Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits - Ten Years & Change (1979-1991)

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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Jefferson Airplane was considered a really good rock outfit. They were a key part of the sex, drugs and rock n' roll of the 70's. Swiftly they began to change. From battles over the name of the band to member changes to style changes, the group seemed more like three or four bands than one. The musical styling changes prove that. Those changes can be heard throughout this album.

The earlier songs found here, especially "Jane," hearken back to the days when this band was built to rock. Songs like "No Way Out" revealed the changes to come as the band metamorphosed one more time into a pop/arena rock outfit. Of course, this change lead to their big hits of the 80's, such as "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and "Sara," which are included here. The album also includes a couple of new tracks which are pretty good, "Good Heart" and "Don't Lose Any Sleep," which show a band embracing their new pop sound to perfection.

Of course, there are always songs that bring about controversy, and "We Built This City" is that song on this compilation. Much like Styx's "Mr. Roboto," this song is either loved or detested by all that hear it. I'm one of those schmucks who loves the song. It's been rated one of the cheesiest songs ever on a multitude of television shows and in magazines. It's also been called one of the best pop tunes ever. No matter which side of the fence you're on, it's here for you to sample.

In closing, all you can really say about this album is that it gives you a taste of what once was Jefferson Airplane, what became Jefferson Starship, and what eventually went down in flames groupwise as Starship. All of the songs on this album are keepers, but there's nothing especially groundbreaking here. Just keep in mind that Starship is the pop version of Jefferson Airplane, and you won't be let down.

Starship's Greatest Hits (1991). The first official greatest hits compilation for Starship ranging from 1979-1991.

Technically, the band Starship has actually existed since the late 60s, though they were a completely different band back then. From the late 60s to the mid 70s, they were known as Jefferson Airplane. From the mid 70s to the early 80s, they were Jefferson Starship. From 85 and onward, they were just Starship. This compilation picks an odd point to start with. They cover the years in Jefferson Starship starting from 1979 and proceeding all the way to the very last Starship album. I'm going to assume that they covered the time that lead singer Mickey Thomas was in the band.

While this compilation does contain a lot of great music, it's lacking in quality quite a bit. As you'll soon find out, this greatest hits package is anything but perfect. Read below to find out why:

(1979-1984) Jefferson Starship Tracks
Jane, Find Your Way Back, Stranger, No Way Out, and Laying It On The Line
comments: These are all great classic tracks, but why not just do a double disc compilation with one disc focusing on Jefferson Starship and the other focussing on Starship the pop rock band?

(1985) KNEE DEEP IN THE HOOPLA
We Built This City, Sara
comments: They managed to include both hits, but 'WE BUILT THIS CITY' IS THE RADIO EDIT VERSION WITHOUT THE DJ AND THE INTRO! WHY?? The original version was perfect, so why did they have to shorten the song on a disc that already has tons of leftover album space to begin with? Also, where are some of the album's masterpiece tracks such as 'Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight' or 'Love Rusts'?

(1987) NO PROTECTION
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, It's Not Over 'Til It's Over
comments: Likewise, both the hits are here, but it's missing many key token Starship tracks. WHERE ARE 'BEAT PATROL', 'GIRLS LIKE YOU', AND ESPECIALLY 'BABYLON' THE ALBUM'S MASTERPIECE TRACK?! Their exclusions brings this compilation's value way down.

(1989) LOVE AMONG THE CANNIBALS
It's Not Enough
comments: This album REALLY got cheated off of great tracks. 'It's Not Enough' became a sleeper hit, but there were so many greater songs to be found on the album. I'm talking about the tracks 'The Burn', 'Trouble In Mind', 'I Didn't Mean To Stay All Night' and especially 'Wild Again'.

(1990-1991) Bonus Tracks
Don't Lose Any Sleep, Good Heart
comments: If this lackluster compilation has any redeeming factors about it, it's that there are a couple of new unreleased tracks made right before Starship disbanded. 'Don't Lose Any Sleep' is fairly average, but 'Good Heart' is worthy of mention.

Overall, this is a severely mediocre greatest hits package. It fails to even come close to filling up the disk's storage limit and the booklet is lacking in any useful information as well. Thankfully, there are a couple of alternatives to go with. If you like the earlier era consisting of Jefferson Starship's songs, then the only collection worth getting is the double disc best of compilation. It's more money, but it's better than shelling out cash for this sorry collection. If you like starship, then look for a single disc comp. called "The Best Of Starship" which contains some 20 tracks or so. The only catch is that it's rare to find it. Only buy the Greatest Hits compilation if you are on an extremely low budget and if you can find it used. RECOMMENDED TO AVOID.

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was the only song I knew when I bought the album. After only I few listens, there wasn't a single song on the album that I didn't enjoy. Its an exceptional collection, tweleve fantastic songs and no loose ends. The album opens with five Jefferson Starship songs from the period of 1979-1984. "Jane" (from FREEDOM AT POINT ZERO) is an excellent rocks song, with fantastic bocal effects. "Find Your Way Back" and "Stranger" from 1981's MODERN TIMES are equally intriging. "Find Your Way Back" is as incredible rock song as "Jane", with outstanding guitar work. "Stranger" has fantastic production, with great production and masterful vocals from Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick. "No Way Out" is a terrific love song, a lot different than the preceeding three songs, but not any less marvelous. "Layin' It On The Line" is the last of the Jefferson Straship songs, and both this and "No Way Out" came from the great record NUCLEAR FURNITURE. "Don't Lose Any Sleep" recorded in 1990, features only Mickey Thomas and Craig Chaquico, but its still an outstanding song. The second half of the record starts of all systems go, with three consecutive #1 hits. "We Built This City" is as enjoyable after 5000 times as it is the first. Exceptional keyboard arrangements and wonderful vocals keep the song fresh and eager. "Sara" is a gorgeous ballad, magnificently perfomed. These two #1s from the 1985 release KNEE DEEP IN THE HOOPLA are both worthy of their chart status. My favorite song is still "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", which is as fanscinating today as it was when I heard the song in a movie. The song is four minutes and twenty-nine seconds of perfection. "It's Not Over (Till It'S Over)" is a great song. These two songs from 1987's NO PROTECTION album, the last record to feature Grace Slick. "It's Not Enough" from 1989's LOVE AMONG THE CANNIBALS (Starship's last new album), isn't any less spectacular than the preceeding songs. "It's Not Enough" is a fantastic rock songs, with magnificent perfomances. The last song is "Good Heart" which brings the CD to a masterful close. I don't know where "Key To The City" is, I've never heard of the song. If you're looking for an outstanding album, you can't miss with GREATEST HITS (TEN YEARS AND CHANGE), 52 minutes of pure entertainment.

I liked this Starship album compiling their hits between the name changes of Jefferson Starship and Starship. I loved Jane when it came out in 1979 and the other songs from '84 to '90 are full-blown over-the-top rockers! They were like a milder Van Halen under the newer name with the excess and bombast. The pre-'84-85 songs don't grab me as much as the others. Some of the songs actually sound good in Atlanta--the skyline of that city matches very well to the songs and landscapes. We Built This City still rocks, I still like the calm to blasting vibes of No Way Out, Sara still has that mysterious feel to it, It's Not Over still is charging, and I still like the Mike Shipley sound of It's Not Enough. Paul Kantner and Mickey Thomas were good as the lead singers, but no one mentioned Marty Balin? To me, he was also another strong lead singer in that band when he was in it. Through a lot of conflicts over the group name, this album justifies their success in the '80s. Surprising that most of the songs average in the 4 1/2 minute range.

Say what you will about them, but Starship has 3 Number One hits. Starship established themselves as one of the best performers of pop ballads of the mid-late 80's, with #1 hits Sara and Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now. Both are among my favorite pop ballads, and the song Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now has actually prompted me to see the movie Mannequin which features this song. And you can't forget about We Built This City , their first #1 hit in 1985. The Jefferson Starship-era songs are OK, but not my cup of tea. I much prefer the pop sound of Starship, which is on the second half of this CD.

I am one who was never a big fan of the old Jefferson Airplane, and even some of the Jefferson Starship offerings (right up through "Nuclear Furniture") I had trouble listening to from beginning to end. Only with the admittedly very pop Starship era could I truly enjoy listening to entire albums by this band. (I in fact have all three full-length albums of new material under the "Starship" moniker.) That being said, this compilation is truly a fine representation of the biggest pop/rock hits of the latest era of this band.

How can you go wrong with such classic rock fare as "Jane" and "Find Your Way Back"? "No Way Out" was a great, somewhat forgotten hit during the last year that "Jefferson" was still in the band's title. And of course, the era of the band's biggest hits--during which I bought their original albums--was great with ballads like "Sara" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and uptempo, fun tracks like "We Built This City" and "It's Not Over (Til It's Over)". It is a bummer that the radio edit version of "We Built This City" (i.e., the version without the DJ's voice) is what is included here, but it is still great to listen to along with all the other big hits and a couple of unknowns that measure up to the rest of the tracks (e.g., "Good Heart"). I also have to rave about "It's Not Enough", a mid-tempo melodic gem that was the band's last top 40 hit and on their last album of all-new material.

I do wish that "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight", the top 40 single following the two classic #1 smashes "We Built This City" and "Sara", was here. I also remember hearing songs like "Beat Patrol" and "I Didn't Mean To Stay All Night" on the radio briefly. It would have been nice to hear a few more obscure tracks like these that were released as singles. Still, this collection is good in that it doesn't leave out any of the most well-known hits from the era covered--both in terms of classic rock and the pop charts.

In summary, as one who is an '80s music fan I have certainly heard more exciting pop/rock collections, but this one is certainly very enjoyable and more than worth a listen. If you enjoy the pop-based later years of this band's career and enjoy that '80s melodic pop/rock sound, then this collection is definitely for you.

Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and Starship whatever they're called they created great music for more than 30 years. In 1985 Paul Kantner won the right to claim the name Jefferson so the remaining members just named Starship.

I was just skeptical when I heard the band name Starship when We Built This City started to move up the charts. But I found myself loving their new name because I really liked that song which became #1 in 1986. It is too bad the DJ part of the song was deleted because I really love that part. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now is often heard in Wedding Ceremony in Japan. (Sounding a bit strange because the title reminds me of Dustin Hoffman's The Graduate). Key To The City was originally for VU's previously unreleased debut album Phoenix Rising. Sara, It's Not Enough, Jane are my favorite hits during that era.

Recommended for 80's pop rock fans. And their earlier efforts such as Red Octopus should not be overlooked.

For me this is the Starship of my generation,(I do love to 'Somebody To Love')featuring the Fantastic voices of Mickey Thomas & Grace Slick, the more Rock & Pop songs of this period has been unfairly reviewed by some, I would rather have 'We Built This City' as one of the defining songs of the 80's than the most of mess that are examples of the 90's & now! 'Sara' is one the best songs of the 80's, and the huge hit 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'. These are great songs that still sound good and bring back great memories!

"Starship" is a great collection of all their hits. I, however don't think I have the song "Key To The City" on my disc. What's up with that?? Mine starts with "Jane", which happens to be my favorite, aside from "Somebody To Love", which is, of course "Jefferson Airplane." I love "Sara", "No Way Out" and "Not Enough". A must-have for all you "Starship" fans!!!

I love the song We Built This City on Rock n' Roll. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now and Sara are also pretty good. I anticipated the other songs being at least all right as I do not remember any other Starship songs however I was pretty young then so I thought I might have missed some gems. I was wrong, apart from those three songs the rest are very average and it is hard to imagine these were actually hits let alone their greatest. You will find the three big songs on many an 80's compilation album so just buy those instead.