Jefferson Starship - Jefferson’s Tree of Liberty (Evangeline) As the most progressive, creative and ultimately dangerous of the 60s West Coast pioneers, there was always the risk that Jefferson Airplane would fly too close to the sun. When they fell to earth the descent was spectacular, the artistic gap between the acid-infused technicolor splendour of After Bathing at Baxters and the dollar-chasing dumbness of We Built This City being as wide as the Grand Canyon itself. Recent visits to the UK however have revealed a more flexible outfit very much under the tight stewardship of Paul Kantner and David Freiberg (Starship via Quicksilver Messenger Service) playing early Airplane material with renewed passion. This new release reaches back into the very dawn of Airplane / Starship and the folk club backgrounds of many of its early members, with a largely acoustic collection of songs written and performed by such luminaries as The Weavers (Follow The Drinking Gourd), Phil Ochs (I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore), and Woody Guthrie (Pastures of Plenty). Elsewhere there are more contemporary tunes by Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson, Dino Valenti, a curious hybrid of “Redemption Song” and “Imagine”, and a single new offering from Kantner himself. The aim is clearly to both revisit their own musical roots and to re-activate their enthusiasm for protest in a way they haven't since Volunteers. The results will surprise many long-time followers, being something of a radical step backwards to take a significant leap forward, but in truth, warts and all, this is by far the most rewarding and relevant album from a band called Starship in many a year. The players acquit themselves well and are not really strangers, Chris Smith, Prairie Prince and Mark Aguilar being long-time collaborators of the central characters, and the voices are in fine form. Its a rare pleasure to hear Marty Balin on Terry Terell’s “Maybe For You”, although most encouraging of all, Cathy Richardson emerges as a fantastic prospect as the new female lead. More Janis Joplin than Grace Slick, her edgier voice and (relatively) youthful energy could be the essential platform to take the next generation of Starship forward. www.evangeline.co.uk Neil B. Next