"The Worst of Jefferson Airplane" is the first compilation album by the rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in November 1970 by RCA Victor. The title is ironic, as it features many of the band's hit singles up to that point. The album peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1971 and was later certified platinum.
In 1970, the band was experiencing a period of inactivity due to internal conflicts and the pursuit of individual projects. Drummer Spencer Dryden was ousted from the band, Marty Balin's commitment to the group became uncertain, Grace Slick was pregnant, Paul Kantner released his solo album Blows Against the Empire, and Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were focused on their side project, Hot Tuna. With no new group project on the horizon, RCA Records decided to compile an album centered on the band's hit singles, with input from the band members themselves.
The album includes classic songs such as "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," which were Jefferson Airplane's only Top 40 hits, reaching #5 and #8, respectively. Other tracks like "The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil," "Crown of Creation," and "Volunteers" also appear, even though they did not achieve major chart success. The compilation offers a full picture of the band's musical diversity, including instrumental tracks by Dryden and Kaukonen, a country blues/gospel cover arranged by Kaukonen, and Balin's ballad "Today." This release marks the final album to feature the band's "classic" line-up before Slick and Dryden departed, and before Balin's reduced involvement.
The original LP release featured vintage "Victor scroll" record labels from the late 1920s and a paper inner sleeve reproducing a 1918 Victor record sleeve. The gatefold cover included a large color reproduction of the famous "His Master's Voice" painting, the trademark of RCA Victor. Later reissues of the album replaced the gatefold cover with a standard one and omitted the vintage artwork, though the record labels still featured the classic Victor design.
The Worst of Jefferson Airplane was reissued on CD in 1997 with a remastered version. In 2006, RCA released the album again with two bonus tracks, "Watch Her Ride" and "Greasy Heart," both of which had previously been released as singles.
