Hits [Import]

Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 29, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: RCA Victor Europe
• ASIN: B00000BKJ8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,323 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #84 in Music > Folk > Contemporary Folk > General
  • #88 in Music > Classic Rock > Psychedelic Rock

Editorial Reviews

35 top tracks from the Airplane "family," the first collection of its kind! Includes such peak Airplane performances as Somebody to Love; White Rabbit; Wooden Ships; Volunteers , and It's No Secret , plus Starship hits like Miracles; Count on Me; With Your Love; We Built This City; Sara; Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now; It's Not Over ('Til It's Over) , and more. Their entire career from liftoff to touchdown!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bizzare Collection November 19, 2002

By Brian D. Rubendall HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

As double disc antholgies go, it doesn't get more truly bizzare than "Hits," by the ever evolving combo from San Francisco which, by the time they had been reduced to merely a Starship, contained exactly ZERO original members (Grace Slick was not part of JA's debut album). Stylistically, the journey from the hippie spaciness of the twin classics "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" to the utterly vapid 1980s video hits "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is an epic worthy of the Enterprise.

That said, if you're a casual fan who liked the JA-S in all of their many incarnations, it's nice to have all of the best stuff in one economically priced package. My only quibble is that it contains only one selection (the smash single "Miracles") from the studio album "Red Octopus," easilly the best from the Jefferson Starship period. The collection is also heavilly weighted with Airplane tracks, which is to its credit. Still, as the two hours-plus unfold, the transformation (read: commercial sellout) of this once-cutting edge band is nothing short of stunning.

Overall, an economically priced and sensibly chosen double disc anthology for the casual fan.

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Count On Me. March 20, 2000

By Jason Stein VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Though I was born after Jefferson Airplane and before Jefferson Starship, I happen to like all three incarnations of the band. I know this will offend many fans, but it's true. Pop is pop especially if it's good. Great songs like "White Rabbit", "Somebody To Love", "Miracles", "Count On Me", "Jane", "Stranger", "Find Your Way Back", "Be My Lady", "Layin' It On The Line", "No Way Out", "We Built This City", "Sara", "Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight", "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", "It's Not Over Til It's Over" and "It's Not Enough" all make this band what it was. They're all here, digitally remastered, plus great non-hits as well. Some fans will scratch their heads in disbelief that someone like myself could like all incarnations of this band since they changed drastically over the years. Sure, Airplane stood for something entirely different than Starship. Things change. This two disc compilation is a very good one because it has everything a non-fan would like to own from this band. The fans can collect each album individually. This compilation is a must have for any rock collector.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exhaustive Collection of Jefferson�s multiple transitions June 14, 2004

By fetish_2000

Format:Audio CD

Jefferson Airplane - "Hits" (Rock & Roll, Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Folk-Rock, Arena Rock) : Firstly it should be mentioned that this extensive compilation compiles the vast majority of the best / Most popular tracks from the 3 incarnations of Jefferson Airplane.....so that includes the bands transitions from "Jefferson Airplane" to "Jefferson Starship" through to just "Starship" (Which contained none of the founder members, and thus explains the radically different sound in the bands transitions).

Seeing as this is a "Hits" album, the vast majority of their most popular & critically applauded songs throughout the various transitions of the band are complied here. From the Jefferson Airplane side, the 60's rock and psychedelic rock & Folk-rock that they made their name on, is faithfully represented here, with the excellent inclusions of "Somebody to Love / White Rabbit / Plastic Fantastic Lover".....which (for me) are amongst some of the strongest tracks featured here on this 35 track double album. Jefferson Starship gradual shift away from 60's/Psychedelic rock, to a more Area based rock, and Album oriented rock, lists their best achievements in "Caroline / Miracles / Count on me / With your love", and yet again prove themselves to be fantastic songs in their own right. The transition of their sound was complete with the move to "Starship", which had a completely different line-up of musicians and saw them embrace 80's rock/ Soft rock (not to dissimilar to 'Fleetwood Mac'), and Pop/Rock crossover....with "Sara / Nothings gonna stop us now / It not over (Til it's over)", and the anthemic "We Built this City"....

Seeing as the band went through three personality changes since it's inception, its not hard to audibly hear the transition of sound, where the band change direction musically. And herein lies the problem.....if you only like one or indeed two, of the bands incarnations, then you're going to have difficulty sitting through the tracks of the period of the band that you don't like.......and because it's one of the only albums to give a complete overview of the band, this is really only aimed at people that liked all three incarnations (irrespective of the wildly different sound), so if you are one of those people, than you'd be far better served, picking up a individual collection album of the period of the band that you like.

For those of us, that do appreciate Jefferson's multiple musical & line-up changes, this is as exhaustive & thorough a compilation as you could possibly hope for, and serves to be an illuminating overview of the band, and a balanced portrayal of their wildly varying music. And if you can handle listening to '60's Folk-rock', through to 'Arena / Album oriented rock'....culminating in 80's soft rock (although undeniably catchy), this is the finest catalogue of a band with over 20 years of hits......and highly recommended. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to its title perfectly September 5, 2004

By T. LeBaron

Format:Audio CD

I've been reading the reviews on this collection, and quite frankly, the name of this package is HITS...not what some people regard as their favorites maybe, but all the hits are there from all three incarnations of this band between 1967 and 1990. I've always been of the train of thought that band members come and go for reasons, and they chose the ones they thought would serve them the best. I don't see any of the changes this band made as any kind of sellout at all...hey, no one held a gun to their heads and said "You will make THIS type of music..." they wrote and performed the songs that were on these albums, and the ones they didn't write were ones they liked enough to record. Grace Slick and Marty Balin sounded great together...and when I had the chance to see the band in 1985, she sounded great together with Mickey Thomas...and in 2002 when I caught Mickey Thomas's Starship on tour with Eddie Money, he still sounded great doing all the Starship tunes associated with him. Every song is someone's favorite, and a lot of mine are on this collection. If you don't want to spend tons of money to get all their hits in one place, buy this collection. If, on the other hand, you prefer one period of this band's varied history over another...then go buy the best of collection from that period, or collect the albums they put out during that period. Hits collections seem to take it on the chin for not including one person's favorites or inevitably another person has to ask "how could they NOT include...?" (like the track "Winds of Change", but I already have that on another CD, it's not like I can't listen to it). All in all, great collection, comprehensive...

and affordable.