[3] With the revolutionary preoccupations that had fueled the Airplane's rise no longer in vogue by 1975, the band began to turn a critical shift in style, both musically and lyrically.

Sessions for Red Octopus were held in February 1975 at Wally Heider Studios with Larry Cox producing, as had been the case for Dragon Fly.

Balin also ended up writing or co-writing five of the album's ten songs,[4] a share he had not contributed to the group since the early days of the Airplane.

[6] Musically, the album built on the tighter, more pop-oriented direction of Dragon Fly, with all but one track under five minutes in length; however, an eclectic variety was maintained by including two virtuoso instrumentals, violinist Papa John Creach's funky jig "Git Fiddler" and keyboardist Pete Sears' complex baroque prog-rocker "Sandalphon".

[7] Lyrically, most of the songs now revolved around a broad-based romanticism that could be enjoyed by a mass audience,[8] although remnants of previous countercultural concerns remained in Slick's "Fast Buck Freddie" and Kantner's "I Want To See Another World".

Whereas in the days of the Airplane some members of the group would poke fun at Marty's love ballads, they were welcomed on Red Octopus.

[3] Producer Larry Cox later praised the group's harmonies on the track, noting "once they (Marty and Grace) start singing together, there's just something there you don't teach or rehearse.

before bemusedly adding "While the returned Marty Balin is the most soulful folkie ever to set voice to plastic, he remains a mushbrain", ultimately awarding the album a B- grade.

[11] By contrast, Billboard praised the album, leading with "The recharged Starship duplicates the power and energy of the early Airplane while still bringing fresh elements to the music", noting "excellent lyrics and vocal interchanges by Balin and Slick are high points".

Major contributions from guitarist Craig Chaquico, violinist Papa John Creach, keyboardist Freiberg and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Pete Sears gave the album a compelling momentum, even for those who arrived having only known "Miracles" from the radio.

"[7] Many of the reviews often praised Balin's return as he resumed leadership prominence within the group, although there would now be pressure on him to follow up the success of Red Octopus and "Miracles".