Manhole (album)
Encyclopedia
Manhole is Grace Slick
's first solo album credited solely to her (she had previously recorded Sunfighter
with Paul Kantner
and Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun with Kantner and David Freiberg
, both of whom co-produced Manhole). The album was recorded in 1973, when Jefferson Airplane
had stopped touring, and Jorma Kaukonen
and Jack Casady
were making the Hot Tuna
album, The Phosphorescent Rat
. All the members who would form Jefferson Starship
in 1974 performed on this album, except for Papa John Creach
. The album was conceived as a soundtrack to a movie, (noted by the title of the second track, "Theme from the Movie Manhole"), although there was no such movie made. Grace drew all of the artwork for the album, and wrote on the cover "Child Type Odd Art by Grace." The album only reached #127 on the Billboard
charts.
Grace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
's first solo album credited solely to her (she had previously recorded Sunfighter
Sunfighter
-Personnel:*Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar*Grace Slick – vocals, piano*Jack Traylor – guitar on "Earth Mother", vocals on "Earth Mother"*Jerry Garcia – guitar on "When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves", "Million", and "Holding Together"...
with Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner
Paul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
and Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun with Kantner and David Freiberg
David Freiberg
David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:...
, both of whom co-produced Manhole). The album was recorded in 1973, when Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
had stopped touring, and Jorma Kaukonen
Jorma Kaukonen
Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.-Biography:...
and Jack Casady
Jack Casady
Jack Casady , is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C...
were making the Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
album, The Phosphorescent Rat
The Phosphorescent Rat
-Personnel:*Jorma Kaukonen – vocals, guitars*Jack Casady – electric bass, bass balalaika*Sammy Piazza – drums, spoons, percussion-Additional Personnel:*Tom Salisbury – conductor of strings and woodwinds on "Corners Without Exits" and "Soliloquy for 2"...
. All the members who would form Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
in 1974 performed on this album, except for Papa John Creach
Papa John Creach
Papa John Creach played for Jefferson Airplane , Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation, the San Francisco All-Stars , The Dinosaurs , and Steve Taylor...
. The album was conceived as a soundtrack to a movie, (noted by the title of the second track, "Theme from the Movie Manhole"), although there was no such movie made. Grace drew all of the artwork for the album, and wrote on the cover "Child Type Odd Art by Grace." The album only reached #127 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts.
Track listing
Personnel
- Grace SlickGrace SlickGrace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
– vocals on all tracks except "It's Only Music", rhythm guitar on "Jay", piano on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" and "Better Lying Down" - Peter KaukonenPeter KaukonenPeter Kaukonen is a San Francisco bay area guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter. He is the younger brother of Jorma Kaukonen from Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna...
– bass on "Jay", lead acoustic guitar on "Jay", mandolin on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" - Steven Schuster – orchestra arrangement on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" and "Epic No. 38"
- David FreibergDavid FreibergDavid Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:...
– vocals on "Theme from the Movie Manhole", "It's Only Music", and "Epic No. 38", rhythm guitar on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" and "¿Come Again? Toucan", piano on "¿Come Again? Toucan" and "It's Only Music", percussion on "¿Come Again? Toucan" and "It's Only Music", bass on "¿Come Again? Toucan" and "It's Only Music", organ on "It's Only Music", 12-string guitar on "It's Only Music" - Paul KantnerPaul KantnerPaul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
– vocals on "Theme from the Movie Manhole", "It's Only Music", and "Epic No. 38", 12-string guitar on "It's Only Music", rhythm guitar on "Epic No. 38", glass harmonica on "Epic No. 38" - David CrosbyDavid CrosbyDavid Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
– vocals on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" - Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
– bass on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" - Jack CasadyJack CasadyJack Casady , is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C...
– bass on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" and "It's Only Music" - Craig ChaquicoCraig ChaquicoCraig Chaquico is an American guitarist of Portuguese and Native American descent. He has had over thirty years of success in a variety of genres: in the 1970s with the post-Summer of Love Jefferson Starship, in that band's 1980s incarnation, Starship, and in the 1990s and 2000s as a...
– lead guitar on "Theme from the Movie Manhole", "¿Come Again? Toucan", and "Epic No. 38" - John BarbataJohn BarbataJohn Barbata is an American drummer, born in Passaic, New Jersey, active especially in pop and pop/rock bands in the 1960s and 1970s, both as a band member and as a session drummer.-Biography:...
– drums on "Theme from the Movie Manhole", "¿Come Again? Toucan", and "Epic No. 38" - Gary DuncanGary DuncanGary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical...
– lead guitar on "It's Only Music" - Pete SearsPete SearsPeter 'Pete' Sears is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than four decades he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock of the 1960s, folk, country music, arena rock in the 1970s, and blues...
– piano on "Better Lying Down", bass on "Epic No. 38" - Keith Grant – synthesizer programming on "Epic No. 38"
- London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony OrchestraThe London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
– violins (John Georgiadis, Hans Geiger, Alan Traverse, Carlos Villa, Paul Scherman, Michael Jones, Jack Greenstone, John Ronayne, James Davis, Bernard Monshin, Fred Parrington, Denis McConnell), violas, (Kenneth Essex, John Coulling, John underwood, Alex Taylor), celli (Alan Dalziel, Bram Martin, Clive Anstee, Robin Firman), string basses (James Merrett, Keith Marjarom, Robin McGee, Chris Laurence), harp (David Snell), flutes (Jack ElloryAlfred John ElloryAlfred John Ellory or Jack Ellory was a British musician best known for playing flute on several of the James Bond films in the 1960s...
, Chris Taylor), oboes (Terence Macdonagh, Philip Hill), bass clarinet (Frank Reidy), french horns (Andrew McGavin, Douglas Moore), trumpets (Michael Laird, George Whiting), bass trumpets (Raymond Premru, Harold Nash), bass trombone (Peter Harvey), guitar (Timothy Walker), percussion (Alan Hakin, Terence Emery, Eric Allen, Stan Barrett) on "Theme from the Movie Manhole" - Iaian MacDonald Murray, Calum Innes, Cohn Graham, Angus McTavish, Tom Duncan, Jack Scott, Angus MacKay, William Stewart – bagpipes on "Epic No. 38"
Production
- Grace Slick, David Freiberg, Paul Kantner – producers
- Keith Grant – co-producer, recording engineer, mixdown engineer
- Steven Schuster – co-producer
- Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
- Valeria Clausen, Mallory Earl, Bob Matthews – recording engineers
- Sidney Margo – orchestra contractor
- Recorded at Wally Heider's, San Francisco
- Mastered at the Lacquer Channel, Sausalito