“Take Your Time”. Words Grace Slick. Music Pete Sears.
“Fire”. Words, Marty Balin, Trish Robbins. Music David Freiberg, Pete Sears.
1978. Jefferson Starship’s “Earth”
We recorded this album in 1977.
Produced by Larry Cox.
Recorded at Wally Heider Studios, Hyde Street, San Francisco.
R.C.A. Records
I wrote “Take Your Time” with Grace, and also got part writing credit on “Fire” and “All Nite Long”. The album’s single “Count On Me” reached #8 on the Billboard Charts…and the album #5.
The US tour that followed ended in Europe when a riot in Germany caused the band to break up, ending the most successful line-up the band has ever had before or since. Grace wasn’t able to perform so we decided not to play without her. The audience rioted, burning, stealing and smashing up any equipment they could lay their hands on. I lost all my guitars including my trusty old 1963 Jazz bass, and a brand new Doug Irwin custom bass with a silver inlaid dragon on the body. I also lost my Hammond B3, Wurlitzer piano, Mini Moog and a Fender Rhodes. (My custom Irwin bass, “Dragon”, was retrieved from southern Germany a few years ago after being missing for 35 years…but that’s another story).
The band played a TV show in Hamburg the following day, and flew to the Knebworth Festival in England to play on the same bill as Genesis…Grace had flown back to the US to go into rehab for treatment.
At that point Marty was saying he would carry on with us. That changed after the band returned to the USA, and that’s when Paul bought in Rock producer Ron Nevison, and the band hired singer Mickey Thomas.
I wanted to hire Jess Rodin but the band wanted a higher sounding voice. Drummer John Barbata was involved in a terrible car accident and was going to be laid up for a very long time, so I brought my old friend Aynsley Dunbar in on drums. My writing partner, Grace, left the band for one album “Freedom at Point Zero” (we didn’t know it would only be one album at the time). I began using Jeannette Sears as my Jefferson Starship lyricist…we had been writing together for years. 1978 was also the year Jefferson Starship participated in a “Star Wars” Holiday TV Special that featured actors from the film.