STARZ vs. ANGEL

It seems that if you are a fan of ANGEL, you are also a fan of STARZ, and visa versa. For those of you who are familiar with and enjoy both, which do you prefer?

I'm more of a Cinemax guy myself.











Sorry, I'll stop posting now.

spectrefate wrote:

I'm more of a Cinemax guy myself.

How come I can't vote? I'd vote Angel, only because I own one album. I own nothing by Starz (though I've been meaning to give them a try). What's the connection? Same dudes?

Eyesore wrote:

How come I can't vote? I'd vote Angel, only because I
own one album. I own nothing by Starz (though I've been meaning to give
them a try). What's the connection? Same dudes?

No. Similar sound. American pomp rock from the 70's. I use to get a lot
of mail from people about my site before I added Starz. Angel fans
would mail me and say, nice site but how can you like Angel and not
have Starz? They have nothing in common as far as members.

Angel, hands down.

Starz were always a little overrated imo although they had some great songs as opposed to great albums.

How come you can't vote?

my vote is for:

I'd say ANGEL...

although my fave of the pomp rock bands is RAIL.....

Angel. Starz never really did much for me. But the one thing I didn't like about Angel is that they had sort of an identity crisis on their first three classic albums. They weren't sure whether they wanted to be a pomp/prog band or a party attitude band, so as much as I liked those albums I never found them cohesive. Kind of schitzoid. I guess there were a lot of bands that were searching for a market/identity back then. My favorites were Legs Diamond.

You know what i call this type of music Sahb, Late 70's North American Stadium Metal! You know Moxy, Teaze, Legs Diamond, Angel, Starz, Diamond Reo, Rex, Derringer, Riot, Yesterday And Today etc.

Dag, Scott...this is as difficult a poll as I have ever seen. Both bands were huge musical inspirations to me. I'm not so sure I can vote on this. But if forced to, I'd go with STARZ.

ANGEL...Man, I love all 5 of their studio LP's from the 70's. Even picking a favorite among their LPs is too difficult. I kind of like the more commercial edge of "Sinful" from '79 the best, even though with most bands I prefer the earlier works 90+% of the time. "Sinful" was a commercial masterpiece, IMO, even though the rest of the world unfortunately didn't think so. Every song on the record was killer to me. Check out "L.A. Lady," "I'll Bring The Whole World To Your Door," "Bad Time," "Just Can't Take It," "Wild And Hot," "Waited A Long Time," etc. Gregg Giuffria was amazing. His playing was perhaps the most definitive part of ANGEL's sound. I liked Frank DiMino's vocals a lot, too. I met this girl in '95 through another friend of mine and to my amazement, she and I, unbeknownst to each other, both loved the song "She's A Mover" off the 3rd LP (beautifully written and Frank's vocals are perfect). A couple of other songs that I liked, that don't normally stick out to most, were "Hold Me, Squeeze Me," "Flying With Broken Wings," "Feelings" and "On The Rocks." Ha, the lyrics to "On The Rocks" could have just as easily been written by those sleazy STARZ guys...lol One last thing...the album cover to "Sinful" was one of the best ever created, IMO (total 1970's). I love the old "band photo" covers from that era.

STARZ...I enjoyed all 4 of their records about equally. Much like KISS, they were really sleazy (even sleazier than KISS when it came to a live setting). Lyrics aside, they wrote some great music, IMO. Richie Ranno and Brendan Harkin were one of my favorite guitar duos of that time period. I saw their reunion DVD a few years ago and my first thought was, "Wow, Michael Lee Smith really let himself go over the years." But hey, it's been 30 years and we all eventually end up that way I guess. STARZ had an awesome logo. I'm also surprised that they didn't try to take legal action against the cable network for using the name "Starz." STARZ seemed to try a more commercial approach on their 3rd record, Attention Shoppers, but unfortunately, it didn't equate to better album sales. If you listen to Coliseum Rock, there's a big noticeable difference at how they went back to their heavier roots of the first 2 albums. "Coliseum Rock" is a really heavy record in a lot of spots. I used to crank that one a lot..."It's A Riot," "Where Will It End," etc. I could do a "greatest hits" of my personal faves from this band...

"Subway Terror"
"Over And Over"
"Now I Can"
"Rock Six Times"
"Last Night I Wrote A Letter"
"Johnny All Alone"
"It's A Riot"
"So Young, So Bad"
"My Sweet Child"
"Cherry Baby"
"Detroit Girls"
"Hold On To The Night"
"Cool One"
"Live Wire"
"Monkey Business"
"Where Will It End"
"Good Ale We Seek" (After the intro is done, check out that killer, heavy, opening guitar riff!!)

It's interesting that both STARZ and ANGEL are among my favorite 10 rock bands ever.

rattpoison wrote:

You know what i call this type of music Sahb, Late 70's North American Stadium Metal! You know Moxy, Teaze, Legs Diamond, Angel, Starz, Diamond Reo, Rex, Derringer, Riot, Yesterday And Today etc.

Don't forget Goddo.
I've been looking for a Diamond Reo album for years, never heard 'em yet.
Those Rex (Smith) albums are hilarious. Kinda like Spinal Tap doing a take off on Starz (Rex was Mike Smith of Starz brother). It was funny that he became a bubblegum pin up boy a few years later.

Yeah but Rex's albums rocked way harder than anything his brother achieved with Starz!

Pin up boy, he looks like it on his albums. Did he become an a actor later or something? Excuse my ignorance i'm only young and isolated in the antipodes!

Good call on Goddo, definately in the mix with those bands.

Rex Smith's early material rocked, despite his image of being a "pretty boy." I had several Rex Smith albums (or REX as it was during the first couple). The first 2 albums, as mentioned, were excellent rock albums...1976's Rex and 1977's Where Do We Go From Here? He had some great songs on his later records, too. Smith was actually a really good singer. He's probably most famous for his role in the '79 movie Sooner Or Later, of which he released an album of the same name that same year. It spawned the pop classic "You Take My Breath Away." If that song is all a person has ever heard from Smith, then one would probably think he's kind of lame. It's a good song, but I don't believe it's a fair representation of his musical works as a whole.

rattpoison...STARZ rocked hard, man. Listen to "Boys In Action," "Subway Terror," "Violation," "Now I Can," "Where Will It End," "Don't Stop Now," "Monkey Business," "It's A Riot" or "Live Wire." Those are all top-notch rockers.

Another band that wasn't mentioned in this thread was THE GODZ. Their '78 debut was brilliant. It's one of the 10 best rock albums from the 70's, IMO.

Is the poll not working? We have comments, but only one vote.

ult

Yeah, Scott, for some reason it's not working for me either. We can see the poll options, but there's just nowhere to submit a vote.

Huh? Weird. Oh well. No biggie.

lol...Let's just add 'em as we post.

Count me in as 1 vote for STARZ.

George wrote:

Rex Smith's early material rocked, despite his image of being a "pretty boy." I had several Rex Smith albums (or REX as it was during the first couple). The first 2 albums, as mentioned, were excellent rock albums...1976's Rex and 1977's Where Do We Go From Here? He had some great songs on his later records, too. Smith was actually a really good singer. He's probably most famous for his role in the '79 movie Sooner Or Later, of which he released an album of the same name that same year. It spawned the pop classic "You Take My Breath Away." If that song is all a person has ever heard from Smith, then one would probably think he's kind of lame. It's a good song, but I don't believe it's a fair representation of his musical works as a whole.

rattpoison...STARZ rocked hard, man. Listen to "Boys In Action," "Subway Terror," "Violation," "Now I Can," "Where Will It End," "Don't Stop Now," "Monkey Business," "It's A Riot" or "Live Wire." Those are all top-notch rockers.

Another band that wasn't mentioned in this thread was THE GODZ. Their '78 debut was brilliant. It's one of the 10 best rock albums from the 70's, IMO.

Yeah Starz had their moments but their albums as a whole leave a bit to be desired, while Rex's first 2 albums particuarly the debut are great metal albums that you can play right through. And not that it matters but their heavier as well.

Love the Godz, although i wouldn't put them with those bands i mentioned alongside the tag 'Late 70's American Stadium Metal'. Their more rougher, southern rocked and less arena savvy then the top flight arena metal of the late 70's.

If your a fan of the Godz you should check out the Boyzz, they were doing the same thing at the same time as the Godz. They have one lone album called Too Wild Too Tame (1978) which is better than the Godz imo.

George:
My girlfriend at the time was in love with that whole Rex Smith "Take My Breath Away" era. But she hated the two "Rex" albums more than anything on earth (except perhaps me when I played 'em for her, which of course I did repeatedly). But to be honest I think the Rex albums were pretty bad (just him apeing tourmates Kiss & Nugent), and I thought Starz was mediocre as well (although at least more professional about it). No offense to anyone, just not my cup of pee.

Rattpoison:
We gotta have it out once and for all on this Godz/Boyzz thing. I finally got ahold of the Boyzz album after years of effort, and I was really disappointed. There's one killer metal song, and maybe another nice hard rocker on that album; but the rest of it reminded me of our local heroes (Minnesota) Crow from 1969 or so. In fact it's very similar to Crow. A couple of great songs (as with Crow's famous song Evil Woman that Sabbath covered); but then a whole bunch of honkey tonk boogie (with brass!) that made the bits of metal seem out of character IMO. No comparision to the Godz except for the (z)'s in the title. That s/t Godz album stomps all over the Boyzz. I do agree that The Godz weren't stadium rock though. I have a live comeback CD from the 90's from them, a club show, that is a killer live set. More suited to a club; just like American Dog (who idolize the Godz, drinkin' buddies I understand).

SAHB Healer wrote:

George:
My girlfriend at the time was in love with that whole Rex Smith "Take My Breath Away" era. But she hated the two "Rex" albums more than anything on earth (except perhaps me when I played 'em for her, which of course I did repeatedly). But to be honest I think the Rex albums were pretty bad (just him apeing tourmates Kiss & Nugent), and I thought Starz was mediocre as well (although at least more professional about it). No offense to anyone, just not my cup of pee.

Rattpoison:
We gotta have it out once and for all on this Godz/Boyzz thing. I finally got ahold of the Boyzz album after years of effort, and I was really disappointed. There's one killer metal song, and maybe another nice hard rocker on that album; but the rest of it reminded me of our local heroes (Minnesota) Crow from 1969 or so. In fact it's very similar to Crow. A couple of great songs (as with Crow's famous song Evil Woman that Sabbath covered); but then a whole bunch of honkey tonk boogie (with brass!) that made the bits of metal seem out of character IMO. No comparision to the Godz except for the (z)'s in the title. That s/t Godz album stomps all over the Boyzz. I do agree that The Godz weren't stadium rock though. I have a live comeback CD from the 90's from them, a club show, that is a killer live set. More suited to a club; just like American Dog (who idolize the Godz, drinkin' buddies I understand).

The Boyzz boogie stomps all over the Godz! It's a raucous riot of a party rock n' roll album thats like a biker Deep Purple mixed with the honky tonk bar room boozery of the Faces! And that brass is a killer added touch. I think the Boyzz and the Godz are definately in the same biker park, although the Godz are more metallized.

And talking about late 70's american heavy metal, were does Ram Jam's skull crushing second album fit in the scheme of late 70's amerimetal.

Actually when I was trying to come up with a description of that one killer Boyzz track (I think it's "Destined to Die", sorry I don't have it with me, but you know the one, it's around track #6 I think) I did think of a combination of Purple and Ram Jam's second album ("Portrait of the Artist"). So you are right on there.
But the rest of the album except for maybe one other song is only like The Godz in terms of attitudes and imagery IMO. More like Crow or even Buffalo's post stoner stuff. Don't get me wrong. I like the Boyzz, I like Crow, I like Buffalo "Mother's Choice". But the Godz s/t mashes all that into dust. I'd say the Ram Jam s/t is more like the Godz than the Boyzz are.
I already know I can't win this argument, because I've been having the same argument for years with a guy who insists that Black Widow is similar to Black Sabbath. His point is that he means image and ideology, not sound or power, so it's a subjective argument. Godz vs. Boyzz is a less extreme version of the same argument. But mate, if I'm gonna party with anybody it's gonna be the Godz, not the Boyzz. I'll drink with the Godz and let the Boyzz dance all they want.
And Dirty Dan Buck is only dirty because Eric Moore beat him up and rubbed Dan's face in smurf poo.

Angel. To me, they are more consistent.

I am a HUGE Starz fan. Everything Ritchie Ranno has done has been great. If you ever get a chance to hear Hellcats 1, do so. It is killer!! I thinnk I sent you a burn of that, Ult. Did you check it out?

If you sent it, I heard it. However, I may not have realized it was Ritchie Ranno. I'll have to dig that CDR out.

ult

Yeah, I agree...the HELLCATS '82 EP was killer, too. My favorite song is "Auto Erotica." It's not the most rocking song on the album, but it's the catchiest. Michael Lee Smith wrote some intriguing lyrics for that one, no?...SAXON1500. He tells the story of seeing this girl on his commute. He's just got to meet her. He does everything he can to get her attention, to no avail. Finally, he arranges a collision in order for them to meet...lol The lyrics are hilarious...Michael just has a way with words...lol

"I rolled my window down and tried to think of somethin' cool...
You never looked my way, I felt like such a fool..."

SAXON1500...what are your thoughts on "Auto Erotica?"

"You Make It Swell" and "Rock 'N Roll Man" are good ones, too.