Search - Starz :: Starz

Killer riffs, clever lyrics, an air-guitar classic

Just Bill | Grand Rapids, MI United States | 07/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two things make this remastered, reissued first album from '70s rockers Starz absolutely delightful:



1. I saw Starz in 1976. One of my first concerts. I loved their stage design, sound and songs.



2. I bought this album when it first came out and was enthralled with it then. I still am.



Even without the remastering, the sound on the first Starz album is meaty. Very bottom-heavy. Great bass lines and low-end riffs. Plus, the guitar tone is amazing. This is really a guitar-lovers guitar album.



I like every song, but my personal favorites come from "side one" of the album -- Detroit Girls, Live Wire, Tear It Down, Boys In Action and (She's Just A) Fallen Angel. Every song is fantastic. The riffs just jump out of the speakers.



For my money, this CD ranks up there with the best of the debut albums that I consider my all-time favorites (sharing this list are Montrose's first, the first Angel album, the first VanHalen album and the first Marillion album).



Now, on to the remastering and the extra tracks...



Nice. Sweet, in fact. The album sounded great when it was first released, but the remastering enhances every instrument -- including Michael Lee Smith's vocals.



The five extra tracks are demos and fascinating to hear.



Bottom line: If you've never heard Starz, but you love riff-laden music that you can rock out to, you should try this CD. It doesn't cost much, but the rewards from listening to it will be huge.



I whole heartily recommend the first Starz CD!"

Worth The Hype

PJM | Knoxville, TN United States | 10/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Starz' debut was accompanied by a great deal of promotional hype from Capitol Records, and for once the hype was justified. Their live act always drew rave reviews, and the debut album delivered a solid underpinning for the group's foundation. However,Starz had yet to completely solidify their sound. That would happen with the next album, "Violation". In the meantime, "Starz" is a good, by the numbers hard rock album with a few standout cuts ("Night Crawler", "Monkey Business", Detroit Girls") and a bit of controversy ("Pull The Plug") thrown in for good measure. Four stars easily, and just shy of five star territory. Their best was one album away."

5 stars for STARZ

J. Thomas | Out on the Lost Highway | 04/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These guys were great. Saw them open for Styx and Peter Frampton back in the day. Had never heard of them before that time. Girlfriend at the time thought "Cool One" was da bomb. Take equal parts of Aerosmith, Kiss and Led Zep and stir, bake in a summer open air arena and viola, STARZ. Heavy, crunchy, poppy sounding hard rock. This record, VIOLATION and COLLISEUM ROCK are required listening. Infectious lyrics. You can't get them out of your head. Good remaster effort. HDCD encoding is a plus if you have a CDP that will decode it. No biggy if you don't. Crank it up and retro rock back to the 70's."