Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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They had it all – songs that managed to be both rocking yet melodic (think a merger of Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Kiss), a hunk of a frontman, a pyro-heavy stage show the featured lots of shooting sparks, the same management as Kiss – but for whatever reason, Starz just didn't hit the big time. The group's roots can be traced back to the early-'70s pop band Looking Glass, which scored a number one hit single, "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" in 1972. And it was Looking Glass' rhythm section that would be transplanted to Starz – bassist Peter Sweval and drummer Jeff Grob (who went under the colorful name Joe. X. Dube upon becoming a member of Starz) – who were joined by guitarists Richie Ranno and Brendan Harkin, as well as singer Michael Lee Smith (brother of '70s teen heartthrob Rex Smith). Signed to Capitol Records, the label issued the self-titled debut from Starz in 1976, followed by Violation in 1977, Attention Shoppers! and Coliseum Rock in 1978. Along the way, the group issued their share of arena-worthy anthems ("Detroit Girls," "Violation"), had some close calls with songs that should have been hit singles ( "Cherry Baby," "Sing It, Shout It"), opened for the era's biggest bands (Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Rush), and Ranno even guested on Gene Simmons' 1978 solo album. But Starz just didn't translate to the masses, and by 1980, they were kaput. In the wake of their split, the group retained a sizable cult following, as quite a few hair metal acts later in the decade were quite vocal about their Starz fandom (Poison, Cinderella, Bon Jovi). A steady stream of releases from the vault appeared – especially after the launch of the official Starz website – including a live set recorded in 1978 that has been reissued several times over the years, Live in Louisville, which offers proof that Starz could easily stand alongside the era's big boys of rock (despite including some of the most ridiculous stage raps you'll ever hear on a live recording). The early 21st century saw all of the group's studio albums remastered and reissued via Rykodisc, which resulted in Starz reuniting for live shows – something they've sporadically done ever since.

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz - Starz (1976) [Reissues 1991/2005]
EAC-FLAC+CUE+LOG > 278/390 MB | Full Scans | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 125 MB
Running Time - 39:10 / 53:57 minutes | Metal Blade/Rykodisc | Cat # 26558-2/RCD-10669

While the emergence of disco and punk dominated the streets of New York City in the mid-'70s, groups like Sweet, Kiss, and Starz attempted to keep the hard rock home fires burning, even in the face of ever-changing pop music. Make no mistake, though: the majority of Starz's eponymous debut record isn't designed for the top of the charts. It's a simple, catchy, riff-driven album from start to finish.

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz - Violation (1977) [Reissues 1991/2005]
EAC-FLAC+CUE+LOG > 264/333 MB | Full Scans | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 107 MB
Running Time - 36:26 / 46:21 minutes | Metal Blade/Rykodisc | Cat # 26559-2/RCD-10672

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz' sophomore album, Violation, was quite similar to its predecessor. Jack Douglas was still the band's producer, and Starz continued to favor the type of slick, commercial hard rock that would be called pop-metal in the '80s and early '90s. This 1977 LP didn't establish Starz as major players in the pop-metal field; the New Yorkers did have a small following, although not a huge one. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable record. It doesn't contain any pop-metal masterpieces like Kiss' "Shout It out Loud" or Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz," but tracks like "Cherry Baby" and "Rock Six Times" are certainly decent. Most of the time, Starz vocalist Michael Lee Smith sings about the same things that Kiss and Sweet were singing about in the '70s; namely, all-night parties and wild young women in tight dresses. Starz's lyrics, as a rule, were meant to be fun, not profound, and while Violation didn't go down in history as one of pop-metal's all-time classics, it's worth hearing if you're a fan of the style.

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz - Attention Shoppers! (1978) [Reissues 1991/2005]
EAC-FLAC+CUE+LOG > 260/336 MB | Full Scans | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 104 MB
Running Time - 37:30 / 45:44 minutes | Metal Blade/Rykodisc | Cat # 26570-2/RCD-10670

Arguably, pop-metal is a form of power pop, or, at the very least, the two have some things in common. Like the Raspberries, the Go-Go's, or Blondie, a pop-metal act will typically blend rockin', guitar-powered aggression with pop sensibilities. Cheap Trick and Sweet, in fact, are perfect examples of bands that are relevant to both pop-metal and power pop. So it seemed logical when Starz provided a big dose of outright power pop on its third album, Attention Shoppers!. The band didn't eliminate the pop-metal factor on this 1978 LP; "X-Ray Spex" and "Good Ale We Seek," for example, are the type of pop-minded hard rock items that one expected from Starz. But tunes like "I'll Be There," "She" (not to be confused with the Kiss favorite), and "Hold on to the Night" are power pop ditties that wouldn't have been out of place at a Raspberries session; this isn't to say that Attention Shoppers! is in a class with the Raspberries' best work. Starz's third album isn't a masterpiece, but it's competent and enjoyable. Further, Starz deserves credit for trying something different and not turning this LP into a carbon copy of Starz or Violation.

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Starz - The Complete Studio Albums Collection (1976-1978) [Includes Originals & Remastered Reissues w/Bonus Tracks] RE-UPPED

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Starz - Coliseum Rock (1978) [Reissues 1991/2005]
EAC-FLAC+CUE+LOG > 277/364 MB | Full Scans | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 109 MB
Running Time - 39:39 / 47:41 minutes | Metal Blade/Rykodisc | Cat # 26571-2/RCD-10671

Starz was never a favorite among rock critics, who had few kind words for its Capitol releases of the late '70s. Whether Starz was providing pop-metal or power pop, the band received its share of negative reviews. But then, one can't always measure an artist's worth based on the opinions of critics. As a rule, critics tend to like music that is challenging and provocative instead of merely entertaining, which explains why the late '70s critics who praised the Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, and the Clash had nothing nice to say about Starz, a band that was seldom challenging and didn't pretend to be. Starz was merely entertaining, and the band was good at what it did it did – not great, but good. After detouring into power pop on 1978's Attention Shoppers!, Starz got back to emphasizing pop-metal/hard rock on its fourth album, Coliseum Rock. Not surprisingly, critics trashed this 1978 LP and denounced escapist tunes like "Don't Stop Now" and "So Young, So Bad" as frivolous and superficial. But then, Starz never claimed to be Springsteen, and it was silly for critics to complain because the album wasn't Born to Run. Truth be told, Coliseum Rock is a likable party record. But it wasn't the major commercial breakthrough that Starz was hoping for, and in 1980 the band called it quits.