Starcastle
| Starcastle | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Champaign, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Progressive rock |
| Years active |
1969-1987 1997-2007 |
| Labels | Epic Records |
| Website | www.starcastlerocks.com |
| Past members |
Gary Strater Matt Stewart Steve Hagler Steve Tassler Herb Schildt Terry Luttrell Ralph Goldhiem Mauro Magellan George Harp Scott McKenzie Bruce Botts Mark McGee |
Starcastle were a progressive rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1969, the group played many shows under the names Pegasus and Mad John Fever before eventually settling on Starcastle. They inked their first record deal with Epic Records and received extensive airplay and frequently played in the St. Louis area. The original lineup included former REO Speedwagon vocalist Terry Luttrell and computing author/programmer Herb Schildt, while the mid-1980s lineup would briefly include guitarist Mark McGee, who would go on to join Vicious Rumors. They released four albums on both the Epic and CBS labels. The band's eponymous debut album Starcastle sold well, garnering worldwide airplay.
Their later albums - "Fountains of Light", "Citadel" and "Real to Reel" - did not sell as well as the first and they were often criticized for sounding too musically similar to Yes. They were opening acts for such bands as Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, Boston, Rush, Journey and others.
In 2002, Gary Strater, Steve Tassler and Steve Hagler all released solo albums on the band's own Sunsinger label. This led to work on the band's final album Song of Times, before Gary Strater's untimely passing on September 19, 2004 from pancreatic cancer. Song of Times was released in 2007.[1]
As recently as June 2012, some surviving band members were working on a new archive release.[2]
Personnel
- Gary Strater - Bass, Moog Taurus (1969–1987, 1997–2004; died 2004)
- Matt Stewart - Guitar (1969–1981, 1997–2006)
- Steve Hagler - Guitar (1969–1980, 2006)
- Steve Tassler - Drums (1969–1980, 2006)
- Herb Schildt - Keyboards (1969–1978, 1997–2006)
- Terry Luttrell - Vocals (1973–1978, 2006)
- Ralph Goldhiem - Vocals, Keyboards (1979–1981)
- Mauro Magellan - Drums (1980–1981)
- George Harp - Vocals (1982–1987, 2017-Present)
- Scott McKenzie - Drums (1982–1987)
- Bruce Botts- Guitar (1982–1985, 1997–Present)
- Mark McGee - Guitar (1985–1986)
Timeline
Discography
Studio Albums
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Starcastle | First studio album. |
| 1977 | Fountains of Light | Re-issued on CD in 1998. |
| 1977 | Citadel | Features cover art by the famous Brothers Hildebrandt. Re-issued on CD in 1998. |
| 1978 | Real to Reel | Re-issued on CD in 1998. |
| 2001 | Chronos I | Archive release featuring demos and unreleased tracks. |
| 2007 | Song of Times | Starcastle's final album |
Live Albums
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Alive In America: Live 1978 | also released as Shine On Brightly and Concert Classics Volume 5 |
Solo Albums
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | eleven to the fourth twice | Gary Strater. Synthesized electronic ambient music based on fractal equations. |
| 2002 | Alive Beyond Recognition | All compositions, performances, programming and production by Steve Tassler. |
| 2002 | Echoes of Light | Steve & Carol Hagler. |
References
External links
Authority control  |
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