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:''For the term "volunteer", see Volunteer. For other uses, see Volunteer (disambiguation).''
'''Volunteers''' is a 1969 album by American psychedelic rock band, Jefferson Airplane. It was controversial at the time because of anti-war messages in the songs. The original title of the album was supposed to be ''Volunteers of America'', but pressure from RCA led to this name's being dropped.
This was the sixth album recorded by the group and the first to be wholly recorded in San Francisco, at Wally Heider's then state of the art 16-track studio. Guests included Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar, veteran session pianist Nicky Hopkins, future Airplane drummer Joey Covington on percussion, David Crosby, and Stephen Stills. It was one of the earliest 16-track recordings. The back cover of the album shows a picture of the MM-1000 professional 16-track tape recorder built by Ampex Corporation which was used to record the album.
The album has been seen as stereotypical of the hippie philosophy of the time with its anti-war and pro-anarchism songs. The theme of nature, communities and ecology was also explored with the songs "The Farm" and "Eskimo Blue Day". Ironically, the title track was actually inspired by a "Volunteers of America" garbage truck that awoke singer Marty Balin one morning. The album provoked even more controversy with lyrics such as "Up against the wall, motherfucker" which appeared on the opening track and "shit" which is said several times on "Eskimo Blue Day". Musically, the album is characterized by lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's razor sharp guitar work (the duelling solos on "Hey Fredrick", plus "Good Shepherd" and "Wooden Ships") and the distinctive piano playing of Nicky Hopkins.
This was to be both Jefferson Airplane's founder Marty Balin and drummer Spencer Dryden's last album with the group, signifying the end of the best remembered "classic" lineup. It was to be the last all-new LP for 2 years; Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen would now devote more of their energy to their embryonic blues group " Hot Tuna", while Paul Kantner and Grace Slick celebrated the birth of their daughter "China" in 1971.
The 2004 CD re-release features 5 additional bonus tracks from the group's annual Thanksgiving concert at the Fillmore East, New York in 1969.

Contents

Track listing

Track listing

#"We Can Be Together" – 5:48
#"Good Shepherd" – 4:21
#"The Farm" – 3:15
#"Hey Fredrick" – 8:26
#"Turn My Life Down" – 2:54
#"Wooden Ships" – 6:24
#"Eskimo Blue Day" – 6:31
#"A Song for All Seasons" – 3:28
#"Meadowlands" – 1:04
#"Volunteers" – 2:08