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Modern Times

Jefferson Starship - Modern Times Audio CD

A fair review of the Jefferson Starship "Modern Times" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Jefferson Starship reviews here, or go back to the Jefferson Starship tabs.

Band: Jefferson Starship
Title: Modern Times
Rating:

Release Date: 2005-08-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Find Your Way Back 2: Stranger 3: Wildeyes 4: Save Your Love 5: Modern Times 6: Mary 7: Free 8: Alien 9: Stairway To Cleveland

Like a lot of sequels, not as great as the first
The Starship had beaten the odds presented by the departure of its famous vocalists Marty Balin and Grace Slick to come up with a popular hit album called "Freedom at Point Zero", the first with Thomas. Although this was the sixth JS album, it was only the second with new lead singer Mickey Thomas. Not wanting to mess with a successful formula, they brought back producer Ron Nevison for this followup, with the only new twist being the return of Grace Slick late in the sessions for background vocals.

Unfortunately, the results weren't quite as successful this time around. Nevsion provides the same production sheen that had helped make "Freedom. . " a hit, but this doesn't entirely make up for the weaker songwriting. Rhythm guitarist/vocalist Paul Kantner had provided the majority of songs to "FaPZ". This time, he was somewhat less involved, (suffering a cerebral hemorrhage during the sessions), splitting the songwriting evenly between himself, lead guitarist Craig Chaquico and bassist/keyboardist Pete Sears.

As a result, the Starship began losing its distinctive identity. Chaquico is the worst offender, providing a couple of generic hard rock songs with bad lyrics. On the dreadful "Mary" ("I will never marry Mary" -- terrible), lyricist Jeanette Sears doesn't help matters one iota. Thomas helps out on "Free", a crunchy rocker with some interesting chord changes, but it's an inferior retread of "Freedom"'s "Rock Music". Craig's best contribution is a sort of electric folk ballad called "Find Your Way Back", which became the album's Top 40 single.

Jeanette did better with her husband, Pete. In contrast to her interesting imagery on her contributions to "Freedom. . ", her lyrics to "Save Your Love" are ordinary love cliches. However, Chaquico delivers an absolutely killer guitar solo on the end of the song, simply his best single moment ever with JS. On their other two tracks, "Stranger" and "Alien", the Searses explore encounters with weird beings. The former has a funky bass line and a steady backbeat from drummer Aynsley Dunbar and an effective duet vocal between Slick and Thomas. The latter has Thomas negotiating a tricky, jerky melody while Pete's keyboard effects provide a dark, eerie atmosphere.

Kantner's contributions don't measure up to his previous efforts, either. On the last album, he told us about a far out girl called "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes". This time, we get another girl called "Wild Eyes". Ideas drying up? Thomas sings this solo instead of in harmony with Paul, which drags the track down further. In contrast to the optimistic title track to "Freedom. . " the title track here (some lyrics by Thomas) is a nightmarish future vision. It's over in less than 2 1/2 minutes, though. Finally, we get the amusing "Stairway to Cleveland", a fun rant against the critics who trashed "Freedom. . " and the band's new rock sound. This, of course, was like waving the red flag at said critics, who gave this album even worse reviews.

They did have a point, sort of. If you liked "Freedom. . ", you'll probably like some of this, but "Freedom" is defnitely superior, the first choice for the second phase JS. However, it's definitely not worth the Japanese import price. I guess there's a new British "twofer" release with this and the VERY different "Spitfire" album on one CD, so you do get more music for less money. Even if the coupling makes zero artistic sense.

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Truth in Advertising
' "Radio On!" Jonathan Richman shouted with the Modern Lovers, and he spoke for me. I happen to love 'Modern Times. As a kid, I turned mine on at night and listened to a world I couldn't imagine but started living in with the next beat of my heart. "All going down / To see the Lord Jesus" from the first Queen album, for example, wasn't Christian to me. It was another kind of royalty.

Spoke. Listened. Was.

Life changed my perspective, and music changed for me. Instead of presenting, it came to represent--portrait galleries in a hillside mansion. What's showing? I wonder. And get new pictures for new times.

'Modern Times' is an album that reveals its era better than most. People who disregard the Mickey Thomas Jefferson Starship albums by comparing them to the preceding Jefferson Starship and, earlier, Jefferson Airplane albums miss the point of the band.

These albums are all cut from the same shiny cloth: pop metal. Think "What I Like About You" by the Romantics, rewritten as "Stairway to Cleveland" on 'Modern Times. ' 'Modern Times' is the most consistent in my opinion, 'Nuclear Furniture' the least, 'Freedom at Point Zero' the most Kantner-driven, and 'Winds of Change' perhaps the most diverse.

Yes, Thomas's Jefferson Starship lacks the original, visionary, extreme qualities of the Airplane, as well as the soulful qualities of Balin's Jefferson Starship. But it offers something neither of those two outfits (in all their myriad diversity) paid much attention to: riffs and hard rock hooks. If the Airplane and Balin's Starship were among the best of their eras (mid-sixties to early seventies, late seventies), then Thomas's JS is arguably among the best of the early eighties, as far as the radio goes.

Maybe not introspective or interstellar, maybe not great communiques of love or passion, but maybe a good soundtrack for your day out in the world.
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Some 25 years later, just as good as ever...
Totally mystified why it's pretty much only a Japanese import. Looked all over for this on CD for years, and could never find it. Most of these songs I haven't heard in over 20 years - they sound as great as ever, and bring back a lot of great memories. BUY THIS CD!!!.

SARGAST501@AOL.COM
MODERN TIMES LACKS WHAT FREEDOM AT POINT ZERO HAD WHICH WAS A VERY FOCUSED PAUL KANTNER (POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF THE RETURN OF GRACE SLICK. LIKE THE STONES THE JEFFERSON STARSHIP ALWAYS GAVE YOU 2 GREAT CUTS (IN THIS CASE STRANGER AND FIND YOUR WAY BACK) AND THEN A LOT OF FILLER. HE WROTE LESS AND TURNED THE REIGNS BACK OVER TO EVERYONE ELSE. I LIKE SAVE YOUR LOVE AND THE TITLE CUT BUT THEY ARE IN THE SAME BOAT WITH THE OTHER 5. THIS ALBUMS IN MY I-POD FOR LONG FLIGHTS BUT IF ITS A SHORT ONE FREEDOM AT POINT ZERO GETS THE NOD.

Jefferson Starships Hardest Rockin Cd!
This cd has become very hard to find since it went out print in the USA. Jefferson Starship really rocks on this cd which came out in the spring of 1981. Grace Slick rejoined the band on this album to share the lead vocals with Mickey Thomas. Lead guitarist Craig Chaquico really stands out on this cd with his masterful guitar solos and riffs. The song "Save Your Love" has one the best guitar solos I have ever heard him play. The songs "Find Your Way Back" and "Stranger" were the hit singles off this cd. This cd is the hradest rocking cd I have heard from Jefferson Starship.

You can see a complete list of all Jefferson Starship discography, or go back to the Jefferson Starship tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.