With Jefferson Airplane, more or less grounded, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner construct a record that is musically arresting and rich with the inclusion of last minute Airplane member, David Freiberg(Quicksilver Messenger Service) and the tally of guest musicians continues in similar fashion to the "Sunfighter" and "Blows Against the Empire", side project releases. The opening cut, "Ballad of the Chrome Nun" introduces an upbeat, easy, R&B groove with drums by John Barbata(ex-Turtles), driving piano and vocals from Grace Slick with collaborative guitar work from Jerry Garcia and the driving, steady bass of Chris Etheridge(ex-Flying Burrito Brothers). The harmonies of Slick, Kantner and Freiberg are stamped throughout the recording and David provided a void that was left by Marty Balin a few years prior. "Fat" is a stately, piano driven track with back-up vocals from the Pointer Sisters, blending nicely with Grace's strong and melodic vocal, adding a nice beginning start to the record. "Flowers of the Night", written and sung by Jack Traylor, within its main verses, offers a steady, melodic number that is further magnified by the glorious harmony vocals, prolifically rich lead guitar courtesy of Craig Chaquico and the use of organ and mellotron supplied by David Freiberg, most convincingly.

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"Walkin'" is a fun track that has Papa John Creach providing fiddle next to Jerry Garcia's profoundly contributed performance on the banjo, culminating in a easy, freewheeling number that flows perfectly in tandem with the tracklist of the album thus far. "Your Mind Has Left Your Body" is the centerpiece of the record and would prove to feature the last studio cut all four original Airplane members would appear on until their reunion in 1989.  Jerry Garcia provides pedal steel guitar to match with Jorma's melodically driven guitar leads, while the vocal harmonies add to the mystique and organic quality of this intriguing cut with Paul Kantner leading the charge in his casual and calm lead vocal. "Across the Board" is a Slick original, driven by piano and mellotron flourishes and Grace's vocals are to the fore and definitive, allowing some interesting vibrato exercises within her vocal range and a lyrical guitar solo from Garcia at the song's refrain. "Harp Tree Lament" is written by Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and David Freiberg, featuring ethereal vocal harmonies set against a beautifully arranged ballad featuring Paul on glass harmonica and Freiberg providing mellotron and poetic, piano accompaniment. "White Boy(Transcaucasian Airmachine Blues)", a Kantner original, is a mid-paced number, featuring congas and bass by Jack Casady, set against a melody rhythm that is of a searching quality and Paul's lyrics suggest other worldly universal subject matters. "Fishman" another Slick original, features the guitar interplay of Chaquico and Garcia, allowing an interesting coupling of sorts, while the number adds further to the esoteric qualities of the compositions written, respectively.

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Closing with "Sketches of China", which offers a balladeer-folky feel, carried by the wonderful vocal harmonies that have adorned this release throughout, the impression felt by the recording is a much stronger result in contrast to the prior Airplane release, "Long John Silver"; and as a result, remains an underrated and overlooked record, in my opinion. This album could've been labelled as a Jefferson Airplane release, but because of Jorma and Jack's minimal contributions, as well as the transitional place where the band would interchange and be adopted as Jefferson Starship within the coming year, it seems to be a fitting clue as to what would transpire in the near future. Baron Von Tollbooth is a very consistent and pleasing album on the whole and next to "Blows Against the Empire", is one of the most interesting records to come out of this communal gathering; specifically, in light of the Airplane's slow descend.

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Rating Grade- A