History Music / SurrealisticPillow

''Surrealistic Pillow'' is the second studio album by Music/JeffersonAirplane, released in 1967. It is generally considered to be their strongest album, most popular and critically acclaimed. It is their first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden (Nephew of Creator/CharlieChaplin), replacing Signe Toly Anderson and Skip Spence respectively. Spence did write "My Best Friend" for this album, however and he and Anderson appear on "Don't Slip Away", "Come Up The Years" and "Chauffeur Blues" on the UK version of the album. These three songs originally appeared on their previous album ''Music/JeffersonAirplaneTakesOff''.

* CoverVersion: Believe it or not, but "Somebody to Love" was in fact a cover by another folk rock band, namely The Great Society, of which Darby and Grace Slick were members. Darby also wrote the lyrics.

Hits and fan favourites include "Somebody to Love", "My Best Friend", "Embryonic Journey" and "White Rabbit".

The album was listed at #146 in ''Magazine/RollingStone''[='=]s [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].

[[AC: Side One]]

[[AC: Side Two]]

* DespairEventHorizon: "Somebody to Love" tells the protagonist that since "his friends treat him like a guest" he better find somebody to love.

* {{Sexbot}}: Marty Balin ''claims'' that "Plastic Fantastic Lover" was a paean to his new stereo system (or maybe TV--the story varies), but the description of it as a lover with "chrome-coloured clothes", and the references to "Data Control and IBM" make it clear that he was trying to imply a little more--possibly influenced by some of Kantner's SF collection.

Hits and fan favourites include "Somebody To Love", "My Best Friend", "Embryonic Journey" and "White Rabbit".

** Alice also meets a caterpillar who smokes from a waterpipe.

* {{Instrumental}}: "Embryonic Journey".

# "Somebody To Love"

# "Comin' Back To Me"

# "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds"

# "3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds"

# "Come Up The Years"

# "Comin' Back To Me"
# "Somebody To Love"

# "In The Morning"

# "Go To Her (Version Two)"

# "Somebody To Love (Single Version)"

* AntiLoveSong: "Somebody To Love" describes nothing but depressing situations and tells the person (s)he needs somebody to love. This may sounds like a PepTalkSong about ThePowerOfLove, but when you think of it makes it actually worse since the person to whom the song is addressed to is already in a lot of despair and would probably get even more depressed if someone told him or her that she is also totally alone and without someone to love.

* BoleroEffect: "White Rabbit" uses this effect in the melody.
* CoverVersion: Believe it or not, but "Somebody To Love" was in fact a cover by another folk rock band, namely ''The Great Society'', of which Darby and Grace Slick were members. Darby also wrote the lyrics.

* DespairEventHorizon: "Somebody To Love" tells the protagonist that since "his friends treat him like a guest" he better find somebody to love.

* LyricalColdOpen: "Somebody To Love".

* SecondPersonNarration: "Somebody To Love".

*** "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love" are also well-used in media. Odds are good that, if you're watching a program or a film about or set in the Sixties, you'll hear one of those two songs. [[AnachronismStew Even if it's the very early Sixties]]. "White Rabbit" in particular has become the StandardSnippet to play whenever characters are taking hallucinogenic drugs.
* SpecialGuest: Jerry Garcia from Music/TheGratefulDead plays guitar during "Today", "Comin' Back To Me", "Plastic Fantastic Lover" and "J.P.P. [=McStep=] B. Blues".

The album was listed at #146 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].

The album was listed at nr. #146 in Magazine/RollingStone's [[Music/RollingStone500GreatestAlbumsOfAllTime 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time]].

* RecordProducer: Rick Jaccard.

'''''Surrealistic Pillow''''' is the second studio album by Music/JeffersonAirplane, released in 1967. It is generally considered to be their strongest album, most popular and critically acclaimed. It is their first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden (Nephew of Creator/CharlieChaplin), replacing Signe Toly Anderson and Skip Spence respectively. Spence did write "My Best Friend" for this album, however and he and Anderson appear on "Don't Slip Away", "Come Up The Years" and "Chauffeur Blues" on the UK version of the album. These three songs originally appeared on their previous album ''Music/JeffersonAirplaneTakesOff''.

'''''Surrealistic Pillow''''' is the second studio album by Music/JeffersonAirplane, released in 1967. It is generally considered to be their strongest album, most popular and critically acclaimed and therefore it's safe to say it's their MagnumOpus. It is their first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden (Nephew of Creator/CharlieChaplin), replacing Signe Toly Anderson and Skip Spence respectively. Spence did write "My Best Friend" for this album, however and he and Anderson appear on "Don't Slip Away", "Come Up The Years" and "Chauffeur Blues" on the UK version of the album. These three songs originally appeared on their previous album ''Music/JeffersonAirplaneTakesOff''.

** The dormouse is a character from when Alice meets the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.
--> ''Remember what the doormouse said. Feed your head.''

** The doormouse is a character from when Alice meets the Mad Hatter and the March Hare.

Classic hits from this album are "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit".

Side 1

Side 2

* {{Instrumentals}}: "Embryonic Journey".

* {{Sexbot}}: Marty Balin ''claims'' that "Plastic Fantastic Lover" was a paean to his new stereo system (or maybe TV--the story varies), but the description of it as a lover with "chrome-colored clothes", and the references to "Data Control and IBM" make it clear that he was trying to imply a little more--possibly influenced by some of Kantner's SF collection.

* WordSaladTitle: The album title, which was alledgedly inspired by a comment from [[Music/TheGratefulDead Jerry Garcia]] about the music being "surrealistic as a pillow".

* AliceAllusion: "White Rabbit" is one entire shout-out to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' and ''Literature/AliceThroughTheLookingGlass'':

* DesparatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: "D.C.B.A. - 25"

** "White Rabbit" is a shout-out to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' and ''Literature/AliceThroughTheLookingGlass''. The band based the melody on Music/MauriceRavel's "Bolero" and was also inspired by a similar bolero heard on Music/MilesDavis' ''Music/SketchesOfSpain''.

'''''Surrealistic Pillow''''' is the second studio album by Music/JeffersonAirplane, released in 1967. It is generally considered to be their strongest album, most popular and critically acclaimed. It is their first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden (Nephew of Creator/CharlieChaplin), replacing Signe Toly Anderson and Skip Spence respectively. Spence did write "My Best Friend" for this album, however and he and Anderson appear on "Don't Slip Away", "Come Up The Years" and "Chauffeur Blues" on the UK version of the album. These three songs originally appeared on their previous album ''Music/JeffersonAirplaneTakesOff''.

* AliceAllusion: All over the place in "White Rabbit".

* MushroomSamba: "White Rabbit".

* OdeToIntoxication: "White Rabbit", which has become the StandardSnippet to play whenever a film or TV scene evokes people enjoying hallucinogenic drugs.

** "White Rabbit" is a shout-out to ''Literature/AliceInWonderland''.

*** "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love" are also well-used in media. Odds are good that, if you're watching a program about or set in the Sixties, you'll hear one of those two songs. [[AnachronismStew Even if it's the very early Sixties]].
* WordSaladTitle

** "White Rabbit" is a shout-out to ''Main/AliceInWonderland''.

'''''Surrealistic Pillow''''' is the second studio album by Music/JeffersonAirplane, released in 1967. It is generally considered to be their strongest album, most popular and critically acclaimed. It is their first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden (Nephew of Creator/CharlieChaplin), replacing Signe Toly Anderson and Skip Spence respectively. Spence did write "My Best Friend" for this album, however and he and Anderson appear on "Don't Slip Away", "Come Up The Years" and "Chauffeur Blues" on the UK version of the album. These three songs originally appeared on their previous album ''Jefferson Airplane Takes Off''.

** "Embryonic Journey" was used (among other films) in the series finale of Series/{{Friends}}.

'''''Surrealistic Pillow''''' is the second studio album by Music/JeffersonAirplane, released in 1967. It is generally considered to be their strongest album, most popular and critically acclaimed. It is their first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden (Nephew of Creator/CharlieChaplin), replacing Signe Toly Anderson and Skip Spence respectively. Spence did write "My Best Friend" for this album, however and he and Anderson appears on "Don't Slip Away", "Come Up The Years" and "Chauffeur Blues" on the UK version of the album. These three songs originally appeared on their previous album ''Jefferson Airplane Takes Off''.

# "J.P.P. McStep B. Blues"