Starship is the third incarnation of a band that started in the 60s as Jefferson Airplane. Probably undergoing more personnel changes over the years than any other outfit, their second incarnation went by the name of Jefferson Starship beginning in 1974. This version of the band was led by Marty Balin and Grace Slick as before, but in 1979 singer Mickey Thomas (the famed vocalist who sang on the Elvin Bishop hit, "Fooled Around And Fell In Love") replaced Balin. By 1984, legal troubles with the name forced them to abbreviate it as Starship. Grace Slick was the only member to be present through each incarnation (she left the band in 1988). In addition to the name change, Starship was a huge departure from the band's sound as well. But adopting the 80s trend to mix synth pop with rock brought them the biggest hits of their career. Starship hit the top of the charts three times with "We Built This City," "Sara," and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." The band's popularity waned with the start of the 90s, making "Good Heart" their last chart appearance (#81 in 1991). "Girls Like You" is a rebel couple's anthem that was one of the stronger cuts from their 1987 record, "No Protection." This record had two hit singles with "It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)" (#9) and "Beat Patrol" (#46), but "Girls Like You" should have been a contender.
Kenny Loggins is best known as king of 80s film soundtracks. They helped earn him a #1 hit for 3 weeks in 1984 with "Footloose," but also gave him "I'm Alright" (#7, theme from Caddyshack), "I'm Free" (#22, another one from Footloose), "Danger Zone" (#2) and "Playing With The Boys" (#60, both from Top Gun), "Double Or Nothing" (a duet with Gladys Knight from Rocky IV), "Meet Me Half Way" (#11, from Over The Top), and "Nobody's Fool" (#8, from Caddyshack II). Loggins would have one more soundtrack hit in 1997 from the movie One Fine Day with "For The First Time," which reached #60, was nominated for an Oscar, and became his last chart appearance to date. But films are not the only reason why Loggins is ranked the 30th most successful artist of the 80s. Loggins has an amazing voice with stunning range. He is a diverse singer/songwriter, writing songs for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (including "House At Pooh Corner," #53 in 1971) and earning more chart achievements as Loggins and Messina in the early 70s. Through the years, Loggins has done everything from rock, pop, adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul, country, children's music, holiday music, and more. Several of his songs were written for his children. After going solo, he made a habit of working with lots of different people. His first big solo hit was actually a duet with Stevie Nicks: "Whenever I Call You Friend," co-written with Melissa Manchester, hit #5 in 1978. His longtime collaborator, Michael McDonald, co-wrote the song "This Is It," which went to #11 and earned Loggins a Grammy for Pop Male Vocal. Eddie Money contributed backing vocals on "I'm Alright" and Mickey Thomas did so for his 1988 ballad, "I'm Gonna Miss You," which stalled at #82. Richard Marx and Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket) co-wrote and sang tunes on his 2003 release, "It's About Time." Finally, there is the famous anthem "Don't Fight It," his 1982 duet with Journey's Steve Perry, which hit #17. With his 13th album in 2007, Loggins seemed poised for a comeback. The title track to this excellent record, "How About Now" should have restored his presence on the charts, but it fell on deaf ears. Maybe if it were featured on a soundtrack...
Jefferson Starship evolved from the ashes of psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane. Under this new moniker, the band took a markedly more radio-friendly approach to their songwriting. They didn't score any enduring classic hits like "White Rabbit," but they graced the airwaves of the 70s and early 80s with cuts like "Miracles" (#3), "Count On Me" (#8), "Jane" (#14), and "Find Your Way Back" (#29). In 1979, lead singer and founding member Marty Balin left and was replaced by Mickey Thomas, who was in the spotlight for taking Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" to #3 in 1976. At this point, founding member Grace Slick was kicked out of the band partly due to her drunken antics and rants on stage. She would rejoin the band by the 1981 record, "Nuclear Furniture." "No Way Out" comes from that same record, the last recorded before the group had to abandon the Jefferson Starship name for legal reasons after Paul Katner, another founding member, left the group. Thomas and Slick continued under the simplified name, Starship, until Slick left in 1988 to join a newly reformed Jefferson Airplane. "No Way Out" also marked the last top 40 hit for this version of the band, landing at #23 in 1984. As Starship, Thomas and Slick went on to become one of the biggest acts of the 80s. Stay tuned...
Jefferson Airplane began in San Francisco as a psychedelic rock band. Fronted by Marty Balin and Grace Slick, they scored a couple classic hits right out of the gate in 1967 when "Somebody To Love" hit #5 and "White Rabbit" hit #8. The band never hit the top 40 again under this moniker. Balin left in 1971 and rejoined in 1975, and their name evolved to Jefferson Starship. The music also changed as band members decided to ditch the psychedelic rock for a more pop-oriented sound. The band would go full-on into 80s pop when Balin was replaced by Mickey Thomas in 1979, the vocalist best known at the time for singing the Elvin Bishop hit "Fooled Around And Fell In Love." These personnel changes were accompanied by another name change that jettisoned the "Jefferson" part. "Come Back Baby" goes way back to their 1967 record, "Surrealistic Pillow" (more accurately, the 2003 reissue). An atypical tune for the band during this era, it is a cover of a traditional blues-styled rocker with a guitar riff that is hard to dislodge from your brain.
