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Bombast was always a part of Jefferson Starship. The group's chunky, muscular riffing through the 1970s and '80s made it a rock powerhouse in a way that its earlier incarnation, the Jefferson Airplane, was never meant to be. But in the few years that Marty Balin joined two of his mates from the Airplane, Paul Kantner and Grace Slick, for its retooled edition, bombast was mitigated by a ripened sensuality and other pleasures. Between Balin's splendid love songs, Slick's sass, Kantner's lyrical castles in the sky, and guitarist Craig Chaquico's prankish versatility, the Starship was a fun, sexy, uplifting outfit. By 1983, however, with Balin long gone, Kantner on the way out, and shrill vocalist Mickey Thomas in the mix, the Starship looked and sounded like an anachronism. Sadly, that's what we have here on
The Definitive Concert. Thomas seems to be screeching at a single frequency on "Winds of Change" and "Out of Control," while Slick spends much of the time delivering a wide-eyed stare into the camera that seemed trippy enough in 1967, but here looks insistent and vain. On the plus side, Slick's chilling power on "White Rabbit" is something to behold, and Kantner leads the band in a rousing, snakey rendition of "Ride the Tiger." But, for the most part, this "definitive concert" is a woeful reminder of better days.
--Tom Keogh
Product Description
The fantastic voyage of Jefferson Starship is without equal in American rock history. Rising from the remains of the legendary Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship combined the best of the classic Airplane sound with the refined elements of contemporary high-energy rock. Charter members Grace Slick and Paul Kantner join co-lead singer Mickey Thomas and the rest of the band in a rousing rendition of Airplane and Starship greatest hits. Songs: Winds of Change, Ride the Tiger, Stranger, Black Widow, Find Your Way Back, Somebody to Love, Be My Lady, Girl with the Hungry Eyes, Out of Control, White Rabbit, Jane, Stairway to Cleveland.
