STARCASTLE

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STARCASTLE is slavishly imitative of Yes, but other influences can sometimes be discerned. If you can forgive the band their shameless lack of originality (I certainly can't), the track "Lady of the Lake" is pretty good, but I find this group to be strictly non-essential. I don't know if they ever developed their own sound, because the formulaic, imitation-Yes approach on this disc made me ignore all subsequent releases.

One for the "deleted" bin!

You like YES? get this record! I never seen a progressive group resembling so much to YES like STARCASTLE. In many songs, I see the "Close To The Edge" influence (the experimental guitar on "Lady Of The Lake", the keyboards on "Sunfield", the vocals on "To The Fire Wind"). The bass, the vocals, the keyboards and the guitars sound like YES!! Bits on "Forces" remind me the good TRIUMVIRAT of ELP. Definitely the best album of STARCASTLE.

One of the more unjustly reveiled prog rock bands, STARCASTLE is that band that I'd recommend highly if you like YES and don't mind a band copying their sound. STARCASTLE came from Champagne-Urbana, Illinois, same place as REO Speedwagon. In fact REO's original vocalist Terry Luttrell was STARCASTLE's vocalist as well. STARCASTLE consisted of Luttrell, keyboardist Herb Schildt, bassist Gary Strater, drummer Stephen Tassler, guitarist Matthew Stewart, and guitarist Stephen Hagler. Tassler used roto-toms, Strater used a Rickenbacker bass, and Herb Schildt used Mini Moog and Hammond organ.

The album opens up with "Lady of the Lake", complete with Steve HOWE-like guitars and Rick WAKEMAN-like organ, you might think you're listening to a lost Yes recording. The vocal harmonies, not to mention Luttrell's ANDERSON-like vocals is very much like YES. And that YES-like sound is obvious with songs like "Elliptical Seasons", "Forces", and "Sunfield". "Sunfield" oddly reminds me of something off "Tormato", although that album wouldn't even see the light of day for two more years. "To the Fire Wind" has vocal harmonies in one passage that's more like CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG than YES (probably to show that YES' vocal harmonies were influenced by CSNY). There are also a couple instrumental pieces as well too. Definately underappreciated prog rock, but given the label this band was on (Epic Records), it could have been a lot worse. So if you don't mind a band cloning YES, get this, if you can't stand that idea, avoid.

There's nothing wrong with Starcastle that a little originality would not have cured...It's not that the music is that bad, it's just...not good. All kidding aside (...), this "poor mans' Yes" is not nearly as bad as some claim. I even liked Elliptical Seasons, much of Forces, and the second half of Sunfield (which includes - hold on to your hats - a section in 9/8!). The music is super-derivative, with the band "mimicking" Yes' various sounds: Wakeman's keyboards, Squire's bass, Howe's guitars (less successfully), and the groups' "trademark" vocal harmonies. Starcastle are actually reasonably good, disciplined musicians, and they capture one of the most classic Yes "sounds" - Squire's deep bass against the higher notes of Wakeman's keyboards and/or Howe's guitars - pretty well. As well, the vocals, though painfully obvious "clones" of Yes, are actually not bad (though they have far too many "dit-dit" sections). The lyrics are perhaps less successful in their attempts to "capture" Yes: although they are filled with colors, seasons, and space references (the word "sun" is used quite a lot), they simply can't match the unique "other-worldly" pseudo-gravitas quality of many of Anderson's lyrics. (Whereas it was fun to take lots of LSD and try to figure out what the heck Anderson was talking about, reading Starcastle lyrics on LSD might send one on a "bad trip"...) One odd thing is that all the songs end with abrupt stops: apparently, the band never learned how to "fade" - and some of the songs might actually have benefitted from it. / Although Yes purists (and many others) consider Starcastle a joke, they are not as painful to listen to as, say, Ayreon or other super-bombastic, pompous, pretentious bands: although Starcastle "wears its influence on its sleeve," at least they have some respect for that influence, and have some fun with their music.

STARCASTLE have been historically slagged and tagged as nothing more than a plastic second rate YES clone band to which I do not subscribe to. Without a question the music of YES shaped this band and musically there are some very strong similarities, but having said that the first album is total enjoyment with 7 great songs. STARCASTLE blend fantasty- space keyboards, Richenbacher bass lines, and pointed guitars with some fantastic vocal harmonies. Musically these guys were top notch with shifting time signature changes, instrumental prowess and their unique ability to create that certain prog lovers Dream-like fantasy themes. So let the debates continue to rage on whether these guys were original but with way I say they were very progressive ! An excellent album

As a youngster I had seen Starcatle's third album 'Citadel' on the racks and was intrigued by the cover art, but never made the purchase, so I had hankered after the band's records for years and was tempted when their fikrst and second albums came up on a random e-bay search on vinyl. A couple of weeks later and the records arrived, in good nick and just itching to be dropped on the turnatble. But, oh, the fear and trepidation. I had heard in the years of waiting that they were nothing but sad Yes plagiarists, slavish wannabes who could only badly ape their heroes. They lacked spark, invention, individuality. And initially I feel into the negative camp. They did indeed sound a lot like Yes, but a Yes without the drive, fire and aggression. It all sounded a bit... well, limp. And so I tucked the records into the collection under 'S' and also 'Failed Experiment'. And there they sat, for months on end. But something drew me back. No idea why, but there was something there begging for another chance and now I'm really glad I gave them another shot. This first Starcastle is a little gem. A pleasant little gem. No it doesn't have the inventivenes of prime period Yes, or the fiery skill of Yes. But it dfoesn't matter. This is a record that despite the handicap the band gives itself by pledging such faithful allegiance to its heroes, does stand on its own two feet. And it does so by blending some really good melodies with a very American (to my ears) take on the Yes template. This could only have come from the States. There's bits of Kansas, Styx, any AOR sound you care to mention. There must be something in the midwest water for all these bands to share the same sense of melody. Couple that with some great playing (particularly from keys and bass) and you've got an album that ticks a lot of the right boxes. The albums sets it's stall out early with the first, biggest and best track, Lady of the Lake, which is built on a lovely revolving guitar and organ riff which is quickly bolstered by some pedalling Squire-like bass playing. It gives way to a lovely harmony-rich verse which is just, well, happy. It's feelgood summertime AOR prog, if such a thing could be said to exist. There's a very Yes mid section (driven by a Howe-esque solo from Hagler) which in turn gives way to dreamy ambient section fleshed out with guitar swells and washy keys before it's all wrapped up with a reprise of the verse in the big finale. That sets the template for the whole album. 'Elliptical Seasons' is a sparkling 12-string acoustic guitar-driven song, the guitar bathed in large washes of string synths (very mid-70s AOR and you can almost draw a straight line from this to something like Triumph). It also features some lovely harmonies and a neat monosynth solo. Forces is very Yes, with singer Terry Luttrell really turning on the pseudo-Jon Anderson affectations, complete with the Yes man's trademark do-do-do-do vocalisations. It's a shame that they choose to so so slavishly ape these Yes trademarks because they certainly had enough of their own identity to have forged a career other than as being 'the best band in the world that isn't quite Yes'. Having said that, this is a real grower. It's a charming album, has some great playing, some lovely melodies and won't disappoint. If you're a hardcore Yes fan then it might annoy you greatly but once you accept the limitations their adulation of Yes imposed upon Starcastle then you'll learn to love this.

Oh my! Imagine being a really talented prog musician in the US in the mid 70s. Imagine meeting other such musicians. Imagine finding out that you are all fans of Yes. Imagine playing superb music together. Imagine recording it. Imagine playing it to your deaf grandma whose most recent musical investment was a coin given to an organ grinder's monkey. Imagine getting whacked around the side of the head by said ancient as even she instantly spots your shameless plagiarism!

Sorry, about that reverie. You'll have to forgive the imagination I put into it, because I found that I had to supply all the imagination when it comes to this record. Sure most bands have influences, and there are some bands who may project theirs a little too strongly (in fact Starcastle's compatriots Yezda Urfa and Cathedral both also suffered from a questionable degree of allegiance to the Yes cause), but very rarely do bands go through these lengths to imitate their idols (the other obvious example being Japan's Bi Kyo Ran whose King Crimson fixation was also too much!)

I honestly can't imagine (there's that word again) what must have gone through the minds of the musicians who made this. Because let me tell you, they are damn good musicians. But, why oh why, does every song here sound like a Yes outtake? Take Elliptical Seasons, great vocals from Terry Luttrell, outstanding acoustic guitar touches (I'm not sure if its Stewart or Haggler who did it) and some great keyboard lines from Herb Schildt. The problem is that Messrs Anderson, Howe and Wakeman had already done it before ... rather well I might add.

Taken on its own the music here is pretty darn good, and is probably better than half the albums Yes recorded ... but still this is one album that simply cannot be viewed in isolation. Songs like the blistering Lady Of The Lake, Forces and To The Fire Wind (Schildt's synth solo here is superb!) are damn good songs, but the lack of originality is unforgivable and frequently cringe-worthy. In To The Fire Wind, Luttrell even apes Jon Anderson faux-mystical lyrical mumbo-jumbo to perfection ... "In the impulse of daylight, those remaining will catch the sight, eager to renew their fight". To go public with such plagiarism is both unnecessarily flattering to Yes and a real disservice to the talents of the individual musicians who played on this album.

If you can forgive the clone band thing, this really is a good record, but I still struggle to understand what could possibly have made them do it. ... 52% on the MPV scale

This 76 Yes album, oooops, sorry, Starcastle debut is very good. It is almost not necessary to say that Yes influence is evident, since Starcastle is known by the strong Yes influence. The vocals are similar to Anderson's, the bass and guitar player similar to Howe and Squire. Keys and drums are similar too, but the results are slightly different. I will say clearly: if you like Yes, you will like this one. At least they are competent to do a sound like Yes. And if it was a pure plagiarism, I would give 1 star to the album, but we must consider that they were talented enough to do good songs, like Yes ones. Some synthesizers seems like ELP, some guitar solos are quite different from the Yes ones, but the overall is pure Yes.

Lady of the Lake is the lenghty track of this one, with good guitar and synthesizer. The instrumental bridge and interlude are great, with interesting Moog solos. The highlights are the instrumental parts, which are numerous and very skilled playing, good harmonies and melodies, which varies constantly

The second song, Elliptical Seasons has the remembers other bands than Yes a little in the beginning, but the bass and the vocals can't deny that main influence is Yes. The acoustic guitar is quite interesting, the guitar solo too.

Forces has a interesting intro, with many synthesizers and different riffs, until the singing starts and you think you left an Yes album in your Stereo. The short moog solos are good to the mood, the mellow part in the middle could be nothing more Yes. Good instrumental and that is all.

Stargate Sunfield is the best piece of the album. The intro is great, synthesizer lead, with percussion, giving a good mood. Then comes the second part that is synthesizer based too, with the traditional Yes singing like and some interesting instrumental interlude and the instrumental passage until the end.

To The Fire Wind starts with great organ and guitar, but by 1 minute turns into a Yes-like song. The keys in this one are a great combination between Moog and organ solos. The moog solo is specially good. The double guitar solo at the end too, very good.

Nova is a short song, with a percussive start, then Moog Synthesizer solo (mini-moog), some organ sounding like Wakeman's, a good guitar riff and some more "progressive jamming" (if you can imagine this).

That's all for this Yes, errr... Starcastle album. Ok, it is almost an Yes album, it sounds like Yes, but it is pretty good. Buy this one, put in the middle of your Yes cds (if you arrange them in cronological order, like me, put it between Yesterdays and Going for the One). Think it is Yes and enjoy. Do not lose the opportunity of having a good symphonic prog album from the late 70's because the band sounds like Yes. It would be bad if they sounded like Village People or Sex Pistols. Enjoy it, recommended!

2,5 stars

A Yes clone? Yes, certainly. This first effort from 1976 is in "The Yes album" vein, and may also evoke the gentle mind of Camel/Moonmadness from the same year. The lead singer has a voice similar to Jon Anderson, but the music is of course less inspired and intense than Yes. The pieces are short and suffer from a binary rhythm and a lack of progression, but some nice instrumental parts remain. A light, but pleasant record for symphonic prog lovers.

Starcastle came up in my rotation today. It's only been in my CD collection for a couple of years now, but I am well acquainted with the LP from the LP era. I never "cassetted" it so it faded from my musical attention. They also didn't release a lot of albums before they dropped out of the scene.

It's an understatement to say that these guys borrowed heavily from the style of '70's Yes. The songs are almost as close to Yes as you can get without actually covering Yes songs. They were also influenced by other progressive music of the time. You can condemn them for lacking in originality, but the musicianship ain't too shabby. Cool album covers, too.

I looked at them as a band worth having if you just couldn't get enough Yes music back then. Hey, at least they didn't follow Yes into 90210 (sick) territory. Actually, it seems they went in that direction (popish) a few years before. Pioneers! (Heh heh).

They've got their first new studio album since 1978 due out in March 2007 "Song of Times" on ProgRock Records. I'm interested to see what they've done. Let's hope they've come to their prog senses and maybe we'll get some originally styled stuff out of these guys.

As for this release, I don't think many prog fans of Yes's 1970's material, hungry for more of the same, would be disappointed with their debut album. I might have to go back and check out number two, Fountains of Light, myself.

In those remote days, there were some bands who were playing some Genesis ("Neuschwanstein") and Yes ("Starcastle") music. If you need an additional shot of Yes music (performed by another band), I guess that you will try this album (to start with).

In this genre, I have to say that "Starcastle" might be a good option. Do bear in mind though, that theyt are NOT Yes. But you will quickly discover this.

Compositions are rather average and I guess that if the link with the master was not so obvious, very few attention would have risen from their "original" work. This being said, I do spin their albums once in a while. Instrumental moments are the best ones here. When I listen to most of the vocals, I just can't stand it.

There are lots of singers with the Gabriel tone of voice. Usually, they are doing from OK to very good. It does not seem to be the same with Jon.

Songs to listen to ? Probably "Lady Of The Lake", "Forces" and "Sunfiled". One song has to be avoided by all means : "Nova".

I am a rather nostalgic guy, believe me. But I can't get thrilled with this "Starcastle" debut. Even the cover seems a bit too much. Maybe a later release...

Two stars.

Much has been made about Starcastle being a poor American Yes clone, and for good reason. But any band that sounds so close to Yes and exhibits good songwriting and stellar playing can't be that bad. Indeed, this is band that delivers pleasing music. Two major elements give rise to this praise or accusation (depending on the critic): Gary Strater's bass tone is unmistakably similar to that trebly punch of Chris Squire, and Terry Luttrell just sounds uncannily like Jon Anderson at many points. But I hear many other influences here, namely ELP, Camel, and Gentle Giant. In addition, there's some highly original compositions present really worth hearing.

"Lady of the Lake" The most creative and engaging song on the album, it is also the lengthiest. The guitar playing is more than sufficient, ringing out nice and clean despite the use of distortion. Herb Schildt's organ solo sounds much more like Emerson did on Tarkus or Pictures at an Exhibition than anything Wakeman or Kaye ever did. The light atmospheric section is much brighter than, but very similar to the softest section of "Close to the Edge."

"Elliptical Seasons" That twelve-string acoustic introduction may easily be compared to "And You and I," but the rest of the song moves toward a funk-driven direction. The lead singer stands alone (rather than clothing himself with heavy vocal harmonies). The synthesizer lead, however, reminds me of Peter Bardens of Camel.

"Forces" Here, Luttrell does not sound as much like Anderson, stripped of the harmonies as he is. The vocalizations of "I've Seen All Good People" are present here. This time, the synthesizer tone is very similar to that of Wakeman's on "And You and I." Other than that, this song sounds incredibly original and fresh.

"Stargate" A light synthesizer and lead make up this terse, building instrumental, as drums, guitar, and bass butt in at several points. However, I can't shake the feeling that the band decided to reinterpret Stravinsky's finale to his Firebird Suite (which Yes frequently used as an introduction at live shows); it just sounds too convenient, especially since it goes right into the next track.

"Sunfield" The vocals here are a tad embarrassing. They sound out of place, poorly mixed, and spouting goofy lyrics. Otherwise, the music is stellar, with more fantastic keyboard and bass carrying on. Schildt is the clear star here, giving his synthesizer a workout. The guitars both take a more submissive role, similar in vein to Gary Green of Gentle Giant.

"To the Fire Wind" Heavy and oddly timed organ chords run under some strange punctuation just before the lead guitar comes in, leading into the harmony-ridden vocals. The vocalizations grow a bit stale though, but inward bound is a fantastic synthesizer solo before the introduction overtakes things again. The guitarists do get a shot at showing their stuff, assaulting the listener from both speakers.

"Nova" Tribal drumming initiates this odd album closer. The rest of the instrumental uses the instruments in an odd arrangement, with punctuating organ as guitar and synthesizer play various leads. Sadly, the strong bassist has nearly no place.