Jefferson Starship

JEFFERSON STARSHIP
 
 
Jefferson Starship  is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s by several members of the former psychedelic rock group Jefferson Airplane.  The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name.  The current Jefferson Starship, led by co-founder Paul Kantner, more closely resembles its original mix of psychedelic and electric folk music than the pop-driven tunes it was widely known for in the early to mid-1980’s.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

 

 

Jefferson Airplane continued issuing hit albums through the end of the 1960’s but was beginning to run out of steam, so its members began spreading out and working on solo albums and side projects. 

  

In November 1970Paul Kantner and Grace Slick released an album called Blows Against the Empire that was credited to Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship, though the line-up had little resemblance to the band of that name that followed. 

 

Starship” is a word that was gaining currency in this time period – not least because of the Star Trek television program that ran from 1966 to 1969 (now known as Star Trek: The Original Series) – and represented an appropriate updating of “Airplane” from the original band. 

 

*       *       * 

 

 

 

Jefferson Starship proper can be dated to the 1974 album Dragon Fly, but the album was still credited to Paul Kantner and Grace Slick as well as Jefferson Starship.  Their first big hit song “Miracles” had a timeless quality, to me at least – it felt as though the song had always been there.  The line-up included Pete Sears, an alumnus of past UARB the Sons of Fred

 

In 1979Mickey Thomas joined Jefferson Starship as a new lead vocalist and first appeared on Freedom at Point Zero (1979).  His striking vocal style changed the direction of the band, as he had previously done with the blues rock outfit Elvin Bishop Group when he sang lead on the band’s biggest hit song, “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” (1976).  Grace Slick appeared with the band on three more albums, beginning with the following album, Modern Times (1981).  

 

*       *       * 

 

 

 

When Paul Kantner left Jefferson Starship in 1984, this last remaining founding member of Jefferson Airplane settled out of court with the other bandmembers that any use of the terms “Jefferson” or “Airplane” was forbidden unless all members of Jefferson Airplane, Inc. agreed.  (You could tell that it wasn’t the 1960’s anymore when there is such a thing as “Jefferson Airplane, Inc.”).  As a result, the 1985 album Knee Deep in the Hoopla was released under the name Starship.  This band had more of a pop sound than either Jefferson Airplane or Jefferson Starship but was also the most successful:  The first two tracks on the album, “We Built this City” and “Sara” hit Number One on the Billboard singles charts; and a third Number One, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” came out in 1987.  When Grace Slick left the band for good in 1988, the last tie to Jefferson Airplane was severed. 

 
(June 2014)
 
*       *       *
 
Items:    Jefferson Starship 
 
Last edited: March 22, 2021