JA Bark Sessions

A lot of people wrote off the Jefferson Airplane after Balin and Dryden left soon after the Altamont debacle. I will never forget though, being very excited at the hip record store in Eugene, Oregon, in 1971 when I first saw Bark, with the "New Jefferson Airplane" sticker on it. The pen and ink drawings done by Grace Slick of the new lineup were intoxicating, and Grace, Paul, Jack, and Jorma were still there. Jorma with a lion's mane, Paul with smokeable hair, and Papa John with a very interesting pipe. That asshole's New York based rock magazine may have panned this record, but Bark rarely strayed from my turntable back in California during my Senior year of high school. In L.A. at least, Bark received major airplay with two songs; Feel So Good, and Pretty as You Feel. My friend's rock band did a pounding version of Feel So Good, and the main riff was one of the first things I learned to play on bass. In 1973 a live version of Feel So Good was released on Thirty Seconds Over Winterland with one thundering bass solo by Jack. To me this song still remains as the best rock jam song of all time (more to follow.)

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