FOUNTAINS OF LIGHT

The US band Starcastle were not only influenced by the classic Yes sound (Fragile & Close To The Edge), but choose to compose in the same style. The band consisted of skilled musicians, who understood the "mechanisms" of Yes music, were also capable to imitate or compose in the style of Yes and used sound wise the same sounding instruments, vocal arrangements to a point that their music sounds like possible Yes compositions of the classic Yes period. Fountains of Light was released in 1977 and the quality of the compositions and execution is excellent and presents a good mixture of longer and shorter tracks, instrumental and vocal based songs. Fountains of light is the second Starcastle record and the main problem lies in the concept of copying the classic Yes sound: the second record sounds exactly like their first. The music of Starcastle has more a quality of an epigone's artist's work then a real progressiveness in terms of creativity. By choosing to compose in the style of, rather than develop their own sound the band got trapped inside their own self set boundaries of sticking to the classic Yes sound.

Seen the quality of the music I still rate their music relatively high, but in terms of real creativity I would take one star off.