241
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #120,649 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★☆
A worthy addition to the Airplane catalogue
"Fly Jefferson Airplane" is a musical documentary recommended easily to fans of the beloved San Francisco acid-rock group. Vintage performance footage of their best-known songs are presented in surprisingly-clean footage with good sound fidelity and in their entirety--rare for most "nostalgia" videos. The performances span the classic "hits" of the 1966-1970 era: "It's No Secret", "White Rabbit", "Somebody To Love", "Plastic Fantastic Lover" as well as lesser-known gems "Martha" and the two "Pooneil" songs.
If one is looking for "dirty dish", there is no sniping here. The former band members reflect nostalgically, warmly and philosophically on their collective achievements instead of the often-documented acrimony and in-fighting. They have, it seems, grown up. They are all, Marty Balin points out with some satisfaction, STILL ALIVE. Perhaps no other major rock group of the era can boast such a claim. It is, initially, shocking to see these sexagenarians and reconcile them with the young and vital performers we see in the music clips.
As a documentary, it plays it safe: it avoids a critical perspective on the music, the albums, the band members or live performances. It is, in some ways akin to a souvenir of "The Summer of Love". It does, however, go into enough interesting detail (through interviews with all the band member interspersed throughout) to give the uninitiated or casual fan a reasonably-broad and informative look at the group's history and accomplishments. Bonus features include more interviews and a photo gallery.
