Astutely-selected compilation of Jefferson Airplane and Airplane-related tracks 1966-1976 - surely their "golden" decade. Released in 1977, the original 2-LP set was available for only a few months before disappearing from record stores. It has a particularily good flow to the track order and included an excellent 12-page LP-sized booklet of photos and notes as well as inner sleeves which serve as discography with full credits. The set showcases Jefferson Airplane's various talents as a rock band, but also as a pop and experimental band. FLIGHT LOG is now mostly supplanted by the 'Loves You' box, '2400 Fulton St', and 'Essential' sets and if you're an Airplane fan you'll be familiar with most of the cuts, but this is a good way to have some of the choicest Jeffersons, early Hot Tuna, as well as Kantner/Slick items all in one place. One of the better 2-record compilations of its time, this is an attractive Airplane collectable...if just for the booklet alone!
TRACKS:
Come Up the Years - Jefferson Airplane / White Rabbit - JA / Comin' Back To Me - JA / Won't You Try-Saturday Afternoon - JA / Greasy Heart - JA / If You Feel - JA / Somebody To Love (live) - JA / Wooden Ships - JA / Volunteers - JA / Hesitation Blues - Hot Tuna / Have You Seen the Stars Tonite - Paul Kantner-Jefferson Starship / Silver Spoon - Paul Kantner-Grace Slick / Feel So Good - Jefferson Airplane / Pretty As You Feel - JA / Milk Train - JA / Ja Da (Keep On Truckin') - Hot Tuna / ?Come Again? Toucan - Kantner-Slick / Sketches of China - Kantner-Slick / Genesis - Jorma Kaukonen / Ride the Tiger - Jefferson Starship / Please Come Back (live, previously unreleased) - Jefferson Airplane
I bought this album when it first came out. I was in my teens. I proceeded to wear it out, then bought another copy. After CDs came out, I held onto my LP collection for a long time -- partly because of the vast amount of material that was unavailable at first in the new format. Finally, LAST YEAR (2009) I dumped my turntable and all my records. MAN, what a stupid thing to do. I just figured that by now, everything was out there, and I'd get myself a nice, crisp CD version of "Flight Log."
Well, I finally did so, but at a price that made me groan. At least it's going to be a 24-bit version, but it's going to take weeks to get here and my wallet is shedding tears over it.
Yet I had to do it. Most rock compilations are little better than garbage, ego trips or money grabs. This collection is one of the finest sets I've ever heard. Whoever had the decision-making power on this was intelligent, thoughtful and tasteful.
The Airplane, of course, splintered off into different factions -- solo artists, duos (Paul Kantner/Grace Slick etc.) and groups (the Jorma Kaukonen/Jack Casady-led Hot Tuna, and of course Jefferson Starship). But it's the Airplane that's best-represented here, which is a good thing, because that's when these people were at their creative best. Thirteen of the 20 songs are Airplane tunes -- ignore the track credits listed on the product site; they're wrong. Anyway, of the Airplane tracks here, standouts include Marty Balin's "Comin' Back to Me," Grace Slick's iconic "White Rabbit" and Paul Kantner's experimental but effective "Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon."
Even some of the later JA tracks hold up (Kaukonen's "Feel So Good"), though I could've done without Joey Covington's dreary, cliched "Pretty As You Feel."
Kaukonen's solo track "Genesis," from "Quah," is an absolutely beautiful guitar/vocal piece, while Slick and Kantner's collaboration with David Freiberg, "Sketches of China," is one of the most beautiful songs in the Airplane/Starship/offshoots canon, period.
"Ride the Tiger" is one of the better Starship efforts, but the Starship keeper here is "Please Come Back," a strange, funny song penned by Ron Nagle; it's about a man of the cloth who has a thing for a parishioner and is hoping she comes back to confession. I guess you could have called this one, "Go, and Sin More." ;) The Starship's version of Nagle's song was recorded live, and Balin gives an energetic vocal performance.
This is an amazing collection, and frequently was an album I played just before (or as) I went to sleep for the night. I'm looking forward to hearing it again. Please come back -- quickly!
***
Update, Nov. 14, 2010: Well, I just found out my order is canceled. According to the seller, the item was coming from overseas and never got out of customs and now is presumed missing. GROAN! Unbelievable! OK, Grunt or RCA or whoever the bleep has the rights to this thing now...RE-RELEASE IT ON CD! Or give some outfit like Rhino a chance to do it -- in fact, that would be preferable, given Rhino's impressive resume of handling reissues of classic stuff.
Meanwhile, I've resorted to iTunes to download MOST of the tracks here and re-create as much of the album as I could, but it just ain't the same.
I came to be a JA fan late in life but I'm now reaping the benefits. In the last two years I've been fortunate enough to see Jorma Kaukonen solo, Hot tuna (acoustic), and Jefferson Starship play live. My only regret is that I didn't have the opportunity to see JA play live. That said, this double LP is a fantastic overview of all the incarnations of this legendary band. though I don't own The Worst of Jefferson Airplane, I believe this provides the listener a better cross section of an incredible decade of work. Please Grunt Records, reissue this on CD or even better a new vinyl release!
