Awesome album!

Unfortunately,this album was not as successful as 1975's RED OCTOPUS. Released in the summer of 1976,it spawned two Top 20 hits,ST. CHARLES and WITH YOUR LOVE. The latter track appears on 2000's LOVE SONGS. It appears that Papa John Creach who was a Jefferson Starship member at the time of recording RO,has retired. Logically,a dragon appears on the front cover. A dragon is the Chinese zodiac for those born in 1976. We can say that this is the Bicentennial Jefferson Starhip. WYL debuted on the radio in July 1976,when America celebrated its 200th birthday. ST. CHARLES and WITH YOUR LOVE also appeared in the 1979 compilation,GOLD. ST. CHARLES should have appeared on LOVE SONGS since it contains ideal lyrics("Old St. Charles sing,sing about love."). This album was been in and out of print in the last 28 years. Of course,it wasn't reissued on compact disc along with RED OCTOPUS. It was 1997 when this album was reissued on CD along with 1978's EARTH. RO was reissued on CD first(around 1986 or '87) since it was a best-seller. When SPITFIRE and EARTH were reissued on CD,they were both,along with RO,digitally remastered.

I'll Dance With This Dragon

This third entry in the Jefferson Starship canon is unfortunately overlooked in the wake of "Red Octopus", because "Spitfire" is a stronger more unified set, with some of the most rocking-out songs they ever did. The setpieces, "Dance With the Dragon", St. Charles" and "Don't Let it Rain" exude energy and passion... Kantner's epic folk-rock songs were a staple of all things Airplane/Starship, and by 1976 were a bit shopworn, which makes these 3 cuts all the more amazing. They have little of Kantner's penchant for clumsy, sci-fi panegyrics and are instead focussed and listener friendly. Grace Slick is also in fine form here. Her impassioned wailing was always the most suited instrument for Kantner's muse. On her own songs, "Hot Water" and "Switchblade", Slick offers two of her most accessible yet idiosynchratic tunes that perfectly suit her vocal coos and growls. She once again proves there's no one quite like her in popular music. Unfortunately, Balin's offerings on this album are vastly inferior to his finest hour, "Red Octopus". Here, only "With Your Love" is of the slightest interest, accent on the word "slightest". It's also formulaic and nondescript, but at least it's pleasant. "Cruisin'" and "Love Lovely Love", neither of which he wrote, belong on a different record altogether. These trite songs sound like they're coming from a different band than Kantner and Slick's stuff. Consider Marty Balin: he wrote the songs that sent "Red Octopus" into the stratosphere and made him the frontliner. After that, he barely wrote another song (or anything decent) for the rest of his career. What a lost opportunity, for him and for us. Nevertheless, "Spitfire" remains, in the end, a worthwhile and interesting moment in time for the Starship. Quintessentially 70s, its complexities far outweigh its shortcomings. Light up.

Let Me Tell You 'Bout A Dream

Take some catchy guitar riffs, add some upbeat tempos, throw in a couple of pleasing ballads, a mystical song or two,a stunning album cover, put it all together and you have Jefferson Starship's Spitfire.

A slight change of pace from the Jefferson Airplane days, but just as worthy, this record has nine tracks and really not a clunker in the lot. Some people rag on John Barbata's Big City but I think it boogies along quite nicely if not quite up to the standard of some of the better songs on here.

St. Charles though is the track that captivates my listening ear with the mystical guitar and synthesizer tones not to mention the vocal harmonies. It perfectly concludes a nearly flawless first side of this record. Yes, I have the vinyl. With You Love is a beautiful ballad with nice keyboard touches on the second side. Truthfully I prefer this tune to the slightly overlong Miracles from the Red Octopus release.

In conclusion, I'll tell you that this dream of record is a good one.

Look Who's Dancing With This Dragon

I consider myself lucky to have a copy of this cd, even if mine is a Japanese remaster, which I bought only for the price. If you are a serious Jefferson Starship fan, you will consider this shrinkwrapped original Grunt recording a gemstone in your collection, especially because it's out of circulation. If you're not a fan, then this may be meaningless to you, unless you also happen to be an investor.

Anyway, let's get to the music: Track 1, "Cruisin'" [5:27] A real 70's thing from Marty Balin, with an ocassional "beep, beep" from Grace, and don't forget the "Whoohoo!" in "Cruisin' in my automobile."

Track 2, "Dance With The Dragon" [4:59] This is a song about victory over the most overwhelming adversaries and love being the most powerful of forces in the universe, a real love child anthem.

Track 3, "Hot Water" [3:17] The love connection continues with Grace Slick in true form.

Track 4, "St. Charles" [6:38] This may not be a new song to a first listener to this album as it also appeared in the widely circulated Jefferson Starship "Gold" cd. You really need to look at the album art to appreciate what's going on here. There's this ultra-cool looking chick with a cigarette holder in her hand. From the wisp of smoke from her holder develops a dragon with a crystal ball in one taloned hand. What you're really hearing is what's deep inside you, not just sound waves coming from a stereo speaker.

Track 5, "Song to the Sun Ozymandias" [1:39] Unfortunately the Japanese remaster didn't include lyrics to this track. I'll take a guess. I think this is the point at which the order of the tracks on the Japanese remaster separate from the order of the tracks on the Grunt recording, which is what is used by the CDDB for programs such as Windows Media Player and Music Match Juke Box automatically get their track information.

Track 6, "Don't Let It Rain" [5:34] This song is a celebration of children and how it is they and they alone who keep us from being alone. Kind of heavy.

Track, 7, "With Your Love" [3:34] This is a classic Marty Balin crooning love balad that was circulated on "Gold," so you may already be familiar with it. If you're not familiar with it, it was songs like this that kept the bread on the Jefferson Starship table.

Track 8, "Switchblade" [3:58] Grace is back with some more goddamned love, this time to solace the lonely heart, quite in the same way as "Love Too Good" from the "Earth" cd.

Track 9, "Big City" [3:20] This is all about big city girls and how they know how to do a man's heart like nobody else. "Lord I like to try um again."

Track 10, "Love Lovely Love" [3:29] This finale asks you to give all that you have for love, even if it hurts, even if it feels like love is going to destroy you.

Happy Listening!

Wildcat Bill