Ride the tiger (Jefferson Starship) (LP 2835 -2847)

Grace Slick & Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship  Dragonfly  (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1974) *** 

Jefferson Starship   Red Octopus (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1975) **** 

Jefferson Starship   Spitfire (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1976) **** 

Jefferson Starship   Freedom at Point Zero (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1979) **** 

Jefferson Starship   Modern Times (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1981) **** 

Jefferson Starship   Winds of Change (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1982) ***

Jefferson Starship   Nuclear Furniture (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1984) ** 

KBC Band   KBC Band (CD, Arista Records, 1985) ****

Paul Kantner's Wooden Ships!   Sailing at the Wetlands, 1992 (CD, Bear Records, 2011) ***

Jefferson Starship   Deep Space/ Virgin Sky (CD, Intersound Inc, 1995) ***

Jefferson Starship   Timeless Classics Live (CD, Rainman, 2008) ***

Jefferson Starship   Windows of Heaven (CD, CMC International, 1998) ***

Jefferson Starship   Jefferson Starship Presents Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (CD, The Lab, 2008) ****

Genre: Rock, Grunt Records

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Marbecks Records; HMV; Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Ride The Tiger (Dragonfly); St Charles (Spitfire)

Gear costume: Hyperdrive (Dragonfly); Miracles (Red Octopus)

Active compensatory factors: Dragonfly was the debut album of the newly rebranded Jefferson Starship, even though it was officially by Grace & Paul and JS. Mary Balin appears on one track (the excellent Caroline) - but, it's as a guest (he's not yet a member of the band).

At this stage those members were: Grace and Paul get top billing, followed by the recently deceased John Barbata (drums), Craig Chaquico (replacing Jorma on guitar), Papa John Creach, Pete Sears (replacing Jack on bass) and David Freiberg.

As an album it's a bit uneven with a few great tracks (Tiger, Caroline, Hyperdrive), some good (like Devil's Den) and a few so so songs (like That's For You, Be Young You).

Red Octopus saw Marty Balin back for good and the album is all the better for it. He wrote or co-wrote 5 of the 10 tracks. Miracles was the big hit single and deservedly so - it's one of the highlights of his career. Grace's Play On Love is also a cracker! In fact, the whole album is a peak for the band as they embrace rock mainstream sounds.

It would be the last album for Papa John Creach. His violin is there, but maybe down in the mix and used for texture, whereas it had had a prominent place in the music before. The octopus was about to lose a tentacle as he left to continue his solo career on Grunt.

Spitfire was their third album in three years and the band was on a creative roll by 1976. It kicks off with Cruisin' and the more polished laid back rock style is set for this album - one of my favourites along with their next album Earth (which I have written about previously).

Of course, Spitfire also contains St Charles - the glorious peak of these reconstituted Jeffersons. The combined soaring vocals from Grace, Paul and Marty are breathtaking. The promo video for it was fantastic too.

After Earth's release (to very mixed reviews) the band toured with disastrous results. By the end of the European league, Grace, who had ended the relationship with Paul, had been dispatched back home (to help with her alcoholism); Marty left again; and John Barbata had a serious car accident and also left.

Out of all of this chaos rose a fresh new rockier Jefferson Starship. Mickey Thomas came in for an absent Grace, no one replaced Marty, and drums were by Aynsley Dunbar of all people. 

Against the odds, Freedom at Point Zero was a triumph, thanks to the leadership of Paul Kantner. He writes four excellent songs and in Jane the band had a hit single to kick start this new iteration of the band.

The sound of this and follow up Modern Times is hard edged, almost punkish in approach (Stairway to Cleveland is exhibit A; Out Of Control is exhibit B). Craig Chaquico's guitar and Dunbar's drums are to the fore brilliantly. These albums also benefit from having Kantner's singular approach. He's the man!

Grace is back on board in a limited way for Modern Times. She contributes some background vocals and duets on Stranger with Mickey very effectively!

She was back as a full member for next album, Winds of Change in 1982. It's the last good album from Jefferson Starship, with some classic Grace vocals - most notably on Black Widow and Out of Control.

By the Nuclear Furniture stage, the band were retreading ideas and the songs lack the inspired version of the band who did Freedom at Point Zero and Modern Times. Donny Baldwin was now on drums and Peter Wolf was producing and contributing synths and linn-drum programming. Eek.

So, that dreaded mid-eighties synth and drum sound has now reared its ugly head. All up, it's a hard slog. Paul Kantner wasn't happy with how things were going, so he left them to it. Who can blame him?

The result of that change will be the subject of the next post. For now, we will trace what happened next with Paul on towards the Jefferson Starship reunion in the nineties. Starship will get its own separate post.

Next for him was the KBC Band. K was Kantner, B was Balin and C was Cassidy - yes - three of the original Airplane made it for this one-off in 1985.

The songs were good to really good. Unfortunately, those eighties production values were still there but with Paul and Marty singing and the songs holding up, this is far superior to eighties Jefferson Starship. 

Their only album is not on Spotify which is crazy. It is on YouTube though and well worth your time.

Highlights are plenty but Sayonara - last song on side 2, is superb! Marty sings it beautifully - he was such a talented guy.

Next up was a KBC Band tour that led to the reunion of Jefferson Airplane (their 1989 album was featured in my previous post). 

Kantner remained busy and toured as the acoustic Paul Kantner's Wooden Ships! Slick Aguilar and Tim Gorman from the KBC Band joined him in this endeavour. 

A live CD was issued in 2011 from the 1992 tour, called Sailing at the Wetlands. It's an oddity. Paul talks...a lot! And it sounds like it's been sped up a bit! 

I get that this is the entire performance, and Paul is no longer with us, but the album needs some judicious editing (and Paul needs the brilliance of Grace and Marty for their variety of approach) but the music is terrific for the most part. 

It's also fun to hear Paul in relaxed, conversational mood in parts. The Mountain Song is a highlight, as is the piano driven version of Crown of Creation.

In 1992, Jefferson Starship were reignited by Kantner/ Balin/ Cassidy with a special appearance by Grace on five songs. Deep Space/ Virgin Sky and Timeless Classics Live are a record of their live gig at the House of Blues in Hollywood to honour Papa John Creach who had passed away in 1994. 

In 1998 a new studio album emerged, Windows of Heaven, with another new line up, although Paul, Marty and Jack Cassidy were still there at the core. This was pretty much Paul's band though.

Grace appears on one song (I'm On Fire) but for the rest Diana Mangano handles her part. There is only one Grace Slick. It's tough on Diana, of course, but there it is. I miss Grace. I'm pretty sure Marty did too.

I prefer Marty's vocals to Paul's and so the songs which feature his lead vocals, like See The Light, are my favourites on this addition to the catalogue.

The final* Jefferson Starship album that I own is 2008's Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. Cathy Richardson has replaced Diana by this album but the same problem persists.

There is only one Grace Slick (she does appear on a hidden song but it's an old vocal track). Marty had also withdrawn (he appears on only one track - Maybe For You which also includes Jack Cassidy on bass), which left Paul and David Freiberg from the original Jefferson Starship.

I like this one - much of it is acoustic and folky. A suitable return to this style of song for Paul. He shines!

* Mother of the Sun was the band's final album in 2020 but it's the only version of the band that doesn't include Paul Kantner who had passed away in 2016. If I see it, I'll grab it, but I'm not desperate.

Where do they all belong? Next up - the much-maligned Starship (Grace wasn't a fan and she was in Starship!)