THROWBACK THURSDAY: STARSHIP: A LONG COMPLICATED HISTORY WITH SOME GREAT MUSIC.

Remember when people who looked like this could have
hit record? 

Starship was formed out of the ashes of a couple of bands and many band names. Originally a group called Jefferson Airplane and had lead singer Grace Slick. Formed in 1965, the band had hits like psychedelic classics Somebody To Love and White Rabbit. When Jefferson Airplane broke up in 1972 several members formed the new Jefferson Starship (see what they did there?), added a co-lead vocalist Mickey Thomas, and had a few successful outings with songs like With Your Love and the amazing No Way Out. In 1984 founding member of Jefferson Starship left the group and sued for use of the name Jefferson Starship. Instead of continuing the legal battle and not putting out music, the remaining members, with Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick (the only original member) as the lead vocalists. WHEW! Got that? SOOO in 1985 Starship released their biggest selling album Knee Deep In The Hoopla. It was huge! The album produced two #1 hits: the 80s classic We Built This City and the ballad Sara. They had another top 40 hit from Knee Deep In The Hoopla with the fantastic and underrated Tomorrow Doesn't Matter Tonight (#26). In 1987 the band scored another #1 song with Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now from the Kim Cattrall film Mannequin and their album No Protection. The song was a huge, becoming the 5th biggest single of 1987. No Protection produced one more top 10 hit for Starship with It's Not Over Til It's Over (#9). Grace Slick left Starship in 1988 to reform Jefferson Airplane and Starship, with only Mickey as the lead singer, released Love Among the Cannibals in 1989. Only one minor hit was produced, It's Not Enough (#12) and the band eventually disbanded, after some turmoil among the members. Thomas did announce a new Starship album in 2011 which eventually came to light in 2013. There is no doubt though that Starship's heyday was a big one. The band had a good run on the charts in the mid-80s and that was a very competitive time, especially at most of their ages. In fact, when Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now hit #1 it made the then 47 year-old Grace Slick the oldest woman to ever hit #1 on the Hot 100. Of course, Cher beat that record in 1999 when Believe hit the top spot and she was 52. Still, I'm amazed when We Built This City comes on and I see kids these days who actually know it!! That is a sign of a classic pop song, no matter how annoying it can be sometimes. Ha!! Anyhoo, enjoy the videos below and remember Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Starship Starship!