The debut
Jefferson Airplane album was dominated by singer
Marty Balin, who wrote or co-wrote all the original material and sang most of the lead vocals in his heartbreaking tenor with
Paul Kantner and
Signe Anderson providing harmonies and backup. (
Anderson's lead vocal on "Chauffeur Blues" indicated she was at least the equal of her successor,
Grace Slick, as a belter.) The music consisted mostly of folk-rock love songs, the most memorable of which were "It's No Secret" and "Come Up the Years." (There was also a striking version of
Dino Valente's "Get Together" recorded years before
the Youngbloods' hit version.)
Jorma Kaukonen already displayed a talent for mixing country, folk, and blues riffs in a rock context and
Jack Casady already had a distinctive bass sound. But the
Airplane of
Balin,
Kantner,
Kaukonen,
Anderson,
Casady, and
Spence is to be distinguished from the
Balin,
Kantner,
Kaukonen,
Casady,
Slick, and
Dryden version of the band that would emerge on record five months later chiefly by
Balin's dominance. Later,
Grace Slick would become the group's vocal and visual focal point. On
Takes Off,
the Airplane was
Balin's group. The 2003 reissue of
Takes Off includes eight bonus tracks: uncensored versions of "Let Me In" and "Run Around," an early version of "Go to Her," previously unreleased alternate versions of "Chauffeur Blues" and "And I Like It," as well as tracks "Runnin' 'Round This World," "High Flying Bird," and "It's Alright."~ William Ruhlmann