“Coliseum Rock” is the fourth and final studio album by American hard rock band STARZ, long time out of print and now reissued in remastered form by Dutch label Music On CD including 2 bonus tracks. This was their last album from their glorious era, featuring stupendous guitarist Bobby Messano (Joe Lynn Turner , Benny Mardones, Fiona).
This album is the jewel in their crown – Starz at their best: late ’70s hard rock with swathes of blues and funk influences flowing through it. The confluence of these sounds is channeled through the guitar heroics of Messano and twin guitarist Richie Ranno, and the epitome of a rock ‘n’ roll singer, Michael Lee Smith.
Produced by Jack Richardson (Alice Cooper) and issued 1978, compared with the earlier albums, here the Starz sound has a more melodic and polished approach.
“So Young, So Bad” kicks into gear and is classic riff-driven arena rock, setting the mood from the off. It’s from “No Regrets” that the band’s blues roots start to appear through the cracks in the, until now, rock hard appearance of the album thus far. It’s at that point that ”Coliseum Rock” comes into its own, with songs that segue freely wherever the mood takes them, eventually culminating with the title track, perhaps one of the best instrumental rock tracks out there, if not the best.
“Coliseum Rock” is an odyssey in sound, a sonic journey through which you are led by the unchained and uninhibited guitar work of Ranno and Messano. If you were to pick one track to try then this would be it; of course, given the way it leads perfectly into the following “It’s A Riot”, you might as well stick around a bit longer… and give the rest of the album a go.
“Last Night I Wrote A Letter” may seem quaint in 2024, but the song is still as powerful as it was in 1978, seeing Michael Lee Smith shine, especially with the chorus harmonies. It is tracks like this that highlight how well the production work has stood up, allowing each element to shine while also giving the song an analogue charm that doesn’t exist anymore.
Starz was one of the best – and most underrated – US hard rock arena acts from the Seventies on par with Aerosmith or KISS, which despite a lack of major commercial success has a lasting cult following and has been cited as a major influence by bands such as Mötley Crüe; Poison, Bon Jovi and Twisted Sister.
“Coliseum Rock” is one of those albums that got lost to time but not for lack of quality, now available again for fans of classic traditional hard / classic rock with melody.
Highly Recommended
01 – So Young, So Bad
02 – Take Me
03 – No Regrets
04 – My Sweet Child
05 – Don’t Stop Now
06 – Outfit
07 – Last Night I Wrote A Letter
08 – Coliseum Rock
09 – It’s A Riot
10 – Where Will It End
BONUS TRACKS:
11 – Vidi O.D. [Bonus Track from Requiem, 1990]
12 – You Called His Name [Bonus Track from Requiem, 1990]
Lead Vocals – Michael Lee Smith
Guitar, Vocals – Bobby Messano, Richie Ranno
Bass, Vocals – Orville Davis
Drums, Electronic Drums – Joe X. Dube