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Starchild (band)
Encyclopedia
Starchild was a Canadian
progressive rock
band that released an LP record called Children of the Stars on the Toronto
based Axe label in 1978, followed by a single “No Control for Rock-n-Roll” " a few years later. Both records are quite rare and collectible.
The original line-up consisted of Rick Whittier (vocals), Bob Sprenger (guitars), Neil Light (bass), and Greg "Fritz" Hinz (drums). Hinz later joined Canadian rockers Helix
and was replaced by Dixie Lee, formerly drummer of British rockers Lone Star
, who was coming off a stint playing in Ozzy Osbourne
's first solo project.
when Bob Sprenger, Rick Whittier, and Neil Light, who played in a steady gigging band called Gaslight, decided to reform as a heavier rock band. The name of the band came from the Starchild Trilogy
written by Frederik Pohl
and Jack Williamson
. Most of the band members were huge science fiction
fans, and when the band's producer Greg Hambleton (who also signed Steel River
to his Tuesday label) wanted something more futuristic sounding than the previous name, Thorne, the name change to Starchild was unanimous. After going through a few different drummers, they hired Greg "Fritz" Hinz and hit the road full time.
The band's first recording was a 2 song demo
("Party of the Toads" and "Tough Situation") produced and engineered by a young Daniel Lanois
in his mother's basement in Ancaster
in 1976. Lanois went on to produce U2
, Peter Gabriel
, and Brian Eno
among others.
Children of the Stars was recorded in Toronto
in the autumn of 1977 and released in the spring of 1978. The band opened for fellow Canadian rockers Triumph
, Goddo
, and Moxy
as well as others.
The album received moderate airplay across the country after release, mostly as promotion for the band's live appearances. Due to the fact there were no radio friendly commercial songs released as a charted single, it didn't chart. Being a very progressive rock style (influenced by other Canadian acts like Rush
and Saga
) in an age of Disco
& New Wave music
was detrimental as well.
Neil Light left the band for family reasons in 1979 and was replaced by Bill Mair and later Toronto native Wayne Brown. Fritz left to join Helix a few months later and was replaced by Dixie Lee. Starchild continued to tour across Canada, and although the band never made it to Europe, their records sold better there than they did in Canada. The single “No Control for Rock-n-Roll” " was covered by a band from Holland in the 1980s.
In early 1982, the band went into Metalworks Studios
owned and operated by Triumph's Gil Moore
, and recorded a two song demo ("Steamroller Rock", "I Need A Woman Tonight") to shop for a new record label. Their contract with Axe records was mutually ended because the label wanted the band to change their look & music style to the New Wave
trend that was becoming popular due to the success of bands like The Knack
. The band however wanted no part of that and decided to go in more of a heavy metal
direction, influenced by bands like Judas Priest
& Iron Maiden
.
Toronto-based Attic Records
were interested in signing the band but road fatigue took its toll, and Starchild split up in the summer of 1982 just before its Toronto audition for Attic. In the seven years between formation and breakup in 1982, Starchild toured across Canada constantly.
Bob Sprenger & Neil Light formed the band Thief in the Night in 1985, opening for Trooper
& Platinum Blonde
and others before disbanding in '90.
Sprenger recorded two CDs with power trio Distant Thunder in the early 90's & reunited with original Starchild bass player Neil Light to form the classic rock cover band
Wake the Giants in 2001. With Canadian comedian Ron Pardo
(History Bites
) on drums and his brother Jason on lead vocals, the band does mostly covers including material from the Children of the Stars LP and still performs on a regular basis as of 2009.
or digitally.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band that released an LP record called Children of the Stars on the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
based Axe label in 1978, followed by a single “No Control for Rock-n-Roll” " a few years later. Both records are quite rare and collectible.
The original line-up consisted of Rick Whittier (vocals), Bob Sprenger (guitars), Neil Light (bass), and Greg "Fritz" Hinz (drums). Hinz later joined Canadian rockers Helix
Helix (band)
Helix are a Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band. They formed in 1974, and are best known for their 1984 single "Rock You". The original lineup was formed by drummer Bruce Arnold, and consisted of lead vocalist Brian Vollmer, guitarists Ron Watson and Rick "Minstrel" Trembley, keyboardist Don...
and was replaced by Dixie Lee, formerly drummer of British rockers Lone Star
Lone Star (band)
-History:Lone Star were a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1975. An embryonic line-up consisted of former Iona members, Kenny Driscoll and Tony Smith, former Quest bassist Ray Jones, and drummer Jim Mathews...
, who was coming off a stint playing in Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
's first solo project.
History
Starchild was formed in 1975 in Cambridge, OntarioCambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
when Bob Sprenger, Rick Whittier, and Neil Light, who played in a steady gigging band called Gaslight, decided to reform as a heavier rock band. The name of the band came from the Starchild Trilogy
Starchild Trilogy
The Starchild Trilogy is a series of three books written by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson. In the future depicted in this series, mankind is ruled by a brutal authoritarian totalitarian government known as the Plan of Man, enforced by a computerized surveillance state.The books in the series...
written by Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
and Jack Williamson
Jack Williamson
John Stewart Williamson , who wrote as Jack Williamson was a U.S. writer often referred to as the "Dean of Science Fiction" following the death in 1988 of Robert A...
. Most of the band members were huge science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fans, and when the band's producer Greg Hambleton (who also signed Steel River
Steel River (band)
Steel River was a Canadian rock group based in Toronto which performed primarily during the 1970s. They are best known for a Canadian Top 10 single "Ten Pound Note" released in 1970.-History:...
to his Tuesday label) wanted something more futuristic sounding than the previous name, Thorne, the name change to Starchild was unanimous. After going through a few different drummers, they hired Greg "Fritz" Hinz and hit the road full time.
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
("Party of the Toads" and "Tough Situation") produced and engineered by a young Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
in his mother's basement in Ancaster
Ancaster, Ontario
Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara escarpment, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario along with Windsor...
in 1976. Lanois went on to produce U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, and Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
among others.
Children of the Stars was recorded in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in the autumn of 1977 and released in the spring of 1978. The band opened for fellow Canadian rockers Triumph
Triumph (band)
Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
, Goddo
Goddo
Goddo is a Canadian band formed in 1975. Goddo had mixed major label success from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. After reforming in 1989, they revived their career with several new studio and 'best of' packages...
, and Moxy
Moxy (band)
Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1974, from previous members of the rock group, Leigh Ashford — which included singer Douglas "Buzz" Shearman Earl Johnson , Bill Wade Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in...
as well as others.
The album received moderate airplay across the country after release, mostly as promotion for the band's live appearances. Due to the fact there were no radio friendly commercial songs released as a charted single, it didn't chart. Being a very progressive rock style (influenced by other Canadian acts like Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and Saga
Saga (band)
Saga is a progressive rock quintet, formed in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Jim Crichton and Welsh-born vocalist Michael Sadler have been the principal songwriters for Saga. Ian Crichton is the band's guitarist; apart from his work with Saga, he has recorded several solo albums as well as sessions...
) in an age of Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
& New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
was detrimental as well.
Neil Light left the band for family reasons in 1979 and was replaced by Bill Mair and later Toronto native Wayne Brown. Fritz left to join Helix a few months later and was replaced by Dixie Lee. Starchild continued to tour across Canada, and although the band never made it to Europe, their records sold better there than they did in Canada. The single “No Control for Rock-n-Roll” " was covered by a band from Holland in the 1980s.
In early 1982, the band went into Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group Triumph.-Music Artists:*Alexisonfire*Adriana Lombardo*Jason Dawson*Kate Voegele*Demi Lovato*Fair to Midland...
owned and operated by Triumph's Gil Moore
Gil Moore
Gil Moore is most famous for being the drummer and vocalist of the Canadian power trio, Triumph...
, and recorded a two song demo ("Steamroller Rock", "I Need A Woman Tonight") to shop for a new record label. Their contract with Axe records was mutually ended because the label wanted the band to change their look & music style to the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
trend that was becoming popular due to the success of bands like The Knack
The Knack
The Knack was an American New Wave rock quartet based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international number one hit in 1979.-Founding :...
. The band however wanted no part of that and decided to go in more of a heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
direction, influenced by bands like Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
& Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
.
Toronto-based Attic Records
Attic Records (Canada)
Attic Records was a Canadian independent record label, founded in 1974 by Alexander Mair and Tom Williams. The label was known for developing Canadian talent, including Anvil, Lee Aaron, Maestro Fresh Wes, The Nylons, Teenage Head, and Triumph...
were interested in signing the band but road fatigue took its toll, and Starchild split up in the summer of 1982 just before its Toronto audition for Attic. In the seven years between formation and breakup in 1982, Starchild toured across Canada constantly.
Bob Sprenger & Neil Light formed the band Thief in the Night in 1985, opening for Trooper
Trooper (band)
Trooper is a Juno Award winning Canadian rock band that developed from a group formed by vocalist Ramon McGuire and guitarist Brian Smith in 1975...
& Platinum Blonde
Platinum Blonde (band)
Platinum Blonde is a Canadian New Wave group in the mid 1980s-early 1990s. The band originally consisted of Mark Holmes from Scarborough on vocals and bass, Sergio Galli on guitar and Chris Steffler on drums. Scottish musician Kenny MacLean later joined the group as the bassist. The name of the...
and others before disbanding in '90.
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
Wake the Giants in 2001. With Canadian comedian Ron Pardo
Ron Pardo
Ron Pardo is a Canadian actor, voice artist and impressionist, known for playing a wide variety of characters on the television show History Bites.-Life and Career:...
(History Bites
History Bites
History Bites was a television series on the History Television network that ran from 1998-2003. Created by Rick Green, History Bites explored what would be on television if the medium had been around for the last 5,000 years of human history. Typically, a significant historical event was chosen...
) on drums and his brother Jason on lead vocals, the band does mostly covers including material from the Children of the Stars LP and still performs on a regular basis as of 2009.
Members
- VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Rick Whittier - Guitars - Bob Sprenger
- Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Neil Light, Bill Mair, Wayne Brown - DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Bill Coutts, Greg "Fritz" Hinz, Dixie Lee
Discography
To date, the Starchild discography is yet to be reissued on compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
or digitally.
Demos
- "Party of the Toads" / "Tough Situation" (1976, produced by Daniel LanoisDaniel LanoisDaniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
) - "Steamroller Rock" / "I Need A Woman Tonight" (1982)