Dragon Fly (album)

Dragon Fly is the debut album by Jefferson Starship, released on Grunt Records in 1974. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified a gold album. Credited to Grace Slick / Paul Kantner / Jefferson Starship, the band itself was a turning point after a series of four albums centering on the partnership of Kantner and Slick during the disintegration of Jefferson Airplane through the early 1970s.

This article is about the Jefferson Starship album. For other albums with similar titles, see Dragonfly (disambiguation).

Dragon Fly
Studio album by Grace Slick, Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship
Released	September 1, 1974
Recorded	July 1974
Studio	Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco
Genre	Rock
Length	42:25
Label	Grunt/RCA Records
Producer	Jefferson Starship / Larry Cox
Jefferson Starship chronology
Dragon Fly (1974) Red Octopus (1975)
Grace Slick chronology
Manhole (1974) Dragon Fly (1974) Dreams (1980)
Paul Kantner chronology
Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun (1973) Dragon Fly (1974) Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (1983)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	C+[2]

The album received its RIAA gold certification within six months, selling as well as most Jefferson Airplane albums. Two singles were released from the album: "Ride the Tiger" reached only #84 on the Billboard Hot 100; the follow-up single "Caroline" failed to chart. Singer Marty Balin, who had not appeared on an Airplane or Airplane-offshoot album since Volunteers in 1969, would write and sing on the single "Caroline." He would join Jefferson Starship soon after, and remain with the band until 1978. The song "Hyperdrive" was used in the opening ceremonies of the 1976 World Science Fiction Convention, MidAmeriCon, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Ride the Tiger"	Byong Yu, Grace Slick, Paul Kantner	Paul Kantner	5:11
2.	"That’s for Sure"	Jerry Gallup	Craig Chaquico	4:58
3.	"Be Young You"	Grace Slick	Grace Slick	3:49
4.	"Caroline"	Marty Balin	Paul Kantner	7:29

Side two

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Devil's Den"	Grace Slick	Papa John Creach	4:03
2.	"Come to Life"	Robert Hunter	David Freiberg, Steven Schuster	3:46
3.	"All Fly Away"	Tom Pacheco	Tom Pacheco	5:25
4.	"Hyperdrive"	Grace Slick	Pete Sears	7:44

Personnel

• Grace Slick – vocals; piano on "Be Young You"
• Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Papa John Creach – electric violin
• Craig Chaquico – lead guitar
• David Freiberg – vocals; keyboards on "Ride the Tiger," "Be Young You," and "Caroline"; piano on "Devil's Den" and "Come to Life"; organ on "All Fly Away"; bass on "That's for Sure"
• Pete Sears – bass on all except "That's for Sure"; piano on "That's for Sure," "Caroline," "All Fly Away," and "Hyperdrive"; harpsichord on "Caroline"; organ on "Hyperdrive"
• John Barbata – drums, percussion
• Marty Balin – lead vocals on "Caroline"

Production

• Jefferson Starship – producer
• Larry Cox – producer, engineer
• Pat Ieraci (Maurice) – production coordinator
• Steve Mantoani – recordist
• Paul Dowell – amp consultant
• Bill Thompson – manager
• Acy Lehman, Frank Mulvey – art directors
• Peter Lloyd – illustration
• Recorded and Mixed at Wally Heider's, San Francisco

References

1. Ruhlmann, William (2011). "Dragon Fly - Jefferson Starship | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
2. 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.