Customer Reviews

KBC Band

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Paul Kantner had become fed up with most, if not all, of his Jefferson Starship bandmates around the time of 1984's "Nuclear Furniture", not least of them being his former lover Grace Slick and lead vocalist Mickey Thomas. Ultimately, he left the remaining members, whom continued on simply as Starship.

However, in October of 1984, Paul appeared onstage with his former Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship bandmate Marty Balin who was playing live with his own band. Marty suggested that Paul stick around and play some shows with him, an offer which Kantner accepted. Marty and Paul then went on to recruit their former bandmate Jack Casady, whom they were still on friendly terms with. With that, the KBC Band (i.e., the Kantner-Balin-Casady Band) was born, and their lone, self-titled album was released in 1986.

Don't come to this album expecting anything resembling acid rock. Frankly, apart from the songs "Mariel" and "America", which were primarily written by Kantner, this is virtually a Balin solo album--Marty handles almost all of the lead vocals, and it's also pretty obvious that he's primarily responsible for the choice of material. And as with his 1981 solo album "Balin", Marty demonstrates his knack for selecting excellent compositions. Production-wise, the sound is very dense, with heavily-layered vocal harmonies, crashing electronic drums, synthesizers, lots of saxophone parts, etc. But it's far superior to what the Starship did on "Knee Deep In The Hoopla", because it's much more sincere, and almost every song is insanely catchy.

Of course, a great deal of the credit for the album's sincerity should go to Marty Balin, with his incredible, emotive vocals. And Kantner shouldn't be counted out either--it's compelling to hear his prophet-like vocals in this '80s pop-rock context, and he's still got it working to great effect on the powerful, anthemic album-opener "Mariel", which actually has Paul and Marty sharing the lead vocal duties, and features an insanely catchy guitar & sax duel riff and uplifting singalong choruses. "America" is a deceptively upbeat-sounding story-song that also has Paul singing lead, although Marty harmonizes with him for most of the vocals, and although I could have done without the synthesizer intro and outtro (which display a clear OVER-dependence on the '80s technology--having a real orchestra do these parts would have been a refreshing idea), it's otherwise a terrific song.

In addition to "Mariel" and "America", there's one more song credited to the Kantner/Balin songwriting team, and that's "Dream Motorcycle", an infectious, freewheeling minor-keyed pop-rocker with a snaky saxophone line.

Most of the rest shines as well. "It's Not You, It's Not Me" is a profoundly affecting ballad of confusion and acceptance. "Hold Me" is a tender ballad about the difficulty of maintaining a relationship over the long-term, and it really gets under your skin. The uptempo "No More Heartaches" is pretty simple compositionally, but it has a compelling urgency to it, a well-placed descending synthesizer figure on the verses, and an irresistibly catchy melody. "Wrecking Crew" is rather generic, but it's still amusing with its main riff which sounds like a cross between AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" and Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days". "When Love Comes" is a kickass bluesy rocker with another infectious riff; it's actually a re-recording of a song that was previously done on Marty's 1983 album "Lucky", but the "KBC Band" is definitely favorable, sounding much edgier and punchier (although one of the verses got lopped off). The album ends with "Sayonara", where Balin's vocals are actually disappointingly weak for once, as if he can't get a firm grasp on the melody, but it's still an affecting, memorably-melodic power ballad, a fine way to end the album.

So, make no mistake, "KBC Band" definitely has a mid-'80s sheen to it, so if you're allergic to this sort of thing, you'll probably be less than satisfied with the results. But the technology is mostly well-used and fresh-sounding, and when you add in the distinctive and unbeatable vocals of Balin and Kantner, this ends up being a unique album that I wouldn't want to be without. Give it a try.

I loved the Jefferson Airplane -- they still strike me as the greatest American rock band of all time -- and I often loved the Starship at their best. I used to think it was Marty Balin who was at the heart of my love for the band, but later came to understand that it was the COMBINATION of Balin and Kantner that most excited me -- one of those inspired collaborations like Lennon and McCartney. So, after years of Kantner struggling on with the increasinly faceless Jefferson Starship, and Balin floundering in his solo work, I was tremendously pleased to hear they had gotten back together (along with Jack Casady, the thunderously melodic Airplane bassist) in the KBC Band.

The album is good, solid work, with Balin's voice still one of the most beautiful and powerful in rock. I'd prefer a couple more Kantner/Balin songs, but the others are all fine ("Hold Me" and "Sayonara" should have been hits, putting most other mid-80's power balads to shame).

I still enjoy listening to this record, but nothing on here prepared me for how much I would love the revived Starship's "Windows of Heaven" record a decade later.

KBC Band / KBC Band
Label: Arista
Year: 1986
Track Title
1. Mariel
2. It's Not You, It's Not Me
3. Hold Me
4. America
5. No More Heartaches
6. Wrecking Crew
7. When Love Comes
8. Dream Motorcycle
9. Sayonara