Jefferson Starship - Freedom at Point Zero (1978) (2008)

Freedom at Point Zero is not a great Jefferson Starship album; the wonder is that it is as good as it is. Since the band's previous album, the Top Ten, million-selling Earth, the group had lost its two lead singers, Grace Slick and Marty Balin, and they had been replaced by Mickey Thomas. "Jane," released as a single in advance of the album, displayed the result: even before Thomas' soaring tenor entered, it sounded like Foreigner. But it also made the Top 20, which helped the album into the Top Ten and to a gold record award. Reluctant leader Paul Kantner came back to the fore, and, at least on the energetic "Girl with the Hungry Eyes" (a chart single), that was a good thing, though the more typically discursive, rhythmically static songs like "Lightning Rose" and "Things to Come" (on which Thomas, through the magic of overdubbing, replaced Slick and Balin) slowed things down. Other songwriting contributors such as bassist Pete Sears and guitarist Craig Chaquico brought in generic arena rock bombast like "Awakening" and "Rock Music," making this a typically uneven effort. Although Freedom at Point Zero demonstrated that the group could soldier on, the band without its quirky individualists was ultimately too generic, which made Slick's return on the next album welcome...W. Ruhlmann

320 @
98 MB
2000mustangs

Tracklist:

01 Jane 4:11
02 Lightning Rose 4:36
03 Things to Come 4:45
04 Awakening 8:03
05 Girl with the Hungry Eyes 3:29
06 Just the Same 5:18
07 Rock Music 3:36
08 Fading Lady Light 3:40
09 Freedom at Point Zero 4:28

Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus (1975) (Legacy Remaster Edit 2005)

Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus (1975) (Legacy Remaster Edit 2005)

Technically speaking, Red Octopus was the first album credited to Jefferson Starship, though practically the same lineup made Dragon Fly, credited to Grace Slick/Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship. The difference, however, was crucial: Marty Balin was once again a fully integrated bandmember, writing or co-writing five of the ten tracks. And there can be little doubt that it was Balin's irresistible ballad "Miracles," the biggest hit single in the Jefferson Whatever catalog, that propelled Red Octopus to the top of the charts; the only Jefferson album to chart that high; and the best-selling album in their collective lives. This must have been sweet vindication for Balin, who founded Jefferson Airplane but then drifted away from the group as it veered away from his musical vision. Now, the collective was incorporating his taste without quite integrating it: "Miracles," with its strings and sax solo by non-bandmember Irv Cox, was hardly a characteristic Airplane/Starship track. But then, neither exactly was Papa John Creach's showcase, "Git Fiddler," or bassist Pete Sears' instrumental "Sandalphon," which sounded like something from an early Procol Harum album. Slick has three strong songs, among them the second single "Play on Love." Like Dragon Fly, Red Octopus reflected a multiplicity of musical tastes; there were ten credited songwriters, seven of whom were in the band. If there is any consistency in this material, it is in subject matter (love songs). The album is more ballad-heavy and melodic than the Airplane albums, which made it more accessible to the broader audience it reached, though "Sweeter Than Honey" is as tough a rocker as the band ever played. [The 2005 reissue of Red Octopus contains four bonus tracks including the single version of "Miracles" and songs recorded live at Winterland in 1975.]...W. Ruhlmann

320 @
142 MB

Tracklist:

01 Fast Buck Freddie 3:30
02 Miracles 6:53
03 Git Fiddler Instrumental 3:11
04 Al Garimasu (There Is Love) 4:17
05 Sweeter Than Honey 3:23
06 Play on Love 3:46
07 Tumblin' 3:29
08 I Want to See Another World 4:36
09 Sandalphon Instrumental 4:11
10 There Will Be Love 5:08
11 Miracles - Bonus / Single Version 3:30
12 Band Introduction- Live / prev. unreleased / Bonus 1:15
13 Fast Buck Freddie - Live / prev. unreleased / Bonus 3:35
14 There Will Be Love- Live / prev. unreleased / Bonus 4:58
15 You're Driving Me Crazy - Live / prev. unreleased / Bonus 6:45