I think "We Built This City" got extra dings because Jefferson Airplane was the SF band most closely associated with the radical rhetoric of the counter culture. So crapping out a song that was (a) written by outside song doctors and (b) was the very essence of corporate rock (c) and purported to be about San Francisco's particular cultural and rock and roll made it seem like the most egregious sellout and boomer nostalgia trip ever.

This perspective is so widespread, we felt it necessary to address the Airplane's musical legacy in the book because it's been so completely eradicated by Starship. But there's very good stuff on Surrealistic Pillow, Crown of Creation and Volunteers. Fantastic harmonies, great melodies, hot guitar and (particularly) bass playing by Jack Casady. Though typically, the record our writer chose was (the much less respected) Bark. Also, he went to bat for Paul Kanter's second science fiction solo album.

waits patiently for Joe to make comment about Bay Area musical bias.

So now's my chance to ask Hec his opinion of Baron Von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun (an album by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg that came out in '73). When I was in college I totally fell in love with "Sketches of China" - now I find it impossible to get beyond my nostalgia to decide if the song is good.

Not a fan of After Bathing at Baxter's David?

So now's my chance to ask Hec his opinion of Baron Von Tollbooth & The Chrome Nun (an album by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg that came out in '73). When I was in college I totally fell in love with "Sketches of China" - now I find it impossible to get beyond my nostalgia to decide if the song is good.

I've never heard it. I think Kanter is sort of underrated as a weirdo songwriter with a talent for tunefulness.

Not a fan of After Bathing at Baxter's David?

Actually I do like Grace's "Rejoyce" and "The Ballad of Me and You and Pooneil."

They might have been pretentious, self-serious hippies, but at least they were literate. ("Rejoyce" being Grace's take on Ullysses and "Pooneil" being a kind of conflation of Winnie the Pooh and the cult folk singer Fred Neil.)

David, I'm pretty surprised the CDs are not there yet. I sent them over a week ago.

waits patiently for Joe to make comment about Bay Area musical bias.

That Grace Slick has a balcony you could do Shakespeare from!

If I want to hear Jack Casady I'll put on Electric Ladyland. If I want Hot Tuna I'll have a sandwich. If I want to hear Jerry -- and I don't -- I'll listen to him with Ornette, not the Dead. And if I want to hear music from the Bay Area I'll break out Sly, CCR or Moby Grape. Or maybe Deedee Bridgewater Live at Yoshi's. Or maybe Journey's "Na Na Song". The Jefferson Airplane, with a few exceptions, does very little for me. Nothing to incite strong feelings either way so I don't feel like they sold out or took a major nosedive when they became Starship. "We Built This City on Rock and Roll" is bad even by their standards, though.

And I like Bob Seger. No apologies necessary. 'Cause you look just like a Commie and you might just be a member/Get out of Denver, baby, get out of Denver, baby, gooo!!

David, I'm pretty surprised the CDs are not there yet. I sent them over a week ago.

Well, then you're off the hook. glares in direction of USPS.

And if I want to hear music from the Bay Area I'll break out Sly, CCR or Moby Grape. Or maybe Deedee Bridgewater Live at Yoshi's. Or maybe Journey's "Na Na Song".

Where's "Sex Bomb" in there?

I also like Bob Seger just fine.

Not a fan of either the Jefferson Airplane or Bob "Like a Rock" Seger here. Like Joe, I am fond of Sly, CCR, and Moby Grape/Skip Spence, though.

Off the hook. Woo!

And Flipper, natch. And the American Music Club. Who else is from the Bay Area?

And the American Music Club. Who else is from the Bay Area?

Metallica, Chris Isaak, Primus, Green Day, Chuck Prophet, The Avengers, Crime, The Nuns, Beau Brummels, Graham Central Station, Tower of Power, Sylvester, some very famous remixy people that Angus would know, Del The Funkee Homosapien, Digital Underground, Too Short, Faith No More...