![]() I’ve casually kept up with a few singles here and there, but at the moment I’m finding their sound to be a refreshing contrast to the trends dominating K-pop’s girl group landscape. ( Ahem.Lately, I’ve been delving further into the music of the “46” groups within Japan’s Sakamichi Series. (“Jane, Jane, JAAAAANE!!”) Hell, just the opening flanged guitar riff sparks enough time-capsule memories to fill an entire movie. And, of course, the earth-swallowing vocal hook that consumes the final minute of the song. ![]() Thomas doing his best Robert Plant impression at 3:24. The operatic high note of “playing a gaaaaaaaame!!” Chaquico’s shred-tastic solo. The 20-second diversion into white-boy reggae. I probably love the song more for all its ridiculous touches: That cheap, scuzzy guitar sound. But for those of us too young to remember (or care about) the Sixties, “Jane” was gloriously stupid trailer-park rock’n’roll at its finest, no apologies necessary. So to hear their former idols now courting the same troglodytes who bought Foreigner albums? That must've been a real kick in the balls. Music critics of the time despised “Jane” with the fury of a thousand suns-which makes sense, given that most of them had worshiped the Airplane during its counterculture heyday. Within a few years, the central hook of “Jane”-that driving keyboard line with guitar accents underneath-would influence everyone from upstarts to already-established giants. Either through fate or dumb luck, Jefferson Starship hit the AOR bullseye on their very first try. And above it all sits Thomas’ pure, powerful tenor, already aligned perfectly with the newer spate of hard-rock vocalists-Journey’s Steve Perry, Foreigner’s Lou Gramm, and Boston’s Brad Delp-beginning to dominate FM radio. Nothing sparks an aging outfit like the infusion of new blood, and that’s what I hear throughout “Jane”: Kantner and Freiberg leaning into Dunbar’s arena-rock stomp, lead guitarist Craig Chaquico clearly relishing every second of his shred-tastic solo, bassist Pete Sears pounding that piano like his life depends on it. Yet I would argue the pivot happening organically. The easiest target for credit (or blame) is Nevison, who’d built his reputation on no-frills mainstream acts like UFO and The Babys and undoubtedly steered Jefferson Starship towards a more radio-friendly sound. ![]() But as every successive Jefferson Starship hit (“ With Your Love,” “ Count On Me”) dipped further and further into sappy sentiment, the “sellout” accusations only grew louder. Slick’s vocal showcases-like “ Fast Buck Freddie” and “ Play On Love”-are shaggy, wooly rockers, and even Balin cuts loose (more or less) on “ Sweeter Than Honey.” And let’s not kid ourselves in post-Watergate 1975, hippie ideals were already dead, with or without the Starship’s help. Seven of the eight band members have a hand in songwriting the fiddle player gets an instrumental, as does the bassist. But the album itself is still a deeply weird affair. Yes, “Miracles” is pure AM pop with all the rough edges removed (it’s a 6), and yes, that single is the main reason Red Octopus hit #1 and went double platinum. The reality was, as always, a bit more complicated. 1975’s Red Octopus is the album where Balin returns to the fold, writes the biggest hit of everyone’s career (the #3 smash “Miracles”), and kick-starts the narrative of Jefferson Starship as a slick, soulless betrayal of every “hippie ideal” the Airplane ever stood for.
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