Grace Slick - Dreams

Asian exclusive reissue of the Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship vocalist's 1980 solo album. Nine tracks including, 'El Diablo', 'Face To The Wind' & 'Angel Of Night'. Album Description

Not the Grace Slick You Expect

I confess. After the debacle of "Miracles" I opted to not watch my favorite musicians from Jefferson Airplane descend into Vegas and state fair schlock meisters. As much as I love Grace Slick, and count her as the first female ROCK vocalist not beholden to the blues, jazz or folk, I couldn't watch the death spiral.

So. That being said. I missed Dreams when it first came out. Recently, I was shocked and appalled by the shoddy "Best Of" CD RCA threw together. I figured if nobody else was going to do it for me, I would create my very own Grace Slick box set.

In doing that I tracked down Dreams. I was blown away. Gone were the sometimes annoying Slick vocal idiosyncrasies, the too brittle biting tones, the too bombastic sarcastic lyrics. Instead, here was a full voiced, mature, reflective singer. She keeps her cutting edge, but with more personal songwriting. Her well known love of Spanish music is front and center in El Diablo. Garden of Man is breath taking in its evocative, ethereal washes of sound and double tracking vocals. Face to the Wind is epic beauty.

Did I hear this correctly? Grace is singing a straight forward unabashed love song in Full Moon Man? Throughout her career Grace was never known for wearing her heart on her sleeve. Turns out it suits her. Who'd thunk it?

Her new-found sobriety yields an AA anthem of sorts in Let It Go. It wouldn't be Grace Slick without a caustic, self-effacing turn. That comes in the middle of Do It the Hard Way with "I'm the queen of the nuthouse!"

All together, it's a beautifully complete piece of work. It's nearly a "concept album" in its themes. Above all, it's a virtuoso vocalist who's at peace with herself making the album she wants to make. If you love Grace Slick and may have missed it the first time like I did, track it down and buy it. July 31, 2008

The most atypical Grace Slick solo album, but also her best one

It seemed rather strange that the folk-rock-based psychedelic group Jefferson Airplane was fronted by as powerfully voiced of a female singer as Grace Slick, who always seemed more of a force of nature than some sort of Earth mother. Slick released her first solo album in 1974, but "Manhole" was really more of a Jefferson Airplane spinoff than anything else and an example of excess, albeit not quite of the glorious variety. Slick's second solo album did not come out until 1980 and was motivated by her extended stay in rehab. I did not know that when I first discovered this album, some two decades ago, but having finally gotten my hands on an imported CD version I have been listening to "Dreams" again and once you get to the last five tracks, written by Slick, the themes of reflection and renewal become rather obvious. If there is a key difference between Grace Slick on drugs and the Grace Slick of "Dreams," it would be that the one on these songs is a lot more direct.

However, the first four songs on the album are written by others and establish the rather exotic and decidedly eclectic blend of music. Sometimes the music reminds me of Loreena McKennitt, with the inclusion of musical elements from other cultures, and then there are hints of the bombast associated with Jim Steinman's music. "Dreams," written by Sam Delaney, has musical elements of the circus mixed with the sweeping grandeur of a synthesized orchestra, making it clear that Slick is trying to do something both different and ambitious. This is followed by Gary Gojan's "El Diablo," with its flamenco-guitar solo work by Sal DiTroia. Then there are two songs by Scott Zito, "Face to the Wind," where Slick's vocals make the song sound more dramatic than it is, and the weakest track on the album, "Angel of Night."

Then we get to the half-dozen songs Slick wrote for herself to sing. "Seasons," reminds us that spring and summer are better than winter, and has the Celebration Singers joining in on the happy chorus of "la-la's" and themes borrowed from Russian classic music as Slick promises, "So I will laugh and dance and watch the children sing, Then I will have the chance of finding joy in everything." Next comes "Do It The Hard Way," which might be the most blatant message song on the album, but has the virtue of some nice double track vocals by Slick. Then we get a nice ballad, "Full Moon Man," with Joe D'Elia doing the piano solo before the orchestra swell comes again. Slick picks her moment for the orchestral drama and some wicked guitar runs in "Let It Go" on the final bridge, where the meaning matters more than the meter in getting through the words. At this point you realize, if you have no already, that some of these songs are never going to be performed in concert.

It seems like the album should be over at that point, but Slick takes it down several notched with "Garden of Man," an almost airy piece, with exotic violins as Slick urges "grow grow love grow." This is where we get the most signs of the old Slick, as she sings that "Paradise, paradox--they're the only names in the combination game." There is mirror imagery reinforcing the idea of reflection, that brings the album full circle to the opening track (it seems strange in retrospect that she did not write the title track). Now that I have rediscovered this album, I have tried to pay more attention to the words this time around, but it is still the wall of sound and the contrast with Slick's vocals that stand out more than what she is actually singing. Consequently, I have a much better sense of the limitations of this album, but I still came really close to rounding up on it in the end. This is the most atypical Grace Slick album, and despite its status as a musical anomaly, it clearly remains a favorite of others beside myself. August 10, 2006

Dreams - and HOW!

Just briefly - Grace Slick had (since she no longer records per se) - the greatest, musically-appealing female voice in R&R for decades. (And the only persons I've seen who have the same basic on-stage presence are Madonna and Gwen Stephani.) Grace had tone, perfect vibrato, clarity and the ability to hold a note on pitch and with meaning for days.

Anyway - Dreams was a triumph, of sorts, after the big ups ('Theme from the Movie Manhole,' and the little-mentioned 'j'...) and the downs (It's only Music) of the 'Manhole' album.

I WORE OUT my vinyl copy of 'Dreams.' Finally ruined the cassette version in the late 90's. When the CD FINALLY came out (import) I was ecstatic....got to hear Grace at her best again. Just listen to the title track. Now there is singing and performance brilliance. Listen to "Full Moon Man." Wow....Grace and instruments sireening away forever...

This is a must have for Airplane/Starship/Grace Slick fans. Too bad she's not recording anymore....I could use some new vocals in my head by Grace! June 19, 2003

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