The Hollywood Stars have revealed details of their fifth studio album Hey! LA! which arrives July 17 via Rum Bar Records on vinyl CD and download. The release follows their acclaimed comeback Starstruck which ended a 47 year gap between albums.
Featuring the same lineup as their recent return the band deliver ten new tracks including the latest single Im Not Broken. The song blends soaring guitars with a glam rock swagger recalling the early 70s while tackling themes of relationships and self acceptance.
Featuring the same lineup as their recent return [vocalist Scott Phares and drummer Terry Rae, both founding members in 1973, bassist Michael Rummans, who joined in 1976, and guitarists Jeff Jourard and George Keller, recruited in 2023], The Hollywood Stars deliver ten new tracks, including the latest single I’m Not Broken.
The song blends soaring guitars with a glam rock swagger, recalling the early ’70s heyday of Mott the Hoople, while tackling themes of relationships and self-acceptance.
“The song is about relationships in which one person thinks they can ‘fix’ the other,” Scott Phares said. “This song rejects that notion. In my experience, you’re on a road to ruin if you think you can somehow change a person to meet your expectations. You’ve got to take it a day at a time.”
Recorded in Los Angeles Hey LA was produced by the band alongside Loren Molinare and Paul Roessler. The album serves as a love letter to Los Angeles with standout tracks including the title track Hey LA I Survived 27 and Bright Lights.
Last month, The Hollywood Stars revisited their best-known song, King Of The Night Time World, with a new version recorded with legendary producer Michael Lloyd. The track was covered by Kiss on their 1976 multi-platinum Destroyer album.
The Hollywood Stars were assembled by producer Kim Fowley as rivals to the New York Dolls, debuting at the Whisky A Go Go in December 1973 and quickly becoming one of its top-drawing acts. Just a month after their debut, they were signed to Columbia Records.
A full album was recorded at The Record Plant with producer Bill Szymczyk (known for his work with The Eagles), but the entire project was scrapped when a new East Coast A&R team at Columbia systematically dropped all the acts signed by the original A&R man who had signed them.
It would take 39 years for the scrapped Columbia album to finally see the light of day. You can read the full story of The Hollywood Stars at MetalTalk here.
The Hollywood Stars are currently planning live shows to support the Hey! LA!
