Customer Reviews

Best of Grace Slick

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is great having this collection on one CD! Love the flow of the songs. Grace's voice has been a part of my life for years. But I agree with the other reviews posted......I want her solo work on CD! I have followed the "jefferson" group since the 1960's. Still listen to the recordings today. I can rock with Jefferson Starship or get spacey with the Airplane. I like the new Jefferson Starship recordings and now want Grace Slick's solo work. Hope RCA is listening! I want MANHOLE, DREAMS, WRECKING BALL and SOFTWARE. Also the PLANET EARTH ROCK N ROLL ORCHESTRA from Paul Kantner needs released on CD. But, all in all, am glad for this Slick collection. "Eat Starch Mom" is a glaring oversight! <smile>

First off, what's "We Built This City" doing here? This is supposed to be the best of Grace Slick, right? Apart from the fact she sings a couple of verse's of it, it doesn't really belong. First off, she didn't even write it, secondly she has said many times she regrets that period of her career (mid 80s) and has pretty much said she's embarrased by it. So what's it doing taking up so much valuable space on a one cd best of?

This cd has a few Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship album tracks that don't get nearly enough recognition like "Eskimo Blue Day" and "Hyperdrive" but where's "Two Heads", "Hey Frederick", "Eat Starch Mom" which would impress any fan of MC5 or the Stooges, "There Is Love," "Hot Water", "Play On Love", and the fun Joan Jett style rocker "Rock Myself to Sleep" and the sexy "Babylon" (one of the only Starship songs written by an actual member, you guessed it, Grace Slick), the only two worthwhile songs from the miserable Starship period?
They're all missing to make room for "Somebody to Love", "White Rabbit", "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now" which were already avaliable on thousands of best of and greatest hit cds.

Next lets adress another issue others have already brought up. Not nearly enough solo Grace. Grace Slick solo albums get a very bad reputation, often even dismissed by their creator, but they aren't as bad as all that. The best tracks from her four solo works all beg to be collected together in one place in a Rhino style best of. Songs like "The Manhole" in all its epic 15 minute glory, the senuous, playful "Come Again Toucan", the confessional "Do It the Hard Way", the hard rocking "Angel of the Night", as well as "Full Moon Man" and the title track for "Dreams". Although a lot less masterful than her first two albums, even "Welcome to the Wrecking Ball" and "Software" have their moments. "All the Machines" is one of the weaker songs from the hard to find "Software", we should have gotten the great "Bikini Atoll" instead, "Welcome to the Wrecking Ball"'s title cut is a bit weak. The blistering "Mistreater", "Sea of Love" or "Just A Little Love" would have been better choices IMO.

Also not enough rarites. The only unreleased song here is the frankly weak "Do You Remember Me". Grace Slick mentions an unreleased song in her autobiography called "Harbour In Hong Kong" and it was a missed opportunity to not include here. Makes me wonder what other undiscovered Grace songs might be in the vaults.

Finally, 1987's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is the most recent thing on here. Ouch. What about "Freedom" the hilight of 1989's Jefferson Airplane reunion album or her great duet with Linda Perry, "Knock Me Out". I know these weren't recorded for RCA but surley it couldn't cost that much to lisence them.

This compilation is a real missed opportunity and a total boched job. Oh and one final gripe, ugh, what a bad photo of Grace Slick on the back cover. A better choice would have been an out-take from the hillarious Wrecking Ball photo shoot or that classic photo of her flipping the bird.

For the mostpart, this is not a collection of Grace Slick's solo works, it's yet another reissue of stuff that's already out there. Very little of it is from "Manhole", "Dreams", "Welcome to the Wrecking Ball," and "Software." I'm very disappointed! Would somebody please issue these four albums on CD?

I have to agree with the other reviewers. This is a rehash of mostly Jefferson Airplane/Starship material that has been available on cd for some time now (save for "Better Lying Down"). The release of Grace's solo works is long overdue. She deserves a box set featuring demos, unreleased material and those four solo albums. 6 discs at least should suffice.

There's some 5-star music here, but most of it's available elsewhere, and I'm floored by the many missed opportunities: where are "Greasy Heart," "Hey Frederick," "Silver Spoon," "It Just Won't Stop," "El Diablo," "Face To The Wind," "Lines," "Bikini Atoll," and the best of MANHOLE (the least of its songs, "Better Lying Down" was chosen), or even "Common Market Madrigal," the most beautiful track from the otherwise dull JEFFERSON AIRPLANE reunion album? The first eight tracks do deserve to be on this collection, but "We Built This City?" I don't hate that song as much as others do, but it is FAR from Slick's best. I'm glad "Across the Board" is here, from the underrated Slick/Kantner/Frieberg/Garcia side project, BARON VON TOLLBOOTH & THE CHROME NUN, but aside from that, there are no creative surprises here, other than the fact that what should have been a slam-dunk was so badly botched! Even the previously unreleased track is not among Slick's better efforts. Did anyone at RCA/BMG think to ask some actual fans for input? Just read the other reviews to see how many of the songs I singled out are also mentioned by other Grace Slick fans as glaring omissions. This release is an insult to those of us who waited so long for a "Best Of" from this great singer. All of the producers involved should be fired!

As with any "best of" album, you can hear almost all of this stuff in the space of one week on a good classic rock radio station -- and it's not necessarily the "best of" -- more like "the most popular of". This is my last Starship/Airplane/Slick purchase until we get the best.

Grace is / was /and always will be one of my all time favorite female rock vocalists. This album is fine - but in my opinion the Best of Grace Slick is her solo album Manhole. When will someone reissue it on CD so I can replace my scratched up vinyl copy??

I was born 1970 so I am basicly a child of the 80s ( and I am German so please be kind to some mistakes with my english). Don`t expect me to blame Grace for We build this city. I have always loved this track and I still do. The Music on this CD is great an gives a good overview over her carrier. But how can you cover more than 30 years on one CD anyway? I am happy to have wrecking ball on cd, finally, a very good hard rock song, next to the wonderfull Blue Eskimo day and the Starship songs this CD covers all styles from 60s Rock to AOR and even Heavy Rock. But how can anyone compile a Best Of CD by Grace and totally overlook the Dreams Album. Tracks like Face To The Wind, Dreams, El Diablo just to mention a few are truely missed. We get one unreleased track here "Do You Remember me" which is ok, a pop ballad, nothing really special but nice to listen to with a dreamy atmo. I also love Mexico. A JA song which should have made it on an original album. If you don`t own all the albums and miss out some songs in your collection I recommend this CD to you. If you also have the chance to get a copy of the Dreams album don`t hesitate. Grace rocks. I would love to hear her singing again. Who need the new half naked chicks in todays music when you have a VOICE like this???????

We can write a long story about Grace, with one 1 CD worth of 'Best' cannot diaplay the whole. Did 'Manhole' been reissue on CD?????

I have been a Grace Slick/Airplane/Starship/Great Society fan for as long as I can remember. I'm sorely dissappointed in this collection that leaned it's self more toward her work with her peers than her solo work. She has a great body of solo work that deserves much more recognition than it's getting. Most of these tracks are available on alternate CD's. The Best of Grace Slick should have showcased her solo work which this did not! I have been hunting and will continue to hunt for a copy of "Dreams" as it is and always will be my favorite Grace Slick solo effort. I would also like a copy of "Manhole" when it is released. If you like Grace and you don't have any of her work on other CD's with her fellow band mates then this would be a good addition to your collection. But if you are a fan and want some pure Grace wait til RCA has the brains to release "Dreams" and "Manhole" and then you'll hear her as she should be heard.