Starz had all the makings of a major successful late 70’s arena rock band. The songs, the melodies, the looks and a big pyro show that rivaled KISS. And they were under the same management. So the question remains, why didn’t they blow up like many of their counterparts?
Their sound, think of Aerosmith combined with Cheap Trick, should have guaranteed mass success. And the band did develop a little following. But after four studio albums the band decided to call it quits in 1980. What’s also interesting is that this group was set up for success from the beginning. Their roots actually trace back to an early 70’s pop act entitled Looking Glass. And they even had a number one hit in ’72 called ‘Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl). Only the rhythm section of the band would go on to form Starz. Drummer Jeff Grob and bassist Peter Swevel would team up with guitarists Richie Ranno and Brenden Harkin. Eventually they would find frontman Michael Lee Smith and Starz would be complete.
Starz have more than their fair share of potentially massive arena hits. The opening track of their self titled debut, ‘Detroit Girls,’ seems tailor made for the masses. A simple, upbeat song that still rocks heavy guitars. But also has a keen sense of melody. And that’s really Starz’ formula. Their debut didn’t sell well, but it made an impression of major acts at the time. Soon Starz would find themselves opening for all the major hard rock acts of the late 70’s: Rush, KISS, Aerosmith, Nugent. The list goes on and on. And like all their more lucrative peers, they were constantly under fire from the critics. Critics, particularly in the 70’s and 80’s, were very very focused on lyrical message as opposed to music. And if a band came along with strong music and simply lyrics, they were deemed unworthy. And Starz were no different. But they didn’t stop the band from churning out four classic LPs: ‘Starz,’ ‘Violation,’ ‘Attention Shoppers!,’ and ‘Coliseum Rock.’ All four of which retain the listeners attention for their entire duration.
The albums are tremendously great like say, oh, Aerosmith’s ‘Rocks.’ But they are really solid all the way through. And there are some tracks that really stand out among some of the genres best. The semi proggy ‘Subway Terror’ is a great example. ‘Cherry Baby’ shows how tight the bands song writing is. I honestly can’t believe that the song didn’t take off. Maybe the market was just too saturated at the time. I mean, if their third album ‘Attention Shoppers!,’ with it’s perfectly balanced sense of hard rock and power pop, didn’t break the band I don’t know what possibly could. The record is loaded with high quality pop rock hooks: ‘(Any Way That You Want It) I’ll Be There,’ ‘Hold On To the Night,’ and the proto power ballad ‘Third Times the Charm’ are all meticulously crafted for maximum effect. And their fourth album ‘Coliseum Rock’ is simply a well crafted heavy rock album.
But even though Starz lacked major success, they still ended up becoming one of the most influential bands of the Jimmy Carter era. Maybe the boy/girl next door wasn’t jamming on them. But the likes of Nikki Sixx, Stephen Pearcy, Jon Bon Jovi and Jani Lane were all listening to Starz when everyone else was tuning into Boston. And they ended up becoming one of the most influential bands for the 80’s hard rock scene. It’s easy to see why. The only indicator sound wise that they’re from the 70’s is the production of the albums. And while we’re all holed up here, it’s a good time to revisit or explore bands that are less in the spotlight than others. Starz is a great place to start.
I think coliseum rock should rank as one of the best tock albums ever
absolutely, such an overlooked record