Starz (band)
Encyclopedia
Starz was a 1970s heavy metal
and power pop
band
from New Jersey
, United States. Despite a lack of big commercial success, the band has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe
, Poison
and Twisted Sister
.
band, Looking Glass
, which had the #1 hit single
"Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" in the summer of 1972. After lead singer Elliot Lurie
left Looking Glass in 1974, the three remaining members (keyboardist Larry Gonsky, bassist Pieter Sweval and drummer Jeff Grob, who adopted the stage name Joe X. Dube) teamed up with Michael Lee Smith (vocals) and guitarist Brendan Harkin to continue the band and soon changed their name to Fallen Angels. In September 1975 they were joined by former Stories
guitarist Richie Ranno
. After keyboardist Gonsky was dropped from the group, they changed their moniker once again (to Starz) and pursued a more heavy metal direction. Kiss
manager Bill Aucoin
was introduced to Starz via his right hand man Sean Delaney, who had befriended Pieter Sweval, and Aucoin began handling Starz in late 1975, helping them to get signed to Capitol Records
in early 1976.
Their major hit single "Cherry Baby" in the spring of 1977 came from the album Violation, produced by Jack Douglas
of Aerosmith
fame. Jack Douglas
produced their first two albums "Starz" and "Violation." Most fans consider Violation their best album
and compare it stylistically to Kiss
and Aerosmith
. Their third album, the self produced Attention Shoppers!, was more in the vein of power pop than heavy metal and featured a Cheap Trick
influence in songs like "X-Ray Spex." Brendan Harkin and Pieter Sweval were asked to leave the band after Attention Shoppers!, reportedly since they wanted to continue in that record's musical direction, while the others favored a return to the harder sound of the first two releases. On their final Capitol album, Coliseum Rock (produced by Guess Who
producer Jack Richardson
), Harkin and Sweval were replaced by Bobby Messano on guitar and Orville Davis on bass. Davis had played in Rex, a hard rock outfit fronted by Michael's brother Rex Smith
, who went on to TV and pop stardom in the late 70s and early 80s.
After leaving Capitol, Starz split up in 1979 and Dube and Ranno put together a trio with bassist Peter Scance called Hard Core. In 1980 Starz reunited with a lineup of Smith, Ranno, Harkin, Orville Davis and Doug Madick, former Prism
drummer who was working with Smith at the time. The group played clubs up and down the East Coast in what amounted to a farewell tour. In 1981 Smith, Ranno, Madick and Peter Scance regrouped. At first they were to continue as Starz but decided to change their name to Hellcats. Hellcats recorded five new songs and released them as an EP on the small Radio Records label in 1982. But Radio, unfortunately, went out of business not long afterward. And another mid-80s lineup of Hellcats with Ranno and Scance also went nowhere after putting out another record in 1987. Brian Slagel
of Metal Blade Records
contacted Ranno in 1989 telling him of his longtime admiration of the band. Ranno put him onto the group's material and Metal Blade put out Live in Action, which contained live cuts from two 1978 Starz shows in Cleveland, OH and Louisville, KY. Both these shows eventually saw separate releases. Metal Blade was supposed to then put out the group's studio albums but never got around to it (the Starz catalog was finally released on CD in 2005).
Ranno eventually ran into their former producer, Jack Douglas
, at an Aerosmith
concert and he expressed an interest in doing another Starz record. So in 1990, Michael Lee Smith and Brendan Harkin came to NY to join Ranno in writing and recording five new tunes. Doug Madick played drums on the new project as Dube had left the music biz to work as an architect and Harkin handled bass chores since Pieter Sweval had died of AIDS earlier that year (on January 23). Since the band was unable to acquire a new record deal, the songs were put out (with some live tracks and other odds and ends) on their own label, Drastic CD, in 1992. After this, Ranno continued on his own with the Richie Ranno Group, who put out a CD, RRG, in 1996.
Ranno was approached in 2003 by a British promoter who wanted to bring Starz over to the U.K. This failed to pan out but the surviving original members (Smith, Ranno, Harkin and Dube), with new bassist "Insane" George DiAna, regrouped that same year for a number of successful club
dates, culminating in the two day 2005 "Starzfest" held in Teaneck
, New Jersey which featured the entire band joined by Bobby Messano and Orville Davis. They played their entire album catalog to include songs which had never been played live before. Two concert
s in California
were also performed in late 2005, one recorded for a television
special. In addition, a show recorded in Cleveland, Ohio in 2004 was released on CD
in late 2006. The Ohio show was done as a 4 piece since Harkin had missed his plane flight to Cleveland. Since 2005 Messano has once again replaced Harkin as guitarist and Ranno also does shows with DiAna and Dube as the Richie Ranno All Stars.
Former Ted Nugent
drummer Cliff Davies filled in for Joe X. Dube for a Starz show in San Francisco in October 2007 and for additional shows in California in April 2008, Billy Howe filled in on guitar for Messano. Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick
did the honors at that same year's Kiss Convention on May 3 in Secaucus, NJ.
artists, including Poison
, and Nikki Sixx
of Mötley Crüe
, cite Starz as a primary influence. Kerrang!
magazine included the first two Starz albums on their list of the most important heavy metal albums of all time.
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...
and power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States. Despite a lack of big commercial success, the band has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
and Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
.
History
Starz was formed out of the ashes of an early 1970s pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band, Looking Glass
Looking Glass (band)
Looking Glass was an American pop music group of the early 1970s that was part of the Jersey Shore sound. They are best remembered for their million selling 1972 song, "Brandy ".-Career:...
, which had the #1 hit single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" in the summer of 1972. After lead singer Elliot Lurie
Elliot Lurie
Elliot Lurie is an American singer/musician who was the lead guitarist and songwriter for the band Looking Glass from 1969 to 1974...
left Looking Glass in 1974, the three remaining members (keyboardist Larry Gonsky, bassist Pieter Sweval and drummer Jeff Grob, who adopted the stage name Joe X. Dube) teamed up with Michael Lee Smith (vocals) and guitarist Brendan Harkin to continue the band and soon changed their name to Fallen Angels. In September 1975 they were joined by former Stories
Stories
Stories may refer to:* Height of more than one Storey * Stories , a greatest hits compilation album by Randy Stonehill...
guitarist Richie Ranno
Richie Ranno
Richie Ranno is a musician, most famous as a member of Starz.-Early life:Ranno's family moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1956. After high school Ranno moved to Wisconsin and put together a rock trio, Bungi, consisting of Jon Parrot on bass and Steve Mundt on drums...
. After keyboardist Gonsky was dropped from the group, they changed their moniker once again (to Starz) and pursued a more heavy metal direction. Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
manager Bill Aucoin
Bill Aucoin
William "Bill" Aucoin was an American band manager, well-known for his work with the rock band Kiss.-Biography:...
was introduced to Starz via his right hand man Sean Delaney, who had befriended Pieter Sweval, and Aucoin began handling Starz in late 1975, helping them to get signed to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in early 1976.
Their major hit single "Cherry Baby" in the spring of 1977 came from the album Violation, produced by Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas may refer to:* Jack Douglas , British actor and comedian* Jack Douglas , American record producer* Jack Douglas , American comedy writer...
of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
fame. Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas may refer to:* Jack Douglas , British actor and comedian* Jack Douglas , American record producer* Jack Douglas , American comedy writer...
produced their first two albums "Starz" and "Violation." Most fans consider Violation their best album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and compare it stylistically to Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
. Their third album, the self produced Attention Shoppers!, was more in the vein of power pop than heavy metal and featured a Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
influence in songs like "X-Ray Spex." Brendan Harkin and Pieter Sweval were asked to leave the band after Attention Shoppers!, reportedly since they wanted to continue in that record's musical direction, while the others favored a return to the harder sound of the first two releases. On their final Capitol album, Coliseum Rock (produced by Guess Who
Guess Who
Guess Who may refer to:*The Guess Who, a rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada*Guess Who is a 1972 album by B.B. King*Guess Who , a Romanian hip hop artist*Guess Who?, a 1980s guessing game made popular by the Milton Bradley Company...
producer Jack Richardson
Jack Richardson
Jack Richardson may refer to:*Jack Richardson , American silent film actor*Jack Richardson , British textbook author*Jack Richardson , Canadian record producer...
), Harkin and Sweval were replaced by Bobby Messano on guitar and Orville Davis on bass. Davis had played in Rex, a hard rock outfit fronted by Michael's brother Rex Smith
Rex Smith
Rex Smith is an American actor and singer. Smith debuted in the Broadway play Grease in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series Street Hawk, as well as being a singer and stage actor. During the late 1970s, Smith was popular as a teen idol...
, who went on to TV and pop stardom in the late 70s and early 80s.
After leaving Capitol, Starz split up in 1979 and Dube and Ranno put together a trio with bassist Peter Scance called Hard Core. In 1980 Starz reunited with a lineup of Smith, Ranno, Harkin, Orville Davis and Doug Madick, former Prism
Prism (band)
Prism is a Canadian rock band originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were active from 1977 to 1984 and are active again from 1988 to present. The band's sound is a mix of Album-Oriented Rock and pop rock. They have released a total of 13 albums to date...
drummer who was working with Smith at the time. The group played clubs up and down the East Coast in what amounted to a farewell tour. In 1981 Smith, Ranno, Madick and Peter Scance regrouped. At first they were to continue as Starz but decided to change their name to Hellcats. Hellcats recorded five new songs and released them as an EP on the small Radio Records label in 1982. But Radio, unfortunately, went out of business not long afterward. And another mid-80s lineup of Hellcats with Ranno and Scance also went nowhere after putting out another record in 1987. Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel
Brian Slagel is the owner and founder of Metal Blade Records. Slagel is known for giving Metallica their first break in 1982, with an appearance on Metal Massacre, a compilation album on Metal Blade, and has since released seminal albums by Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Cannibal Corpse, Fates Warning,...
of Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
contacted Ranno in 1989 telling him of his longtime admiration of the band. Ranno put him onto the group's material and Metal Blade put out Live in Action, which contained live cuts from two 1978 Starz shows in Cleveland, OH and Louisville, KY. Both these shows eventually saw separate releases. Metal Blade was supposed to then put out the group's studio albums but never got around to it (the Starz catalog was finally released on CD in 2005).
Ranno eventually ran into their former producer, Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas may refer to:* Jack Douglas , British actor and comedian* Jack Douglas , American record producer* Jack Douglas , American comedy writer...
, at an Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
concert and he expressed an interest in doing another Starz record. So in 1990, Michael Lee Smith and Brendan Harkin came to NY to join Ranno in writing and recording five new tunes. Doug Madick played drums on the new project as Dube had left the music biz to work as an architect and Harkin handled bass chores since Pieter Sweval had died of AIDS earlier that year (on January 23). Since the band was unable to acquire a new record deal, the songs were put out (with some live tracks and other odds and ends) on their own label, Drastic CD, in 1992. After this, Ranno continued on his own with the Richie Ranno Group, who put out a CD, RRG, in 1996.
Ranno was approached in 2003 by a British promoter who wanted to bring Starz over to the U.K. This failed to pan out but the surviving original members (Smith, Ranno, Harkin and Dube), with new bassist "Insane" George DiAna, regrouped that same year for a number of successful club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
dates, culminating in the two day 2005 "Starzfest" held in Teaneck
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, New Jersey which featured the entire band joined by Bobby Messano and Orville Davis. They played their entire album catalog to include songs which had never been played live before. Two concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
were also performed in late 2005, one recorded for a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
special. In addition, a show recorded in Cleveland, Ohio in 2004 was released on CD
Compact 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 ,...
in late 2006. The Ohio show was done as a 4 piece since Harkin had missed his plane flight to Cleveland. Since 2005 Messano has once again replaced Harkin as guitarist and Ranno also does shows with DiAna and Dube as the Richie Ranno All Stars.
Former Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
drummer Cliff Davies filled in for Joe X. Dube for a Starz show in San Francisco in October 2007 and for additional shows in California in April 2008, Billy Howe filled in on guitar for Messano. Former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick
Bruce Kulick
Bruce Howard Kulick is an American guitarist, musician and a member of the band Grand Funk Railroad. Previously, Kulick had been a longtime member of the band Kiss....
did the honors at that same year's Kiss Convention on May 3 in Secaucus, NJ.
Influence
Although not being able to build up major commercial success and not well remembered, Starz has proven to be influential far beyond their commercial success. Several 1980s glam metalGlam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
artists, including Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, and Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
of Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, cite Starz as a primary influence. Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine included the first two Starz albums on their list of the most important heavy metal albums of all time.
Studio albums
- StarzStarz (album)Starz is the debut studio album by the rock band Starz The album was released in 1976 on Capitol Records and produced by Jack Douglas .-Reception:...
(1976) - ViolationViolation (album)Violation is the second album by the late-1970s rock band Starz-Track listing:-Bonus tracks:-Personnel:*Dubé *Brendan Harkin *Richie Ranno *Peter Sweval *Michael Lee Smith...
(1977) - Attention Shoppers!Attention Shoppers!Attention Shoppers! is the third studio album by the rock band Starz. The album was released in 1977.-Track listing:-Bonus tracks:-Personnel:*Dubé – drummer*Brendan Harkin – guitar*Richie Ranno – guitar*Peter Sweval – bass...
(1977) - Coliseum RockColiseum RockColiseum Rock is the fourth studio album by the rock band Starz. The album was released in 1978.-Track listing:-Bonus tracks:-Personnel:*Dubé *Bobby Messano *Richie Ranno *Orville Davis...
(1978)
Live albums
- Live in ActionLive in Action (album)Live in Action is the fifth album and first live album by the rock band Starz. The album was released in 1978.-Track listing:-Personnel:*Dubé *Brendan Harkin *Richie Ranno *Peter Sweval *Michael Lee Smith...
(1978) - Greatest Hits liveGreatest Hits Live (album)Greatest Hits/Live is a compilation album released in 1980 by the hard rock band Heart. The album, their sixth album overall, was a collection of the band's most famous songs, along with two new singles; covers of "Tell It Like It Is", and "Unchained Melody"...
(2004) - Double Live (2006)
Compilation albums
- Do it With the Lights On (1987) Contains Previously Unreleased Material
- RequiemRequiemA Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
(1992) - Brightest Starz Anthology (2000)