This fourth solo album from
Grace Slick is a very real treat for fans. Far removed from
the Great Society demos on Sundazed and her
Jefferson Airplane work, "Call It Right Call It Wrong" is
Slick and her co-songwriter, '80s producer
Peter Wolf (not to be confused with the singer of the
J. Geils Band), presenting very contemporary pop tunes that are enough to the left to keep this vision hip, but removed enough from
Starship to be considered adventurous. The bottom line is that this is highly entertaining. "Me and Me" is
Slick being schizophrenic, and asking her date to do the same -- unless she's splitting herself into quad. She has made a profession of introducing the concept of paradox to the mainstream. "All the Machines" is a wonderful techno mantra. It is amazing when one considers her star power at this point in time -- overshadowing all members of
the Jefferson Starship from
Paul Kantner to
Mickey Thomas -- that a quirky song like "All The Machines" didn't become a novelty hit. Also noteworthy that college radio should have embraced this bold move -- but that dichotomy of a mainstream artist working with mainstream producers like
Wolf and Ron Nevison doing truly alternative material, well, it may have been viewed as calculated. But it isn't as calculating as it is wonderfully arrogant. More palatable than
Kantner's excesses,
Slick's distinguished vocals add a depth to "Fox Face" that few could pull off, taking an overwordy composition with its dirge vibe and transforming it into some techno epic. Although Ron Nevison is a superstar producer with credentials all over the rock universe, he was not known for creating an identity as Jimmy Miller,
David Foster,
George Martin, and other legends did so well. This is one of the finest, if not the finest, recordings by Ron Nevison. Maybe it is the laid-back atmosphere allowing the cast and crew to take a song like Peter Beckett's "Through the Window," the only non-
Slick/
Wolf composition on this album, and hit a home run with it. This is real modern rock stuff, a glossier version of what Boston's November Group were doing,
Slick's voice a not so delicate monotone. This is as much a
Peter Wolf solo album with
Slick doing vocals as it is another chapter in her illustrious career. The cover is fantastic, the artist's chest a computer world with mixmaster, a starship, speedboat, and other items, all next to an electrical outlet glowing pink. The back cover has her on a floppy disk being inserted into the wall. Very innovative for its time, "It Just Won't Stop" continuing the keyboard onslaught. Even
Peter Maunu's guitar appears invisible, sounding like keyboards. The keyboard bass everywhere takes this so far away from the music we are used to hearing
Slick sing to. The backing vocals by
Paul Kantner,
Mickey Thomas, wife of
Peter Ina Wolf, and others all slip into the sheen of the music, five steps away from
the Human League. Nevison gets a cleaner sound than Martin Rushent in this world; maybe it's a good break for him away from albums by
Ozzie and
Heart. "Habits" is a reading and emotive vocal wrapped into one, changing the mood before "Rearrange My Face," another schizo introspective number. A shrink could have a field day with the superstar on this album, wondering if the stream of consciousness lyrics might be revealing another side of
Slick. "Whenever someone sees my face/they always have to call me
Grace" -- bolstered by
Peter Wolf's keyboard vibes and the
Harry Belafonte style backing vocals. "Bikini Atoll" is a really lovely love song featuring Dale Strumpel's sound effects, very close to "Lather" by
the Jefferson Airplane, maybe a subconscious sequel to her past life. For all the side projects members of the
Airplane/
Starship contingent have released, this is one of the most cohesive, and enjoyable. ~ Joe Viglione