Original Album Classics Slipcase

I don't know what possessed me to get into this band. I hadn't know they had done so many albums, and didn't realize they were such a continuation of Jefferson Airplane. But here we are, months later, after the curiousity got to me after watching the video for "Winds of Change" over and over on youtube and essentially falling in love with this music. This set features the early albums of Jefferson Starship (unless you count Blows Against the Empire, which it excludes), and this includes Dragonfly, Red Octopus, Spitfire, Earth, and even the controversial Freedom At Point Zero (possibly my favorite of the bunch, though Dragonfly might be close). The band plays an interesting mix of styles firmly planted in the Seventies, but one thing that stands out about the band is that they DO THINGS EXTREMELY WELL. There is a slight prog tinge to some songs, especially those authored by Pete Sears (who switches between bass, keyboards, and even guitar later on) and the psychedelic folk influence of Kantner is still there with songs like Ride the Tiger (which is essentially a hard rock song). Grace Slick has the touch as well, with songs like Hot Water or Hyperdrive, and Marty Balin (who makes a full return on Red Octopus) of course is an author of their biggest hit, Miracles- a murky and dreamy ballad that took time to grow on me, since I once had considered it "seventies dreck". However, playing a tabletop Role Playing Game which (in the game) took place in the seventies made the song grow on me, and once I found out it was Jefferson Starship, I had already checked out the band because of other songs I dug. One thing that makes Jefferson Starship, as with their previous band, is their eclecticism. Sure, bands like Foreigner or Doobie Brothers may have had a few songs on each album that had a synth part or whatever, but Jefferson Starship really were all over the place. Some may not like this approach, where even the vocalists change from song to song (though some have all the vocalists together, like with the Airplane), but I find it compelling. The one album of the bunch I actually didn't like was Earth. Now I mentioned Seventies Dreck. This is the closest to Disco the band got, and the songs do nothing for me, including the overrated Count On Me. I know Balin was a talented singer and songwriter, but Earth was essentially the death knell for that era of the Starship. The non album single Light The Sky On Fire would've been a killer direction with Balin though if they would've kept going with him.They sound rejuvenated on Freedom at Point Zero. Unfortunately, by Winds of Change (not in this set) they were starting to stagnate again (even if the title track to THAT album is my favorite Jefferson Starship song, period), and Nuclear Furniture is a bizarre and schizophrenic album that presaged in many ways the later band Starship (just Starship, no Jefferson) album Knee Down in the Hoopla. Anyway, back to the set. I'm not qualified to comment on the sound quality, others have done this far better than i could because of no other point of reference, but one thing lacking is any booklet, lyrics, etc. Also, the only cd with any bonus material is Red Octopus, which features some live tracks and so forth. Is it worth it? I would say for the price, definitely. The cds themselves come in cardboard sleeves, the same kind that album promos sent to record stores and radio stations came in the Nineties. Still though, for the price, if you want to get their first five albums for a cheap price, it's worth it.

THE ALBUMS: Dragonfly #11, Red Octopus #1, Spitfire #3, Earth #5, Freedom At Point Zero #10..........THE HITS: Miracles (Single) #3, With Your Love #12, Runaway #12, Count On Me #8, Jane #14..........KEY ALBUM CUTS: Ride The Tiger, Caroline, St. Charles, Love Too Good, Hyperdrive, Freedom At Point Zero, Dance With The Dragon, Play On Love, Miracles (Full Length), "Band Introduction" (Live), Fast Buck Freddie (Live), There Will Be Love (Live) ,..........From a Airplane perspective, the group needed new fuel after the messy "Long John Silver" album. Marty Balin rejoining the outfit gave them back two big league singers. The direction gradually went more commercial as in made for radio. The harmony is on par with the early years "Takes Off". A winner for the Original Album Classics. Marty Balin, Paul Kantner and Bill Graham - R.I.P.....................WORTH SEEKING OUT - Paul Kantner's "Planet Earth Rock & Roll Orchestra".

Jefferson Starship and or Airplane are a band in a continuing redefinition of who they are. To me, they represent the psychedelic late sixtys and a band morphing a lot from 1966 to the present. When you listen to this band you hear off key singing, multiple voices not blending and a consistent lead singer turnover save Marty Balin. And those qualities I love. I still hear the message of love of 1967. This collection represents the best of the Starship time. Even Freedom at Point Zero is neat with yet another change in Mickey Thomas. Sound quality is very good and the extras on Red Octopus are an added bonus. Great value. Who needs the frilly paperwork anymore with these cds.

Good cds, If your looking for the whole package (artwork/booklets) then this isn't what your looking for. These are like mini LPs with everything includeing the song titles shrunk down to cd size with the original front & back covers (no booklets) & using existing remasters. It was good for the price, some of these original remasters are now (nov. 2010) out of print & have become pretty pricey. I'm not a J.S. fanatic/pureist or anything like that so this was good enough for me but the total package is lacking.

This is a great value for 5 fantastic albums. That said - I have a few quibbles:1) The mini-LP slipcases are nice (and space-saving), but these are the 5X5 type with no inner sleeve which scratch the discs a bit each time You remove & insert them. The 6X6 Japanese-style with the inner sleeves would have been far preferable.2) There are no credits or liner notes included. The packaging says to go to [...] for this - but the site is now down. So now what?...Also a question: The "Spitfire" CD jacket has the RCA "Quadradisc" logo on it. Does anyone know if this could possibly be the quad mix on this CD?

The Jefferson Starship was a great rock group during the Seventies before becoming overly commercial in the Eighties. It is nice to be able to get these five albums in one compact package. The sound quality is quite good, not overly compressed. Highly recommended. Some reviewers are lamenting the lack of legible credits on the cardboard sleeves but anybody can look these albums up on Wikipedia and find all the information there.

What more can you ask for but the four best Balin/Kantner/Slick Starship Albums all the hits and a couple misses. Includes the Red octopus bonus tracks. Minus a star for the lackluster Freedom at Point Zero although it does include Jane

This is a very comprehensive collection of the incarnate of the group presented. Do believe this to be the highlights of the Starship albums. Ready for blast-off capt..

Armed with some money for my 54th birthday I decided to revisit a group I was once acquainted with in my teenage years. My friend had four of the albums in this collection so I was well acquainted with them but I wondered how I would find them after so many years. The first Jefferson Starship album is a revelation as there are still echoes of Jefferson aeroplane here in the construction of the songs and there are some real standout tracks such as 'Ride the tiger', 'Caroline' and the outstanding 'Hyperdrive'. After all was there ever a more outstanding female rock vocalist than Grace Slick? The album is also notable for the outstanding guitar work of the young Craig Chaquico. However the following albums show a tendency towards a much more commercial sound, some of which works and some that doesn't (for example 'Miracles' on the second album 'Red Octopus' is sublime whereas 'Tumbling' is not) the third album 'Spitfire' is quite strong although it tails off greatly on the last two songs and 'Earth' is consistently good and has a great closing track in 'All night long' which is the kind of song one could imagine on a Jefferson Aeroplane album! However, it is the last album in this set where, for me, it all goes pear shaped! With Grace Slick and Marty Balin out of the picture the album descends to the sort of commercial level that could be heard on any radio anywhere in the 70s (some have noted that Foreigner's recent albums had influenced the sound). This marks the kind of direction that Jefferson Starship would take into the 80s to greater commercial success. So if you can stand one great album and three pretty good easy listening ones and one commercial sell-out this is not a badly priced little package.

For a year now I've been looking for a cd copy of Freedom At Point Zero, and have found it either difficult or expensive to obtain. Imagine my delight then to find the album along with 4 others contained in a box set at a fraction of the cost of the single album! Simply, yet marvelously packaged, these boxed sets are essential replacements for worn-out vinyl from the 70's

Freedom at Point Zero was the album that introduced me to JS, but it was the Dragonfly to Earth albums that soon became the soundtrack to my life. Fantastic value for 5 brilliant albums from a group of songwriters and musicians at their peak.

Arrived promptly, well packaged, bought as a present, the recipient loves it, I would highly recommend.

Another collection from a band that changed its name but kept the music quality