Very odd....Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson both died on the same day (Paul, a few hours after Signe) ~ very strange. Both were 74 years of age. R.I.P.
@@wolftracks9010 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826. Fifty years to the day that The Declaration of Independence was officially adopted.
@@wolftracks9010 I had the privilege of seeing Signe as a guest vocalist witht he 90s Jefferson Starship with Pauly. Since I saw the Airplane in 1989, I felt I got to see all of the members (sans Skip Spence and Spencer Dryden). The 89 tour was fantastic too.
The best rock drummer ever, Aynsley Dunbar, plus Mickey's incredible voice! Killer stuff. I worked teleprompter on most of the last 20 Blues Awards, and he hosted a few years back, so we spent a bit of time together going through the script. He is such a genuinely nice guy, really humble & funny too.
I hired Micky Thomas at a casino I managed in 1999 Washington state north Seattle. We put in a music explosion weekend with Firefall on Thursday Thomas on Friday and Rita Coolidge on Saturday. Thomas's voice was so sweet Firefall stayed until the next night just to watch Mickey Thomas.
Lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico, arranged "Jane' as a rock song, writing the key guitar licks and riffs, the drums, keyboard and bass parts, as well. It had been brought to the band by David Freiberg and his songwriting partner as a mellow, folk-style love song and Chaquico arranged it as a rock song that would balance off of Thomas's vocal range.
My modern eighteen year old watched this with me. I will add that he is a very good musician in his own right. His simple comment.....” the lead has great range and with little effort”. Agree. Excellent choice Fil.
Both "Jane" and "Find Your Way Back" were written and arranged by lead guitarist Craig Chaquico (music and lyrics for "Find Your Way Back" and the recognizable rock riffs, licks and solos for guitar, bass, drums and keys on "Jane.")
Pete Sears, who you almost missed out, was one of the bands key composers. He was also an outstanding bass player, known for hacking out some immense improvised solos, some of which are available on YT.
Mickey Thomas is still singing this at the age of 73 in the same key ffs!!! And hes still absolutely killing it! A lesson for all singers out there to look after your pipes if you want longevity - Also check out Craig Chaquico's guitar solo on Runaway, Jefferson Starship Earth album, its absolutely exquisite, one of the great guitar solos of all time imo
I have always been amazed at how Micky Thomas switches from chest voice to head voice and on to falsetto seamlessly without his voice ever breaking. It's really impossible to tell his falsetto from his regular voice.
@@samanthab1923 Great song, though I think this song better showcases the pure range the man is capable of. I would definitely put him in the top ten of male rock vocalists.
I've always been two sided on Starship. I dislike it as the official death of Jefferson Airplane a band I grew up with. But, it was a great band, soooooo. Saw them play several times around the Bay Area and Northern California. My tie to them was at a Hilton Hotel in Sacramento, it was after their concert. Walking through the lobby there was Craig Chaquico with guitar in hand arguing with the desk clerk. He turned and looked at me with a exasperated look. The desk clerk didn't believe baby faced, long haired Craig was the one on the American Express card. I walked up and shook his hand and said "Great show Craig", smiled at the desk clerk and walked away... the desk clerk"s tune changed and the trouble finished. I actually was there with visiting inlaws and did not attend the concert! I never saw Craig again. But, I am glad I was there at the moment to wipe the smirk off that smarmy desk clerks face.
Jefferson Airplane was already "dead" (Paul Kantner quote) by 1972, two years before Jefferson Starship was formed, so really it shouldn't be blamed for the end of the Airplane which had simply run its course. New era, new sound. Great story about Craig Chaquico! Good on you!
"Jane" is one of my favorites! I love it! Mickey's voice is just amazing. (On the other hand, if I never hear "We Built This City" again, I'll be fine.) Love ya, Fil!
That's really funny, but it's true.. it was one of those songs that made you say to yourself yeah they sold out.. kind of like when Styx did Mr Roboto but in hindsight, they got to pay their bills too lol
SUCH a smokin' song!! Lookit Mickey Thomas blowing it clean away!! 💖 The solo makes my eyes water! Always love great little changes like wot happen in this song. This song is just packed with ecstatic moments... It's hard to not get excited to hear it every single time! 🔥
This is one of my all time favorites! Mickey is a Georgia (USA) native (bragging rights, my neck of the woods). He could have taken over the stage but he seemed to fall back, like he didn’t want to be singled out; however he is so talented you can’t take your attention away for a minute. The band was awesome too, but in this performance, Mickey is “The Man”. Love Your Channel Professor!
I remember seeing this as a young kid when it first played on tv and I was blown away by the tightness and awesomeness of the musicianship of every single person in this group and especially Ainsley Dunbar who I believe is the unsung hero here. I also distinctly remember being irritated as hell when all those jackasses jumped in and tried to pretend they were rock stars and blocked my view of seeing Ainsley going off towards the end with all his drum fills and the way he just swung everything so hard and grooved everything so masterfully and seeing it again for the first time in many years I have rekindled that irritation of the same jackasses obscuring my view of one of Ainsley dunbar's Great Moments here lol. He was one of my main Inspirations for wanting to be a drummer after I saw him at my very first live concert with Journey in 1979 in Chicago (spoiled for life). But anyways I'm so glad Fil broke this one down... Mickey Thomas is definitely one of a kind and you cannot appreciate how gifted he is until you try to duplicate what he has done it's pretty much impossible; kind of like Steve Perry he has a very unique counter- tenor voice. I just watched a concert with him with Starship from 2007 in Las Vegas and I was blown away that he was still able to do all of this stuff for like over an hour hitting these high notes through the whole freaking concert perfectly and that was only about 15 years ago I don't know what he's doing now but even for 2007 to still be in top shape and looking incredibly young there blew me away. thanks for the great post!
The band I was in during the 60s, in SF, got to play multiple shows with the Airplane before this band was ever considered. When they broke up and Jack and Jorma formed Hot Tuna, I was surprised to hear the new, more mainstream approach from Paul and Grace. Mickey was to this band, what Steve Perry was to Journey, and gave them a sound that was distinct for sure. Thanks, as always for a great breakdown of this performance. You always nail it.
Let's give credit to the awesome Aynsley Dunbar on drums. I love Aynsley's use of the bell on the ride cymbal on the off beats toward the end. Mickey is awesome, I think Craig Chaquico's solo is one of the best and most melodic of the era and that riff is so slamming. I believe it is one of the true forerunners to a more hard rock style riff so popular in the mid 80s. This clip is from the show Friday's which was a competitor to SNL. They have a lot of excellent performance video from their show!
I saw Jefferson Starship live over 10 years ago at the Medina Ballroom in MN. Mickey belted out "Jane" and sounded the same as he does here... fantastic! Only wish I could have heard Grace Slick but she retired long ago. As a side note, Paul Kantner died the day before they were scheduled to play Medina in 2016.
I love the joy on this guy’s joy in his smile when he watches these videos, and then he’s so good in his reviews... He even gets into some deep theory here, as well as a perfect analysis on the vocals...
I might be one of the few individuals who loves both the Airplane and the Starship. Different bands. Different sounds, but both amazing in their own rights.
Same with me. I love the airplane for their melodic hippie sound, and it works for me when I'm in that kind of a mood. But Starship was such a revelation when they came out, so many great hits and the hard-rocking with Craig and Aynsley took it to another level. But I have favorite songs from each band. And I mean like some of my top 20 favorite songs there's a couple from airplane and a couple from Starship. I think my favorite Starship song is still Save Your Love
This was the tightest iteration of the various Jefferson/Flying - Vehicle bands. Not saying the most artistic...that is a matter of personal taste and probably the age of the listener. When Craig hit at age 16 in '71and was covered by Guitar Player and Bay Area Music Magazine, he inspired an army of young players to get serious. Just like Fleetwood Mac and the Doobies, this band survived by adapting to a changing market. Great commentary Fil!
Thanks for a great analysis! Craig's solo on this song is in my top five dramatic guitar solos of all time. The way it builds up, pauses at the top and lets loose is pure genius. Even today I listen to this song over and over just to hear the solo.
Love this! We covered this song in my band! Always got a HUGE response from the crowd from those opening guitar notes onward. A workout for my vocal chords..made my eyes bug out lol. Such a tight performance by Jefferson Starship with the ever powerful great unique vocals of Mickey Thomas! So damn impressive! Musically superb tight Performance! Great analysis once again Fil! Thanks! 😎🎼🎶🎵🍔🇨🇦
Great analysis and overview of the band! Always been a huge fan of Jefferson Starship. On a side note the British know music, especially how to rock! Cheers!
I was travelling between the San Francisco Bay Area + So Cal that year. I saw this from the San Francisco band Jefferson Starship on the tv show Saturdays. Great analysis on the offbeat! 😎 I love it when the cast of Saturdays come in at the end to sing + play percussion! 😎 Add to RIP Gilda Radner.
Those were some great times in the late 70's-80's Fil. Insane bands like Jefferson Starship rock'n the power chords and high pitch vocals. Good party, cruising tunes.
I'll be the lone voice of dissension, but I love both Jefferson Starship and Starship, including We Built This City. I'm in absolute awe of Mickey's vocal talent and I love to crank the radio in my car and try to sing along with him. Nothing gets my blood pumping like Find Your Way Back.
Thank you, Fil! I was JUST wondering if this video was online after I watched you look at Mickey Thomas sing Fooled Around and Fell in Love. What a vocalist!! So glad you appreciate him as much as I. Thank you!
Mickey Thomas was always my favorite vocalist. Yeah,JS sounded so good live. Greatness always sounds good. No auto-tune/ pitch correction needed. 100 percent raw talent.
Jefferson Airplane was slightly before my time. I always like that period along with the Marty Balin songs in the late 70s. This album with Jane and Find Your Way back is my favorite of all of them.
Met Paul in Nashville and he had a singer with him who looked and sounded like a young Grace Slick 10 times over! She was gorgeous and they did an acoustic set. I don’t remember her name, they were all so relaxed and friendly.
Been privileged to see him live several times- Even to this day, flawless vocals. Not as proficient, but another high voice is Geddy Lee- Please do another Rush reaction, preferably from Exit Stage Left! Peace ✌️
The two men who come out and join in the chorus are, from left, Darrow Igus and Mark Blankfield. They were cast members on "Fridays", from which this clip came. It was kind of a low-budget version of Saturday Night Live, most memorable for staring the careers of Larry David and Michael Richards ("Kramer" on "Seinfeld")..
Yeah an awesome rock band Fil! Great guitars and powerful vocals....they were really in sync with each other and produced some amazing music! Excellent Fil! 😀🤘👌
Lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico wrote the rock arrangement for the song to highlight Thomas's vocals and for the ability to sync the guitar and vocal ranges. Cool you emphasized that.
George Wodicka… The last part of your comment reminded me of a line from Donovan's song "The Fat Angel" {Fly Jefferson Airplane, get you there on time) th-cam.com/video/RxzI3pFLsbg/w-d-xo.html&feature=emb_logo
If you really want to see how Jefferson Starship could rock the stage to pieces view the extended, live in concert performance of "Save Your Love" off their Modern Times album. Make sure you listen to the 6+ minute live version with about 3 minutes of a wicked good guitar solo by Craig Chaquico. It is epic and well worth finding on TH-cam if you're a JS fan. I did see them in this iteration of the band, buying scalped tickets, as I want the best seats for the few concerts I am able to attend in a year. I was in third row seating, get this, right in front of Craig. During the concert he flicked out the tortoiseshell guitar pick he was using with his name embossed on it into the crowd. It bounced on the floor between me and another guy but I blocked him with my leg and grabbed it. Whatta' hell of a souvenir. I hadn't known Craig was with the band or even who he was at that time but I never forgot him after that night. They were at the top of their JS game. Thanks again Fil. You pull out a LOT of great songs to analyze!
Yeah play the bounce! At a stones concert in '06 Ronnie's pick went over my head. I dropped to the floor and it dropped right to me. A girl who was late on the grab said "u bitch", lol.
I really like your video's Fil, I don't know what the hell you're talking about half the time but I always listen. I couldn't carry a tune if it was in a bucket lol
Love Mickey Thomas singing with Elvin Bishop, “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”, saw them(Elvin Bishop) at my brothers college way back in 1973 when that song was newly released!
Another great review. Mickey Thomas is so good that he is one the few that sound better live then on record. His vocals on Elvin Bishops fooled around and fell in love was fantastic. He has a perfect recording voice that could mskecan average song a hit!
Grace, Mickey, (Marty)! I love their vocals and musuc in general. However Jane was playing in my cassette in my car and I was crusing into the early morning hours just listening to music and burning gas (damn Americans)! I always had an updated sound system in my classic 1971 Pontiac Lemans Sport 400! Wow I love this. I'm back in '81! Thank you! I've always loved music. I could live without a TV, but I had to have a "stereo" back in the day. My "stereo" had 4 speakers, so I suppose it wasn't wasn't a stereo technically. The music had to sound clear, distinct and loud! Thanks!
My son played drums in school and during that time he met John Barbata. Don't know if he even remembers now but it was a thrill when he was 12. Maybe more for Dad thou. Good stuff Fil !
Didn't know till the end of the song; but, that performance was from a show called "Fridays" which was a comedy variety show meant to challenge Saturday Night Live.
I was so happy that Grace chose Mickey. Their voices blend so well together. I first noticed him when he sang with Elvin Bishop but I much prefer him leading Starship. Looks like we found another (Dimash uses E5 as his comfort/resting zone) that is comfortable resting on E5 (was that E#5?).
Grace did not choose Mickey. She wasn't even in the band when Mickey was "chosen" to audition (brought to the band after lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico, saw him singing in a local Marin County bar after being told about him by his guitar roadie). After a successful audition, Mickey was chosen to replace Grace Slick and Marty Balin who'd both left the band in 1978.
@@George-gk5bu Grace quit the band to focus on her personal issues, but then later saw what the band was doing without her, and went to see them perform live, with their latest hits, "Jane" and "Find Your Way Back," (she was in costume at the concert) and dug what they were doing, and asked to rejoin.
@@George-gk5buShe left in 78 along with Marty after Earth album came out. She did some solo stuff then rejoined for the Modern Times Album. Jane was on Freedom at Point Zero album and Grace was not on that album.
I LOVE this song by them!! Matt introduced it to me on TH-cam as I never had heard it before... And Matt, ever the impersonator with the 7 octave range, would sing it to me all the time!! And he too, like Mickey, could hit all those high notes!! Well I had NO IDEA that Matt had filmed himself singing this song (as Mickey - as a singer impressionist)... It came up as a 'Memory' on my FB one day... I could tell it was like a FB LIVE type of video he had done... I"m not sure where the soundtrack was playing - not sure if he had it playing on TH-cam in another window in Firefox on my laptop, or if he had burned the song to a CD and it was in the CD player on this laptop... But anyway, he sang the whole song... However, unfortunately, there are some problems with it.. First of all, parts of it are pixelated.. Another problem is that you can ONLY hear Matt's vocals, but even they are extremely low!! And the last problem is that you can't hear the music AT ALL!! So I (who am not the audio/video/recording engineer he was,) was trying to figure out HOW the HELL to first of all SAVE this video off of a FB Memory, and then what did I need to do to fix the vocals and the music soundtrack?? I somehow figured out HOW to save the video somewhere (I've got to look where I put it), but I think it saved as an .MP4 file.. Now I don't really know how to use any of the many audio or video software that Matt has... I was wondering if I could get into Cool Edit (the recording studio software on this PC that he had used for years), or maybe into the NEW Presonus recording software I had bought him before he died. But he never got the chance to even work with Presonus at all.. He was a genius with Cool Edit... I worked a little with Cool Edit with him, but mostly HE did 99% of the work and mixing and producing.. So I'm thinking I might need to bring this file into Cool Edit, but being that's a recording studio software, it more than likely may not take in an .MP4 file... Matt does have Video software that I have LEARNED how to do some conversion on it, so may have to CONVERT this .MP4 file to .MP3, then try to feed it into the Cool Edit software... But I'm not sure if Cool Edit will work on my laptop... I think it may have to be attached to Matt's high tech MSI gaming computer (I know he mentioned that once when I wanted to record some music off my laptop), but don't know if the same rules apply here.. So, that's why I haven't touched it in like 4 months since I discovered the video... GRRR!! What to do, what to do??? Any ideas?? I have a Windows 10 Pro laptop, and Matt's DAW is also running the same operating system, but has a lot more of everything than my laptop does in it... Other than that, I have no clue... Because he had his DAW zero'd out by the PC shop before he died (he swore it was hacked and totally corrupted), I would have to try to find the INSTALL for Cool Edit, the license, etc... I have SOME experience with that software, but never expected to be left alone with it myself... But I'd like to become the recording engineer he was, but he worked with it for many years... Me, only since 2012, by mostly watching him, and he may ask for my opinion, if this option sounds better, or that option, or if it needed more reverb, or whatever... And I'd give him my opinion and he would do it... I also hit the START and STOP and PLAY buttons on it if we did recording... That's about the extent of MY experience with it... Plus I saw him do some pitch adjustment once in awhile, and of course saw him do LOTS of editing and splitting and all... And when he made a recording, I think he said that normal CDs are put out at 32 Hertz? Megahertz?? But he would increase his recordings to I think 48 Hertz or Megahertz, so they would be even better than what you would buy in the store!! People would give him reel-to-reel, records, cassettes, DVDs sometimes that were messed up, and he would get all the scratches, pops, etc out of them and make PERFECT CDs out of them... He was a perfectionist and would work many hours on them, and then charge people $25 max to do it!! I thought he was being gypped for all the work he did sometimes!! Well Fil, if you have any advice how I could fix this .MP4 file and bring up the music and vocals in it, I'd be eternally grateful!! Take care and Happy Holidays!! Thanks for featuring Jane!! This is one of MY favorite songs too!! It rocks!!
Definitely one of my favourite Jefferson Starship songs due in large part to its hard rock melody and of course Mickey’s amazing vocals. I always think of Mickey and Steve Perry as being two of the finest American pop/rock vocalists of the past 30 years. The reggae break in the middle of the song is an interesting and somewhat odd change of pace but many songs of that era paid homage to the popularity of reggae. Of course bands like The Police, The Clash and Blondie wrote reggae themed songs as well. One of my favourite rock songs with a reggae segue is “It Doesn’t Matter” by the Canadian band Loverboy. Jefferson had an interesting evolution in terms of its sound over its long multi decade existence. Beginning with its first hit the psychedelic tinged “White Rabbit” which is one of the iconic songs of the late 60s. Given the band’s talented roster of vocalists that also included Grace Slick and Marty Balin I’ve always felt that they should have had far more hits. Marty Balin’s vocals on “Miracles” and “Count On Me” are sublime. “Count On Me” in particular demands careful listening as the layering of vocals and harmonies is absolutely magical, it really takes you to another place.
Love 'Jane' thanks for your insights. So many battles in this band... perhaps the biggest one that you didn't mention was a physical attack by their drummer Donny Baldwin on Mickey Thomas after a gig in 1989, which left Mickey in hospital and requiring facial reconstruction surgery.
Mickey Thomas is one of rock's greatest singers.
He should be rated right up there with Steve Perry, Steve Walsh...
Agreed
Agree 100% !
That d00d absolutely sang his ass off on this track. SICK
Totally agree, but personally, I’ve always put him in with the greats. Never can underrate that voice.
Indeed
What a voice. He's amazing.
Rest in peace Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, and Spencer Dryden and Signe Anderson.
Very odd....Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson both died on the same day (Paul, a few hours after Signe) ~ very strange. Both were 74 years of age. R.I.P.
@@wolftracks9010 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826. Fifty years to the day that The Declaration of Independence was officially adopted.
@@wolftracks9010 I had the privilege of seeing Signe as a guest vocalist witht he 90s Jefferson Starship with Pauly. Since I saw the Airplane in 1989, I felt I got to see all of the members (sans Skip Spence and Spencer Dryden). The 89 tour was fantastic too.
@@mikek5958 gematria
The best rock drummer ever, Aynsley Dunbar, plus Mickey's incredible voice! Killer stuff. I worked teleprompter on most of the last 20 Blues Awards, and he hosted a few years back, so we spent a bit of time together going through the script. He is such a genuinely nice guy, really humble & funny too.
I hired Micky Thomas at a casino I managed in 1999 Washington state north Seattle. We put in a music explosion weekend with Firefall on Thursday Thomas on Friday and Rita Coolidge on Saturday. Thomas's voice was so sweet Firefall stayed until the next night just to watch Mickey Thomas.
FIREFALL!! How much I'd love if Fil analyzed them. They're from Boulder, just like my daddy!
Goddamn Criminal that someone as talented as that had to take a 9-5
Lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico, arranged "Jane' as a rock song, writing the key guitar licks and riffs, the drums, keyboard and bass parts, as well. It had been brought to the band by David Freiberg and his songwriting partner as a mellow, folk-style love song and Chaquico arranged it as a rock song that would balance off of Thomas's vocal range.
Craig Chaquico a fantastic and very versatile guitarist
@@Doubrelle I have Craig's cd when he did his smooth jazz phase when he went solo.
Mickey Thomas had a golden voice. Instantly recognizable, very versatile and amazingly consistent.
And STILL DOES ! Saw him in 2019. Absolutely amazing !
My modern eighteen year old watched this with me. I will add that he is a very good musician in his own right. His simple comment.....” the lead has great range and with little effort”. Agree. Excellent choice Fil.
"Find Your Way Back" has always been one of my favorites as well.
Both "Jane" and "Find Your Way Back" were written and arranged by lead guitarist Craig Chaquico (music and lyrics for "Find Your Way Back" and the recognizable rock riffs, licks and solos for guitar, bass, drums and keys on "Jane.")
Yes Find Your Way Back is so awesome!
Mickey and Ann Wilson would be something together.
Karen Nyere ooooooo, that would be killer!!!
Very special vocalists, both Mickey and Grace. Very special band in any of the lineups. Love Chaquico's guitar sound.
Pete Sears, who you almost missed out, was one of the bands key composers. He was also an outstanding bass player, known for hacking out some immense improvised solos, some of which are available on YT.
Mickey Thomas is still singing this at the age of 73 in the same key ffs!!! And hes still absolutely killing it! A lesson for all singers out there to look after your pipes if you want longevity - Also check out Craig Chaquico's guitar solo on Runaway, Jefferson Starship Earth album, its absolutely exquisite, one of the great guitar solos of all time imo
I have always been amazed at how Micky Thomas switches from chest voice to head voice and on to falsetto seamlessly without his voice ever breaking. It's really impossible to tell his falsetto from his regular voice.
Horatio VonDarkfaulker That's why I love him on Fooled around & feel in Love.
@@samanthab1923 Great song, though I think this song better showcases the pure range the man is capable of. I would definitely put him in the top ten of male rock vocalists.
That’s what we all think! Mickey T is unreal
I've always been two sided on Starship. I dislike it as the official death of Jefferson Airplane a band I grew up with. But, it was a great band, soooooo. Saw them play several times around the Bay Area and Northern California. My tie to them was at a Hilton Hotel in Sacramento, it was after their concert. Walking through the lobby there was Craig Chaquico with guitar in hand arguing with the desk clerk. He turned and looked at me with a exasperated look. The desk clerk didn't believe baby faced, long haired Craig was the one on the American Express card. I walked up and shook his hand and said "Great show Craig", smiled at the desk clerk and walked away... the desk clerk"s tune changed and the trouble finished. I actually was there with visiting inlaws and did not attend the concert! I never saw Craig again. But, I am glad I was there at the moment to wipe the smirk off that smarmy desk clerks face.
Fantastic memory and opportunity!!!💜
What a great story!
Very cool.
Jefferson Airplane was already "dead" (Paul Kantner quote) by 1972, two years before Jefferson Starship was formed, so really it shouldn't be blamed for the end of the Airplane which had simply run its course. New era, new sound. Great story about Craig Chaquico! Good on you!
"Jane" is one of my favorites! I love it! Mickey's voice is just amazing. (On the other hand, if I never hear "We Built This City" again, I'll be fine.) Love ya, Fil!
Word!
And yet the song is better than anything on the radio today...weird.
I left with Paulie. I was out like him.
That's really funny, but it's true.. it was one of those songs that made you say to yourself yeah they sold out.. kind of like when Styx did Mr Roboto but in hindsight, they got to pay their bills too lol
SUCH a smokin' song!! Lookit Mickey Thomas blowing it clean away!! 💖 The solo makes my eyes water! Always love great little changes like wot happen in this song. This song is just packed with ecstatic moments... It's hard to not get excited to hear it every single time! 🔥
This is one of my all time favorites! Mickey is a Georgia (USA) native (bragging rights, my neck of the woods). He could have taken over the stage but he seemed to fall back, like he didn’t want to be singled out; however he is so talented you can’t take your attention away for a minute. The band was awesome too, but in this performance, Mickey is “The Man”. Love Your Channel Professor!
Mickey could have sung with ToTo but glad he stayed with Starship
Such a great live version of Jane. The whole band is rockin and that is about as entertaining as it can be. Thanks Fil. Good one.
It's from the show Fridays which was an SNL competitor. They had excellent performances on that show.
I’m with you, Fil. This is my type of rock. Love the Starship. Thanks, Fil, for another great analysis❣️
I remember seeing this as a young kid when it first played on tv and I was blown away by the tightness and awesomeness of the musicianship of every single person in this group and especially Ainsley Dunbar who I believe is the unsung hero here. I also distinctly remember being irritated as hell when all those jackasses jumped in and tried to pretend they were rock stars and blocked my view of seeing Ainsley going off towards the end with all his drum fills and the way he just swung everything so hard and grooved everything so masterfully and seeing it again for the first time in many years I have rekindled that irritation of the same jackasses obscuring my view of one of Ainsley dunbar's Great Moments here lol. He was one of my main Inspirations for wanting to be a drummer after I saw him at my very first live concert with Journey in 1979 in Chicago (spoiled for life). But anyways I'm so glad Fil broke this one down...
Mickey Thomas is definitely one of a kind and you cannot appreciate how gifted he is until you try to duplicate what he has done it's pretty much impossible; kind of like Steve Perry he has a very unique counter- tenor voice. I just watched a concert with him with Starship from 2007 in Las Vegas and I was blown away that he was still able to do all of this stuff for like over an hour hitting these high notes through the whole freaking concert perfectly and that was only about 15 years ago I don't know what he's doing now but even for 2007 to still be in top shape and looking incredibly young there blew me away. thanks for the great post!
Saw Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas in Austin a few years back. We were about 10 feet from him. Killed it. He was brilliant. Unbelievable.
Aynsley Dunbar. An unsung drum hero.
Yeah, he played for some top names. Always liked his work.
the man played with the legend that is Mr. Frank Zappa..nuff said
Peeholio - "Machine Gun" Dunbar 🤙🏽😎💯
Yes Still Of The Night - Whitesnake There is a drum track only video . Reminds me of Bonham
Before JS, he was in Journey. After both bands, this Brit joined fellow Brits in Whitesnake.
Mickey's truly one of the best vocalists of all time.
Love Starship & you too Fil 😘
The band I was in during the 60s, in SF, got to play multiple shows with the Airplane before this band was ever considered. When they broke up and Jack and Jorma formed Hot Tuna, I was surprised to hear the new, more mainstream approach from Paul and Grace. Mickey was to this band, what Steve Perry was to Journey, and gave them a sound that was distinct for sure. Thanks, as always for a great breakdown of this performance. You always nail it.
Let's give credit to the awesome Aynsley Dunbar on drums. I love Aynsley's use of the bell on the ride cymbal on the off beats toward the end. Mickey is awesome, I think Craig Chaquico's solo is one of the best and most melodic of the era and that riff is so slamming. I believe it is one of the true forerunners to a more hard rock style riff so popular in the mid 80s. This clip is from the show Friday's which was a competitor to SNL. They have a lot of excellent performance video from their show!
I saw Jefferson Starship live over 10 years ago at the Medina Ballroom in MN. Mickey belted out "Jane" and sounded the same as he does here... fantastic! Only wish I could have heard Grace Slick but she retired long ago. As a side note, Paul Kantner died the day before they were scheduled to play Medina in 2016.
I love the joy on this guy’s joy in his smile when he watches these videos, and then he’s so good in his reviews... He even gets into some deep theory here, as well as a perfect analysis on the vocals...
Thanks!
Wings of Pegasus 🤘🏻
Airplane/Starship.... All good. I lived through it all.
Big difference in sound. Loved the Airplane sound much better
@@HamiltonRb They do not compare to Jefferson Airplane.
Music is so essential during these very scary times. Thanks for providing such joy.
2:30 He doesn't seem to even take a deep breath to hit the high note. Amazing.
I might be one of the few individuals who loves both the Airplane and the Starship. Different bands. Different sounds, but both amazing in their own rights.
Yo same here!
Same with me. I love the airplane for their melodic hippie sound, and it works for me when I'm in that kind of a mood. But Starship was such a revelation when they came out, so many great hits and the hard-rocking with Craig and Aynsley took it to another level. But I have favorite songs from each band. And I mean like some of my top 20 favorite songs there's a couple from airplane and a couple from Starship. I think my favorite Starship song is still Save Your Love
This was the tightest iteration of the various Jefferson/Flying - Vehicle bands.
Not saying the most artistic...that is a matter of personal taste and probably the age of the listener.
When Craig hit at age 16 in '71and was covered by Guitar Player and Bay Area Music Magazine, he inspired an army of young players to get serious.
Just like Fleetwood Mac and the Doobies, this band survived by adapting to a changing market.
Great commentary Fil!
Funny you mentioned 'Vehicle' bands... I know you didn't mean it, but didn't the man who wrote Vehicle also have something to do with Starship?
Lol...just referring to the various names that Jefferson Airplane became...
Dunno about "Vehicle" but I am curious now.
Thanks for a great analysis! Craig's solo on this song is in my top five dramatic guitar solos of all time. The way it builds up, pauses at the top and lets loose is pure genius. Even today I listen to this song over and over just to hear the solo.
Love this! We covered this song in my band! Always got a HUGE response from the crowd from those opening guitar notes onward. A workout for my vocal chords..made my eyes bug out lol. Such a tight performance by Jefferson Starship with the ever powerful great unique vocals of Mickey Thomas! So damn impressive! Musically superb tight Performance! Great analysis once again Fil! Thanks! 😎🎼🎶🎵🍔🇨🇦
Mickey Thomas southern boy out of Cario Ga! What a fantastic voice!
Great analysis and overview of the band! Always been a huge fan of Jefferson Starship.
On a side note the British know music, especially how to rock! Cheers!
Great singing and music and love your critique and Mickey still sounds great today
Still an incredible song, excellent vocals,awesome guitar, and a hook u just can't pass up! Man,i miss this music!
I remember taping this song off the radio when I was in 8th grade. I loved the guitar solo. The 80s was definitely the era of the guitar solo.
I was travelling between the San Francisco Bay Area + So Cal that year. I saw this from the San Francisco band Jefferson Starship on the tv show Saturdays.
Great analysis on the offbeat! 😎
I love it when the cast of Saturdays come in at the end to sing + play percussion! 😎
Add to RIP Gilda Radner.
Fil, Great analysis and explanation of Mickey's vocal technique.
This is by far and away my favorite song from this group. I've tried to sing this: impossible!!! Thanks, Fil!
Those were some great times in the late 70's-80's Fil. Insane bands like Jefferson Starship rock'n the power chords and high pitch vocals. Good party, cruising tunes.
Looks like you really enjoyed this one Fil. Please stay safe my musical brother from across the pond. ❤️🇺🇸
Love Jefferson Starship 👍😁👍
Magnificent tenor!! This song was so great. Back then I just waited for more of this. *pouts*
I was year old when this was performed :) such a tight band and Mickey Thomas can really put across a melodic line, awesome vocalist...
I was too young to appreciate Jefferson Airplane much, but always loved Starship!
That's alright Tennessee... I think Starship was miles better! Save Your Love is one of my favorite songs on the planet!
You sure you were to young...lol
Never too late to appreciate Airplane. Here, this is for you... th-cam.com/video/RZiMHO8zO5U/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for giving props to the cowbell! ...Seriously, thank you so much for your work/analysis. I share to friends,and sometimes to facebook.
I'll be the lone voice of dissension, but I love both Jefferson Starship and Starship, including We Built This City. I'm in absolute awe of Mickey's vocal talent and I love to crank the radio in my car and try to sing along with him. Nothing gets my blood pumping like Find Your Way Back.
Thank you, Fil! I was JUST wondering if this video was online after I watched you look at Mickey Thomas sing Fooled Around and Fell in Love. What a vocalist!! So glad you appreciate him as much as I. Thank you!
Mickey Thomas was always my favorite vocalist. Yeah,JS sounded so good live. Greatness always sounds good. No auto-tune/ pitch correction needed. 100 percent raw talent.
On the "Phil smile gauge" this song got pretty much a 10! 🙂
This is a great song ... Right up your alley ..
Thanks professor
Cow bell 🛎
👍🤘
Jefferson Airplane was slightly before my time. I always like that period along with the Marty Balin songs in the late 70s. This album with Jane and Find Your Way back is my favorite of all of them.
Met Paul in Nashville and he had a singer with him who looked and sounded like a young Grace Slick 10 times over! She was gorgeous and they did an acoustic set. I don’t remember her name, they were all so relaxed and friendly.
Any song with Mickey Thomas singing lead is BOUND to be a hit! Mickey is a beast vocally.
Mickey's vocals are GLORIOUS!
Can’t beat Mickey Thomas vocals, Mr. Ansley on the drums and Paul (RIP) Kantar’s guitar playing! Thanks again always Sir Fil! ❤ 2:12
Been privileged to see him live several times- Even to this day, flawless vocals. Not as proficient, but another high voice is Geddy Lee- Please do another Rush reaction, preferably from Exit Stage Left! Peace ✌️
The two men who come out and join in the chorus are, from left, Darrow Igus and Mark Blankfield. They were cast members on "Fridays", from which this clip came. It was kind of a low-budget version of Saturday Night Live, most memorable for staring the careers of Larry David and Michael Richards ("Kramer" on "Seinfeld")..
One my all time favorite bands. Thank you for sharing!
COOL guitars..always liked this band..great vocals and a guitar driven tune...thanks Fil.
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Yep, the rock arrangements/songwriting were compliments of lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico.
Thanks, Fil for another great video! 😄. Stay well 💕💕💕
Yeah an awesome rock band Fil! Great guitars and powerful vocals....they were really in sync with each other and produced some amazing music! Excellent Fil! 😀🤘👌
Lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico wrote the rock arrangement for the song to highlight Thomas's vocals and for the ability to sync the guitar and vocal ranges. Cool you emphasized that.
This was REAL good, but there was nothing like a ride on the AIRPLANE.
George Wodicka… The last part of your comment reminded me of a line from Donovan's song "The Fat Angel" {Fly Jefferson Airplane, get you there on time) th-cam.com/video/RxzI3pFLsbg/w-d-xo.html&feature=emb_logo
Different band. Different era. Different songwriters, producers.
@@48nature Well aware.
Great breakdown of great song when this band was En Fuego! Thanks Fil keep them coming.
Mickey is amazing, and still has the range in 2020! Another great high range is Tommy Shaw...
I was a person who liked Jefferson Airplane's music.
Amir O Kareem I did too. Thought they were meh without Jorma & Jack. But with age came wisdom. Love ❤️ Miracles ✌🏻
Jefferson Airplane was a different band. This is Jefferson Starship.
As good as Mickey sounds with his unbelievable range, no one could ever replace Marty RIP Marty
Marty had a great unique voice as well, differing range & descending tail
Great song. These people are great. Their song "Stranger" is another good one. From 1981 also I think. Great analysis and video as always Fil.
On lockdown here in Los Angeles! Thanks for the fun and insightful videos. Definitely helps with the boredom of the day. Be safe Fil !!!!
If you really want to see how Jefferson Starship could rock the stage to pieces view the extended, live in concert performance of "Save Your Love" off their Modern Times album. Make sure you listen to the 6+ minute live version with about 3 minutes of a wicked good guitar solo by Craig Chaquico. It is epic and well worth finding on TH-cam if you're a JS fan.
I did see them in this iteration of the band, buying scalped tickets, as I want the best seats for the few concerts I am able to attend in a year. I was in third row seating, get this, right in front of Craig. During the concert he flicked out the tortoiseshell guitar pick he was using with his name embossed on it into the crowd. It bounced on the floor between me and another guy but I blocked him with my leg and grabbed it. Whatta' hell of a souvenir. I hadn't known Craig was with the band or even who he was at that time but I never forgot him after that night. They were at the top of their JS game.
Thanks again Fil. You pull out a LOT of great songs to analyze!
Yeah play the bounce! At a stones concert in '06 Ronnie's pick went over my head. I dropped to the floor and it dropped right to me. A girl who was late on the grab said "u bitch", lol.
I really like your video's Fil, I don't know what the hell you're talking about half the time but I always listen. I couldn't carry a tune if it was in a bucket lol
Love Mickey Thomas singing with Elvin Bishop, “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”, saw them(Elvin Bishop) at my brothers college way back in 1973 when that song was newly released!
Another great review. Mickey Thomas is so good that he is one the few that sound better live then on record. His vocals on Elvin Bishops fooled around and fell in love was fantastic. He has a perfect recording voice that could mskecan average song a hit!
Stellar performance! My uncle played saxophone for Mickey with Elvin Bishop.
Cool!
Awesome Fil!! Love Jefferson in any decade 💗 Mickeys vocals always brilliant!!
Those super 70s guys couldn't be beat!
Grace, Mickey, (Marty)! I love their vocals and musuc in general. However Jane was playing in my cassette in my car and I was crusing into the early morning hours just listening to music and burning gas (damn Americans)! I always had an updated sound system in my classic 1971 Pontiac Lemans Sport 400! Wow I love this. I'm back in '81! Thank you! I've always loved music. I could live without a TV, but I had to have a "stereo" back in the day. My "stereo" had 4 speakers, so I suppose it wasn't wasn't a stereo technically. The music had to sound clear, distinct and loud! Thanks!
My son played drums in school and during that time he met John Barbata.
Don't know if he even remembers now but it was a thrill when he was 12.
Maybe more for Dad thou.
Good stuff Fil !
Freedom At Point Zero from which this song originates from was my fave album for quite a while and I still love it
Just to add, I always loved Craig Chaquico's guitar playing and his appearance. He really had the rock star looks.
I hopped in my car to go to town and this came on, bought the album while in town and came home and learned that solo.
Aynsley Dunbar on drums, my personal favorite drummer, he did some great recording with Zappa amongst many others. Nice find!
Didn't know till the end of the song; but, that performance was from a show called "Fridays" which was a comedy variety show meant to challenge Saturday Night Live.
I was so happy that Grace chose Mickey. Their voices blend so well together. I first noticed him when he sang with Elvin Bishop but I much prefer him leading Starship. Looks like we found another (Dimash uses E5 as his comfort/resting zone) that is comfortable resting on E5 (was that E#5?).
This was E5 I think ☺
Grace did not choose Mickey. She wasn't even in the band when Mickey was "chosen" to audition (brought to the band after lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico, saw him singing in a local Marin County bar after being told about him by his guitar roadie). After a successful audition, Mickey was chosen to replace Grace Slick and Marty Balin who'd both left the band in 1978.
@@48nature How could Grace Slick have left the band in 1978 when she's on stage singing in 1981?
@@George-gk5bu Grace quit the band to focus on her personal issues, but then later saw what the band was doing without her, and went to see them perform live, with their latest hits, "Jane" and "Find Your Way Back," (she was in costume at the concert) and dug what they were doing, and asked to rejoin.
@@George-gk5buShe left in 78 along with Marty after Earth album came out. She did some solo stuff then rejoined for the Modern Times Album. Jane was on Freedom at Point Zero album and Grace was not on that album.
I LOVE this song by them!! Matt introduced it to me on TH-cam as I never had heard it before... And Matt, ever the impersonator with the 7 octave range, would sing it to me all the time!! And he too, like Mickey, could hit all those high notes!! Well I had NO IDEA that Matt had filmed himself singing this song (as Mickey - as a singer impressionist)... It came up as a 'Memory' on my FB one day... I could tell it was like a FB LIVE type of video he had done... I"m not sure where the soundtrack was playing - not sure if he had it playing on TH-cam in another window in Firefox on my laptop, or if he had burned the song to a CD and it was in the CD player on this laptop... But anyway, he sang the whole song... However, unfortunately, there are some problems with it.. First of all, parts of it are pixelated.. Another problem is that you can ONLY hear Matt's vocals, but even they are extremely low!! And the last problem is that you can't hear the music AT ALL!! So I (who am not the audio/video/recording engineer he was,) was trying to figure out HOW the HELL to first of all SAVE this video off of a FB Memory, and then what did I need to do to fix the vocals and the music soundtrack?? I somehow figured out HOW to save the video somewhere (I've got to look where I put it), but I think it saved as an .MP4 file.. Now I don't really know how to use any of the many audio or video software that Matt has... I was wondering if I could get into Cool Edit (the recording studio software on this PC that he had used for years), or maybe into the NEW Presonus recording software I had bought him before he died. But he never got the chance to even work with Presonus at all.. He was a genius with Cool Edit... I worked a little with Cool Edit with him, but mostly HE did 99% of the work and mixing and producing.. So I'm thinking I might need to bring this file into Cool Edit, but being that's a recording studio software, it more than likely may not take in an .MP4 file... Matt does have Video software that I have LEARNED how to do some conversion on it, so may have to CONVERT this .MP4 file to .MP3, then try to feed it into the Cool Edit software... But I'm not sure if Cool Edit will work on my laptop... I think it may have to be attached to Matt's high tech MSI gaming computer (I know he mentioned that once when I wanted to record some music off my laptop), but don't know if the same rules apply here.. So, that's why I haven't touched it in like 4 months since I discovered the video... GRRR!! What to do, what to do??? Any ideas?? I have a Windows 10 Pro laptop, and Matt's DAW is also running the same operating system, but has a lot more of everything than my laptop does in it... Other than that, I have no clue... Because he had his DAW zero'd out by the PC shop before he died (he swore it was hacked and totally corrupted), I would have to try to find the INSTALL for Cool Edit, the license, etc... I have SOME experience with that software, but never expected to be left alone with it myself... But I'd like to become the recording engineer he was, but he worked with it for many years... Me, only since 2012, by mostly watching him, and he may ask for my opinion, if this option sounds better, or that option, or if it needed more reverb, or whatever... And I'd give him my opinion and he would do it... I also hit the START and STOP and PLAY buttons on it if we did recording... That's about the extent of MY experience with it... Plus I saw him do some pitch adjustment once in awhile, and of course saw him do LOTS of editing and splitting and all... And when he made a recording, I think he said that normal CDs are put out at 32 Hertz? Megahertz?? But he would increase his recordings to I think 48 Hertz or Megahertz, so they would be even better than what you would buy in the store!! People would give him reel-to-reel, records, cassettes, DVDs sometimes that were messed up, and he would get all the scratches, pops, etc out of them and make PERFECT CDs out of them... He was a perfectionist and would work many hours on them, and then charge people $25 max to do it!! I thought he was being gypped for all the work he did sometimes!! Well Fil, if you have any advice how I could fix this .MP4 file and bring up the music and vocals in it, I'd be eternally grateful!! Take care and Happy Holidays!! Thanks for featuring Jane!! This is one of MY favorite songs too!! It rocks!!
I always loved Mickey Thomas' voice - amazing!
Check out Louie Shelton.
He's the guy from the wall of sound,
The Wrecking Crew. It's just amazing how much stuff he's done
Thanks for the awesome review Fil!
Definitely one of my favourite Jefferson Starship songs due in large part to its hard rock melody and of course Mickey’s amazing vocals. I always think of Mickey and Steve Perry as being two of the finest American pop/rock vocalists of the past 30 years. The reggae break in the middle of the song is an interesting and somewhat odd change of pace but many songs of that era paid homage to the popularity of reggae. Of course bands like The Police, The Clash and Blondie wrote reggae themed songs as well. One of my favourite rock songs with a reggae segue is “It Doesn’t Matter” by the Canadian band Loverboy.
Jefferson had an interesting evolution in terms of its sound over its long multi decade existence. Beginning with its first hit the psychedelic tinged “White Rabbit” which is one of the iconic songs of the late 60s. Given the band’s talented roster of vocalists that also included Grace Slick and Marty Balin I’ve always felt that they should have had far more hits. Marty Balin’s vocals on “Miracles” and “Count On Me” are sublime. “Count On Me” in particular demands careful listening as the layering of vocals and harmonies is absolutely magical, it really takes you to another place.
Great guitars and vocals and piano
Hard rock arrangement (signature licks, riffs, solos for guitar, bass, drums and keys) complements of lead guitarist, Craig Chaquico.
It was a pleasure to see all those people on stage having fun together. Near the end of the video it was depressing to hear about all the suing.
Awesome vocal!!!!
Such an awesome song. Blew me away when I heard it for the first time as a teenager.
Fil, you are having way too much fun! Cheers, mate!
Love 'Jane' thanks for your insights. So many battles in this band... perhaps the biggest one that you didn't mention was a physical attack by their drummer Donny Baldwin on Mickey Thomas after a gig in 1989, which left Mickey in hospital and requiring facial reconstruction surgery.
I think you meant to say Elvin Bishop instead of Alvin Lee
I did indeed! No idea how that happened, sometimes my mouth says something I'm not thinking and I don't realise 😂
@@wingsofpegasus it's all good
@@wingsofpegasus El -Al Israeli Airlines
@@wingsofpegasus bless your heart you been hanging out with TH-camrs too long 😅👍
You’re the coolest dude ! Btw, it’s referred to as the “bell” of the ride cymbal.. Just for clarification sake. 👍
I saw this tour in the early 1980's in Florida at the Miami Jai-Alai Fronton.
THANK YOU BROTHER!!! You da Man!!