Search - Jefferson Airplane :: Steel Box Collection: Greatest Hits

It's the same as 'Platinum & Gold Collection' (2003) -- only

Johnny Boy | Hockessin, DE | 02/10/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The Jefferson Airplane were formed in 1965 in San Francisco by Paul Kantner and Marty Balin. Eight years later, in 1973, the Airplane lost fuel and disbanded. They reformed briefly from 1989-1990, but since the retirement of Grace Slick in early 1990 from the music industry, the Airplane is no more. The band are R&R Hall of Famers, and are an incredibly legendary band, a huge part of the Summer of Love in 1967.



Since they are so legendary, RCA Victor Records, their record label, have released countless compilations dating back to 1970. We have 'The Best of Jefferson Airplane.' We have 'Early Flight' (which is a good rarities album and is becoming quite rare, but that's another story). We have 'Somebody To Love.' The list goes on and on and on.



And there's 'Greatest Hits,' the product being reviewed here. It only gets 2 stars. Why, you may ask? Read on.



Well, I'll start with the positives. Every song here is worthy of 1,000,000+ stars. 'Embryonic Journey,' guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's instrumental finger picking classic, is here, and sounds quite good too (courtesy of the exceptional remastering job done by BMG, which owns RCA). 'Somebody to Love' is here, as is 'White Rabbit,' 'Comin' Back to Me,' and 'Crown of Creation,' among others. It's a decent entry point if you are a new Airplane fan, or if you are the "very" casual Airplane fan who only cares about hearing 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit' in the car.



Otherwise, it's weak and quite lacking.



First, WHY DOES THIS ALBUM STOP AT 1969? The Airplane didn't "crash" until 1973. That means, nothing from 'Bark' or 'Long John Silver' or represented. Sure, while these albums are certainly not the best albums in the Airplane canon, they are often neglected and ignored by the general public, a real shame considering there is some good stuff to offer from those albums. 'Eat Starch Mom,' 'Pretty As You Feel,' 'Third Week in the Chelsea,' 'Long John Silver' and 'Twilight Double Leader' all would fit here quite nicely, and yet, they are neglected on this compilation as they frequently are.



And, since this collection only spans 1966-1969, it should be noted that there is plenty missing. While I applaud RCA for including album tracks like 'Come Up the Years' and 'Watch Her Ride,' that's also part of the problem. THERE AREN'T ENOUGH ALBUM TRACKS!!! Why stop there? 'Eskimo Blue Day,' 'Wooden Ships,' 'Lather,' 'She Has Funny Cars' and 'The Last Will of the Castle' all would fit perfectly with the other album tracks that are already represented.



And finally, the last flaw to the disc is that it is just too short. It's not even 40 minutes in length, meaning many of the songs I have mentioned in the last two paragraphs could easily fit here and thus make it a definitive Airplane "greatest-hits" album.



Overall, 'Greatest Hits' is just a repackaging of the 2003 album 'Platinum & Gold Collection.' The only thing is, unlike 'Platinum & Gold,' 'Greatest Hits' puts the songs in chronological order, starting in 1966 and ending in 1969. If you own 'Platinum & Gold Collection,' you already own this album. Just a note for neophytes and/or Airplane collectors.



I can recommend this album to new Airplane fans or very casual Airplane fans who just want to hear 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit' again. Otherwise, just buy the studio albums individually. It's much more expensive, but believe me, it is worth every cent. The Airplane is such a legendary band, and that is the way the Airplane was meant to be listened to."