The Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (PERRO) is a nickname given to some artists who recorded together in the early 1970s.[1] They were predominantly members ofJefferson Airplane, theGrateful Dead,Quicksilver Messenger Service, andCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young.[2] Their first album together was forPaul Kantner/Jefferson Starship'sBlows Against the Empire.
Starship founder Paul Kantner came up with the term "Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra", a label of reference to the San Francisco musicians that played onDavid Crosby'sIf I Could Only Remember My Name. During the sessions for Crosby's album atWally Heider Studios, the musicians of each band (who were working in other rooms) dropped in to the sessions and improvised hours of music, and everything was recorded. Some of the basic tracks played during these recorded sessions in 1971 were used for Crosby's album. Engineer Stephen Barncard and David Crosby made rough mixes of some of the session tapes, and in 1991 Graham Nash sent a DAT tape to Paul Kantner which later showed up in the tape trading markets as a 'pristine' digital copy. Barncard came up with the PERRO abbreviation when he needed to identify the 2 inch wide tapes on sides, standing vertically.
The "PERRO Chorus" is credited on Crosby's song, "What Are Their Names" and several other solo albums after Crosby's(see discography). The nameJefferson Starship was later used forPaul Kantner andGrace Slick's new band formed in 1974. Paul Kantner recorded a solo album in 1983 as a tribute to this time,Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Certification | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Blows Against the EmpirebyPaul Kantner and Jefferson Starship | 20 | Gold(RIAA) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971 | If I Could Only Remember My NamebyDavid Crosby | 12 | Gold(RIAA) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Songs for BeginnersbyGraham Nash | 15 | Gold(RIAA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| SunfighterbyPaul Kantner andGrace Slick | 89 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Papa John CreachbyPapa John Creach | 94 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | Graham Nash David CrosbybyGraham Nash andDavid Crosby | 4 | Gold(RIAA) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Rolling ThunderbyMickey Hart | 190 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1973 | Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome NunbyPaul Kantner,Grace Slick, andDavid Freiberg | 120 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983 | Planet Earth Rock and Roll OrchestrabyPaul Kantner | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" denotes release did not chart and/or not certified. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||