Conspicuous Only in its Absence
Encyclopedia
Conspicuous Only in Its Absence is an album by the American psychedelic rock
band The Great Society and was released in 1968 by Columbia Records
. The album consists of recordings made during a live concert
performance by the band at The Matrix
club in San Francisco in 1966. Additional recordings from the same concert were released later in 1968 on the album How It Was. These two albums were repackaged in 1971 as a double album
called Collector's Item.
Upon its initial release in 1968, Conspicuous Only in Its Absence reached #166 on the Billboard Top LPs
chart. A single
featuring "Sally, Go 'Round The Roses" and "Didn't Think So" was released in conjunction with the album by Columbia Records but it failed to chart.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band The Great Society and was released in 1968 by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The album consists of recordings made during a live concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
performance by the band at The Matrix
The Matrix (club)
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
club in San Francisco in 1966. Additional recordings from the same concert were released later in 1968 on the album How It Was. These two albums were repackaged in 1971 as a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
called Collector's Item.
Upon its initial release in 1968, Conspicuous Only in Its Absence reached #166 on the Billboard Top LPs
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. A single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
featuring "Sally, Go 'Round The Roses" and "Didn't Think So" was released in conjunction with the album by Columbia Records but it failed to chart.
Track listing
- "Sally, Go 'Round The RosesSally Go 'Round the Roses"Sally Go 'Round the Roses" is the name of a 1963 hit by the Jaynetts, a Bronx-based one-hit wonder girl group, released by J&S Records on the Tuff label.-Background:...
" (Lona Stevens, Zell Sanders) – 6:32 - "Didn't Think So" (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...
) – 3:23 - "Grimly Forming" (Peter Vandergelder) – 3:53
- "Somebody to LoveSomebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)"Somebody to Love" is a rock song that was written by Darby Slick and originally recorded by 1960s folk rock band The Great Society and later by the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane...
" (Darby SlickDarby SlickDarby Slick is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Great Society, and as the writer of the Jefferson Airplane song "Somebody to Love". In 1965 he co-founded The Great Society with Jerry Slick, Jenn Piersol, and Grace Slick...
) – 4:27 - "Father Bruce" (Darby Slick, Grace Slick, Jerry Slick, David MinerDavid Miner (musician)David Miner , sometimes credited as David Minor, is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as a member of Grace Slick's The Great Society in the 1960s. He actually co-founded The Great Society along with Jerry, Darby, and Grace Slick as well as Bard Du Pont, in the sense...
) – 3:31 - "Outlaw BluesOutlaw Blues (song)"Outlaw Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan. It was originally released in 1965 on Dylan's fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home.An alternate version of the song was released as part of the "Three Song Sampler - EP", which contained outtakes from the soundtrack of the Martin Scorsese Dylan...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 2:27 - "Often as I May" (Grace Slick) – 3:43
- "Arbitration" (Peter Vandergelder) – 3:58
- "White RabbitWhite Rabbit (song)"White Rabbit" is a song from Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. It was released as a single and became the band's second top ten success, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" (Grace Slick) – 6:15
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...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Darby SlickDarby SlickDarby Slick is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Great Society, and as the writer of the Jefferson Airplane song "Somebody to Love". In 1965 he co-founded The Great Society with Jerry Slick, Jenn Piersol, and Grace Slick...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - David MinerDavid Miner (musician)David Miner , sometimes credited as David Minor, is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as a member of Grace Slick's The Great Society in the 1960s. He actually co-founded The Great Society along with Jerry, Darby, and Grace Slick as well as Bard Du Pont, in the sense...
– guitar - Jerry Slick – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Peter Vandergelder (van Gelder) – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...