Modern Times (Jefferson Starship album)

Modern Times is the sixth album by Jefferson Starship and was released in 1981. 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.

Modern Times
Studio album by
Jefferson Starship
ReleasedApril 2, 1981
Recorded1980-1981 at the Record Plant, Los Angeles and Sausalito
GenreRock, AOR
Length38:26
LabelGrunt
ProducerRon Nevison
Jefferson Starship chronology
Freedom at Point Zero
(1979)		 Modern Times
(1981)		 Winds of Change
(1982)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

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.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Find Your Way Back"Craig ChaquicoChaquico, Tom Borsdorf4:15
2."Stranger"Jeannette SearsPete Sears4:44
3."Wild Eyes (Angel)"Paul KantnerKantner4:02
4."Save Your Love"J. SearsP. Sears5:58
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
5."Modern Times"Kantner, Mickey ThomasKantner2:36
6."Mary"J. Sears, ChaquicoChaquico3:37
7."Free"Thomas, ChaquicoChaquico4:34
8."Alien"J. SearsP. Sears4:42
9."Stairway To Cleveland (We Do What We Want)"Kantner, Paul WarrenKantner3:58

Personnel
  • Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, synthesizer on "Find Your Way Back", "Mary", and "Free", steel drums on "Mary"
  • Aynsley Dunbar – drums, percussion, marimba on "Mary", synthesizer on "Free"
  • David Freiberg – vocals, bass on "Find Your Way Back", piano on "Stranger", synthesizer on "Stranger" and "Modern Times", organ on "Wild Eyes"
  • Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar, Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer on "Stairway to Cleveland"
  • Pete Sears – bass on all tracks except "Find Your Way Back", piano on "Find Your Way Back", "Wild Eyes", "Save Your Love" and "Alien", synthesizer on "Stranger", "Save Your Love" and "Alien", Moog on "Alien"
  • Mickey Thomas – lead vocals
  • Grace Slick – duet with Mickey Thomas on "Stranger", vocals on "Wild Eyes", "Alien", "Save Your Love" and "Stairway to Cleveland"

Production
  • Ron Nevison – producer for Gadget Productions, Inc., engineer
  • Michael Clink – engineer
  • Mike Reese – mastering
  • Maurice – production coordinator
  • Bill Murphy / Rod Dyer, Inc. – album design, art direction
  • Ryoko Ishioka – cover concept
  • Monica Clemans – cover model and eyes
  • Leon LeCash – photography
  • Bill Thompson – manager
  • Recorded and mixed at The Record Plant, Los Angeles - Sausalito
  • Mastered at The Mastering Lab, Hollywood

Singles / Music Videos
  • "Find Your Way Back" (1981) #29 US
  • "Stranger" (1981) #48 US
  • "Save Your Love" (1981) #104 US (single only / no music video)
  • "Stairway to Cleveland" (1981) (promo single only)

References
  1. William Ruhlmann. "Modern Times". Allmusic. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  2. Tamarakin, Jeff (2003). Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-03403-0.
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