Professional ratings| Review scores |
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| Source | Rating |
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| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B–[2] |
Gold is a compilation album by Jefferson Starship, released on Grunt Records in 1979. It collects the band's four Top 40 hit singles from the 1970s, as well as three additional singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, a single that missed the chart, one b-side, and one album track. All tracks were also featured on their four studio albums to date: Dragon Fly from 1974; Red Octopus from 1975; Spitfire from 1976; and Earth from 1978. It peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified a gold record by the RIAA.[3]
The original vinyl album comprised either album or single versions of individual tracks; for instance, the versions of "Miracles," "Love Too Good" and "Runaway" were the single versions and not the album versions. Early pressings of the album on compact disc repeated this, but 1998 reissue included the full album tracks from Red Octopus and Earth.. The original record release also contained a 7-inch 45 RPM bonus single, "Light the Sky on Fire", that was recorded for Star Wars Holiday Special. That and its b-side "Hyperdrive" from Dragon Fly were included on the 1998 RCA reissue as tracks six and twelve. The album was re-released on gatefold vinyl on Record Store Day, April 13, 2019, with 5,500 copies. The album is on gold vinyl and contains the mixes from the original vinyl, including the single edits of "Miracles," "Love Too Good," and "Runaway." Like the original, the release includes a 7" 45 RPM vinyl of "Light the Sky on Fire" b/w "Hyperdrive."
Track listing
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| 1. | "Ride the Tiger" (from Dragon Fly) | Byong Yu, Grace Slick, Paul Kantner | Grunt FB-10080 Billboard: #84 | 5:06 |
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| 2. | "Caroline" (from Dragon Fly) | Marty Balin, Paul Kantner | Grunt FB-10206 | 7:27 |
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| 3. | "Play on Love" (from Red Octopus) | Grace Slick, Pete Sears | Grunt FB-10456 Billboard: #49 | 3:12 |
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| 4. | "Miracles" (from Red Octopus) | Marty Balin | Grunt FB-10367 Billboard: #3 | 3:25 |
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| 5. | "Fast Buck Freddie" (from Red Octopus) | Grace Slick, Craig Chaquico | | 3:23 |
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| 6. | "Light the Sky on Fire" (original version featured in the Star Wars Holiday Special) | Craig Chaquico | Grunt FB-11426 Billboard: #66 | 3:56 |
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| 1. | "With Your Love" (from Spitfire) | Marty Balin, Joey Covington, Vic Smith | Grunt FB-10746 Billboard: #12 | 3:33 |
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| 2. | "St. Charles" (from Spitfire) | Kantner, Balin, Barish, Chaquico, Thunderhawk | Grunt FB-10791 Billboard: #64 | 6:38 |
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| 3. | "Count on Me" (from Earth) | Jesse Barish | Grunt FB-11196 Billboard: #8 | 3:14 |
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| 4. | "Love Too Good" (from Earth) | Gabriel Robles, Craig Chaquico | Grunt FB-11374b | 4:37 |
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| 5. | "Runaway" (from Earth) | N. Q. Dewey | Grunt FB-11274 Billboard: #12 | 3:40 |
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| 12. | "Hyperdrive" (from Dragon Fly) | Grace Slick, Pete Sears | Grunt FB-11426b | 6:11 |
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Personnel
- Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar
- Grace Slick – vocals
- Marty Balin – vocals all tracks except "Ride the Tiger" and "Hyperdrive"
- David Freiberg – keyboards on "Ride the Tiger," "Caroline," "Miracles," "Light the Sky on Fire," "With Your Love," "St. Charles," and "Runaway"; bass on "Play on Love," "Count on Me," and "Love Too Good"; backing vocals
- Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Pete Sears – bass on "Ride the Tiger," "Caroline," "Miracles," "Fast Buck Freddie," "Light the Sky on Fire," "With Your Love," "St. Charles," "Runaway," and "Hyperdrive"; keyboards on "Caroline," "Miracles," "St. Charles," "Love Too Good," "Count on Me," and "Hyperdrive"
- John Barbata – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Papa John Creach – electric violin on "Ride the Tiger," "Play on Love," "Fast Buck Freddie," and "Hyperdrive"
- Steven Schuster – clarinet on "Light the Sky on Fire"
Production
- Jefferson Starship – producer
- Larry Cox – producer
- Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
- Bill Thompson – manager
- Jacky Kaukonen – managerial director
- Bill Laudner – road manager
- Cynthia Bowman – publicity
- Heidi Howell – publicity
- Lora Lovrien – assisting assistant
- Adryan Havelka – publishing expert
- Paul Dowell – equipment manager
- Jeff Baum, Jim Coe, Jim Hill, Skip Johnson, Dave Mairs, Doug McGuire – Starship crew
- Mike Fischer – trucking
- John Golden – mastering at Kendun Recorders, Burbank
- Tim Bryant / Gribbitt! – art direction
- Tim Bryant, George Corsillo / Gribbitt! – album design
- Annie Leibovitz – photography
References
[1]