Jefferson Starship

Divisive, extreme, and visionary, the Jefferson Airplane was a band of artists; Jefferson Starship, at its best, became nothing but a band of hitmakers. The transformation of Paul Kantner and Grace Slick into crafty corporate rockers took a while, of course, but by the mid-'70s the changeover had become concrete. Occasionally (and infuriatingly), their music echoed their former adventurousness, but in general they made glossy pop-rock that sounded hideously dated almost the day it came out.

A Kantner project starring Slick and members of the Grateful Dead, "Jefferson Starship" was originally a one-off assemblage responsible for Blows Against the Empire (1970), a sci-fi song suite that now suffers from concept-album creakiness but at its time boasted an experimental edge. In 1974 Kantner and Slick put together Jefferson Starship, the actual working group. Their proven songwriting skills and Slick's vocal expertise made the new band appear promising -- but the seeds of mediocrity had already been sown.

"Caroline" and "Ride the Tiger," from Dragon Fly, and "Play on Love" and "Fast Buck Freddie," from Red Octopus, defined the early Starship sound -- smooth instrumental work, strong singing, and occasionally interesting lyrics. But with Marty Balin's "Miracles," Octopus' massive hit, the band began shifting toward schmaltz. Balin now sounded like a lounge singer, and on the mid-'70s stuff, smarmy expertise ruled, resulting in a passel of hits ("With Your Love," "Count on Me," "Love Too Good," and "Runaway") that quiver with the ersatz "sexiness" typical of '70s AOR fare. Balin departed on the advent of Freedom at Point Zero, his place taken by ex-Elvin Bishop Group singer Mickey Thomas. A vocalist with all of the arena-rock aspirations to become another Steve Perry, Thomas perfectly suited Jefferson Starship in its relentless descent into mediocrity.

The hits kept on a-comin' -- "Jane" (Freedom), "Sara," "We Built This City" (both from Knee Deep in the Hoopla), "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (No Protection). By 1985, the band had dropped "Jefferson" from its name -- thus ditching painful memories of a glorious past. Gold is Jefferson Starship's greatest hits, and it's entertaining. Ten Years and Change is the strongest Starship best-of, and it's embarrassing. Windows of Change featured a reunited version of JS alongside the Tubes' Prairie Prince and the Dixie Dregs' T Lavitz. (PAUL EVANS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide