Modern Times (Jefferson Starship album)

Modern Times
Studio album by Jefferson Starship
Released April 2, 1981
Recorded 1980-1981 at the Record Plant, Los Angeles and Sausalito
Genre Rock
Length 38:26
Label Grunt/RCA
Producer Ron Nevison
Jefferson Starship chronology

Freedom at Point Zero
(1979)
Modern Times
(1981)
Winds of Change
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Modern Times is a 1981 album by Jefferson Starship. Grace Slick appeared on this album after a three-year absence. She returned near the end of the recording sessions, providing background vocals on some tracks as well as lead vocals on the single "Stranger" as a duet with lead singer Mickey Thomas. Although not appearing in the band picture on the gatefold cover, she is listed on the back cover of the LP with the credit "Introducing Grace Slick" and her picture is on the lyric sleeve with the note "Grace Slick courtesy of Grace Slick." She joined the band officially for the 1981 tour. MTV debuted in 1981 and this was the first Jefferson Starship album to have promotional music videos. It was also the first album to feature a charting single on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, which had premiered earlier in the year. The single "Find Your Way Back" reached #3 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

The song "Stairway to Cleveland" was inspired by a harsh review that Rolling Stone had given the album Freedom at Point Zero,[2] inspiring Paul to wrap lyrics around a phrase he had heard from Paul Warren: "Fuck you! We do what we want!"

Track listing

Side one
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Find Your Way Back"  Craig ChaquicoChaquico, Tom Borsdorf 4:15
2. "Stranger"  Jeannette SearsPete Sears 4:44
3. "Wild Eyes (Angel)"  Paul KantnerKantner 4:02
4. "Save Your Love"  J. SearsP. Sears 5:58
Side two
No. TitleLyricsMusic Length
1. "Modern Times"  Kantner, Mickey ThomasKantner 2:36
2. "Mary"  J. Sears, ChaquicoChaquico 3:37
3. "Free"  Thomas, ChaquicoChaquico 4:34
4. "Alien"  J. SearsP. Sears 4:42
5. "Stairway To Cleveland (We Do What We Want)"  Kantner, Paul WarrenKantner 3:58

Personnel

Production

Singles / Music Videos

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Tamarakin, Jeff (2003). Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-03403-0.