Earth

Jefferson Starship

"For instance, if you watch Paul Butterfield when he works, he has done that song a million times, but when he does it, each time, he is inextricably involved in that song, and they are playing that song as if for the first time. "Marty [unclear: Balint]

Eleven years, and the nucleus of the original Airplane is together, for what it's worth, and for what it means. And so are the other musicians they've drawn along with them since the Starship's inception. And Earth runs neck and neck with Red Octopus as their finest achievement since Worst.

An intricate projection of the world functions reasonably colourfully on this one's label. On the A side we have New Zealand upside down in relation to the title of the second song, "Count on Me", — coincidentally the current single at the moment, so it also works on another level as an advertising gimmick. What?

The same design in neon. These lads have it wrapped so tightly, that that element is out of the picture. Except that we share the vast expanse of the Tasman on that A side with the ocker crocks. The label on the B side is more populated, naturally.

Behind Red Octopus, Earth - as the limited testament to the mother planet that it is - fares well amidst the material recorded since Marty Balin's original departure, but that was something else. It needed "Miracles" to push the spindle into prominence again, and Spitfire - the album separating Red Octopus and Earth, was admired by some and ran into disputatious circumstances in other areas. I didn't like it much.

Earth is a sound investment, for what it is. Science fiction-fantasy musical scenarios, with the intriguing perspective the Balin-Paul Kantner relationship added to the group as a whole, are an interesting musical medium to work in. When it is handled by professionals. Which is why I think this rates at least several notches above John Williams' recent flyblown muzak in the genre. When it's not handled by professionals, it might get pretty boring.

Sometimes, even when it is, there are instances when it leans towards tedium. Witness the introduction: "Love Too Good". Even with Peter Sear's fantastic piano notes, at just over six minutes it is a mite long. It would sound great edited to 2:30. Then perhaps Grace Slick's vocals could probably carry what are 'obviously' meant to be pain-filled lyrics to their intended target. Plus she might have been more incisive. But there's a mask preventing that. The musical backdrop, despite the time factor, is all that could be expected. It's well-played, but there is "oomph" missing somewhere.

A tighter hand on the mixer might have improved the situation, as is shown by the remainder of the side. We have "Count on Me", the charming "Take Your Time", and a song that - in a lot of ways - embodies the spirit that has earmarked the various permutations of the Airplane-Strarship from the Fillmore Ballrooms onwards: "Crazy Feeling". The harmonic twinings of the Kantner-Balin-Slick throats fashion it into a tune that spins around and around between your ears long after the arm has returned to rest. "Skateboard", side one's final track, is a piece of lightweight frippery that could easily have been dispensed with.

Side two opens with the solitary Balin-penned tune, "Fire", which bears no relation to the Hendrix narcotic fantasia exploration, and it is not as good, nor is it "Miracles", but those are high standards, and for what he does with it, it's probably worth the album. The main flaw is the repitition of the lyric and, no matter how tight the music is, that is only half the story.

They really cook together on "Show Yourself", with a particularly savage guitar solo, while the two remaining tracks are both part of the same coin: a clever dissection of the punk rock milieu which sound as if they emanate from the groin. "Runaway" is the superior of the two, with the added attraction of economy, but "All Night Long", again, goes on for far too long. The production and stereo separation is excellent, and that includes a really attractive and informative lyric sheet, something that you don't see too often these days. A good job all round.

Patrick O'Dea