Nuclear Furniture was an album I wanted to add to my collection for quite some time. However, the outrageous price tag, and scarcity of the album left this one as a title I kept kicking down the road. There are a handful of albums on my want list that cost $40.00 or more, which I often frown at, but eventually get around to buying when I decide to "splurge". With that said, it doesn't make me happy that a single disc can cost so much. Especially when said record only has one song I'm really after.
Jefferson Airplane formed in 1965, and by the following year released their first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. In the height of psychidelic music and drugs, they fit right in among the likes of Big Brother And The Holding Company, Pink Floyd, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and so on. Seriously, that list could go on forever.
Between 1972 and 1974, the band, or rather, the remaining members, evolved into Jefferson Starship. Members would continue to come and go, and as time passed, the group leaned more towards a pop sound, which eventually led to 1984's Nuclear Furniture. While this album would garner Jefferson Starship's first number one hit, it was also the breaking point for the last remaining original member of Jefferson Airplane, Paul Kantner, who left the group shortly after its release.
Lawsuits soon insured, as they usually do, and while a settlement was reached, it was done so with the agreement that "Jefferson" would be dropped from the band's name, leading to Starship being born in 1985. As Starship, they would release albums throughout the remainder of the 80's, and return again in 2013 for their latest album to date.
Interestingly enough, both Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship would also make a return. Airplane released the mildly successful self titled album in 1989, and Jefferson Starship released three albums between 1998 and 2022. Between the three iterations there is a tome of twenty-three albums to date.
Well, if you haven't guessed by the title of this post, today I'm inserting myself right into the middle with 1984's Nuclear Furniture. As it takes off, I definitely get the vibe of commercial pop rock. However, as relatively uncharted territory for the once psychedelic and politically charged group, it definitely feels unpolished.
It has some okay tracks, but beyond No Way Out, nothing really screams, "hit song". Nuclear Furniture is decent. What it isn't, is worth the price I paid. It feels unbalanced, and in reading about it, this appears to have been a result of band members wanting to go in different directions with their overall vision. It's messy in a way, and this stands out as a blemish on the album. It lacks focus, and ends up being a mishmash of tracks that don't flow or feel like they fit together.
Unless you're like me, and absolutely don't want greatest hits albums where possible, this one could definitely be passed on. It just doesn't deliver what latter Starship albums did, and the price alone makes it easy to skip.
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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS January 7, 1984 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS January 7, 1989 |
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