Red Octopus

Red Octopus
Red Octopus
Studio album by Jefferson Starship
Released	July 1975
Recorded	February 1975
Studio	Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, CA
Genre	Art pop
Length	42:00; 61:58 (Including 2005 CD Bonus Tracks)
Label	Grunt
Producer	Jefferson Starship, Larry Cox
Jefferson Starship chronology
Alternative cover
	Cover art of original LP release

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	B−^[4]

Red Octopus is the second album by American rock band Jefferson Starship, released on Grunt Records in 1975. Certified double platinum by RIAA in 1995, it is the best-selling album by any incarnation of Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off groups. The single "Miracles" was the highest-charting single any permutation of the band had until Starship's "We Built This City" a decade later, ultimately peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart; the album itself reached No. 1 for four non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. As was common in the era, stereo and quadraphonic mixes of the album were released concurrently.

Following a guest appearance on the preceding Dragon Fly, Jefferson Airplane founder Marty Balin returned as a fully integrated member of the ensemble. Balin wrote or co-wrote five of the ten tracks on the album, including "Miracles."^[5] The group attempted to create a commercial sound, which was a total contrast to their past works and paved the musical path for their next two albums.^[6]

Track listing[edit]

Side one
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Fast Buck Freddie"	Grace Slick	Craig Chaquico	3:28
2.	"Miracles"	Marty Balin	Marty Balin	6:52
3.	"Git Fiddler" (instrumental)		Papa John Creach, Kevin Moore, John Parker	3:08
4.	"Ai Garimasũ (There Is Love)"	Grace Slick	Grace Slick	4:15
5.	"Sweeter than Honey"	Balin, Craig Chaquico	Craig Chaquico, Pete Sears	3:20

Side two
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Play on Love"	Grace Slick	Pete Sears	3:44
2.	"Tumblin'"	Marty Balin, Robert Hunter	David Freiberg	3:27
3.	"I Want to See Another World"	Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Marty Balin	Paul Kantner	4:34
4.	"Sandalphon" (instrumental)		Pete Sears	4:08
5.	"There Will Be Love"	Paul Kantner, Marty Balin	Paul Kantner, Craig Chaquico	5:04

2005 CD bonus tracks
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
11.	"Miracles" (single version)	Marty Balin	Marty Balin	3:29
12.	"Band Introduction" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)			1:14
13.	"Fast Buck Freddie" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)	Grace Slick	Craig Chaquico	3:34
14.	"There Will Be Love" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)	Paul Kantner, Marty Balin	Paul Kantner, Craig Chaquico	4:57
15.	"You're Driving Me Crazy" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)	Vic Smith	Vic Smith	6:44

Personnel[edit]

Marty Balin – lead (2, 5, 7, 10) and backing vocals
Grace Slick – lead (1, 4, 6) and backing vocals, piano (4)
Paul Kantner – lead (8) and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals
Papa John Creach – electric violin
David Freiberg – bass (3, 6, 9), organ (2, 8), ARP synthesizer (4, 10), keyboards (7), backing vocals
Pete Sears – bass (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10), keyboards (3, 5) electric (2, 11) and acoustic (6, 8–10) pianos, organ (6, 8, 9), clavinet (6), ARP synthesizer (9), backing vocals
John Barbata – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

Bobbye Hall – percussion, congas
Irv Cox – saxophone

Production

Jefferson Starship – producer
Larry Cox – producer, engineer
Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
Steve Mantoani, Jeffrey Husband – recordists
Paul Dowell – amp consultant
Dave Roberts – string and horn arrangement
Recorded and Mixed at Wally Heiders, San Francisco
Mastered by Kent Duncan, Kendun Recorders, Burbank
Live tracks recorded at Winterland, November 7, 1975
Bill Thompson – manager
Frank Mulvey – art director
Jim Marshall – liner photograph
Gribbitt! – graphics

Charts[edit]

Chart (1975-1976)	Peak position
Australian albums (Kent Music Report)^[7]	69
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[8]	13
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[9]	15
US Billboard 200^[10]	1

Certifications[edit]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[11]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.
^ Viglione, Joe. "Miracles by Jefferson Starship - Track Info | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
^ Ruhlmann, William. "Jefferson Starship: Red Octopus". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ "Red Octopus - Review". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
^ "Jefferson Starship - Biography". billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4042a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "Charts.nz – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
^ "American album certifications – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[edit]

Snyder, Patrick (January 1, 1976). "Jefferson Starship: The Miracle Rockers". Rolling Stone.

[1] Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.

[allmusic.com-2] Viglione, Joe. "Miracles by Jefferson Starship - Track Info | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

[sierrab-3] Ruhlmann, William. "Jefferson Starship: Red Octopus". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.

[4] Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.

[5] "Red Octopus - Review". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.

[6] "Jefferson Starship - Biography". billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.

[aus-7] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[group=-8] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4042a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[ac_New_Zealand_Jefferson_Starship-9] "Charts.nz – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[ac_Billboard200_Jefferson_Starship-10] "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.

[United_StatesJefferson_StarshipRed_OctopusalbumCertRef-11] "American album certifications – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Recording Industry Association of America.

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