LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jefferson Airplane: Marty Balin
built 636 days ago
Originally formed by Marty Balin as an act to fill a Haight-Ashbury club he was planning, Jefferson Airplane became a full time project for the self-proclaimed leader of the band. Balin assembled Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Signe Anderson, Jack Casady and Skip Spence. The fledgling group performed songs written by Balin and got a record deal with RCA, who released their first album Takes Off to a lukewarm market.
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In 1989, Jefferson Airplane reunited with original members Balin, Kantner, Kaukonen, Casady, and Slick for a tour and an album, Jefferson Airplane (September 1989). In 1995, a new edition of Jefferson Starship, featuring Kantner, Balin, and Casady, released Deep Space/Virgin Sky. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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In 2004, Marty Balin pointed out that unlike many of their contemporaries, all of the original members of Jefferson Airplane survived the 1960s; all except original drummer Spence lived into the 21st century. Dryden, who had long languished under financial and health problems, died of colon cancer on January 11, 2005 at the age of 66.
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The Great Society recorded "Somebody to Love" and "Go Ask Alice" with Grace on vocals in November 1965, a year before the Jefferson Airplane version hit the charts bigtime. After The Great Society broke up and Slick joined the Jefferson Airplane, the band recorded Surrealistic Pillow. Marty Balin contributed his composition "Comin' Back to Me" written in one sitting after smoking some potent marijuana.
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Jefferson Airplane reformed in September 1989, instantly winning Rolling Stone's Most Unwelcome Comeback Award. The classic but now wizened line-up of Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady recorded many of the tracks of their new album separately and mailed them in to their producer!
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In following the evolution of the Airplane and all its offshoots (notably Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna) and reunions, Tamarkin has to deal with a turbulent history and a large cast of characters. The canonical lineup of Balin, Kantner, Kaukonen, Slick, Jack Casady and Spencer Dryden didn't last, and before Page 200 the group has gone through more drummers than Spinal Tap. This leaves the reader with a lot of names to keep track of (fortunately, there's a good index).
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Marty Balin