefferson Airplane in awhile but at 73 they were part of my generation’s wheelhouse, and going to university in NorCal starting in the fall of 1968, I spent a lot of time at concerts in The City.
This book brought back a lot of memories - mostly good - but also reminded me that it was a lucky thing that I stayed around the periphery of the drug culture.
I played in garage bands, and was no stranger to ganja. I listened to a lots of San Francisco bands and sat on the floor at Winterland and the Fillmore but I remained pretty centered, a drag to those deeply entrenched in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.
This book recalls the good, bad and ugly of the time. I miss it sometime but am also grateful to have survived it. This book was a fun and occasionally scary reminder and well worth the read.
This book brought back a lot of memories - mostly good - but also reminded me that it was a lucky thing that I stayed around the periphery of the drug culture.
I played in garage bands, and was no stranger to ganja. I listened to a lots of San Francisco bands and sat on the floor at Winterland and the Fillmore but I remained pretty centered, a drag to those deeply entrenched in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.
This book recalls the good, bad and ugly of the time. I miss it sometime but am also grateful to have survived it. This book was a fun and occasionally scary reminder and well worth the read.
February 4, 2024
3+ stars. comprehensive story of the trajectory of JA - songs squabbles drugs (alcohol was the most common destructive drug). I liked listening to the particular music as I was reading about each release- until the execrable Starship era.
Although Ive been a fan for 55 years, I learned lots of new stuff, and put a lot if other things into some kind of order. I felt I got to know each of the 6 core JA musicians a whole lot better.
A great reference book - it would have been enhanced by photos of album covers and track lists, but thats all in wilipedia and the extensive bibliography.
Although Ive been a fan for 55 years, I learned lots of new stuff, and put a lot if other things into some kind of order. I felt I got to know each of the 6 core JA musicians a whole lot better.
A great reference book - it would have been enhanced by photos of album covers and track lists, but thats all in wilipedia and the extensive bibliography.
October 29, 2018
Paul Kantner wrote songs about free society, free music, free this and that and then he sues the rest of the band. i enjoyed the book and it seemed like many people got ripped off in the early days. It destroyed some groups but JA kept going,[probably too long as Jack said "....we're actually as miserable as everybody else."
May 27, 2021
Not much to say about this one, which comes across as a decent, if rather workmanlike, liner-notes style approach to the band. The lot were so contentious that I ended up not much admiring the band members by the end of it all. Best thing was getting reintroduced to the Airplane's live album, "Bless Its Pointed Little Head."
October 18, 2021
Great read especially covering the epic 1960’s. The book takes you from the beginning all the way into the Starship era and back to the reunited Airplane’s last stand. Great brief comments by the parties involved keep it all together. Recommended if you love Jefferson Airplane or the 1960’s San Francisco scene.
September 12, 2020
Really loved the part about the Airplane, the origin stories . . . not so much the later Starship stuff. But for a fan, a must read.
March 19, 2022
The definitive history of Jefferson Airplane and the original run of Jefferson Starship. One of the best band bios I've ever read.
August 31, 2025
Revolution mean “to turn”
January 4, 2025
I got quite a bit of information out of this book; I just didn't feel like I got inside the "characters." At one point the author writes: "In late 1964, Marty Balin's wife left him and took their baby with her." End of anecdote and on to how he met Bill Thompson! You never get much of a sense of the inner lives of these musicians. In spite of that, it is probably a better than average rock book, with lots of detail about fights and troubles and the band's ups and downs. I wish the author had spent more time on the band's beginnings and less time on the long and drawn-out end. 3.5 stars.
March 8, 2016
As often happens when I read biographies of rock bands and/or musicians, I come away with a somewhat saddening sense of regret. It's similar to the expression "you don't want to see the sausage being made." Even though I know we're all human and have our myriad failings as people and artists, it's a bit disheartening nonetheless to see our one time heroes being depicted, as is so often the case, as way less than flawless specimens of coolness. But this is still a very informative read and I recommend it to anyone who was ever a fan of the Airplane as it is better to live without the glossy lens of adulation for our stars and get to the real truth of what it sometimes means to lead a creative life, greed, hate, turbulence, et al.
February 11, 2021
"I saw Jefferson Starship in Glasgow last month so it prompted me to read this book again.(I read it on 14 December 2007) It is definitely worth a read for people who have heard the music of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. It was written in 2003 so could probably do with an update to cover events since then." was what I wrote on 1 November 2012.
Reading the book for the third time I still found it a fascinating read.
Reading the book for the third time I still found it a fascinating read.
September 30, 2014
Bit dry, and no one comes out of it really likable. But the book covers the band and its convoluted history over the years in good detail. Worth reading for anyone interested in the Airplane or the San Francisco scene.
April 11, 2008
An interesting book on the Jefferson Airplane.
Well written but obviously only viable reading material for those interested in this niche topic.
Well written but obviously only viable reading material for those interested in this niche topic.
May 12, 2009
hands down one of the best music biographies i've ever read. a must read for any airplane fan!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews