On February 1st, 1967 San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane released their breakthrough album Surrealistic Pillow. Although it was their second studio album, it was the first to feature singer Grace Slick whose powerful, haunting voice put the band on the global map. The record is the epitome of the San Francisco sound which began to inspire a whole plethora of new bands from the city.
To celebrate the 55th birthday of the iconic album, here are some fun facts you might not have known about Surrealistic Pillow:
- Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia is credited as the band’s “spiritual advisor” on the album and is said to have played on some tracks including Today.
- Somebody To Love, the biggest hit song from the record, was actually a cover originally performed with Grace Slick’s previous group The Great Society.
- Grace Slick also recorded an earlier version of White Rabbit with The Great Society which is triple the length of the Jefferson Airplane version.
- The album’s songs have been heavily covered by other artists including The Allman Brothers Band, The Ramones, and P!nk.
- Jefferson Airplane’s original lead singer Signe Toly Anderson sang lead on the UK version of Chauffeur Blues.
Watch Jefferson Airplane perform Somebody To Love on the Dick Cavett Show in 1969 here:
