BEST OFGRACE SLICK

Reasonably enough, this compilation is not drawn exclusively from Grace Slick's four solo albums, her duo album with Paul Kantner, and her trio album with Kantner and David Freiberg, none of which sold very well. Rather, it focuses on her popular work with Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, including the Airplane hits "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" upfront and Starship's "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" toward the end. In between, compilers Slick, Paul Williams, and Bill Thompson have made excellent choices from among Slick's many performances, among them "Rejoyce," her musical reflection on James Joyce's Ulysses, David Crosby's "Triad," the obscure Airplane single "Mexico," Jefferson Starship's "Fast Buck Freddie," and even some selections from her solo works. Despite her prominence in the groups she worked with, Slick's individual efforts tended to be interspersed with those of other strong musical personalities. By separating out her best tracks, this album finally gives a sense of Slick as a distinct recording artist with a distinct lyrical talent and forcefully expressed views. Unfortunately, Jeff Tamarkin's typically well written liner notes, based on a recent interview, leave no doubt that she has retired from the field. (The album contains one previously unreleased track, the Slick-composed ballad "Do You Remember Me?," recorded in 1986 and intended for No Protection, Slick's last recording with Starship.) ~ William Ruhlmann|