In the mid-1970s, the original founders of San Francisco’s legendary psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane reinvented themselves for a new generation as the more forward-looking Jefferson Starship. While guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady broke away to pursue the harder, blues-based Hot Tuna full-time, the remaining core regrouped, realigned and went back to work. The result was a re-entry into the market full of hits, capped by the double platinum juggernaut Red Octopus from 1975, an album that made it clear that this was not a nostalgia act, but a band that focused very much on the present.
The group was so popular that several of their albums were released in the then-new, highly experimental four-channel sound format known as Quadraphonic. ‘Quad’, as it came to be known, eventually became a consumer format thanks to messy format wars and real world playback issues – quad vinyl in particular was a minor miracle when it worked at all. The result was that those discrete four-channel mixes sat in the vault for decades, unheard and largely forgotten, waiting for someone with both the resources and the common sense to bring them back.
Rhino entering. The label’s ongoing Quadio series has been remastered for Blu-ray Disc playback through standard home theater systems and has become a silent gift for surround sound enthusiasts. These releases generally sound excellent, sourced from the original half-inch four-channel masters and transferred at 192 kHz, 24-bit resolution. Initial sold directly through rhino.comMost Quadio titles are also available directly from Amazon: no decoder rings or vintage Quad gear required.
It’s important to set realistic expectations for these original Quad mixes created in the 1970s; While many of them offer excellent surround experiences, they are often not quite on par with the modern immersive experiences of 5.1 surround or 7.1 Dolby Atmos. Anyway, part of the fun of listening to these releases is hearing what the producers were trying to do with Quad music in the 1970s – it was all new territory and there were no real rules.
To date, there have been three Jefferson Starship Quadio releases in this series. Not surprisingly, Red Octopus is the most compelling as it contains some of the band’s best-known songs, including ‘Fast Buck Freddie’, ‘Play On Love’ and of course the mega-hit ballad ‘Miracles’. This album was a huge hit, eventually reaching double platinum status (2 million copies sold) and reaching number 1 on the Billboard Magazine charts. The four-channel mix of Red Octopus is quite good and certainly front-facing, but there are some nice moments where the rear channels are used to create an immersive experience. Of the three albums, I found this the most enjoyable to listen to, both for the mix, the overall fidelity and the music.
Where to buy: $25.99 at Amazon
1974 marked the debut release of Jefferson Starship Dragonfly album with the popular hit single “Ride the Tiger” and “Caroline” by singer Marty Balin. The quad mix is really solid, and it’s hard not to smile as violinist Papa John Creach comes at you from different corners of the room in all his bluesy, fiddle-sawing glory. It’s one of those moments where the format actually earns its money instead of feeling like a gimmick. The Quadio edition of Dragonfly is available on Amazon for $24.98.
Where to buy: $24.98 at Amazon
The only Jefferson Starship album I’m still confused by is the 1976 chart-topping, million-selling album. Spitfire. This recording disappointed me when I first heard it back in the day and even with the Quad mix I still find this music quite forgettable. But if you’re a big fan of Jefferson Starship, you’ll probably want to get this one Spitfire which is available for purchase on Amazon at the time of writing.
Where to buy: $24.98 at Amazon
Mark Smotroff is a deep music lover/collector who has also spent decades working in entertainment-oriented marketing communications supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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