Paul Kantner

Thirteen years after his first solo album, Blows Against the Empire, Paul Kantner delivered this sequel, named after the loose affiliation of Bay Area musicians who had played on Blows and subtitled, The Empire Blows Back. Like the first album, this one was a science fiction concept album about a commune/rock band eventually fleeing into outer space to escape right-wing oppression. Though the participants this time were limited mostly to Kantner's family (his son, daughter, and ex-wife, Grace Slick, all sing) and his band, Jefferson Starship, and though it was a bit harder rocking than its predecessor, the album shared Blows's vague idealism and complicated arrangements. Kantner remained an electrified folkie with a cosmic edge, and you needed the inserted page of liner notes to follow the story line. But Grace Slick, especially, was in good vocal form, and certain tunes, notably Kantner's collaboration with Jerry Garcia, "The Mountain Song," were among the strongest material he'd come up with lately. But this album was a swan song for Kantner as a solo: After its release and commercial failure, he quit The Starship (taking "Jefferson" with him) and launched the short-lived KBC Band. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide