Starz' sophomore album, Violation, was quite similar to its predecessor. Jack Douglas was still the band's producer, and Starz continued to favor the type of slick, commercial hard rock that would be called pop-metal in the '80s and early '90s. This 1977 LP didn't establish Starz as major players in the pop-metal field; the New Yorkers did have a small following, although not a huge one. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable record.
Tracks like "Cherry Baby" and "Rock Six Times" are certainly decent. Most of the time, Starz vocalist Michael Lee Smith sings about the same things that Kiss and Sweet were singing about in the '70s; namely, all-night parties and wild young women in tight dresses. Starz's lyrics, as a rule, were meant to be fun, not profound, and while Violation didn't go down in history as one of pop-metal's all-time classics, it's worth hearing if you're a fan of the style.
by Alex Henderson
Tracks
1. Cherry Baby - 3:47
2. Rock Six Times - 3:13
3. Sing It, Shout It (Brendan Harkin, Richie Ranno, Pieter "Pete" Sweval, Jeff Grob, Michael Lee Smith, Jon Parrot, Sean Delaney) - 5:10
4. Violation - 4:28
5. Subway Terror - 3:43
6. All Night Long - 3:28
7. Cool One - 3:41
8. S.T.E.A.D.Y. - 5:40
9. Is That A Street Light Or The Moon ? - 3:18
10.Do It With The Lights On - 3:34
11.Cool One - 3:22
12.Rock This Town (Richie Ranno, Brendan Harkin, Jeff Grob, Michael Lee Smith) - 2:47
All songs by Brendan Harkin, Richie Ranno, Pieter "Pete" Sweval, Jeff Grob, Michael Lee Smith except where indicated.
Bonus tracks 10-12
The Starz
*Michael Lee Smith - Vocals
*Richie Ranno - Guitar
*Brendan Harkin - Guitar
*Pieter "Pete" Sweval - Bass
*Joe X. Dubé - Drums
1976 Starz - Starz (2005 bonus tracks remaster)
