Customer Reviews

Freedom At Point Zero

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jefferson Starship grew out of turmoil. After the original line-up of Jefferson Starship imploded Paul Kantner and Grace Slick moved on to form The Starship. After Marty Balin returned to join, the band began to find top-40 success again with songs like "Miracles". However towards the end of the 70's the band began to have problems again. Slick melts down on stage and then quits in mid-tour, Balin finishes the tour but then quits, leaving Kantner, Pete Sears, et al to wonder where to go next. Freedom at Point Zero is the musical result.

After recruiting Micky Thomas (of "Fooled around and fell in love" fame) the band began to write and record music with a harder, heavy-metal sound. This was probably the album that sounded the most like they're just having fun making music. The big hit off of this CD was the first song on it. "Jane" starts off with a short keyboard intro and then hammers you with guitars. It was a great way to start off the album. Other songs that got air play was "Girl with the Hungry eyes", "Rock Music", and "Freedom at Point Zero". All three great rockers, with Freedom explaining the whole concept behind this album. However, one of my favorite songs here is the softer sounding "Fading Lady Light" allowing Thomas to highlight his vocal range.

I would highly recommend this to any true Rock & Roll fan looking for a extremely strong sounging CD. After this album, and with the return of Slick to the line-up, the band began to evolve into a top-40 band. Thomas started to push the group there, and with the success that brought the music began to suffer. Oh well, at least we had this one great effort to listen to.

Personally I love the Mickey Thomas era of Jefferson Starship. The first song I heard by JS was Jane. Maybe, there are a few sighs out there, but that song prompted me to buy this album. I loved it from the word go, "Jane" actually became a passing track for me as time went on. I was impressed by the grandiose "Awakening" and the fantastic "Just the same".

Whilst I wouldn't call my self a hard core Jefferson Starship fan, my four favourite Albums are Freedom at Point Zero, Modern Times, Winds of Change and Nuclear Furniture, this era in the band's illustrous career seems to have hit a note for me. I dare say there will be those who will say "ah but that's not the real Jefferson Starship etc". But if you like good rock music you will love this album and the following three albums.

Stand out tracks on this album include: Awakening, Just the Same - great ending to fade out, Lightning Rose has a great middle eight and a wonderful saxophonic sound in it (probably synth), Girl with the Hungry Eyes. If I had to pick a weak track, I couldn't.

"Fading Lady Light" is a brilliant ballad track, the title track is good honest rock and roll ... great riff!!! and the intro to "Rock Music" lets you know what you are in for for the rest of the song.

All in all a fantastic album .. buy it, listen to it, love it! then get the three albums that follow .... Mickey Thomas ! what a voice!

This Ablum - Magic !

This was absolutely the best Jefferson Starship rock & roll cd. It was combined, on one cd, some of the folk influences (Fading Lady Light, Lightning Rose) and intense rockers (Jane, Girl With The Hungry Eyes). This was a great balance between not enough production of some of the older cds and too much enhancement of the Starship. Freedom At Point Zero along with Modern Times are both amazing examples of rock and roll at its finest.

After 1978's Earth, which contained the hits "Runaway" and "Count on Me," Grace Slick, Marty Balin, and John Barbata left Jefferson Starship. Paul Kantner immediately brought in former Journey drummer Aynsley Dunbar and singer Mickey Thomas to record Freedom at Point Zero, the first Airplane/Starship LP without female vocals. "Jane" was the record's Top 20 hit, but the album's real gems are "Rock Music" and "Girl with Hungry Eyes." Freedom, in my opinion, is the Starship's high watermark; I don't think the band ever rocked harder or sounded better.

During the tour for the "Earth" album, Grace Slick's personal problems caused a major crash for Jefferson Starship. She left after the tour; singer Marty Balin bailed out after recording one more single; and drummer John Barbata was in a car crash that knocked him out of action.

Although the Starship was left for dead after that, the group recruited a new singer, Mickey Thomas, ex-Journey drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and a new producer, Ron Nevison. The resulting music was a stunning change, sounding like it had been recorded by an entirely different band.

The group had been getting fed up with the MOR pop sound that Balin had brough to the group. "FaPZ" was the band's return to solid rock and roll, the "rockiest" effort from the Jefferson crew since "Volunteers". Nevison brought a highly layered, polished, but not overly slick sound. Heavier, well played guitars were the dominant sound in the mix. Dunbar's playing far surpassed Barbata's, and acoustic guitars and keyboards were used in excellent supporting roles.

Balin had relied heavily on outside compostions, but for the first time since "Red Octopus", the songs were all co-written by band members. Although not a concept album, the lyrical themes by either rhythm guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner or Jeannette Sears (wife of bassist/keyboardist Pete Sears) are mostly sci-fi and fantasy imagery, uplifting and otherworldly. Pete and Jeannette come up with two songs. One, the lengthy ballad "Awakening", is similar melodically to "Dragonfly"'s "Hyperdrive", but more guitar-centered. "Fading Lady Light", co-composed with Mark Unobsky (one of Pete's colleagues from his old band, Copperhead), is more bluesy, well-suited to Thomas's voice.

Jeannette also helped lead guitarist Craig Chaquico with his two contributions. "Just the Same" is a faster version of "Awakening", with both acoustic and electric guitars driving the song. "Rock Music" sounds more like something Thomas might have done with his old band, the Elvin Bishop Group than a JS song. A Southern rock styled boogie rocker, it is fun, if out of place.

After being almost inaudible on "Earth", Paul Kantner comes back with four of his own songs and helps with a fifth. "Things to Come" and the title track are strong rockers with his usual surreal sci-fi lyrics. "Lightning Rose" introduces a recurring character with a track that is a combination of folk and arena rock. The second single, "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" is reminiscent of the Cars, of all people, with staccato synthesizer and a very Elllot Easton-esque guitar solo. Very catchy, but it wasn't a big hit.

On the other hand, keyboardist/bassist/vocalist David Freiberg contributed his last, and best, song to the Starship, with "Jane". Co-written with Jim McPherson (another member of Copperhead) with a little help from Craig and Paul, this is a strong pop-rocker with an infectious keyboard hook and a great vocal from Thomas. It was almost as big a hit as anything from "Earth", reestablishing the popularity of JS.

Thomas is considered to be the ruination of JS by many old guard fans, but he is a terrific singer with a great range, whether singing solo or in harmony with Paul. The key here is that the band provided him with great material, which wasn't always the case later.

The band lost some fans of the group's adult contemporary sound as well as some fans of the band's more traditional "Jefferson" sound provided by Kantner, Balin and Slick. However, the album got a lot of airplay on the rising format of album oriented radio and some college radio play, so they picked up a lot of new fans to compensate.

The group's songwriting would go downhill during the 80's, but here, the band delivered a powerhouse of a rock album, with smart lyrics and an accessible, but not dumb, sound. The best from this era in JS's long history.

With FREEDOM AT POINT ZERO, Jefferson Starship have proven that they could make a great album even without lead singers Grace Slick and Marty Balin. Their replacement, Mickey Thomas, does a terrific job of replacing them, and the result is an album that almost equals RED OCTOPUS. It is unfair that this album received such bad reviews when it came out, and I think that it's time for a critical rassessment.

Without Grace Slick and Marty Balin, Jefferson Starship was told that there was no way that they could produce a good, let alone a hit record, without them.

The naysayers were proved wrong, and I think that this is one of Jefferson Starship's best albums. My personal favorite song is "Things To Come". I wonder if Paul Kantner got the title of this song from the 1930's sci fi film of the same name. I just love that line in the song "Bathe in the waters Of Isis Hathor, and the light it will amaze you", it is a visually stimulating song, very well written. The other songs on the album are all written by the musicians performing them, and have a very contemporary feel to them. Mickey Thomas delivers great vocals and as a newcomer sounds like he very much belongs on this album.

For 1979, this album can easily compete with other great albums that came out at around the same time, like the Eagles, and Pink Floyd. "Jane" is the only song that gets any airplay on FM classic rock radio, but there is so much more to this album that is worth listening.

This is definitely the best Jefferson Starship album ever.A great Mystical album with Poetic lyrics written by Jeanette Sears.The first album JS album for vocalist Micky Thomas.
And Mickys voice is beautiful!'Freedom' is a 'deep' album. The 'Awakening' is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard and the album also contain's the greatest Love song ever 'Fading Lady Light'!Start here If you really want to know Jefferson Starship Music!

After both Marty Balin & Grace Slick left the band, it seemed they were doomed. Surprisingly they came back with a better effort than the previously release Earth on 1979's Freedom At Point Zero. Paul Kanter was the sole remnant left from the Airplane days and he rises to the occasion with some solid tracks including the great "Girl With The Hungry Eyes". Former Elvin Bishop Group singer Mickey Thomas assumes the bulk of the lead vocals and his presence helped push the group towards the arena rock sounds of Foreigner & Journey. Mr. Thomas' vocal prowess is on display on the albums best track and hit single "Jane". The album peaked at number 10 and showed that the band were indeed survivors.

Well, this is the first, last, and only album without Grace Slick that I would recommend, but I think it's up there with Dragonfly and Surrealistic Pillow, and closely followed by Modern Times. Awakening has to be my favorite song right after Hyperdrive from Dragonfly. As I always say, listen to the clips. If they grab you, buy. If not, don't. You wont be mislead.