Post by SAT-I need more room!! on Mar 4, 2004 12:00:11 GMT -5
Ok, this is kindof a weird topic, and there may not be much of an answer. Mostly because people may not know what to say about it! LOL!
But I thought about it during the Jefferson Airplane/Starship tourney.
I was thinking about the changes the band went through. They were one of THE premier California psychedelia bands of the late 60s, along with the Dead and the Doors. They lost members, went down to basically a duo of Kantner and Slick and disbanded. They restarted up, got Balin back, and several new, younger members.
To show they were a "new" band, they changed the Airplane to Starship. (When I was a kid, I always thought it was like a joke, like a SNL skit, "Oh before they were a Starship, they were just an Airplane!") But psychedelia was out, so they reinvented themselves as-a mellow rock band! Quite a bit different.
Changes came again in the late 70s, and Balin and Gracie left. They got Mickey Thomas from Elvin Bishop and became-arena rock! So their contemporaries changed from the Dead, to Boz Scaggs, to Journey!
In the mid 80s, final founding member Kantner left (Gracie was NOT on their first album). With him, he took the Jefferson. The band became just Starship. Mickey Thomas shaved his moustache for the new look.
And at this point, they were pure pop.
I think Kantner reflected what original fans thought about this when, in the VH-1 Behind the Music he said, "Yeah, we built this city.....F@#$ You!" while giving the finger.
So, I don't know, I guess just discuss what you think about how this band changed, probably more than any other in rock history. If you older members lived through it, what did you think of the changes as they happened? All I thought of the Starship change at the time was 2 members left (Friedberg left awhile after Kantner), they dropped the Jefferson and Thomas' moustache. In retrospect, I see how different their music got.
So that's it. Let's hear it!
But I thought about it during the Jefferson Airplane/Starship tourney.
I was thinking about the changes the band went through. They were one of THE premier California psychedelia bands of the late 60s, along with the Dead and the Doors. They lost members, went down to basically a duo of Kantner and Slick and disbanded. They restarted up, got Balin back, and several new, younger members.
To show they were a "new" band, they changed the Airplane to Starship. (When I was a kid, I always thought it was like a joke, like a SNL skit, "Oh before they were a Starship, they were just an Airplane!") But psychedelia was out, so they reinvented themselves as-a mellow rock band! Quite a bit different.
Changes came again in the late 70s, and Balin and Gracie left. They got Mickey Thomas from Elvin Bishop and became-arena rock! So their contemporaries changed from the Dead, to Boz Scaggs, to Journey!
In the mid 80s, final founding member Kantner left (Gracie was NOT on their first album). With him, he took the Jefferson. The band became just Starship. Mickey Thomas shaved his moustache for the new look.
And at this point, they were pure pop. I think Kantner reflected what original fans thought about this when, in the VH-1 Behind the Music he said, "Yeah, we built this city.....F@#$ You!" while giving the finger.
So, I don't know, I guess just discuss what you think about how this band changed, probably more than any other in rock history. If you older members lived through it, what did you think of the changes as they happened? All I thought of the Starship change at the time was 2 members left (Friedberg left awhile after Kantner), they dropped the Jefferson and Thomas' moustache. In retrospect, I see how different their music got.
So that's it. Let's hear it!
