Customer Reviews

Fountains Of Light

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got this album when it first came out in 1977, and have been enjoying it ever since. Though often compared to, and obviously influenced by Yes (of whom I was also a big fan), I felt that Starcastle's music was less rhythmically complex, and richer in texture, both instrumentally and vocally, especially on this album, which I consider their best. Their 3rd album, "Citadel," is also excellent. After that, they sold out to pop influences and justly faded away. The music on this album, especially when played at sufficient volume, is a fine, sensual experience, with an ethereal quality unlike any to be found in contemporary rock. Highly recommended for discriminating progressive rock lovers.

This album is, undoubtedly, Starcastle's masterpiece. Three long songs per side that flow one into the other. They have my vote as the best American progressive rock group of the 70's. The comparisons to YES are inevitable: a high tenor vocalist, mystical lyrics, trebly bass to the forefront and tons of complex keyboard pomp. The production of Roy Thomas Baker is superb. The album flows seamlessly with not a weak link to be found. This is melodic, symphonic rock at its most precious and refined. The vocal harmonies are ethereal. The overall energy is bright and positive. Highlights (on an album of tremendous consistency) for me are the epic "Fountains" and the absolutely beautiful "Portraits" which (along with "Lady of the Lake" from their 1st album) stand alongside the best of Yes or Kansas. Their main distinction from Yes is that the music is more accessible and less self-indulgent. The band plays and harmonizes as a whole, without long, pompous, instrumental duelling between the members. This is an album that uplifts the spirit. It truly is a Fountain of Light in an era where progressive music was largely in decay. HUGELY recommended!

Even in their own time, Starcastle was slagged as a Yes-clone but these days with a whole genre of neo-prog and entire labels such as Magna Carta devoted to clone-bands, it seems acceptable to finally give this band some credit as a great prog band. Of course they were Yes clones, but they were so darned GOOD at it that it's hard to think of that as a minus.

On this, their second album, Starcastle shrugged off the last vestige of originality from the debut, the atmospheric instrumentals, and aimed for nothing less than 100% Yes. They nearly succeeded too. Still, neither guitarist could touch Steve Howe, and while Jon Anderson could hardly be called a belter, Terry Lutrell makes him sound like Louie Armstrong! In other words, the vocals are more than a bit wimpy. As on the other Starcastle albums, the real star is keyboardist Herb Schildt who was one of the most underrated prog keyboardists and turns in terrific performances all over the band's catalogue.

Fountains of Light is a rather short recording even by vinyl standards, but the length is just perfect as each song blends nicely into the next so that while this isn't a concept album, it still has that conceptual "togetherness" that the best of 70's art-rock featured. Nobody makes this type of record anymore, mainly because it's almost impossible to sustain through the hour-or-more length of CD's these days. Classic prog fans should definitely check out this band's first three albums, with this one recommended as the first to get.

Consumer note: this is a CD-R and like many CD-R's I find that the volume needs to be turned up even on good systems. The cover scan is poorly done and an affront to the original artwork, done by the same guy who did several Kansas covers. The trimming almost cuts off the lyrics at the far right of the inside cover as well, and I could have made a better back cover than this on my home computer. Still, this is about the only way you're going to find this CD and it's worth the inconvenience since it's such a good record.

Starcastle, from Champaigne-Urbana, Illinois, from the same area that brought you REO Speedwagon (in fact REO's original vocalist, Terry Luttrell is a member of Starcastle) is one of those progressive rock bands that'll hardly stun and amaze you with originality, as they did everything they could to sound just like Yes. Of course I had my skepticism on this album, because the band recorded for Epic Records, a major label not exactly known for giving musicians artistic freedom, but once I got to hear it, I was amazed. It has everything I wanted in prog rock. Great Yes-type vocal harmonies, great instrumental passages, and some catchy numbers like "Fountains", "True to the Light", "Portraits", and "Diamond Song (Deep is the Light)". It's not just the vocal harmonies and the Anderson-like voice that bears more than a stunning resemblance to Yes, but the keyboards Herb Schildt played on. He played Moog and Hammond organ, and you can hear the rather obvious references to "And You And I" ("Portraits") and "Roundabout" ("Diamond Song (Deep is the Light)"), apparently Schildt had a little trouble having an imagination of his own in the keyboard department. Drummer Stephen Tassler's style is very much in the style as Alan White's, while bassist Gary Strater played on a Rickenbacher, just like Squire himself. The music is better produced than what was on their excellent 1976 debut, and obviously showed more maturity as well. Starcastle came at a time when Yes themselves had not been releasing albums, mainly because Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, even Patrick Moraz, and Alan White been releasing solo albums (that's why there were no Yes releases between Relayer and Going For the One, except for the Yesterdays compilation). Fountains of Light is that perfect album to fool your friends. If they never heard this band, they'd swear they're listening to a Yes album they never heard before. By the way the cover to Fountains of Light was done by Peter Lloyd, the same guy who did Kansas' Song For America and Point of Know Return, as well as Jefferson Starship's Dragon Fly. Of course if you don't like clone bands, you won't like Fountains of Light, but if that doesn't bother you, give this a spin. By the way, I feel this is one of the best American prog albums I have heard from a major label.

Starcastle's best album is no mere Yes-American Style knock-off. The playing is astounding and the album breezes with confidence and technical brilliance. It's the fastest 38-minutes of music I've ever experienced. Twenty-five years down the road, it's still impressive prog rock.

It turns out that their self-titled debut album was indeed the appetizer and "Fountains" is the main course we all hungered for. All the signatures of the band's writing and playing are scattered throughout the six songs: Luttrell's lilting vocals, Schildt's nimble toccata-like runs, the backing vocals susurrating in gorgeous harmony. The writing is extraordinary; the apparent complexity of the arrangements never masks the simplicity of the melodies. No one track stands out and I suspect that every track is a favorite of a large group of fans.
If you are new to Starcastle and had been told they are a Yes clone be prepared to be wonderfully disappointed. The sound is uniquely theirs and owes little to any other band. In particular, Luttrell's soaring, playful tenor is a delightful revelation if you were just listening to Jon Anderson's thinner, harsher vocals (don't get me wrong, I love Yes to death).
The downside to "Fountains" is that you may think less of their first album and will be sorely disappointed by their next. No matter, this is one recording you will listen to many times over for many years.

Released in 1977, this pleasant album of American symphonic prog finds the band covering territory similar to that found on the debut - Yes-influenced prog rock. My general impression of this album is that while they manage to work some "Yes-isms" into their compositions, Starcastle is successful at getting their own stamp on each composition. They did not for example, simply cobble together sections of every Yes tune released but wrote pieces on their own. In this regard, I have a lot of respect for the group-they wrote music that was difficult; it sounded good; and did not feature any hard rock or "boogie" elements - fusing hard rock and prog rock together made certain American prog bands active at the time (e.g., Kansas) sell records like hotcakes. I suppose that this approach to composition may at least partially explain why the core 1970s fanbase for the band did not extend appreciably further than the Midwestern U.S. Nowadays, this may be a different story though.

The lineup on the Fountains of Light album included Terry Luttrell (lead vocals); Herb Schildt (synthesizers, Hammond organ, piano, Oberheim sequencer); the late Gary Strater (Rickenbacker bass, moog pedals, vocals); Stephen Hagler (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals); Matthew Stewart (electric and acoustic guitars; and Stephen Tassler (drums, percussion, and vocals). All of the musicians are great and I especially appreciate Gary's thick trebly tone he gets out of his Rickenbacker bass - he was an excellent player very much in the Chris Squire school. Herb Schildt gets some nice synth tones, although he does seem to overuse the right hand arpeggios on the mini-moog that sound like something off of Close to the Edge (Yes, 1972). It is not too distracting though. The vocal harmonies are excellent though-these guys put a lot of effort into them and Terry's high pitched lead vocal shines through.

Musically the tunes feature high energy prog compositions that are heavy on melody and are actually very cheery and upbeat. This absence of darkness in their compositions most likely led to the disparaging "Yes-lite" comments fired at the band by their detractors. I for one don't mind the cheeriness at all...it is kind of refreshing. There are also a few quieter passages that feature acoustic instruments and spacy synthesizer parts that make for a nice dynamic contrast.

This particular version of the CD is not the greatest thing in the world but attempts to reproduce the original LP cover art and gatefold art. The sound quality is pretty good.

Around the time of the release of Fountains of Light, Starcastle was touring small venues and college campuses with arena rock bands like Journey and Foreigner providing support. Unfortunately, Fountains of Light would prove to be the last prog album by the band, after which they would (reluctantly) cave in to the record companies need for more commercial appeal with the release of Citadel, 1977, and the poorly received Real to Reel, 1978. Fountains of Light is recommended to those folks that are interested in exploring American progressive rock along with the eponymous debut album (1976). Other great American prog albums include a few by Kansas (Song for America, 1975; and Leftoverture, 1976).

I really prefer the original debut album "starcastle" much more innovative; the "Fountains" album is actually better on the studiomanship - mixing, execution etc. but this album lacks the great creative spark of their first album.

More new age sounding. The raw edge is gone.

Since everyone compares Starcastle to Yes - I would say this album is more "Closer to the Edge" the debut album is more "Fragile". Ironically, I prefer CTTE over Fragile - though they are both 5 star albums.

I don't deny that Lutrell's voice is similar to that of Chris Squire in Fish Out Of Water and a couple of other background vocals in Yes itself, or that the moog and keyboard pieces in this album sound like the bit in And You And I and the main riff of Yours Is No Disgrace, or that the guitar riffs sound like Steve Howe's introduction melodies in To Be Over, The Ancient and Future Times. Other than these BITS Starcastle is totally different from Yes.

Which Starcastle song is similar to Roundabout, the suite Close To The Edge, Gates Of Delirium, Sound Chaser, Parallels, Going For The One, etc.?????

I know what you're thinking. Even if you haven't heard them yet and just doing a little research on Starcastle, I know what you've read about `em. But I'm gonna be original & not mention That 'Big 5' Prog Band...wink wink. What I will say is that on their 2nd album, Fountains of Light, Starcastle take a noticeable step in the right direction with a sound that's closer to their own....sort of. This time, they also sound more like Crosby, Stills & Nash (harmonies) meets Styx (nearly everything else).

As much as I enjoy Starcastle, I'm still left feeling somewhat empty afterwards. There's just not quite enough 'meat' to them. Prog-lite. You can hear the great potential & they're certainly fun to listen to, but for me, the subliminal distraction is knowing who they remind you of.

FOL is a huge improvement over their self-titled debut. These guys can play & sing well. What I find fantastic on this and the debut is Gary Strater's bass playing. Very creative & melodic on just about every track. They hadn't yet moved on from "Praise The Light"-type of lyrics on FOL, but the stand-out tracks are the opener & closer: "Fountains" & "Diamond Song" respectively.

This album is an easy & likeable listen. I believe that even those who insist every album sounds exactly like....That Big 5 Prog Band, would at least see some growth here.