Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Rerecorded and chopped up songs, June 29, 2004
This cd is culled from the import-only Starship release titled, 'Greatest and Latest.' Vocalist Mickey Thomas released 'Greatest and Latest' in 2003 (never in the US) with a different lineup of Starship. The songs were all rerecorded versions of Starship, Jefferson Starship and Mickey Thomas tracks, under the Starship banner with the current lineup. The new studio recordings happened in 2002. That 'Greatest and Latest' cd contained fourteen songs and came packaged with a dvd, I have the songs from that album.
On the plus side, the rerecorded songs sound great. "We built this city" and "Nothing's gonna stop us now", given all the times I heard them, sound quite different with a stripped down production, louder guitars and minus Grace Slick's voice. Without Grace being there, Mickey Thomas handles all lead vocals. It's interesting to hear him sing verses in songs that were originally handled by Grace Slick.
So the new versions of the songs sound good, which is why I give the album two stars. The songs from 'Greatest and Latest' were licensed for several Starship budget compilations in the US, such as 'Forever Gold', 'Greatest Hits-Delta' (this compilation right here) and 'Greatest Hits-Brilliant.'
The Delta company that put out this cd, for some reason, decided to cut short three of the tracks on this cd. The rerecorded version of "We built this city" runs over six minutes long on 'Greatest and Latest' as well as the other US budget compilations. On this cd it is under five, as the label chops out the great closing instrumental to the song. The new recording of "Fooled around and fell in love" was originally five and a half minutes long on other cd's it appeared on, but here it is again under five minutes. Additionally, the rerecorded track "Stranger" is also five and a half minutes long, or so, and that is also chopped up to under five minutes.
I don't understand the decision since it is only ten tracks and the cd clocks in at roughly fifty minutes. They could have fit the extra 40 or so seconds cut out of those 3 tracks. It all sounds like a hatchet job or bad radio edit. Additionally, the 'Greatest and Latest' import has the full set of 14 rerecorded songs and this one only uses ten of those new recordings.
The point is, the rerecorded tracks sound great. This collection of them, though, sucks. If you want to hear the new versions, get the import 'Greatest and Latest' off Ebay, which has all 14 rerecorded songs. Otherwise, pick up 'Forever Gold' or 'Greatest Hits-Brilliant' (both under the Starship name).
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't put it down just yet, August 27, 2008
I think this isn't a great compilation album. Heck, it ISN'T a compilation album. This isn't a Starship album. Pete Sears, Craig Chaquico, Grace Slick and Donny Baldwin all are not involved. So that just leaves Mickey Thomas out of the original 1985-1992 Starship cast.
So, either way you look at it, this isn't a Starship album. I see it as a Mickey Thomas solo album. While yes, it is released under the Starship name, it isn't a terrible record.
Mickey still sounds great, and he is 59 years old as of 2008. This was recorded over the last couple of years, so it's not really fair to criticize it.
Meanwhile, though, the title is a real misunderstanding. For Starship fans expecting the originals of songs such as 'We Built This City' and 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now.'
If you want the Starship classics in their original album versions, might I suggest 'Starship - Platinum & Gold Collection,' 'Love Songs,' or 'VH1 Behind The Music.'
But, if you are a big Mickey Thomas fan, than I recommend this album. He's not the singer he was with Elvin Bishop, Jefferson Starship and Starship, but his voice has aged quite well, and it's unmistakably Mickey.
Overall, this is highly recommended for the Mickey Thomas fan. The reasoning for the three stars is the title. It is their greatest hits, but in recent re-recorded versions.
Don't buy this expecting the original hit versions you remember from MTV in the '80s. Look elsewhere for that. But buy this if you want to see how Mickey Thomas sounds today.
Recommended, but only for serious Mickey Thomas fans.
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty ordinary or worse - even the big hits, March 9, 2004
Having seen Starship ranked by Blender as the fifth worst artist in music history, it is embarrasing to recall and admit that I once bought a "Greatest Hits" compilation by them.
However, as a child I must admit to adoring their hits "We Built This City", "Sara" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" as a child, so that my interest in them when I was wanting to collect the commercial music of that decade is understandable.
It was clear to me even back in 1996, though, that whatever the catchiness and apparent (not real) charisma of Grace Slick on "We Built This City" and especially "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", the rest of the material included on Starship compilations (they're all naturally much the same) was horrible by any standards. Basically, it had the loud pomposity and thickly produced electric guitars that even then I could recognise as having almost no substance or feeling in them. Thus, even before I began exploring new styles of music, it appeared to me that Starship had nothing to offer me.
There was nothing memorable about any of their earlier songs with Paul Kantner - not one remotely memorable hook - and his vocals and those of Mickey Thomas sounded mumbled with thinner (but no less airy) production. Indeed, as they are produced, most of the material on this album sounded and sounds literally featureless and really boring. Even the two ballads "Sara" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" have lost the tenderness and beauty they once gave me.
Whilst Starship might not deserve to be so high on Blender's list of the worst bands ever, their music was still of little if any value.
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~ Neil Young
~ America
~ Creedence Clearwater Revival
~ Steppenwolf
~ Boston
by Starship 
