FLIGHT CASES

AIRPLANE AT THE LIMIT Jefferson Airplane ★★★★ Volunteers (RCA VICTOR, 1969) The Airplane’s fifth LP serves as the Woodstock Nation’s sonic manifesto, covering radical left-wing politics, the environment and the band’s sui generis lysergic worldview. Some of Kaukonen’s finest studio work is here: his fuzzed, sizzling lead on Kantner’s We Can Be Together is quintessential ’60s rock guitar. He’d been singing and performing the traditional Good Shepherd since the early ’60s (and still does) – here it’s rock’n’roll. JACK & JORMA BRANCH OUT Hot Tuna Burgers (GRUNT, 1972) ★★★★ Volunteers Tuna’s third album has a thrilling opener: the re-tooled traditional True Religion opens with Kaukonen’s masterful acoustic hand gymnastics; after an instrumental verse he comes in singing with full rhythm section and violinist Papa John Creach’s bowed blue notes. The tempo then shifts and Kaukonen re-enters on wall-melting electric. The rest of…