Gannett News Service
Various versions of Jefferson Airplane -- including Jefferson Starship (pictured) toured through the 1970s.

Reunion tour is familiar ground for boomer bands

ROSS RAIHALA, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 15, 2002

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are hardly the first band of its time to reform and attempt to cash in on boomer nostalgia.

In fact, most of the major groups of the 1960s and early '70s have, at some point, tried to recapture past glories.

The Rolling Stones never really went away, nor did the Beach Boys. Jimi Hendrix lives on in endless reissues of his work and the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and even the Beatles hit the studio one last time -- some 15 years after the death of John Lennon.

Here's a look at a few of the bands from that era and how they've fared in recent times:

Jefferson Airplane

- Who: Leaders of the '60s San Francisco psychedelic scene who recorded a series of now-classic songs, "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" among them. The band's most famous lineup -- which included Marty Balin, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner -- lasted from 1967 to 1971.

Various versions of the band continued to record as Jefferson Airplane and then Jefferson Starship into the '70s with intermittent success. By the '80s, Slick was the only original member left in a group that had become known as Starship. Starship songs such as "We Built this City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" are probably playing as background music in a shopping mall right now.

- Aftermath: Balin, Slick and Kantner reunited with Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady as Jefferson Airplane in 1989 for a roundly dismissed album and tour.

- Today: Balin and Kantner are now recording under the name Jefferson Starship. They released a new studio album in 1999 and a double-live set last year.

The Byrds

- Who: America's answer to the British Invasion, the Byrds blended the pop sense from abroad with the folky jangle of Bob Dylan.

David Crosby was a member of the group from its inception until 1967. The legendary Gram Parsons joined the Byrds the following year and contributed to its classic "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" album.

- Aftermath: The Byrds crashed soon after that record, when Chris Hillman and Parsons left the group to form the Flying Burrito Brothers. From that point on, the once collaboration-rich Byrds became a front for vocalist Roger McGuinn and backing musicians.

The first of several reunions took place in 1973 followed by years of squabbling over rights to the Byrds name. Founding members Gene Clark and Michael Clarke both died in the early '90s.

- Today: A well-received reissue program put remastered versions of the classic Byrds albums in the stores. The double-disc collection "The Preflyte Sessions," featuring early Byrds demos and rehearsals, was released last year.

The Velvet Underground

- Who: Just about every vaguely "alternative" band of the past three decades owes some debt to this New York-based group that released four then-ignored studio albums from 1967 to 1970.

Just as the group was starting to record radio-friendly tunes, i.e. "Rock and Roll" and "Sweet Jane," leader Lou Reed left for a solo career.

- Aftermath: After years of quietly testing the waters, the Velvet Underground reformed in 1993 for a European tour and live album. Things fell apart, however, before the reunited Velvets could make it to these shores.

Guitarist Sterling Morrison died in 1995, squelching any further full-scale attempts to relive the past. That same year, the much-loved "Peel Slowly and See" box set hit stores, followed by spiffed-up versions of the band's four studio albums.

- Today: Just when it seemed like the Velvets' vaults had been emptied, the three-disc live "Quine Tapes" collection hit stores in time for Christmas 2001. More so-called "official bootlegs" will follow. And in May, the band's first album "The Velvet Underground & Nico" will be reissued with an unreleased 1966 rehearsal track "Miss Joanie Lee."

The Doors

- Who: A California quartet that focused equally on psychedelic and rock. Lead singer Jim Morrison shouldered the brunt of the attention thanks to his brooding good looks and (ahem) willingness to share his poetry.

"Light My Fire," "L.A. Woman," "Hello, I Love You" and "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" are just a few of the band's anthems.

- Aftermath: The Doors were likely headed toward dissolution when Morrison died (or did he?) on July 3, 1971. That didn't, however, stop the surviving members from soldiering on, with keyboard player Ray Manzarek gamely attempting to take over vocal duties for two additional records.

Following a failed attempt to court Iggy Pop (!) as a new lead singer, the Doors called it quits. But then they got back together, again and again, for projects such as "An American Prayer," an album of Morrison's spoken word backed by instrumental music.

- Today: The remaining Doors, with manager Danny Sugerman, are slowly releasing what is said will total 30 hours of live Doors material. Opinion remains divided if this represents a massive favor to, or just fleecing of, longtime fans.

Buffalo Springfield

- Who: A short-lived but widely influential country/folk band that featured both Stephen Stills and Neil Young. The group released three seminal albums in 1967 and 1968 and scored one big hit with the single "For What It's Worth."

- Aftermath: Stills and Young reunited in CSNY, while bandmates Richie Furay and Jim Messina formed Poco. The latter later went on to success as a duo with Kenny Loggins.

- Today: A long-rumored reunion has yet to happen. Last year, Rhino Records released the four-CD "Box Set" with 36 previously unreleased demos and outtakes alongside most of the band's recorded works.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to Music index