Got a Revolution!: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane
by Jeff Tamarkin

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Book Reviews of Got a Revolution!: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane

Book Review: You Say You Want a Revolution, we'ell You Know...
Summary: 5 Stars

Sitting on my shelves is the first book I ever read on Jefferson Airplane, a 1969 book by Ralph Gleason, sandwiched between Hank Harrison's book on the Grateful Dead and the inevitable Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. Tamarkin's excellent tome now joins it and will probably become the definitive word on the subject. It certainly fills the void that has existed for some years since the Gleason book was published and the Airplane metamorphosed into Starship. Coming relatively soon after Dennis McNally's biography of the Dead, these books between them shine a spotlight on the musical and social revolution that was spawned in the 1960's and for which San Francisco assumed the mantle of world leader.

Jeff Tamarkin, as others have alluded too, bases his book on his prior research and knowledge of the central characters involved. He has done a tremendous job in being fair to everyone which is to be lauded. He does not skip over the relationships between the band members and the cast of others who flit throught the story, he does not glorify nor condemn the use and abuse of chemicals nor does he try to do anyone down. His writing displays his skill with words which he has honed over the years in his other job and the end result is an excellent read, informative with an insider's view and an outsider's perception.

To me the most telling part of the tale is the story of Matthew Katz whom the author notes would not be interviewed but answered e-mails. That must be an extraordinary tale in of itself. Personally I find thet the author has a gift of bringing the characters alive so that we feel that we know them. Indeed there are many diehard fans who follow the band as it is presently constituted almost everywhere and are long past being considered starstruck.

This book is the story of a community. It places the band in the context of the times and yet at the same time portrays them as human beings as well as star musicians. It is a story of fame and closeness, of rivalry and emnity, of individuality and shared companionship. I am sure that some who read this will be shocked, perhaps awed, by some of the events contained within the book and that many will be fascinated by the twists and turns described therein.

Jeff Tamarkin has certainly succeeded with this labour of love in bringing the inside story of Jefferson Airplane to the world. His story deserves every success and it is a story that anyone interested in the era or the music should read. At least twice.

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