Great Rock Albums of 1984: Jefferson Starship- Nuclear Furniture

 

For me in 1984, Jefferson Starship, being my favourite band in the world since 1977, would come to a cross roads with me in the form of the album "Nuclear Furniture." As previously stated enough times that you're all sick of reading it, my musical tastes were getting much heavier. With "Nuclear Furniture," the band began to shy away from the hard rock of their previous three albums. However, I wasn't going to demote them straight away and there was enough good material on the album to keep them at my number one.

First let us start out with the weak. The first single from the album, "No Way Out" while miles better than the vast majority of synth pop coming out at the time, it lacked the power chords I was now craving. Craig Chaquico does save the song with one of his decent guitar solos. Then again, he does it with many of the songs, even the ones where it's not essential. The other songs that might fall into the same category as "No Way Out" have something else that makes them great, with the possible exception of  "Magician." I was getting more and more politically aware in 1984 and seeking out music that reflected my beliefs. There are some great songs that do this. Two of them are about nuclear destruction, "Champion," one of my favourites and "Showdown." Grace Slick's vocals make the latter song sound that much better. Again, lyrically, "Assassin" is a great song. It might have been better placed in the late 90s as it could be applied to school shootings. The song is about a stranger in the neighbourhood who turns out to be a killer. "Live and Let Live" speaks to me personally, not politically and without going into great personal detail, took a load of withheld anger from me. With the track, "Connection," the song clearly trumpets my theory of what would happen if Jesus and Mohammed had actually met each other. While these songs might not be hard rockers, the lyrics really make you think.

Now for the rockers, "Shining in the Moonlight" is a straight ahead one of those bringing back memories of those previous three albums, "Freedom at Point Zero," "Modern Times" and "Winds of Change." The other two are not only cool rockers in my book but also have political lyrics I like. "Rose Goes to Yale" is a short but powerful rocker that makes a great point while rocking out to it. However, my favourite track on the album has to be "Laying It on the Line." A great intro and even though it is a little synthed in places, I don't mind. A cool guitar solo and to my knowledge, it is the only song anywhere to mention what had happened to my marine buddies in Lebanon some seven months earlier.

"Got US boys on foreign soil,

"Spillin' their blood to keep the peace." 

Track Listing:

1. Laying It On the Line
2. No Way Out
3. Sorry Me, Sorry You
4. Live and Let Live
5. Connection
6. Rose Goes to Yale
7. Magician
8. Assassin
9. Shining in the Moonlight
10. Showdown
11. Champion

Jefferson Starship

Mickey Thomas- vocals

Grace Slick- vocals

Craig Chaquico- lead guitar, backing vocals

Paul Kantner- rhythm guitar, vocals, banjo 

Pete Sears- bass, keyboards

David Freiberg- keyboards, vocals

Donny Baldwin- drums, percussion, backing vocals

Paul Kantner-

In spite of "Nuclear Furniture" being a decent album, Jefferson Starship would cease to be my favourite band in 1984. This was because that Paul Kantner would leave the band shortly after the album's release. Not only that, he would take the Jefferson moniker with him after a lawsuit. Like I said when I posted about Kantner's death last year, it was always his songs on the albums I preferred the most. After he left, the band would morph into Starship and I definitely didn't like what I heard on their next album. I want to like Jefferson Starship as I always have remembered them.

Next post: Greg Kihn Band- Khintagious

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at tobychainsaw@hotmail.com 

Great Rock Albums of 1982: Jefferson Starship- Winds of Change

No, I haven't fallen down a hole nor was I kidnapped by a raging gang of Boy George fans on account of my April Fool's joke. The reason why I haven't been around for the past few weeks was down to technical difficulties. Having a computer under warranty has distinct advantages but one disadvantage is that I had to wait nearly two weeks to have my new keyboard delivered. My stepson was kind enough to lend me his laptop from time to time so I was able to follow many of you whose blogs I get directly through email but he wouldn't let me download photos or give me enough time to write a post. But that's all over and I'm back! What no fanfare?

One very annoying misconception about hard rock and heavy metal is that every album from such an artist sounds the same. Yes, I scream "Bullshit!" when I hear this and the same was said back in 1982 when Jefferson Starship released their album "Winds of Change." To the uneducated, it sounded just like their previous albums "Freedom at Point Zero" and "Modern Times." I bet if they actually listened to all three albums, they would realise that they couldn't have been more wrong.

First of all, when I listen to this album, I am reminded why Jefferson Starship was my favourite band from 1977-84. "Winds of Change" contains everything I liked about the band back then and it adds a few surprises. What I like most about the album is that Craig Chaquico is given free reign on the guitar. Every song has a killer solo or guitar break and in many cases, both. If you ever wondered just how good a lead guitarist he is, then listen to "Winds of Change" because it shows him at his best.

Let's not take anything away from the rest of the band. Pete Sears still lays down some of his keyboard magic in songs like "Be My Lady" and "Can't Find Love" as well as working well with Paul Kantner and Aynsley Dunbar to provide a cool rhythm section. Mickey Thomas is at his vocal best and this was the album that marked Grace Slick's complete return to the band. Her vocals make one believe that she never left the band in the first place. She also leads the band with a small departure from the norm with the punk like "Out of Control." Every time I hear that song, I just want to start pogo dancing.

While there's not a bad track to be found on the album, the ones that stick out for me are the title track, the previously mentioned one, "Black Widow" where Grace makes the mating ritual of the black widow spider sound almost erotic and Paul Kantner makes his usual fine contribution with "I Came Back From the Jaws of the Dragon." The song starts out about Kantner's brain hemorrhage that might have killed him and his near miraculous recovery but in the Kantner style, goes political on Central America and crime and punishment. For the Jefferson Starship fan, there is everything to like on this album.

Track Listing:

1. Winds of Change

2. Keep on Dreamin'

3. Be My Lady

4. I Will Stay

5. Out of Control

6. Can't Find Love

7. Black Widow

8. I Came Back From the Jaws of the Dragon

9. Quit Wasting Time

[caption id="attachment_2074" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Jefferson Starship[/caption]

Mickey Thomas- vocals

Grace Slick- vocals

Craig Chaquico- lead guitar, backing vocals

Paul Kantner- rhythm guitar, vocals

Pete Sears- keyboards, piano, synthesizer and bass on all tracks except "Be My Lady"

David Freiberg- vocals, keyboards, bass on "Be My Lady"

Aynsely Dunbar- drums, percussion

*Note: While Aynsely Dunbar played on the recording of the album, he would leave before the tour and was replaced by Donny Baldwin

A few years down the line, Mickey Thomas would use the observation I made earlier to justify the Starship's later change in sound. But that story's for another day. "Winds of Change" showed that Jefferson Starship could rock with the best of them.

Next post: Great Rock One Hit Wonders of 1982

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Great Rock Albums of 1981: Jefferson Starship- Modern Times

When Jefferson Starship released their previous album, "Freedom At Point Zero," Rolling Stone magazine commented that they had become just another heavy metal band. We all know that any one who has heard that album can deduce that the person from Rolling Stone who said it obviously has no understanding what heavy metal is but that's beside the point. In response to that statement, Paul Kantner, wrote back saying, "Fuck You, We Do What We Want." Those words became immortalised on the closing track of this album "Modern Times."

It was a wise thing to let Jefferson Starship do what they wanted for this album follows on nicely from the last one. While not heavy metal, there is a great deal of hard rock on the album to be loved. The first two tracks, "Find Your Way Back" and "The Stranger" were both singles for the band but in no way are either of these songs pop. Probably why the highest they charted was the former of the two, which peaked at 29. "Wild Eyes" is a typical Jefferson Starship rocker and the last track on side one (I only bought cassettes at this time), "Save Your Love," Craig Chaquico demonstrates why I rant on about his guitar playing so much. Side two gives us three shorter in length powerful rockers. The opening riffs of "Mary" have stuck in my mind for over thirty years now the way that familiar riff of "Smoke On the Water" has. The fourth song, "Alien," goes a little more on the progressive side and some say that it's a little way out there. Then comes the closer, "Stairway to Cleveland." "While not a piss take of the Led Zeppelin classic, the reason why Jefferson Starship gave that title to the song was because they thought that Cleveland was the direct opposite of heaven at the time. I knew a few guys from Cleveland back then and they wouldn't debate them on that. The song also makes good digs at politics and some of the institutions of the time as well as Rolling Stone.

One of the hypes behind the release of "Modern Times" was it marked the return of Grace Slick to the band. Not particularly true. She does sing backing vocals on most songs and lead on "Alien" and as a duet with Mickey Thomas on "The Stranger." That's one reason the song is so good. Of course, you can never fault the musicianship of this band on any album and definitely not here. Chaquico shines with his guitar throughout with Paul Kantner laying down the reliable rhythm for him. Pete Sears does his normal keyboard wizardry and Aynsely Dunbar shows why he was considered a brilliant drummer back then.

Grace Slick

Track Listing:

1. Find Your Way Back

2. The Stranger

3. Wild Eyes

4. Save Your Love

5. Modern Times

6. Mary

7. Free

8. Alien

9. Stairway to Cleveland

Jefferson Starship

Mickey Thomas- vocals

Craig Chaquico- lead guitar

Paul Kantner- rhythm guitar, vocals

David Freiberg- piano, organ, synthesiser, bass, vocals

Pete Sears- bass, piano, synthesiser, moog

Aynsley Dunbar- drums, percussion

Grace Slick- vocals

There was one time back in 1981 when I didn't watch Fridays solely to see Melanie Chartof. I watched because Jefferson Starship was appearing on it that night. They were my favourite band back then and the "Modern Times" album reminds me why.

Next post: Jim Steinman- Bad For Good

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