Jefferson Airplane – “White Rabbit” (1967) Review | Alice in Wonderland

Kronomyth 2.2: Hare ‘em scare ‘em.

Fifty years on, this song still terrifies me. Grace Slick and Nico were a pair of witches for the ages, weren’t they? Grace originally recorded this song with Great Society in a form that was longer and looser and less threatening. Jefferson Airplane tightened the song up into a day-glo Bolero and Grace planted herself between the edge of sanity and lunacy for one of her best performances. Together with “Somebody To Love,” this song was a beacon to the world that San Francisco was the new nexus for the next cultural revolution. The flip side is Marty Balin’s psychedelic “Plastic Fantastic Lover,” which sounds a lot like one of Paul Kantner’s science fiction songs, referencing a futuristic love affair with (according to Balin) his new stereo system. Lyrically, the song is open to interpretation; some have conjectured that Balin is singing about a sex doll or a car, and both are plausible fantastic lovers if you’re inclined to hear things that way. RCA released “White Rabbit” with “Somebody To Love” as a back-to-back hits single soon after and issued it over the years on a variety of different labels.

The Product

A1. White Rabbit (Grace Slick) (2:29)
B1. Plastic Fantastic Lover (Marty Balin) (2:35)

Original 7-inch single (Spain)
A1. White Rabbit (Grace Slick)
B1. She Has Funny Cars (Jorma Kaukonen/Marty Balin) (3:04)

Original 7-inch EP single (Portugal)
A1. White Rabbit (Grace Slick) (2:29)
A2. Plastic Fantastic Lover (Marty Balin) (2:35)
B1. Bringing Me Down (Paul Kantner/Marty Balin) (2:22)
B2. Let Me In (Paul Kantner/Marty Balin) (2:55)

Back-to-back hits 7-inch single reissue
A1. White Rabbit (Grace Slick) (2:30)
B1. Somebody To Love (Darby Slick) (2:54)

Back-to-back hits 7-inch extended single reissue
A1. White Rabbit (Grace Slick) (2:27)
B1. Somebody To Love (Darby Slick) (2:54)
B2. Crown of Creation (Paul Kantner) (2:53)

The Plastic

Released on 7-inch single on June 24, 1967 in the US (RCA, 47-9248) and on September 29, 1967 in the UK (RCA, RCA 1631). Reached #8 on the US charts. Also released on 7-inch single in Spain (RCA Victor, 3-10248) with “She Has Funny Cars” on the B side with picture sleeve. Also released on 7-inch EP in Portugal (RCA Victor, TP-347) with picture sleeve.

1. Re-released on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in 1968 in the US (RCA Victor, 447-0796) {black label} with “Somebody To Love” on the flip side.
2. Re-issued on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in the US (RCA Gold Standard, 447-0796) {red label} with “Somebody To Love” on the flip side.
3. Re-issued on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in the US (RCA Gold Standard, 447-0796) {black label} with “Somebody To Love” on the flip side.
4. Re-released on back-to-back hits 7-inch extended single on May 7, 1976 in the UK (RCA Victor, RCA 2676) with “Somebody To Love” and “Crown of Creation” on the flip side.
5. Re-issued on back-to-back hits 7-inch single in 1979 in the UK (RCA Victor, GOLD-004) with “Somebody To Love” on the flip side.