Earth (Jefferson Starship album)

Earth is the fourth album by American rock band Jefferson Starship. The album was recorded in 1977, with the same band lineup as the previous album, Spitfire and released in 1978.

Earth
Studio album by
Jefferson Starship
ReleasedMarch 1978[1]
RecordedJuly – October, 1977
StudioWally Heider Studios, San Francisco
GenreRock
Length41:27
LabelGrunt
ProducerLarry Cox, Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship chronology
Spitfire
(1976)		 Earth
(1978)		 Gold
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideC[3]

The band had not toured in 1977, partly due to Marty Balin's reluctance to commit to the band. The song "Count on Me" became a Top 10 single, peaking at No. 8. The album hit No. 5 on the Billboard charts. A US and European tour followed. A riot in West Germany occurred after the band decided not to play without Grace Slick, who was inebriated. They lost their guitars and equipment during the riot and played one more tense show on West German TV in Hamburg, after which Slick left the band for one album. Marty Balin led the band for one more show at a Genesis concert at the Knebworth Festival in England using rented equipment. When they returned to the US, drummer John Barbata left the band after a serious car accident. This would be the end of the 1970s line-up and several new members joined the band, as well as a new record producer. Success of this album led to Jefferson Starship being contracted to provide a song for the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Track listing
Side A
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Love Too Good"Gabriel RoblesCraig Chaquico6:03
2."Count on Me"Jesse BarishBarish3:14
3."Take Your Time"Grace SlickPete Sears4:08
4."Crazy Feelin'"BarishBarish3:38
5."Skateboard"Slick, ChaquicoChaquico3:18
Side B
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Fire"Marty Balin, Trish RobbinsDavid Freiberg, Sears4:44
2."Show Yourself"SlickSlick4:36
3."Runaway"N. Q. DeweyDewey5:18
4."All Nite Long"Paul Kantner, Balin, Barish, SlickKantner, John Barbata, Sears, Chaquico, Freiberg6:28

Personnel
  • Marty Balin – lead (2, 4, 6, 8) and backing vocals
  • Grace Slick – lead (1, 3, 5, 7) and backing vocals, piano (7)
  • Paul Kantner – lead (9) and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, rhythm guitar (1, 4, 5, 7)
  • David Freiberg – bass (1-4, 6, 7), organ (5, 8, 9), backing vocals
  • Pete Sears – bass (5, 8, 9), electric piano (1), organ (1-4, 6, 7), Moog (1, 5, 9), synthesizer (1), piano (2-4, 6), celeste (2), clavinet (4, 6), backing vocals
  • John Barbata – drums, congas, percussion, backing vocals

Additional Personnel

Production
  • Jefferson Starship – producer, arrangements, art direction
  • Larry Cox – producer, engineer
  • David Frazer – assistant engineer
  • Steve Hall – recordist
  • Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator, art coordination
  • Nat Quick – illustration
  • Bill Thompson – manager
  • Paul Dowell – amp consultant
  • Cynthia Bowman – art coordination
  • Bill Laudner – art assistant
  • Gribbitt (Tim Bryant) – art director
  • Don Davis – Earth dust sleeve illustration, Earth label illustration
  • Roger Rossmeyer – photography
  • Recorded and Mixed at Wally Heider, San Francisco
  • Strings and Horns arranged by Gene Page, Whitney Recording Studio, Glendale
  • Mastered by John Golden at Kendun Recorders, Burbank

Singles
  • "Count on Me" (3/11/78) #8 US
  • "Runaway" (5/27/78) #12 US
  • "Crazy Feelin'" (9/9/78) #54 US

Charts
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australian albums (Kent Music Report)[4] 61
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[5] 4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] 29
US Billboard 200[7] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 430. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "Earth - Jefferson Starship | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4587a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. "Charts.nz – Jefferson Starship – Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  7. "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. "American album certifications – Jefferson Starship – Earth". Recording Industry Association of America.
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