Spitfire

by Jefferson Starship

Overview

Spitfire was Jefferson Starship's 1976 follow-up to the chart-topping Red Octopus (1975), and it found the band in a cooperative mood. All seven bandmembers earned writing credits on at least one of the nine songs, along with eight outsiders, and even drummer John Barbata got a lead vocal on the simple rock & roll song "Big City." But the three main power centers in the group remained in place. Singer/guitarist Paul Kantner continued to turn out his lengthy, complex songs with their exhortatory, vaguely political lyrics (the five-minute "Dance with the Dragon" and the seven-minute "Song to the Sun: Ozymandias/Don't Let It Rain"). Singer Grace Slick contributed her own idiosyncratic compositions, simultaneously elliptical and passionately stated ("Hot Water" and "Switchblade"). And singer Marty Balin, whose romantic ballad "Miracles" had fueled the success of Red Octopus, wrote (or located) and sang more songs of love and pleasure ("Cruisin'," "St. Charles," "With Your Love," and "Love Lovely Love"). Weaving the three styles together were the fluid lead guitar work of Craig Chaquico and the alternating bass and keyboard playing of David Freiberg and Pete Sears. The result was an album that quickly scaled the charts, spending six consecutive weeks at number three in Billboard and going platinum. That it didn't do better on the band's considerable career momentum can be put down to the relatively disappointing nature of the material. There was no "Miracles" on the album, to begin with. Grunt Records released the more modest "With Your Love" as a single and got it into the Top 20, but the closest thing to "Miracles" was really "St. Charles," a song that certainly had some of the same elements but lacked the kind of direct emotional statement that made "Miracles" a classic. Similarly, "Dance with the Dragon" was no "Ride the Tiger" (from Dragon Fly [1974]), and while "Switchblade" was an unusually clear statement of romantic intent from Slick (whose "lyrical wordplay is...not easily accessible yet compelling and thought-provoking," as 2004 reissue annotator Jeff Tamarkin generously says of "Hot Water"), its provocative title made it an unlikely choice for an adult contemporary hit. Spitfire was more than the sum of its parts, boasting the sort of vocal interplay and instrumental virtuosity that had always been the hallmarks of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. If the band had taken more time to write and find better songs, it might have matched the sales and quality of its predecessor. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	05/24/2024
Label:	Friday Music Two
UPC:	0829421001553
Rank:	132391

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jefferson Starship   Primary Artist
Grace Slick   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards
John Barbata   Drums,Congas,Vocals,Percussion
Pete Sears   Bass,Organ,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Mellotron,Moog Synthesizer
Bobbye Hall   Congas,Percussion
David Freiberg   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,ARP Synthesizer
Paul Kantner   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Rhythm)
Craig Chaquico   Guitar,Vocals
Steven Schuster   Horn,Saxophone
Marty Balin   Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

China Kantner   Composer
Bill Thompson   Executive Producer
Mike Fischer   Crew
Pat (Maurice) Leraci   Production Coordination
Dennis Andeson   Photography
Jeff Baum   Crew
John Langdon   Artwork,Label Design
Bill Laudner   Road Manager
Dave Roberts   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Shusei Nagaoka   Illustrations
Tony Lane   Photography
Betty Ann Rizzo   Licensing
Katja Schroeder   Photography
Paul Dowell & the Dolphin   Consultant
Jeff Smith   Design,Art Direction,Reissue Art Director
Jacky Kaukonen   Announcer
Kazuhisa Fujita   Design
Heidi Howell   Publicity
Cynthia Bowman   Publicity
Tim Byrant-Gribbit   Design
Chris Etheridge   Composer,Lyricist
Victor Smith   Composer,Lyricist
Charlie Hickox   Composer,Lyricist
Thunderhawk   Composer
Joey Covington   Lyricist,Composer
Joel Scott Hill   Composer,Lyricist
Grace Slick   Composer,Lyricist
John Barbata   Composer,Lyricist
John Hudson   Product Manager,Production Coordination
Jeff Tamarkin   Liner Notes
V. Jeffrey Smith   Composer
Rob Santos   Reissue Producer
Jimmy Coe   Crew
Pete Sears   Composer,Lyricist
Jesse Barish   Composer,Lyricist
Joel Bernstein   Photography
Mike Fisher   Crew
Wild Bill Thompson   Management,Executive Producer
Paul Kantner   Composer,Lyricist
Bob Irwin   Mastering
Craig Chaquico   Composer,Lyricist
Larry Cox   Engineer,Producer,Original Recording Producer
Jeremy Holiday   Production Assistant
David Freiberg   Composer,Photography
Chris Ethridge   Composer
Jefferson Starship   Producer,Art Direction,Original Recording Producer
Marty Balin   Composer,Lyricist
Dennis Anderson   Photography
China Wing Kantner   Composer,Lyricist
Ron Slenzak   Cover Photo
Chris Whorf   Design
Kent Duncan   Mastering
Doug McGuire   Crew
Steve Malcolm   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Vic Smith   Composer