These stars shine brightly even during the day!  Have You Seen the Stars Tonite?

Have You Seen The Stars Tonite (Jefferson Starship Flight Manual 1974-78 & J.S. The Next Generation 1992-2007)

By Craig Fenton

Publisher Create Space

U.S.A.

August 2008

ISBN-10: 1438245343

ISBN-13: 978-1438245348

The other day while perusing for some rock and roll, I came across the latest release from the author of the Jefferson Airplane book “Take Me To A Circus Tent” Craig Fenton.  Mr. Fenton is back with a natural follow-up to his brilliant Jefferson Airplane work.

The predecessor “Take Me To A Circus Tent” (Jefferson Airplane) remains on my coffee-table to this day for constant reference.   Once again the research is meticulous, precise, and presented in an organized and interesting way to the reader.  Mr. Fenton luckily had no intention of including the Mickey Thomas period of the Jefferson Starship and the rock and roll disaster known as the Starship.  He gives us the golden period of 1974-78 and the timely rescue of the name by Paul Kantner in 1992, bringing us up to 2007.

There are several segments that will hold your interest all the way through.  He lists the songs played for over 700 performances, the members of the band that were on stage, their time spent with the group, the Jefferson Airplane tunes they performed each year, the initial time a song was played in front of an audience, a look at numerous band album, singles, and solo efforts, and he includes over 170 photos.  You’ll enjoy the rock and roll treasures on pages 168 and 169.  A couple of unseen Grace Slick photos from the Airplane’s gig at the Isle Of Wight 1968.  As a historian it was a nice touch that every member that ever played 1 or more entire gigs with the band is represented in the large photo galaxy.   One of the true highlights was finding out the special guests that participated either for a song or two, or an entire show with the Jefferson Starship.  He lists them all and many of the names are rock and roll greats in their own right.  Greg Allman, a couple of members of the Doors, Tom Constanten from the Grateful Dead, Peter Frampton, and David Crosby are only a handful of the guests over the years.

Mr. Fenton is truly an expert on the Jefferson family.  The back cover of “Take Me To A Circus Tent” included a quote from founding member Marty Balin- “Craig Fenton knows so much about the Jefferson Airplane and Family, I was asking him the questions.”  Signe Anderson the original female lead-singer for the Airplane is quoted on the back cover of the new Jefferson Starship book saying- “When it comes to the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, Craig Fenton is the source.”  What sets Mr. Fenton’s style apart from the run of the mill author is his skill in making not only the major players a part of the project but those that were in an ancillary position.  Even though not every musician had the impact of Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, or Grace Slick, they were part of a continuing story.  Mr. Fenton makes the pages flow naturally and never forced.

Before purchasing “Have You Seen The Stars Tonite” I thought I would read a little each night.  Once I opened the book my eyes were fixated and I finished in three days.  It is not going to the book case to gather dust.  This gem is staying on the coffee table for constant reference.  It looks perfect next to Take Me To A Circus Tent.

This is one book you can judge by the cover!       

Mark Page (New England)