Playlist: The Very Best Of Jefferson Starship

this compilation is a great compilation of the best stuff from both the mickey thomas and the marty balin years. the earlier compilation released by bmg included hits by starship, the band name adopted when founding member paul kantner sued to cease and desist usage of the jefferson starship name. music-wise, the starship years were weak. this collection includes some faves from the balin era: miracles, caroline, with your love, and count on me. from the thomas years, highlights include: jane, find your way back, stranger, and ends appropriately with what i feel is the last good js song' layin it on the line' . this is the best single disc introduction to js that's out there, but also get some of the original studio stuff like red octopus and freedom at point zero, to supplement if js is your bag.

Great compilation for introduction to Jefferson Starship. I am much more a fan of Jefferson Airplane material, which I believe every Airplane album is essential. I've owned most of the Jefferson Starship albums over the years only to find out that I liked fewer and fewer tracks on each album as they went on. What I liked about this compilation is that all the hits are here along with what I feel are some of their strongest tracks. To hear the full length version of their huge hit "Miracles" was refreshing and one my personal favorites "Winds of Change" is also included. If you're looking for a comprehensive booklet and liner notes, sorry not here, but the music is and that is what matters! Bravo "Playlist" for capturing the essential tunes on one value priced cd.

If you are buying/considering this disc, you likely already understand the progression this band took from the '60s Jefferson Airplane to the late '80s/'90s Starship. That being said, this CD paints a very clear picture of that progression through, what I consider, to be the best, most interesting phase of this band - the Jefferson Starship era.The CD is layed out in chronological order. There have been alot of bands who's greatest hits CDs have not necessarily followed a time progression, and that has been fine. In this case, it is essential that they did (and would have been disastorous if the hadn't).The CD begins with Ride the Tiger. This, and Caroline, make it very clear that Jefferson Starship came directly from Jefferson Airplane. They are also highlights from that "style" of the Jefferson catalog.The next few songs are the Marty Ballin influenced era of Jefferson Starship. In my opinion, these are the weakest songs on the disc. What they do remind you of is the true sense of what drove the soft rock/pop music of the '70s: repetition of a basic chord structure, some basic electronic flurishes around the music (being the '70s, the music industry was still just beginning to experiment with what they could do with a synthesizer and that technology was very basic back then), and absolutely no thought required in the lyrics. While Jefferson Starship/Marty Ballin didn't define this approach, they certainly embraced it for a time before he left the band and it served them well. These are not bad songs for the period, but they are "period" songs.Then, we come to Jane. When Marty Ballin left the band, they definitely chose a different direction. The band suddenly discovered power cords, reasonably good riffs, and (at least compared to previous hits) some lyrical complexity. Familiar Stranger is an exceptional song which exemplifies this switch very well. This is the portion of Jefferson Starship I enjoy the most and the primary reason I bought this disc. The songs that follow through the remainder of the disc are a very good blend of what Jefferson Starship was, is, and (unfortunately) was headed when they morphed one last time. This is the period where I also most enjoy Grace Slick's input into the music. I find it enlightening that, after all the sex and drugs of the Jefferson Airplane, and all the direct "lets go make love" of the Marty Ballin lyrics, her vocals are probably more enjoyable, even a bit sensual, during this phase than during any other (this is especially true on the under appreciated Winds of Change album).Finally, the last song on this disc, Lay It On the Line, points very clearly to where they were headed next. From the Nuclear Furniture album (also a good album), this is the last before Jefferson Starship completely imploded. What followed was the very formulatic, poppy, Starship, where only Thomas and Slick were left from JF(..."we built this city"....need I say more?).What this disc makes much clearer than I realized previously is how much Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/The Starship mirrored and benefited from popular rock musical trends through three decades. They were not inovators by any stretch of the imagination. But, this disc makes it obvious that they were good at writing and playing (and selling) the music of the day. And, at the end of the day, it makes for a reasonably enjoyable disc. If I had one complaint, I would say that I would have prefered a couple less of the "Ballin period" songs in favor of a couple more from latter period after he left the band....but then that would not be representative of their entire catalog.

Every song on this album is solid.love this band

Great collection at an affordable price

If you love Jef, you will love this. Truth be known, I also bought The Very Best of Starship to complement what was missing from this CD. Already have the important Jefferson Airplane stuff,including the boxset so I'm covered, baby! Love the great San Francisco Sound, and this was a perfect CD for anyone wanting to pick up later stuff. Not sure the CD showed up in my Amazon cloud, though. Will have to check. Still, a sweet purchase.

There are many great songs on this disc. I didn't own any Jefferson Starship so this is a great starter cd. Many of these songs I've enjoyed for years and years but didn't know who sang them. Glad I bought this one.

I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Jefferson Starship's music. Each song on this release is a solid piece of work and is easy to listen too. "Jane" is a particular favorite of mine. Mickey Thomas' vocals and Craig Chaquico's guitar work make it a "classic" in my opinion. This is NOT Jefferson Airplane and yes, this is commercial Top 40 rock and roll. The music's commercial success is an indication of how good this music really is. I'm glad I bought this playlist and I'm sure I'll listen to it many times.