* En anglais uniquement
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! in 1978, and
Coliseum Rock in 1979. 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. ~ Greg Prato