Jefferson Starship

The big news, of course, is that Marty Balin is back. Balin never seemed to be able to get it
together outside the Airplane/Starship, although he certainly did try. But nearly everything
he started crumbled before it was finished. Bodacious D.F., his last band, showcased his
vocals nicely, but somewhere between the decision to record a second album before
going on tour and actually doing so, the band vanished. He joined the Starship fo... More >

This is indeed their most significant record of the decade, but what does it signify? It's their first number-one album, but it sells to an audience that refuses to distinguish between production values and musical ideas. While the returned Marty Balin is the most soulful folkie ever to set voice to plastic, he remains a mushbrain--the paragon to whom he addresses "Miracles" is actually compared to both a river and a stringed instrument. And to call "I Want to See Another World" and "There Will Be Love" jive-ass would be to imply that standard-brand American bullsh*t has style. (Grade: B-)