Jefferson Airplane – After Bathing At Baxter's

Very poor budgeted 3 color printing of what was a full color US original and lucky to include the insert
Of course the gatefold couldn't be made or even imported by the locals

After Bathing at Baxters’ was the second Jefferson Airplane album to be released in 1967 (the other was the much better ‘Surrealistic Pillow’). No doubt Airplane fans will come after me but this one doesn’t impress. If it’s true that the title is coded language for ‘after taking LSD’ all I can say is maybe don’t try making music after taking LSD. None of the song ideas seem really fully formed and the noodling around on songs like ‘Spare Chaynge’ sound like teenagers learning what sounds they can get out of their newly purchased instruments (in other words, they were better than this). The collage of noises on ‘A Small Package of Value Will Come To You Shortly’ is pretentious and uninteresting. Okay, these are the weaker songs and there are certainly better ones. ‘Young Girl Sunday Blues’ and ‘Martha’ aren’t without their merits and there’s a trippy ‘White Rabbit’ vibe to ‘Two Heads’ that has some interest. I know there’s a school of thought that this album captures an important moment and represents a high water mark in ‘free rock’ improvisation, but yeah, sorry, not feelin’ it. 2 stars.

Sounds full and deep to me, and unlike most rock albums before it, the stereo mix is careful and essential to what the band recorded.

Got this as my first copy of this album, and i think it sounds nice for the price! I have nothing to compare it to, but to my ears it checks all the boxes. Happy to finally own this album.

My copy comes in a mono cover and plays in mono but has stereo labels. I can't find any pressing that matches mine but this one. The runouts are the same as this listing.

I wonder why RCA Canada released this on a red seal label. Anyone know how it ended up that way?

This 2003 remaster (Qobuz), issued 36 years after is debut, sounds great, if not totally amazing. Being nit picky the clarity could be just a bit better, but I'm sure that Bob Irwin had his hands full remastering the original tapes. Just to be clear, I'd rate the sound a 95, which is pretty darn good for a 1967 recording.
Why doesn't Timothy Leary get a credit on this album?
Grace's composed/vocalized "Two Heads" is a tour-de-force acid-fueled masterpiece.
Overall excellent, and never a dull moment!

If mastered at Capitol Mastering it's more likely Ron McMaster, not Robert Ludwig.

AFTER BATHING AT BAXTER'S is considerably more experimental and eclectic than SURREALISTIC PILLOW, and while I don't play this one as frequently as PILLOW or VOLUNTEERS (or CROWN OF CREATION) it's still a solid effort, highlighted by "Rejoice", "Won't You Try / Saturday Afternoon" and "The Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil". This is a 1967 stereo pressing, and it sounds a bit anemic at times. Bass levels are solid throughout, but on some songs, the mids and highs aren't very high or crisp. My copy plays skip-free, with light surface noise more often than not.

Gotta love the mono mix and that psychedelic, orange lettering!