In the 70s, Starz wasn’t a premium cable network — but they packed
just as much drama. With sensationalist, tabloid-style lyrics splashed over
a supernova of punchy, power-chord riddled anthems, Starz was, indeed, a celestial
hard rock band. And enormously underrated.
Incapable of writing a bad song, Starz has maintained a rabid cult following
to this day, and could have easily been in the same league as Aerosmith and
KISS in the 70s, and beyond. Receiving minimal attention from the management
they shared with KISS, and little record label support, the band never achieved
the superstar status that was rightfully theirs.
Thankfully, their legacy lives on in Greatest Hits Live, a
72-minute immortalization of some of the best songs from all of their albums,
played where the band’s chops cut the deepest — onstage. Recorded
at several shows in 1977 and 1978, Greatest Hits Live is a
smorgasbord for the Starz-starved fan.
Sounding as ferociously hungry as the day they were unleashed upon the world,
the band blasts through song after song like conquering gladiators. There’s
“Live Wire,” “Monkey Business,” “Coliseum Rock,”
“Boys in Action,” and their signature tunes, “Detroit Girls,”
“Cherry Baby” and “Fallen Angel.” Normally stellar singer
Michael Lee Smith even hits a few sour notes and leaves them in, which authentically
captures the damn-the-torpedoes live experience.
Attention shoppers: Add “Greatest Hits Live” to your CD constellation
— and watch out for the Big Bang!
~ Merryl Lentz
