So, what have you been listening to lately?

[Dave W]

^^^
You might be interested in this

https://www.rte.ie/culture/2020/0408/1129214-an-evening-with-john-prine-a-classic-from-the-rte-archives/

Thanks, I've heard cuts from it but not the whole program.

[westen44]

Thanks, I've heard cuts from it but not the whole program.

You're welcome - I've found through the years RTE can be very useful

[uwe]

Going (yet again!) through a Looking Glass/Starz phase currently, essentially the same band (Looking Glass morphed into Starz with a new singer and a new lead guitarist), though you can only really hear it a bit in the backing vocals as the link between the two (courtesy of the bassist Peter Sweval who had a kind of Michael Anthony role).







But I do hear similarities between the intro to Brandy (at 00:30) and Cherry Baby (at  00:30 as well), that "ascension" to the verse, old, but effective songwriting trick. If something works once, why not try it again!  That Jack Douglas production holds up well to this day too, talk about a prominently audible bass!

Criminally underrated band. They fell into a bad era for melodic hard rock. They would have been huge either a few years earlier or a few years later.

[TBird1958]

I had no idea of the connection between the two, I saw STARZ on vinyl somewhere in the house, they were, I think unfairly labeled as "KISS without the makeup" by the  music press. I saw them in '76 at the now long gone Kingdome here in Seattle, they opened for Jeff Beck and Aerosmith.

[gearHed289]

I was a huge KISS fan when Starz came out. I thought they were Aerosmith wannabes. Actually saw them with Angel shortly before the pandemic hit. Both bands obviously with different than original lineups, but it was really a lot of fun. Good vibes in the air at that show.

[uwe]

The Kiss comparison came from having the same management (certainly not musically justified, heavy-handed as Kiss were, while Starz' songwriting was even a little clever



in a sort of Queen'esque or perhaps even Queensryche-y way), but I'm with Tom, imagewise they were closer aligned with Aerosmith though they were much less blues- and more power pop influenced plus of course that copious harmony guitar leads thing which the Bostonians largely eschewed. Actually, they were not so far away from what Bon Jovi would be doing (with enduring success!) a few years later. When I first heard Living On A Prayer on the radio I thought to myself in the car: "Darn, does that sound like a Starz chorus!" But then Jon Bon Jovi was a fan, practicing Starz songs in his garage as a teen. New Jersey Mafia, what can you say! 

Angel and Starz together at one gig, now that is two 70ies "Almost Famous"es lumped together!  They should have added Starcastle and Legs Diamond to the bill.

For the record: All four were fine bands, just unlucky. When it comes to melodic hard rock with a slight pop tweak, the US of A is pretty much unbeatable at its own game.

[gearHed289]

It IS kind of odd that Starz didn't break through with the hard rock/power pop one-two punch. Cheap Trick and Van Halen they were not, but still...

[TBird1958]

Karen Ann Quinlan anyone.......

[uwe]

For a hard rock band whose singer wore pink scarves around his waist and whose lyrics generally dealt with more, uhum, hands on matters ...

"She reached over and she squeezed on my rocks, I lost it all in the popcorn box ..."


... Pull The Plug SURE HAD a daring subject matter. Especially since Michael Lee Smith with his butch looks sang it like he meant it too.

[TBird1958]

Absolutely, I remember there being a bit of a fuss over that song, some stations refused to play it.

[uwe]

Knowing you, you probably read all kinds of ulterior (or for that matter: interior) things into that innocent title. Nothing seems sacred. 

[TBird1958]

Knowing you, you probably read all kinds of ulterior (or for that matter: interior) things into that innocent title. Nothing seems sacred. 

I was a fiend for Mom's clothes and happily often had the house to myself for several days at a time - stuff happened! 

[slinkp]

The whole clip is fun to watch, but this "Never Say Never" is my favorite song by these kids:

[gearHed289]

The whole clip is fun to watch, but this "Never Say Never" is my favorite song by these kids:

Fun stuff! There's a song about my cat on my band's last album too. 

[Dave W]