Customer Reviews

Violation

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

 

 

Striking while the iron was hot, Starz' "Violation" is another parade of smart, tightly constructed and compressed bursts of six-string effervescense, lean, dirty and riff oriented as the band, feeling their oats, let their creative psyche run wild, another Jack Douglas knob job, not as brawny as the debut but targeted with a purpose at middlest America.

Shoulda-been-huge summer heartland single "Cherry Baby" is confident jangle pop with a metallic basecoat, ringing guitars, an insistent, loping bass line courtesy of the late Peter Sweval, and harmonies and a melody you may need to scrape off your cerebellum with a spatula, quite likely the greatest song these guys ever wrote. To his eternal credit, Michael Lee Smith doesn't try to overpower or overstate his vocal delivery, but, like any great front man worth his salt, plays to the camera nonetheless, in turn creating a chorus for the ages.

"Sing It, Shout It" opens with deceptively jazzy Brenden Harkin strumming remniscent of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Blue Collar" before positively blossoming into another solid-as-oak Starz shouter, brimming with another strutting, euphoric Smith turn at the mic. Kiss may have had the stage props, but Starz fed 'em their lunch when it came to songwriting.

The manic title track would fit snugly on The Sweet's "Desolation Boulevard" or "Give Us A Wink" with an opening drum pattern copped from "Ballroom Blitz," a cautionary tale set in the not too distant future where "The Committee" has decreed that something as harmless as listening to rock and roll music is, uh, a violation. Even though Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz, who now maintains his own web site from within prison walls, didn't do his dirty work on the tube, "Subway Terror" will forever bring him to mind, four-string thunder courtesy of Sweval.

From there it's down the home stretch and back to the shed with the classy "All Night Long," the sleazy flamboyance of "Cool One" (chicken soup for the soul - "She reached over and she squeezed on my rocks/I lost it all in the popcorn box, yeah"), and the vaguely Aerosmithesque "S.T.E.A.D.Y.," the band kicking up a fair amount of dust before coming to a screeching halt with the flaccid theatrics of "Is That A Street Light Or The Moon?" What were they thinking?

At that point, Starz appeared indestructible, but despite an upward spike in sales to 350,000, the wheels came off after "Violation" in what smells suspiciously like our heroes caving in to record company demands for a hit with the soft, flirtatious radio rock of "Attention Shoppers!" "Coliseum Rock" was a slight return to form, but by that point the band was done like dinner, at least in Capitol's eyes.

Starz was seemingly poised to hit the big time...make that the big, big time...when this album appeared. Everything was in place. Great band, good songs, top notch stage act. Somehow, it just did not come together. Was "Violation" a disappointment? Sales wise, yes. As far as the music is concerned, however, it delivers the goods on all counts. The should-have-been-a-smash-single "Cherry Baby", "the title track, "All Night Long", and the hilariously naughty "Cool One" show a band hitting it's prime. For all you metal fans out there who missed out the first time around, pick this one up and give it a listen. You may find yourself wondering why this band disappeared after only four studio albums.

Great CD from somewhat ignored band; however, for those of you who would like to purchase the original 4 cd's, I suggest you enter Starz into your search engine and if you muddle through the first couple of pages you will notice you can still buy these discs for about $15.00 plus shipping. Just a little capitalistic advice.

This album put Starz into the FM radio spotlight and some am play also!! Songs like Cherry Baby and Sing it,Shout it made the hit charts!!I love Rock 6 times, Subway Terror, and the bonus tracks are excellent also. Better deal than the Medal Blade release!! More music for the money!! This cd and the Starz ~Starz cd are gems with Coliseuim Rock!! Buy them all now before they are out of print again!!!

I remember buying this LP at a Murphy's Mart when I was in High School when we went shopping as a family. The sticker said "Featuring the hit song 'Cherry Baby'", but I never heard that song on the radio. The songs "Subway Terror" and "Violation" are just brutal. S.T.E.A.D.Y. takes awhile to grow on you but then becomes one of the best tunes on the album. "Rock Six Times" is another fine rocker. Except for the strange "Is that a Street Light.......", every song is a winner here. The lyrics to "Cool One" still crack me up, "She reached over and she squeezed on my rocks, I lost it all in the popcorn box, yeah." One complaint: NO BONUS TRACKS! Richie Ranno has been selling all kinds of Starz demos and live shows on their website for years. Why not treat the diehard fans with some cool stuff not offered on the Metal Blade reissues a decade ago. This is less than 40 minutes long. Or you could have combined the debut and this on one CD for a true collection. Anyway, Starz lost it after this CD and went looking to test the AOR market with the follow up to this with "Attention Shoppers." Why????? The band sounded tight and had the songs. I saw them live on this tour. To switch musical directions like that was insane. That is why they never made the big time. Fan confusion. This "Violation" was simply their best album. Find it used if possible. Then BUY IT! The album is great, it just could have been a better package with more songs. Great for fans of 70's Aerosmith, Kiss, Nugent. Check out their debut as well.

There's this kid from the future, and his name, see, is Johnny. Johnny and his girl, Cherry, survived the war, and now live under the guidance of The Committee. The Committee likes nice, well behaved boys who "join the Union, learn to bowl." But something happened to Johnny. He was being a bad shoplifter at the Welfare Store where he snagged a "scratchy little record called Walk This Way." Johnny was turned into a rock and roll rebel who just wants to "rock six times, all right," but when the repression gets to be too much, he cracks and goes on both a sex spree and a killing spree. "The Committee says 'shape up'," and sends in Dr Klein to "steady" Johnny up. Who will win?

Sound a little life "2112" to you? Well, Starz DID have a drummer with a great handlebar moustache, but that and the dystopian future was were the similarities end. Starz didn't want to be prog-rock Ayn rand devotees, they wanted to be Aerosmith. And each of these albums, in their own way, is a classic in its genre and time. For Starz, who wanted nothing less than to be hard rocking bad boys, "Violation" was their most ambitious and cohesive album, succeeding in their own way in making a hard rock classic. The darn thing even managed a hit single, with the pop-rock brilliance of "Cherry Baby."

All around, though, "Violation" is loaded with killer hooks, stun-guitar riffs, catchy choruses and lead singer Michael Lee Smith's charismatic vocals. "Subway Terror" managed to be both menacing and wickedly funny at the same time (as the killer croons to his next would-be victim, "by God, this blade is razor sharp, do you know how to play a harp?" The goofy sex romp of "Cool One" is all double entendre joke (and pretty juvenile, as one would guess), but contains the great line about making out at the movies "That's when me and the cavalry came." And frankly, if you aren't shouting along to the title track after the second listening, back up and try again.

Unfortunately, the success of "Violation" had a double edge. Capitol smelled mega-success and tried to boost the band more towards power-pop than rock, and it started causing rifts in the band. After all, this was a band who had a legendary underground boot-leg of a concert only fave called "P!sz Party." Trying to get that faction of the band to "clean-up" sapped their strength. "Violation" became Starz' creative high water mark, from the music to the burning logo in the desert painting that composed the cover. It's a lost classic of the seventies.

Violation was Starz second release and what an excellent follow up to the debut! Kicking off with the infectious pop metal of "Cherry Baby" the album sets it's stall out straight away. Next up is Rock Six Times which is a great kick out and have a good time song. Throughout this album you just cannot resist picking up the old air guitar/microphone whatever and having a real good rock!
Violation the monster of a title track deals with the authorities in charge trying to quell the guys rebellious ways.
This album is nothing short of a masterpiece and ends with the haunting Streetlight or the Moon,still after all these year,this album is still a good listen.

1. Cherry Baby-9/10
2. Rock Six Times-7/10
3. Sing It, Shout It-9/10
4. Violation-10/10
5. Subway Terror-10/10
6. All Night Long-7/10
7. Cool One-7/10
8. S.T.E.A.D.Y.-7/10
9. Is That a Street Light or the Moon?-10/10

STARZ-VIOLATION: This high octane 70s rock quintet featured one time pop idol Rex Smith's brother Michael on heatsinkin' lead vocals, as well as two former members of BRANDY hitmakers LOOKING GLASS, but unfortunately STARZ never became as big as their name implied. A pity, because VIOLATION, their hands-down best album effort, was chock full of slick 'n sleazy dumb-fun boot stompers tailor made for party time. Harmony-soaked radio hit CHERRY BABY, the futuristic title tune, and would be arena anthem SING IT, SHOUT IT were possibly too heavy for AM radio yet too pop for FM rock stations. Starz boasted a cool logo and a grabbag o' righteous hooks, but fell through the cracks in the record racks, deserving far better status than a mere footnote in music annals...a "VIOLATION" indeed.

RATING: FOUR STARZ

I've always loved this album. I was missing it terribly from my life when I discovered it on Amazon, remastered. The remastering is excellent. They have captured the sonic excellence of the original album plus. The album has that great guitar sounds that seems like it's being played it the same room as the listener at times. Of course, Micheal Lee's vocals scream with digital clarity. Fantastic, absolutely fantastic!

It's been too long of a time between the Metal Blade CD and this remastered Ryko offering. BUY IT!! Well worth the wait.

Probably my favorite Starz album (ooops-showing my age) of the original Capitol LP's. Melodic power pop/rock--songs you can still wail away on air guitar and sing along with.

Nikki Sixx even said it, that Starz should've/could've been the next big thing after Aerosmith and Kiss. Remember this was released in 1977. Why it didn't happen---thoughts abound BUT nonetheless, the album is a great glimpse into the music in '77.

Listen to 'Cool One' and then take a date to the movies!!
Feel very safe the next time you ride the public tansportation after hearing 'Subway Terror'----"I like to dirty up-you're little skirty up..."

A very very very loose concept album (according to 1977 reviews). The music just flows from track to track.

Don't forget to check out the official Starz website at starzcentral.com---The boys have been back together and toured this past fall. Recommended watching.