The ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll band the Hollywood Stars were managed by Kim Fowley, and their songs were recorded by the likes of KISS and Alice Cooper, yet the band wasn’t widely heard in their time. They released one LP, which failed to make an impact, while superior recordings of theirs remained in the can for decades. An exceptional, previously unreleased Hollywood Stars album is about to come out, and Dangerous Minds has the premiere of one of the fabulous never before heard tunes on the disc. We also have a new interview with an original member of the group.
In 1973, mover and shaker, huckster, and jack-of-all-trades, Kim Fowley, had a vision for starting a west coast version of the glam band, the New York Dolls. Fowley quickly assembled a group of Southern California musicians, and the initial lineup of the Hollywood Stars was in place before year’s end.
The Stars immediately made a splash with their live show, gigging frequently at the legendary Whisky a Go Go. It wasn’t long before they were signed to Columbia/CBS Records. Around this time, Fowley exited as manager. Sessions for their first LP included such strong material as “King of the Night Time World” and “Escape,” but after new A&R at Columbia came in, the album was shelved, and the band was dropped. The recordings came out nearly 40 years later as Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost 1974 Album.
By the end of ’74—just a year after they formed—the Hollywood Stars were no more.
They did give it another go in 1976, though, with guitarist/main songwriter, Mark Anthony, also now their lead singer. The revived unit were soon in the Sound City studio with producer Neil Merryweather. They then signed with another major label, Arista Records, who wanted them to re-record what they had done at Sound City. Though the band were frustrated, as they had a completed album they were pleased with, they agreed to start from scratch with a different producer. The subsequent sessions didn’t go well, with Mark Anthony overdoing it in the studio. Though the group preferred the Sound City tapes, the Arista recordings were put out in 1977. Anthony soon left for a solo career, with the Stars continuing for a short period before breaking up once again.
Album cover for their debut full-length; note the marquee in the background.
After 43 years, the Hollywood Stars album produced by Neil Merryweather is being released as—appropriately enough—Sound City. The band is back, too, with a upcoming show at their old stomping grounds, the Whisky a Go Go.
Dangerous Minds recently interviewed Hollywood Stars drummer, Terry Rae.
When did Kim Fowley pitch the Hollywood Stars concept to you? Were you immediately sold on the idea?:
Terry Rae: The first time Kim pitched me on the idea was at Capitol Records Studios. He came to see the band I was in at the time, the Flamin’ Groovies, recording some demo tracks. I was initially surprised with his Stars pitch because he had been instrumental in getting me together with [founding Groovies guitarist] Cyril Jordan in the first place.
We talked again at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset. Kim explained his plan and promised to be personally involved in every aspect. What he was laying out began to make sense on a practical level. The Groovies were based out of the Bay Area, so if I was going to fully commit to that band, it would mean moving out of my apartment in Hollywood. I didn’t really have the cash to relocate, and my heart wasn’t in leaving.
What were the early Hollywood Stars shows at the Whisky a Go Go like?:
Terry Rae: After we had all the members of the band in place, Kim started the buzz going “on a street level.” Kim had many talents, and one of them was excelling at being a grand ringmaster — he literally knew everyone on the scene. We had been rehearsing under Kim’s guidance in the Valley for a couple of weeks, so the band was ready to go.
On the night of Thanksgiving, 1973, we made our debut at a private, invite-only showcase gig at Studio Instrument Rentals in Hollywood. The place was packed. Every record label was represented. The rafters were teeming with teenyboppers. Everybody in the band was in shock — we couldn’t believe that so many people would come out to see us on Thanksgiving, especially when there was a big industry party going on at the Troubadour with a performance by Anne Murray.
The following month, we played our first public gig, headlining the Whisky a Go Go. That, in itself, was miraculous — to go from being completely unknown to headlining the Whisky in four weeks. The songs were tight and we were flashy. Everyone said they loved it.
Whisky a Go Go, 1973.
Before long we were signed with CBS Records. Everyone at the label seemed really into us. We went into the Record Plant to cut our debut album, but after several weeks of recording, CBS pulled the plug. Only later did we find out that a major shakeup had gone down in the label’s West Coast A&R department. The Stars, along with several other bands, were dropped from the roster.
The first lineup of the band didn’t survive all the changes that went down after that. While we were looking for new opportunities, we got word that Kim had placed some of the songs he had co-written with our fellow band member Mark Anthony, with other major artists.
What did you think of KISS’s reworking of “King of the Night Time World”? What about Alice Cooper’s version of “Escape”?:
Terry Rae: We were very pleased to know that KISS and Alice Cooper appreciated our songs. I could hear in their versions that they liked our arrangements, too. They both did great new versions of the songs. In fact, the success of those tracks was what propelled the Hollywood Stars to reform and eventually land a new record deal with Arista.
1976 lineup.
The reformed group released an album via Arista, but the record didn’t reach a large audience. In your view, why didn’t the Hollywood Stars break through into the mainstream?:
Terry Rae: A big part of the problem was CBS and Arista didn’t really appreciate us for what we were. The Stars were a hard-working pop/rock band that wrote some really immediate, hooky songs. We loved playing live, we had great chemistry as a unit, and audiences really responded favorably to us. Once we got locked into our label deals, it was the same old story of the band losing control, and having the label brass start to make all the decisions regarding our musical direction, image, etc. This became glaringly obvious during the recording of our Arista album when we found ourselves fighting to be heard over a full orchestra on about half of the tracks.
Arista didn’t really have any inspired ideas on how to promote the band. Our signature song, “All the Kids on the Street,” didn’t get beyond the Hot 100 nationally. However, in their defense, we did get a billboard on Sunset Strip, we got our album cover painted on the side of Tower Records, and we were able to complete the West Coast leg of the Kinks’ Sleepwalker tour.
You actually knew one of the Manson family victims. What can you tell us about this person, and what was the subsequent Manson media circus like for you, having personally known a victim?:
Terry Rae: I was an active gigging musician in Hollywood from the mid-’60s onwards. I was in a pop group in 1965 and ’66 called the Palace Guard that regularly played the Hullabaloo and appeared on a local TV program called Where the Action Is. So, in order to be in a hip group, you had to look the part. Jay Sebring’s salon in the 9000 Building on Sunset Boulevard was the only place to go if you wanted an authentic Beatles-style haircut. The place was high energy — lots of beautiful people, great fashions, groovy music. To create the scene for you, it’s widely believed that Warren Beatty’s character in the movie Shampoo was at least partially based on Jay Sebring. So that gives you an idea of the electricity at the place.
In late summer of ’69, I arrived at the salon for an appointment. The usual high energy was non-existent. The color was drained out of everyone’s face. If music was playing, it was much more muted than normal. Seeing their faces, my own heart sunk. I knew something was terribly wrong. People were whispering… some sniffling. I eventually asked, “What happened?” The response was, “Don’t you know? Jay was murdered.” My blood ran cold. Jay was with Sharon Tate that night.
It wasn’t until later that people started talking about a cult and a possible connection to Doris Day’s son, the record producer Terry Melcher. I was in a group called Jamme back then and our producer was “Papa” John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas. Our group also had ties to Melcher, Lou Adler, and the Beach Boys. As the rumors started to spread, paranoia became rampant. Everyone was living in fear. It put a cloud of mistrust over the whole scene. Almost overnight, I noticed an increased security presence around John Phillips’s mansion. Things were never quite the same after all the details came out. Like many people have said, it signaled the end of the Summer of Love.
What can audience members expect at the Whisky show on July 18th?:
Terry Rae: It will be a great time for all. And I mean that — it’s actually an all ages gig! It will be a time to celebrate the Hollywood glitter and glam rock era, played by guys who actually played it back then. Others will be drawn to the power pop energy. Most of our fans are only familiar with the 1977 album on Arista, which, although overproduced, does show off some of our power pop charm. But I think people will be surprised by how ‘glam rock’ our early songs are, the ones we recorded while at CBS.
We will be playing the original versions of “Escape” and “King of the Night Time World.” Plus, we have some previously unreleased material that we worked on back in the ‘70s that no one has heard yet.
Whisky a Go Go, 1977.
How do you feel about the upcoming release of Sound City?:
Terry Rae: Very happy. This album is a perfect representation of what the Hollywood Stars sounded like when we used to play the Whisky and the Starwood. One song I’m especially looking forward to playing is “Sunrise on Sunset.” It’s the true story of our band’s main songwriter, Mark Anthony, trying to make it in Hollywood. Mark passed away around the turn of the century.
Dangerous Minds is premiering the Sound City track, “Houdini of Rock ‘n’ Roll”—any memories related to the song?:
Terry Rae: It’s one of my favorites. Mark was into two things back then — writing a hit song and performing magic. This song has lyrics that combine the two. The lyric “Catch another bullet on the radio” combines the ideas of catching a bullet with your teeth alongside the old “bullet rating” of a song’s chart success in Cash Box magazine. When we played “Houdini” live, Mark would sometimes do visual tricks. During Ruben’s long guitar solo, Mark would levitate a 45rpm record behind a scarf.
********
Burger Records will let loose Sound City on CD and as a digital download on August 23rd. Pre-order the album via the Hollywood Stars’ website or Amazon. Aside from two tracks included on a limited edition 45, all of the recordings are previously unreleased, with “Houdini of Rock ‘n’ Roll” one of two songs seeing the light of day for the first time.
Get tickets for the July 18th return of the Hollywood Stars—reunited with their original singer, Scott Phares—to the Whisky a Go Go, here.
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Who was this amazing ‘Suzi Quatro meets the New York Dolls’ proto-punk mystery band?
KISS comes ‘Alive!’: How to market a band of superheroes
Alice Cooper meets Sweet in the nightmarish glam rock of ‘70s Dutch band, Lemming