View source for Startrax

{{Short description|British disco band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name         = Startrax
| genre        = [[Disco]]
| years_active = 1981–82
| label        = [[Pickwick Records|Picksy Records]]
| past_members = Alan Carvell
}}
'''Startrax''' was a musical project created by [[Pickwick Records]] in 1981.
==History==
Pickwick Records had used the Startrax name as a sub-label since 1976 for budget [[compilation albums]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pickwick Startrax |url=https://www.discogs.com/label/190843-Pickwick-Startrax |website=discogs.org |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>  In 1981, with a craze for [[Medley (music)|medley]] recordings making the British [[UK singles chart|singles chart]], Pickwick used the Startrax name for session musicians recording medleys for release on the label; as Pickwick had no track history of releasing singles, the sub-label Picksy was created, and a logo similar to that on the [[Stars On 45]] releases was used.
The first release, "Startrax Club Disco", was a medley of covers of songs by the [[Bee Gees]], topped and tailed by a sting written by producer Bruce Baxter, who had produced many of the [[Hallmark Records]] [[Top of the Pops (record series)|Top of the Pops]] cover albums.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burke |first1=Dave |title=The Sons of the Piltdown Men |url=https://spotnicks.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PILTDOWN%20MEN%20SAGA.pdf |website=Spotnicks.net |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>  The singer was Alan Carvell,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Binnie |first1=Steve |title=“Time just rolls on and on” – Top of the Pops, 13 August 1981 |url=https://soundofthecrowd.org.uk/1981/time-just-rolls-on-and-on-top-of-the-pops-13-august-1981/ |website=Sound of the Crowd |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref> who had had minor hits (under the name Steve Allan) as part of [[The Carvells]] and with a solo version of "[[Together We Are Beautiful]]",<ref>{{cite web |title=Steve Allan - Together We Are Beautiful |url=https://www.45cat.com/record/cr164 |website=45cat |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref> and who laid down all the vocal tracks.  The popularity of medleys at the time was such that, when the recording entered the top 30 in the UK charts, there were 7 medleys in the top 30.<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Singles Chart on 9/8/1981  9 August 1981 - 15 August 1981 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19810809/7501/ |website=Official Charts Company |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>  Ultimately Startrax peaked at no. 18 and Carvell appeared with other session musicians on [[Top of the Pops]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Startrax Club Disco - Bee Gees Medley |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQnj9maOAoo |website=youtube |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>
An album featuring more Bee Gee tracks followed, which made the top 30 of the album charts.  The follow-up was a [[reggae]] medley single and album set (which also began and ended with the Startrax theme),<ref>{{cite web |title=Startrax - Reggae's Greatest Hits |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/1152780-Startrax-Reggaes-Greatest-Hits |website=discogs.org |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref> but neither made the charts.
==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Album
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[UK Albums Chart|UK]]</small><br><ref name="uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/19168/startrax/|title=STARTRAX|website=[[Official Charts Company]]}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1981
| ''Startrax Club Disco''
| align=center | 26
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1981
| ''Reggae's Greatest Hits''
| align=center | –
|-
|}
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Song
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br><ref name="uk"/>
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1981
| "Startrax Club Disco"
| align=center | 18
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1981
| "Reggae's Greatest Hits"
| align=center | —
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Startrax}}
[[Category:English dance music groups]]
[[Category:British disco groups]]
[[Category:Medley music groups]]