"After Bathing at Baxter's" is the third studio album by San Francisco psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in 1967. The album's title and concept were inspired by a poem written by the band's friend Gary Blackman, with "Baxter" being the group's code word for LSD, reflecting the drug's influence on the band's creative process during this period. The album was released shortly after the success of Surrealistic Pillow and its hit single "Somebody to Love," when the band was at the height of its popularity, regularly appearing on TV and playing a grueling schedule of live performances, including a notable appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.
The album's cover art was designed by Ron Cobb, a political cartoonist for the Los Angeles Free Press. It depicts the band as a World War I-era triplane with the body of a San Francisco townhouse, with cannabis plants growing from the flower boxes. The cover includes satirical messages like "CONSUME!" and "DRINK IT," parodying American consumerism, and the artwork extends onto the back cover, showing a scrapheap and empty cans. The gatefold includes a handwritten track listing and individual photographs of each band member, emphasizing their individuality. The album also features Blackman's poem and various drawings, one of which almost got rejected by RCA for its controversial imagery.
After Bathing at Baxter's stands out for its experimental and ambitious nature, both musically and visually. The album's cover art even inspired John Hartford's song "Steam Powered Aereo Plane" from his Aereo-Plain album. In 2008, the original painting of the cover was sold at auction for $24,000.
