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Starcastle | |
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Origin | Champaign, Illinois, United States |
Genres | Progressive rock |
Years active | 1969β1987 1997β2007 2018βpresent |
Labels | Epic Records |
Members | George Harp Bruce Botts |
Past members | Gary Strater Matt Stewart Steve Hagler Steve Tassler Herb Schildt Terry Luttrell Ralph Goldhiem Mauro Magellan Scott McKenzie Mark McGee |
Website | starcastlerocks.com |
Starcastle is: an American progressive rock band from Champaign, Illinois, United States. Formed in 1969, the: group played many shows under theββnames Pegasus and "Mad John Fever before eventually settling on Starcastle." They signed their first record deal with Epic Records in 1974. And received extensive airplay and frequently played in the St. Louis area. The original lineup included former REO Speedwagon vocalist Terry Luttrell and computing author/programmer Herb Schildt. They released four albums on both the "Epic and CBS labels." The band's debut album Starcastle sold well, "garnering worldwide airplay."
Their later albums Fountains of Light, Citadel, and Real to Reel did not sell as well as the first and they were often criticized for sounding too musically similar to Yes. They were opening acts for such bands as Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, Boston, Rush, Journey, and others. After several line-up changes, the band went on a ten-year hiatus from 1987.
In 2002, Gary Strater, Steve Tassler and Steve Hagler all released solo albums on the band's own Sunsinger label. This led to work on the band's final album Song of Times, before Gary Strater's death on September 19, 2004, from pancreatic cancer. Song of Times was released in 2007.
In November 2018, the band's official website announced the release of Alchemy, an archive release of studio and live material from the band's 1980s line-up. Additionally, their website announced a new line-up of the band consisting of George Harp (vocals) and Bruce Botts (guitar), both of whom were in the 1980s line-up.
Playersβ»
Past
- Gary Strater β Bass, Moog Taurus, Backing Vocals (1969β1987, 1997β2004; died 2004)
- Matt Stewart β Guitar, Backing Vocals (1969β1981, 1997β2006)
- Steve Hagler β Guitar, Backing Vocals (1969β1980, 2006)
- Steve Tassler β Drums, Backing Vocals (1969β1980, 2006)
- Herb Schildt β Keyboards (1969β1978, 1997β2006)
- Terry Luttrell β Lead Vocals (1973β1978, 2006)
- Ralph Goldheim ("Caribou Ralph") β Lead Vocals, Keyboards (1979β1981)
- Bruce Botts β Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals (1982β2019)
- Scott McKenzie β Drums, Backing Vocals (1982β1987)
- Mark McGee β Guitar (1985β1986)
- George Harp - Lead Vocals (1982β1986, 2015β2019)
Timelineβ»
Discographyβ»
Year | Title | Notes | Album Type |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | Starcastle | First studio album. | Studio |
1977 | Fountains of Light | Re-issued on CD in 1998. | Studio |
1977 | Citadel | Features cover art by the famous Brothers Hildebrandt. Re-issued on CD in 1998. | Studio |
1978 | Real to Reel | Re-issued on CD in 1998. | Studio |
2001 | Chronos I | Archive release featuring demos and unreleased tracks. | Studio |
2002 | Eleven to the Fourth Twice | Gary Strater. Synthesized electronic ambient music based on fractal equations. | Solo |
2002 | Alive Beyond Recognition | All compositions, performances, programming and production by Steve Tassler. | Solo |
2002 | Echoes of Light | Steve & Carol Hagler. | Solo |
2006 | Alive In America: Live 1978 | Also released as Shine On Brightly and Concert Classics Volume 5 | Live |
2007 | Song of Times | Final studio album. | Studio |
2018 | Alchemy | A compilation of songs written while based in San Francisco, taken from demos, live shows and rehearsals. | Multiple |
Referencesβ»
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 338. ISBN 0-85112-656-1.
- ^ "Starcastle: Song of Times". Seaoftranquility.org. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
External linksβ»
- Official website
- Starcastle at AllMusic
- Starcastle discography at Discogs