STARLORD

Click on the link "Starlord" to listen to the sample.

• Starlord - composed by Gary Keady and John Vallins - The World Link

The story of a Jesus like alien who travels though space and time offering a peaceful hand to troubled worlds like Earth. Demoed in 1976 at Chappell Studios in London, it was produced by Keady/Vallins and engineered by Steve James (son of Sid James). Players were, John Vallins vocals, bass and keys, Adrian Wyatt guitars, Charlie Morgan kit and the Temple sisters Ann ,Lesley and Pauline back up vocals. Charlie went on to be drummer for Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Elton John and numerous others. The song has never been covered probably because of it's quite original construction and that it's not what you'd call a single. It has just never found a real home but at the same time, like all good melodies, it has not dated. Starlord is one of a series of songs recorded at the same time with the same players. With influences from Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Moody Blues and Yes, each song has a similar otherworldliness and fits into the 'Starlord' concept. The other songs are; Salute to the Stars, Death Odyssey, Free Falling and Tomorrow on my Mind. In London 1978 the Aussie trio, Gary, John and John (Flaps) Phelps formed the band 'Sewerside' and decided to bring it home to Australia to promote their first single 'Picture Book'. On return to Sydney after 3 years in London Gary formed the indie record label 'That Record Company' with John Vallins and Flaps. After putting everything they had into producing a music video with Stephen Priest at ECV for Picture Book they ran into trouble when it was banned from Countdown, Australia's premiere TV rock show hosted by Molly Meldrum. With new member of the Record Company Len McQualter and Ian Fletcher, in 1979 they formed 'Sewerside' into an eight piece concept band called 'World'. The band was comprised of John Vallins (composer) bass and vocals, Flaps Keyboards (and composer), Eric Cairns kit, Adrian Wyatt guitars, Andrew Wilson Synthesizer & keys, Sarah Buchanan, Justine Bradley and Juliette Bradley back up vocals. Gary, John and Flaps combined eighteen of their songs into the 'Starlord Odyssey' rock opera which World performed in cinema theatres around Sydney (something that had never been done before or since). Later that year That Record Company leased the Star Theatre in Bondi Junction (the largest cinema theatre in the Southern hemisphere) and launched 'World' at the Star Theatre opening as a unique concert venue modelled on the Rainbow Room in London (also an old theatre) .. The venue, like the band and the music was way ahead of it's time and as a subsequence the then preferred gig in Sydney, 'The Bondi Lifesaver', only a block away from the Star saw to the demise of the concert venue. At the time John Vallins with co-composer Nat Kipner had a world wide number one hit song in 'Too Much Too Little Too Late' by Johnny Mathis and Denise Williams. In 1981 Gary added several more Keady/Vallins songs to the Starlord concept and wrote it into a musical stage play. Those songs were Rock n Roll Reck, With You, Organic Panic, You are My Light and Knightmare - and there is the LINK ... the direction was then set for the creation of Sons of Steel the movie six years later.

  
" World " International Recording Band live at Bondi Junction Theatre and Kingsford Smith Airport

Posters outside the Star Theatre Bondi Junction 1978