Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and Starship – The Essential Collection
Legacy Recordings
www.legacyrecordings.com

Rating: B

Featuring 35 tunes from all three incarnations of the band, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and Starship, this collection is the best representation of the band(s) that has been assembled to date.

The history of the band goes back to the San Francisco days of acid, peace and love. Jefferson Starship were leaders of the musical movement. “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit” are two of the most iconic songs from that era. Next, came the updated and more rocking Jefferson Starship. The band began very groove oriented with tunes like “Ride the Tiger” and “Miracles.” Over time, members changed and Mickey Thomas came into the fold and more mainstream rock classics were born, including “Jane,” “Find Your Way Back,” “Stranger” and “Layin’ It on the Line.”

Finally, the ‘Jefferson’ moniker was dropped and the pop oriented Starship came into existence. The band had huge FM radio hits with “We Built This City,” “Sara” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

This great collection of music spans several decades and is, in itself, a musical history of the band.

By Jeb Wright