Feature Photo: Grunt-RCA Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Our Top 10 Jefferson Starship songs list takes a look at a band that was one of the most influential psychedelic bands of the 1960s and then radically changed their sound, style, and, interestingly, their name from the Jefferson Airplane to the Jefferson Starship in the early 1970s. The name change occurred because of the departure of Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, who would continue to work with their own band, Hot Tuna. The change from the Airplane to the Starship did not occur overnight. The Jefferson Starship grew from Paul Kanter’s offshoot band Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra. The band toured while Jefferson Airplane was in a hiatus and recorded two albums.
While Grace Slick and Paul Kantner worked together in Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra, Paul began recruiting other musicians who would eventually form the Jefferson Starship. The band recorded their first album in 1974 entitled Dragonfly.
The album featured musicians Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Papa John Creach, a young teenage phenomenon Craig Chaquico, David Freiberg, Pete Sears, and John Barbata, and one vocal appearance by Marty Balin.
Marty Balin joined the band for their next album, Red Octopus, released in 1975. The album featured the mega-hit “Miracle,” which put the band on the map big time. The group continued to release albums over the next forty years. During that period, Grace Slick and Marty Balin quit the band and rejoined numerous times. Micky Thomas, known for singing lead on Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” joined Jefferson Starship as a lead singer in the 1980s.
Micky Thomas and Jefferson Starship enjoyed great commercial success in the 1980s, although their sound had changed so dramatically since the psychedelic days of the 1960s. It’s hard to believe that the same core group of musicians, including Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, who released “White Rabbit,” were singing on the single “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”
Any resemblance or connection to the Jefferson Airplane ended in 2016 with the passing of Paul Kanter. Our Top 10 Jefferson Starship songs list looks at some of the best material the band released during the Jefferson Starship years. Like our Jefferson Airplane article, this list separates the material between the Airplane and the Starship. We purposely omitted some of the material released when they called themselves Starship. Songs like “We Built This City” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” were mega-hit singles but, in our opinion, not their best material.
# 10 – Ride The Tiger
We start our top 10 Jefferson Starship songs list with a song from the band’s first album, Dragonfly. This one opens up with some excellent guitar work, from the opening riffs to the killer solo played even before a note is sung. The song “Ride The Tiger” was the album’s opening track. Byong Yu, Grace Slick, and Paul Kanter wrote the song. “Ride The Tiger” was released as the first single from the album. It broke the Billboard Top 10, peaking at number righty four.
The band on the album at the time consisted of Grace Slick on lead vocals on tracks three, five, and eight, as well as backing vocals and piano on track three. Paul Kantner was on lead vocals for tracks one and seven, and also contributed backing vocals, and rhythm guitar. David Freiberg took lead vocals on tracks two and six, contributed backing vocals, played keyboards on tracks one, two, and four, piano on tracks five and six, organ on tracks seven and eight, and bass on track two. Papa John Creach played the electric violin on tracks one, two, and five to eight. Craig Chaquico was on lead guitar. Pete Sears handled bass on tracks one and three to eight, piano on tracks two, four, seven, and eight, harpsichord on tracks four and eight, and provided backing vocals. John Barbata played drums and percussion, while Marty Balin provided lead vocals on track four.
# 9 – Fast Buck Freddie
Contiuning with our Jefferson Starship songs we turn to the album that revived a lot of spins on our turntable. We werent the only ones spinning this magnificent album. “Fast Buck Freddie” was the opening song on the band’s great 1970s album Red Octopus. Grace Slick and Craig Chaquico wrote the song. The album was released in 1975. Certain songs, including the great track “Fast Buck Freddie,” still retained remnants of that old Jefferson Airplane sound.
Marty Balin contributed lead and backing vocals, while Grace Slick offered lead and backing vocals in addition to playing the piano. Paul Kantner provided lead and backing vocals, as well as rhythm guitar. Craig Chaquico played lead guitar and also contributed backing vocals. Papa John Creach was on the electric violin, and David Freiberg handled both bass and keyboards. Pete Sears played bass and keyboards, and John Barbata was responsible for drums, percussion, and backing vocals.
# 8 – St Charles
I love how the beggining of this song is just so dreamy. Of course, that’s on purpose as the bands sings “Let me Tell You About A Dream.” This band was just so good in the mid 1970s. The way they took the spirit of the Jefferson Airplane and modernized it with a 70s sound was just so brilliant and effectuve. The epic Jefferson Starship piece “St Charles” was the closing track on the band’s Spitfire album, which was released in 1976. “St Charles” was released as the second single from the album but only reached the number sixty four spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It should have done much better because it’s such an extrodinary song.
# 7 – With Your Love
The hit single “With Your Love” was the band’s follow-up single to their smash hit “Miracles,” which was released on the Red Octopus album the year before. The song “With Your Love” was the lead single from the Spitfire album. The song was a top 20 hit, peaking at number 12. Marty Balin’s silk voice take the lead on this one. This was such a cool rock and roll grooving ballad. They wrote the book on these types of songs in the mid 1970s.
# 6 – Count On Me
With this next song we have showcased songs from the band’s first four albums released under the name Jefferson Starship. “Count On Me” was released on the 1978 album Earth. It was a top 10 hit, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jesse Barish wrote the song. The album Earth would serve as the last Jefferson Starship album to feature the classic 1970s lineup.
# 5 – Winds Of Change
“Winds of Change” was released on the 1982 album Winds Of Change. It was the album’s opening cut. This is the first onsg on our Jefferson Starship songs list to feature vocalist Mickey Thomas who had replaced Mary Balin. The song was written by Jeannette Sears and Pete Sears. It was also released as the album’s second single. It broke the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40 section, peaking at number 38 in 1982. This is a cool video. The album also featured legendary drummer Aynsley Dunbar.
# 4 – Laying It On The Line
“Laying It On The Line” was released on the Nuclear Furniture album in 1984. I always really liked this song. It just had such an addicting melody. Mickey Thomas just kills it on the vocal. The guitars are tight and smoking. The keys, bass, and drums all groove so nicely together. This would be the final Jefferson Starship album to feature Mickey Thomas on lead vocals. The band would reform in 1992 with Mary Balin returning as lead vocalist.
# 3 – Find Your Way Back
The 1981 album Modern Times featured the great Jefferson Starship song “Find Your Way Back.” When it was first released, “Find Your Way Back” went into heavy rotation on MTV. Just listening to those opening guitar licks will bring you right back to sitting in front of that TV in the early 1980s.
# 2 – Jane
As we get closer to our number one spot on our top 10 Jefferson Starship songs list, we turn to the great Freedom At Point Zero album released in 1979. The great keyboard-infused song “Jane” will always be one of our favorite songs without Grace Slick or Marty Balin on lead vocals. It was Micky Thomas’s shining moment in the band.
# 1 – Miracles
There was no question as to which song would come in at number one on our top 10 Jefferson Starship songs list: “Miracles” was easily the band’s best song. Marty Balin’s lead vocal on the track was to die for. It’s a classic 1970s gem. This song was such a huge hit in 1975. In fact, it would become the band’s biggest hit of their career, both as Jefferson Starship and The Jefferson Airplane. They could all thank Marty Balin for that, as he was the one who composed the song. “Miracles” would peak at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975.
