Red Octopus

Red Octopus is the second album by American rock band Jefferson Starship, released on Grunt Records in 1975. Certified double platinum by RIAA in 1995, it is the best-selling album by any incarnation of Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off groups. The single "Miracles" was the highest-charting single any permutation of the band had until Starship's "We Built This City" a decade later, ultimately peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart; the album itself reached No. 1 for four non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. As was common in the era, stereo and quadraphonic mixes of the album were released concurrently.

Red Octopus
Studio album by
Jefferson Starship
ReleasedJuly 1975[1]
RecordedFebruary 1975
StudioWally Heider Studios, San Francisco, CA
GenreArt pop[2]
Length42:00
LabelGrunt
ProducerJefferson Starship, Larry Cox
Jefferson Starship chronology
Dragon Fly
(1974)		 Red Octopus
(1975)		 Spitfire
(1976)
Alternative cover
Cover art of original LP release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [3]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[4]

Following a guest appearance on the preceding Dragon Fly, Jefferson Airplane founder Marty Balin returned as a fully integrated member of the ensemble. Balin wrote or co-wrote five of the ten tracks on the album, including "Miracles."[5] The group attempted to create a commercial sound, which was a total contrast to their past works and paved the musical path for their next two albums.[6]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Fast Buck Freddie"Grace SlickCraig Chaquico3:28
2."Miracles"Marty BalinMarty Balin6:52
3."Git Fiddler" (instrumental) Papa John Creach, Kevin Moore, John Parker3:08
4."Ai Garimasũ (There Is Love)"Grace SlickGrace Slick4:15
5."Sweeter than Honey"Balin, Craig ChaquicoCraig Chaquico, Pete Sears3:20
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Play on Love"Grace SlickPete Sears3:44
2."Tumblin'"Marty Balin, Robert HunterDavid Freiberg3:27
3."I Want to See Another World"Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Marty BalinPaul Kantner4:34
4."Sandalphon" (instrumental) Pete Sears4:08
5."There Will Be Love"Paul Kantner, Marty BalinPaul Kantner, Craig Chaquico5:04
2005 CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
11."Miracles" (single version)Marty BalinMarty Balin3:29
12."Band Introduction" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)  1:14
13."Fast Buck Freddie" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)Grace SlickCraig Chaquico3:34
14."There Will Be Love" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)Paul Kantner, Marty BalinPaul Kantner, Craig Chaquico4:57
15."You're Driving Me Crazy" (live, November 7, 1975 at Winterland)Vic SmithVic Smith6:44

Personnel

Additional personnel

Production

  • Jefferson Starship – producer
  • Larry Cox – producer, engineer
  • Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
  • Steve Mantoani, Jeffrey Husband – recordists
  • Paul Dowell – amp consultant
  • Dave Roberts – string and horn arrangement
  • Recorded and Mixed at Wally Heiders, San Francisco
  • Mastered by Kent Duncan, Kendun Recorders, Burbank
  • Live tracks recorded at Winterland, November 7, 1975
  • Bill Thompson – manager
  • Frank Mulvey – art director
  • Jim Marshall – liner photograph
  • Gribbitt! – graphics

Charts
Chart (1975-1976) Peak
position
Australian albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 69
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 13
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 15
US Billboard 200[10] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. Viglione, Joe. "Miracles by Jefferson Starship - Track Info | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  3. Ruhlmann, William. "Jefferson Starship: Red Octopus". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  5. "Red Octopus - Review". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  6. "Jefferson Starship - Biography". billboard.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4042a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. "Charts.nz – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. "American album certifications – Jefferson Starship – Red Octopus". Recording Industry Association of America.
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