STARCASTLE

Starcastle was given the distinction early on of being a 'Yes' clone, and listening to the debut album will definitely help you understand why they were called a Yes clone. However, the band was quite talented, and that was definitely proven in this album and the follow up to this album "Fountains of Light". Unfortunately, they were never able to overcome that distinction, and never really hit it big time. But, listening to it now, it is easy to see that if Yes didn't exist, then Starcastle would probably have been better known. Starring Terry Luttrell (formerly of REO Speedwagon), had the vocalist duties, and even his voice had the light, airy sound of Jon Anderson, albeit maybe a bit less dynamic. The first side of the album is the strongest, but if you really sit and listen to it, you will agree that the 2nd side is quite weak.

The debut album has it's flaws, but the more familiar you get with the music, the less you will notice as the happy and complex melodies will start to get into your head, and the next thing you know, you will be reciting the music through your sub consciousness. The album starts off with their longest ever track 'Lady of the Lake' and probably one of their best tracks. The synths almost always have the spotlight on the bands albums, but the guitar really is allowed to shine through more on the debut album than any of them. The main theme in the first track gets returned to several times throughout the song, but there is still a lot of time to develop other themes and riffs through the track, manipulating meters and even including a downtempo section, which will remind one of 'Roundabout', but in a good way. To be able to play this good, the band had to be talented, because they were basically a clone band, but a really good one.

The good thing here is that the other tracks on the first side of the album follow along quite well, and feature memorable riffs and themes that will also become endearing if you stick with the album enough to let them sink in. 'Elliptical Seasons' wakes you right up with a nice synth introduction, and also has a few short intense guitar solos that unfortunately would not get explored as much in later albums. If you started your Starcastle collection with Citadel or Fountains of Light, you might be shocked to hear the solid guitar work here. Also, in this track, the guitar bridges the gaps between themes and melodies and makes everything flow beautifully. 'Forces' continues with bright vocals and synths, the two things that stick out the most in their music. The doot-doots in the vocals will also make you instantly think of clone-city, and the sudden slowing of tempos and the thoughtful sections will also recall early Yes. There is also another rousing guitar solo stuck in between the synth and keyboard flourishes.

You have to keep in mind that they can do the Yes sound quite well, but also remember that they have two people contributing to the keys and two people playing the lead guitar parts. So, Yes was able to do this sound, and perfect it with less musicians devoted to producing their complex sound. Also, another thing that is plain here is that the music isn't quite as complex and developed as Yes. However, the music is still enjoyable if you try to not think about the clone factor.

The 2nd side of the album starts with the short instrumental 'Stargate' that works to bring in the track 'Sunfield'. The vocals in this one come in a bit weak after such a regal beginning. It all gets presented by 'Stargate' with the sonic fortitude of a Yes track, but right at the beginning of 'Sunfield' and the weak vocal, it almost falls flat. However, the synth comes in later to save the day with a good solo. The secondary theme that comes in later has a better melody, but the lyrics get repeated over and over. So, the track overall, comes off a bit weak to me, though the instrumental sections almost save it all. 'To the Fire Wind' has some rousing guitar work spread throughout the vocal sections, but tends to lose a bit of life with the continual use of wordless scat style vocals. Even though there are 4 tracks on the second side, two of them are short and interesting instrumentals, while the other two are longer tracks that aren't quite as memorable as the tracks on the first side. 'Nova' is the final short instrumental that pretty much wraps everything up in a nice way, especially the exciting percussion solo at the beginning.

Overall, it's a decent album, and those interested in Starcastle shouldn't ignore this album, in fact, the first side is quite essential for Starcastle fans. But keep in mind the second side is much weaker. If you can find this album in a discount bin or a 2nd hand record shop, then spend the 5 dollars on it. Otherwise, try to get only the best tracks (1-3, 7) digitally.