STARCASTLE

Review Nº 840

Starcastle is an American symphonic progressive rock band from Champaign, Illinois, which was formed in 1972. It was disbanded in 1987, reformed between 1997 and 2007 and that was re-reformed again since 2018. However, in reality, Starcastle was born in 1969 as St. James. In 1974 they adopted the name Starcastle, and in 1976 the band released their eponymous debut studio 'Starcastle'. While critics point to Starcastle as a Yes' replica, the album was admittedly a hit, especially in the United States and Canada. Since they were a successful band in the beginning of their musical career, they were opening acts for bands such as Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Kansas, Boston, Rush, Journey, and some others.

Despite have a sound very similar to that of Yes, in reality their music is a bit lighter, as if they wanted to do something more environmental, more AOR. Their interpretations are clear, precise and well executed. They use the vocals as vocal games, like if they are part of another instrument, thereby losing some of the intention used in the instrumental parts.

After the success of 'Starcastle', their record label Epic decided to entrust the group to Roy Thomas Baker who was responsible for discovering Queen and with whom he produced the first five albums of Queen. So, it was with Baker that Starcastle released 'Fountains Of Light', which is in general considered their masterpiece. The album didn't reissue the same commercial success as its predecessor, yet it sold very well. The arguments at the time were to consider the first one more accessible, while this one with more complex lines eventually decreased their audience.

The band's style is often compared to Yes largely because of the Luttrell voice, which is sometimes indistinguishable from Jon Anderson's, and the arrangements given some resemblance to albums like 'Time And A Word' and 'Fragile'. The lyrics also address Anderson's favourite themes, evoking admiration for nature, high spirits and fantasy. However, the group considers the influence of other styles, notably North American groups like Kansas, Boston, Styx and REO Speedwagon. And indeed, they can meet all this demand with quality by producing a great progressive rock album.

So, 'Fountain Of Lights' is the second studio album of Starcastle. The line up on 'Fountain Of Lights' is Terry Luttrell (lead vocals), Matthew Stewart (backing vocals and electric guitar), Stephen Hagler (backing vocals and electric guitar), Herb Schildt (piano, synthesizer and organ), Gary Strater (backing vocals, bass guitar and Moog Taurus) and Stephen Tassler (backing vocals, drums and percussion).

'Fountain Of Lights' has six tracks. The first track 'Fountains' is the epic track on the album. The album gets off on the right foot and as the ten minute long song winds its way through complex, yet upbeat passages, it becomes an almost irresistible combination. Luttrell really has the capability to mesmerise with his tone and delivery and while he was brought right to the forefront of the Starcastle sound, by no means does he overshadow it. The second track 'Dawning Of The Day' is a bright and airy track allowing the arranging skills of the band to shine through. The keyboards really do rule, especially when you consider this was a twin guitar band, however Matthew Stuart and Stephen Hagler's six string work is still an integral part of what is going on here. The third track 'Silver Winds' continues in the same style. It's a catchy symphonic progressive rock track which just stucks in your head and refuses to get out of there. It has a more commercial feel, but the use of odd rhythm patterns and the synth layers keep it from be a mere AOR song. The fourth track 'True To The Light' adds even more pomp to Starcastle's sound. Schildt is in absolutely imperious from as he conducts and marshals all the other instruments in impressive fashion and the layers of vocals are simply sublime. The fifth track 'Portraits' is a very catchy track that also contains some of the standout guitar work on the album. It's a relaxed track with very beautiful melodies and instrumental sections dominated by the Moog sounds of Schildt, who actually is the most dominant musician in Starcastle's sound. The sixth track 'Diamond Song (Deep Is The Light)' comprises nice melodies, beautifully crafted vocal harmonies, an excellent organ solo, and a great Strater bass playing. With its chorus and multi-vocal parts in a more commercial vibe, they illustrate what would be the third album 'Citadel'.

Conclusion: 'Fountains Of Light' has gorgeous harmonies, bass lines playing as a lead instrument, symphonic keyboard flourishes, excellent guitar playing, impeccable drumming and nice vocals. It's true that it sounds like Yes, but it sounds like the 'Great Yes'. This is as good as anything Yes was putting out in the end of the 70's. But, there is here something more than Yes. There's also an American outlook added with hints of Kansas and a stronger helping of Styx ensuring that Starcastle weren't quite a Yes' pure clone. I don't deny that the keyboard of Herb Schildt, the bass playing of Gary Strater and voice of Terry Luttrell do strongly rely on Wakeman, Squire and Anderson for inspiration. But, when the results are this convincing, does that really matter? This is a classic of 70's American prog rock, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 832

Starcastle is an American symphonic progressive rock band from Champaign, Illinois, which was formed in 1972. It was disbanded in 1987, reformed between 1997 and 2007 and that was re-reformed again since 2018. However, Starcastle was born in 1969 with the name of St. James. Strongly influenced by the British progressive rock movement of the time, the band began writing material that would eventually appear on their first album. They also began a rigorous schedule of support club shows throughout the Midwest, refining their stage show and working on some original cover material. Despite the relative success, and the release of a single they needed something else. So, was Starcastle born with firm, rare musicality, glorious vocal harmonies, and a fast fingered bassist named Gary Strater. Now, they were on their way.

Thus began the band, with a self titled debut studio album that was released in the early of 1976. The response to Starcastle's music was overwhelming and despite some accusations, the band was accused of being a clone of Yes, the album received heavy airplay on FM throughout the USA and Canada. The group began an even more intensive concert schedule, including some of the biggest shows of their career. Since they were a very successful band in the beginning of their musical career, they were opening acts for bands such as Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Kansas, Boston, Rush, Journey, and some many others. The first album sold well, and Epic Records sent the band to Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, with producer Roy Thomas Baker. But this is another story. This review is about their debut album.

So, "Starcastle" is the eponymous debut studio album of Starcastle. The line up on the album is Terry Luttrell (lead vocals), Matthew Stewart (backing vocals and electric guitar), Stephen Hagler (backing vocals and electric guitar), Herb Schildt (piano, synthesizer and organ), Gary Strater (backing vocals, bass guitar and Moog Taurus) and Stephen Tassler (backing vocals, drums and percussion).

"Starcastle" has seven tracks. The first track "Lady Of The Lake" is the epic track on the album. The epic contains many various sections, many abrupt tempo shifts and many sizzling solos. The band extends the theme with their 10 minutes. The instrumental dynamics and the created atmosphere are fantastic. The second track "Elliptical Seasons" comes with the guitar in front and an unbeatable dual, bass and keyboard. Once again the vocals in choir deserve great attention. Undoubtedly, they took the best of the English progressive rock and put a little American accent. And in this case it's very welcome. The third track "Forces" comes with an altered and broken rhythm and the close vocalization accompanies everything else. And this is a good thing. Another good thing is that sound we usually hear coming from the guitar like it's a wha wha pedal, but it's really just the volume of the guitar being shifted, giving it that effect. This is a very interesting track too, really. The fourth track "Stargate" is a track that after a few seconds of silence it begins its journey with the synthesizer prophesying what will come. This track has the already famous "strategic stops" in the music world. Here we have a calm mood. This isn't an easy thing to achieve in music without having something boring. The fifth track "Sunfield" is a track with the vocals in an extreme peace of mind. They get the theme right and Gary's bass once again is excellent. It has a very good integration between guitars and keyboard from the fourth minute. The theme is quite surprising from a melodic point of view. However, this is another great track on the album. The sixth track "To The Fire Wind" is a track started by the organ. Evoked by the band, the melody cuts the silence and style, resonating gloriously. The organ rules the sound, with the proper presence of the guitar and the magnificent vocals. The great guitar work at the end shows that the two guitars aren't just there for the sake of embellishment. The seventh track "Nova" is another short instrumental piece that clearly displays the chops of each musician in the band's line up. It's a small ending without further ado and winding. But I think that it could well have ended with a more striking theme.

Conclusion: Starcastle is probably the most extreme Yes' clone band I've ever heard, besides Druid. The band did absolutely everything to sound exactly like Yes, and above all, they succeeded extremely well. Starcastle cloned Yes so perfectly that it's in fact a pure delight to listen to them. Of course I'm talking about the two first studio albums of them. The performance is simply awesome. You can really hear that these are musicians of a high class. The same goes for the songwriting. The keyboard arrangements are just so tasteful and perfect that you could cry. This is the way that symphonic progressive rock would mean to be in the difficult times of the end of the 70's. You can probably say that this isn't genius and that Starcastle did nothing else than writing songs which they played with another band's sound. I even can agree. But they did it so well that I just can't find anything negative to say about that. This is cloning as art, and this album is a treasure for any Yes' fan. So, "Starcastle" is one of the better albums that Yes never made, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

I have just discovered this band (in 2024), so I duly checked out their first album now knowing their reputation as 'Yes clones' and oh boy, they certainly are....and guess what, I don't give a rats. They are very talented and their music is quite excellent and very accessible, more so than some of Yes's, I'll say it, more pretentious 'look at how talented we are' songs. I love Yes, so why wouldn't I like this? I'm not a Yes prog snob as so many people seem to be. I like Yes's 'Rabin' period stuff, didn't reject them because they had 'sold out'.....sheese, they had to make some decent money at some point in their careers! Good on them....and good on Starcastle. They knew what they wanted to be and wanted to do and they did it. So I straight away bought Starcastles debut album/LP and will enjoy it for years to come. If you're going to clone your heroes just do it well I say...and Starcastle indeed triumphed in that quest. 4 stars from me.

For me, this review has been a long time coming. And here, as is popularly known in Prog-fandom circles, we are now at an impasse (I would say most unfortunately). I'm reminded Starcastle formed in the early days of Progressive Rock, in 1969 in Champagne, IL. A relatively popular act in their region, their best known members are Terry Luttrell, an early REO Speedwagon vocalist (appearing on their debut in '71), and computer programmer/admittedly Rick Wakeman-enthusiast Herb Schildt, who was purportedly on "the original ANSI committee that standardized the C language in 1989" (according to Wikipedia, not sorry). Speaking of Wakeman, for a long time, likely since this self-titled debut, across many mediums and now all corners of the World Wide Web, Starcastle is considered to be a Yes copy (naturally, there are times where this is unavoidably the case). I have always stood ground in their camp, though. I think it's an incredibly lazy half-truth to suggest that Yes is what they're reaching for, end of discussion.

Especially on Starcastle and my personal favorite, Fountains of Light (1977), the musicianship is just as excellent as at least their American contemporaries (and in some cases even moreso); I think specifically of Kansas. [Hilarious and remarkable that some of y'all are/were crazy enough to think Citadel and Yezda Urfa, whom I both love as well, are somehow less derivative(???) than them... Figure. It. Out.] A succinct estimation--including comparison moreso to Peter Banks' after-Yes-band Flash--of this whole, awful, frustrating phenomenon can be found in user SouthSideoftheSky's review from 2017 (how fitting). All of this to finally say, Starcastle is an incredibly important band to me, introduced via vinyl by my father when I was 12, while also getting into the deeper Beatles catalog, and a smattering of Yes (specifically Going for the One), Styx, Rush, Boston and early Foreigner. Alongside Prog-lite/AmeriProg bands and some of the genre's foundations, specifically alongside Styx, Starcastle was one of the first Prog bands that I heard and immediately fell in love with (then knowing nothing about this genre I feel so strongly for now). I think this is a stellar debut record (pun not actually intended). My task now?: to be as unbiased and fair about a much-despised band and album which I personally, dearly love. Wish me luck. [I promise, I did my best.]

Starting off is a track most discussed, I would say: "Lady of the Lake", the first taste of the band I heard from my father, having gifted me a mixtape for my 12th birthday (I recall it also featured "Something's on the Move" by Jethro Tull). This is highly nostalgic for me, from the sweet, clean tone of the opening melodic lead guitar to the group vamp into the verse. This is so dear. Not unlike Yes's group vocals, I think it was instead more accurately described by another reviewer as resembling the style of CSNY (whose "Carry On" was also on that b-day disc). This is certainly owing to Yes in numerous ways (compositionally, for sure, yes haha); again, I have no problem addressing who was their clearest influence. As another reviewer said, there is something distinctly American about it all, though. Also accurately described before me is the certainly Keith Emerson-inspired Moog solo from Herb. Stupendous. Euphoric. This is immediately followed by a searing, highly intentional guitar solo (both of which I've heard over 100 times, I'm sure). Delicious stuff. The drums, too, especially in the ending, are awesome. Rhythmically nuanced and fun, this song is for the books: a Prog Essential.

I've worn out plenty of material on this album, and one of my earlier, regular-listening obsessions back in middle school was this next one, "Elliptical Seasons". It's cool I still know all the words! A lot of beauty, and here is one of those times where Terry undeniably sounds like Jon Anderson, and he sounds great! But then, hard crescendo in the middle for a funky "Siberian Khatru" wah-gitt. Additionally, love the mix on this track; so lush and full. Another, though later, favorite is "Forces". I was humming this one a bit as I was reading some of the other reviews for the album here; an infectious vocal melody with a buzzing, positive accompaniment to boot (the synths and effects are really bright and futuristic). Tangentially Yesque is the bridge, space-age lyrics included. And then the motherf*ckin' dual-guitar solo... Brief, but fantastic. Did you know that having two lead guitarists is actually a strength and not a weakness?/s Then we get one of the strongest bass performances on the album from Gary Strater.

Next is the introductory "Stargate", a low-and-slow, then booming, regal instrumental that's a little green man away from being Close Encounters. If "Sunfield" to follow is Prog Essential, then this one is too haha. In my opinion, regardless of the tracks individually, they need each other. Amazing keying here over a delicious, super-slinky bass and bouncing rhythm. What I would consider the bridge, around minute 2, is a great earworm, simple but true. Big changes are in fold, as the middle section resembles the Latin in a most satisfying, dancey kind of fashion. More props due to Luttrell and Strater here. For what I would say is a first for the album, we have a Banks-able solo (sure, Howe, too). Beautiful guitar soloing here then to follow. Epic close, too.

Another early obsession of mine, because I thought it was just so metal, was "To the Fire Wind" (the f*cking guitar solo in the beginning, are you kidding me?!). All of the guitar on this is otherworldly and, in obvious compliments, disgusting haha. And they keep delivering me these amazing, ear-catching solos throughout! Hope some people give this album a(nother) chance because of these thoughts. One of the strongest musical bridges in their entire catalog is here, as we approach minute 2. Dare I say it's sexy? I mean, I'm sure somebody would gladly take home one of these 'vulcanous creatures' hahaha. This is then followed by a stunning Moog solo, Wakeman-esque or not. It's sharp and glassy, the perfect tone for this surprisingly dark song. Closing out our album is a track I have heard the very least (even if that's still dozens of times over), "Nova", a sweet, epic instrumental. And I think this wraps up the overall tone of this album really nicely. More synthy goodness throughout and perfectly timed guitar leads over rolling and bashing drums (there were a few times throughout I wanted to sing the praises of drummer Stephen Tassler, so here ya go). Awesome closer.

Not sure how unbiased I can be (I've been a hotheaded fan of this band since adolescence), and so, here it comes...

True Rate: 4.9/5.0 [shrug emoji] [It's an incredible album.]

Remember y'all: Everything is formed in a vacuum. Nothing is unique. Nothing is original. Everyone is taking something from somebody else. Everything is a remix. Etc. Etc. G'day. [Steve Howe may as well have stolen Peter Banks' style from Time and a Word, if it weren't for the occasions we hear on Tomorrow, for God's sake hahaha.]

Review #88!

Starcastle's debut album exhibits intense Yes vibes, and while many shun this band for lacking originality, but this did not bother me all that much. This record just feels like a more fun version of Yes. If 'Fragile' or 'Close to the Edge' were happier, I feel it would be very similar to this album. The record kicks off with 'Lady of the Lake', which features some very Yes-esque guitar and ELP-like keyboards. I love this guitar riff because of how dumb it sounds. It feels like an intro to one of those dragon shows on PBS Kids. There is some great experimentation in the middle of the track, and it ends the way it starts. 'Elliptical Seasons' feels way too fake, and doesn't feel like there was much effort put into it by the band. The lyrics are okay, but definitely trying way too hard to be Yes. This song has its moments, but feels like a fusion of Queen and Yes, and in my mind, is not a great mix. And besides, Anderson and Mercury would be fighting for the stage, anyway. The next track is 'Forces', which starts with some very mediocre vocals, but the brief keyboard solo disposes of the contents in the 'musical trash' bin. Some bland melodies follow. At some point there is a very funky guitar solo, which is in my mind the highlight of this song. 'Stargate', which runs at just under three minutes, feels like another PBS Kids intro, except this time is much longer. This melts into 'Sunfield', another blegh happy-go-lucky track. Good lyrics and musicianship, when you can get past the fact that this is quite unoriginal. Ends perfectly, though. 'To The Fire Wind' is one of the best songs on this album. I love the lyrics, silly harmonies, and guitar. The last track on this album is 'Nova'. It is the shortest song on the album, and exhibits some great, technically impressive percussion skills. After about a minute, the synth enters the scene, and seconds minutes later the guitar comes and the track ends. A fun little ending to a fun little album.

It's quite easy for people to give this band a rough listen and dismiss it as an "American Yes Clone". Harmonically, the lead singer (formerly of REO Speedwagon) has a Jon Anderson edge, but the guitar work, and very prominent keyboard work is not really of Yes. Secondly, from a perspective, American progressive rock was a very niche genre in the states with only a handful of bands producing progressive music. If you subtract all the comparisons to Yes, you hear a creative band whose crafty guitarists, decent bass, complex drumming, and wondrous keyboards create a unique sound. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is the typical sprinkling of some AOR moments (think Kansas and Styx) which really is quite a turn off for die hard prog-rockers.

My favorite track has to be Lady of The Lake with it's keyboards and guitars working together to create an upbeat prog rock epic. Technically, the quality of the recording isn't clean and crisp which is much expected from debut albums. Also of you own the 2009 CD remaster, you will mix is even louder which makes it sound a little dirtier. Overall for a debut album, this showcases some fine American prog rock.

Starcastle is often said to be a Yes clone, but, at least in my opinion, this is exaggerated. Of course, when you listen to their debut, it is not possible to dissociate the bands' sound to Yes, but it also sounds like other symphonic prog bands of the seventies. The main problem with their music is that they have some superflous copying of elements from Yes songs, most notably some vocal mannerisms, either from Jon Anderson or their chorus singing and da-da-das, so people, not without reason, accuse them of copying Yes.

But, deep down, you can hear a bunch of talented musicians trying to do music similar to some popular English prog bands. Besides the vocals, the instrument that mostly resemble Yes is the bass, but to be honest, lots of bands in the seventies did the same: Squire style and his Rickenbacker sound is a trademark of 70s prog.

As for the rest, the guitar has a few chops inspired on Yes, but mostly when they are trying to do something exactly like Yes, like the attempts of sounding like And You And I both in the middle instrumental section of Lady of the Lake and in the intro of Elliptical Seasons. Most of the time, the playing style is somewhat different from Howe (and for that effect, from Banks as well). You can listen to some Wakeman influences, but keyboards have some touches of ELP, Camel and other major prog bands.

Maybe the main problem with the band is that they didn't have an original style from the beginning and became too influenced by the bands they wanted to follow. The best song is, as with most prog bands, the longest one. Lady of the Lake is the most remarkable song, and with notable Yes influences, but has its creative passages and other prog influences (like ELP-influenced short organ and synth runs).

Other songs usually have some cool original parts mixed with derivative ones. Highlights are the funky end to Elliptical Seasons; the middle of Forces; the short instrumental Stargate, which has some touches of Vangelis even; To The Fire Wind, which has varied parts and some great bits of guitar and synth; and the short instrumental at the end.

If you try not to think too much about the brief parts where they try to imitate Yes, you will end enjoying a pretty good progressive rock effort made by great musicians in 1976 (when prog was not exactly at its finest anymore). It is not groundbreaking, but most really aren't and I'd rather listen to somewhat derivative good music than so-so original.

My Highlights - Lady of the lake - Forces - Sunfield - To the fire wind

Before going to specifics I do have a word for this album that I think suits perfectly and will definitely overpower any preconception (because there seems to be a lot) of its content? REFRESHING! This is a positive sounding record full of bright melodies and with just the right tempo to get your day going! Unfortunately this band has been unfairly diagnosed as merely Yes imitators with no originality whatsoever, lack of creativity and late for its genre? luckily I disagree. How many bands sound like Genesis, IQ, Dream Theater, King Crimson, etc? How many guitar duos try to sound like Thin Lizzy or Wishbone Ash and we still love and admire what they do? Is there any American rock or progressive rock band from that period (mid-late 70's) that did not have British prog/rock as a main influence? I'm glad that I haven't dived into YES's catalog yet (its true, I have not? for now) because that means that this musical content is totally new for my ears and its quite beautiful and, as I noted before, very refreshing.

All te synthesizers layers and sin-a-long textures performed by Herb Shildt are simply cast spelling and sound very advanced for the period sometimes bringing the music are towards the 80's rather than late 70's, the guitar harmonies by Stewart and Hagler are so well designed and played, specially on the song Sunfield? I can still listen to them by just closing my eyes, memorable! And Luttrell's vocals? Ok, yes they are quite Anderson-like but still he brings ear worm melodies to the table and give the band that unique pitch and sound, so what's not to like about all these features? fair and tight rhythmic section by Tassler and Strater? This album has been a great discovery (recommended by the SOT youtube channel) and I feel very confortable telling you guys that it will refresh your ears form the very first listen and will make you want to investigate their short but quite strong catalog.

Honestly I don't get why everyone hates this album so much. Everyone says that they are just Yes clones, but I don't see that here. Admittedly, I do see a big influence from Yes, but certainly it would be silly to say that they are copying them exactly. Terry Lutteral's vocal sound has a much more classic rock sounding voice than Anderson (lead singer of Yes) does, which makes sense when you know that Terry Lutteral used to be in R.E.O Speedwagon. As for the instrumentals, the keyboard does sound a lot like Rick Wakeman, and, admittedly, the bass does also sound a lot like Chris Squire. The drums however, aren't as complex as Alan White or Bill Buford's drums were. This all leads me to the conclusion that Starcastle, though heavily influenced my Yes, have their own sound and flavor just like any other band does. The album itself, is a prog rock gem just as much as any of the classics; I find this album greatly underrated. I would recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of progressive rock, especially Yes fans. This album would make a great addition to any record collection.

Very pleasant album. More prog than their second which, although still proggy, contains a bit poprock oriented sound in several songs, but still good. Everybody talks about Starcastle beeing Yes clones. Well, how about no. Of course there are similarities, but along with differences (and not only to Yes, I hear ELP here and there among others influences). Bass sound reminds Squire, but the same can be said about Geddy Lee style and nobody seems to make a big fuss about it, Chris Squire was very influential and his style left mark on many bass players, and Squire wasn't the only one using Rickenbacker then (e.g. Rutheford). Vocal harmonies are often Yes-like, but the Yes themselves hadn't invent them. As You can hear from their Byrds cover on the first album, they had been influenced by others in regard of this. As for the vocals - it doesn't make a big difference for me if Gabriel or Collins sings (sorry) as long as the music is fine, here I can hear obvious differences between the two vocalists. Anderson voice is something special to my ears and I will mistake nobody with him, hence the Starcastle singer differs enough for me to appreciate him on his own. The style of the band is cleaner than Yes, the sound not as rich and dense, less multilayered if not less complex and overall smoothier, sweeter less dramatic. The melodies are nice and arrangements very complicated, and I can't find no three notes in a row stollen from any Yes song :) The band is generaly maybe not as good as Yes but definitely good. Within one genre it's not uncommon that somebody sounds like someone else at times. My suggestion - just enjoy good music, and Starcastle will deliver. Rating: strong 3,5 rounded up to 4.