Stars (Cher album)

Production and release

In 1974, Cher began recording with Phil Spector. These sessions resulted in the songs "A Woman's Story", and a cover of The Ronettes' "Baby, I Love You". However, the album was eventually shelved. These songs were released as singles but were unsuccessful, and are now considered rarities ; "A Woman's Story" was eventually released in the 2024 compilation Forever Fan. Cher then turned to Jimmy Webb to record this album. Stars was the first record for Warner Bros. Records and was also her very first without Sonny's influence as it followed Cher's divorce with Sonny and the dissolution of her relationship with David Geffen. Another novelty was the lack of the acute accent ( ´ ) on the e in Cher's name, which was always present on past albums.

Only one (non-charting) single was released from the album, "Geronimo's Cadillac" (with the Jackson Browne song "These Days" on the B-side). In an attempt to boost sales, Cher appeared on The Carol Burnett Show and The Flip Wilson Show, performing "Love Hurts", "Just This One Time" and "Geronimo's Cadillac".

The album has never been released on CD or iTunes. According to Billboard, Cher owned this album's master rights and Warner had no right to reissue.

Cher had the album remastered and made available for streaming in its entirety on her official YouTube channel on July 16, 2021.

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews from music critics. The Los Angeles Times said Cher's performances were uninspired, like a batting machine that always puts the ball over home plate, but never strikes anyone out. Billboard gave the album an unfavorable review and said that the album's major problems are Cher's voice that sounds "strained and/or overdone on most of the cuts" and "the mood doesn't seem to change a great deal from song to song". They elected "Stars", "Love Hurts", "These Days", and "Geronimo's Cadillac" as the album's best cuts and praised the "excellent musicianship". AllMusic website retrospectively gave the album two out of five stars.

However, in a positive review, Cash Box opined that "Cher's exquisite voice is as lovely and moving as ever as she glistens on all eleven great tracks", and that the album's producer, Jimmy Webb, "assembled a fine orchestra and background vocals that greater compliment the Cher sound." The songs "Love Enough", "Mr. Soul", "Harder They Fall", and the title track, "Stars", were highlighted as the favorite cuts. Phonograph Record also gave the album a positive review overall, describing it as "unrelentingly stupendous", and stating that Cher's "woeful, husky contralto and machine-gun vibrato betray never-before-dreamed-of nuances in such universally-adored folk-rock favorites as 'These Day' and 'Geronimo's Cadillac' as well as in a host of other unforgettable melodies..." Nonetheless, the inclusion of "The Bigger They Come The Harder They Fall" sparked some criticism, with the review pointing out the "mischievous" reworking of the original title—"The Harder They Come"—noting that the word 'bigger' doesn't appear in the lyrics. Additionally, the review questioned whether the message of the song carried the same weight coming from a celebrity like Cher.

Track listing

Personnel

• Cher – lead vocals
• Art Munson, David Bennett Cohen, Dennis Budimir, Fred Tackett, Jesse Ed Davis – guitar
• Jeff Baxter, Red Rhodes – pedal steel guitar
• Colin Cameron – bass guitar
• Jimmy Webb, Joe Sample, Larry Knechtel – keyboards
• Gary Mallaber, Hal Blaine, Harvey Mason, Jeff Porcaro, Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner – drums
• Fred Tackett, Pat Murphy – percussion
• Robert Greenidge – steel drums
• Clydie King, Edna Wright, Herb Pedersen, Sherlie Matthews, Susan Webb, Gerald Garrett – backing vocals
• Art Depew, Lew McCreary, Vincent DeRosa, William Peterson – brass
• Abe Most, Buddy Collette, Don Ashworth, John Rotella, Skip Mosher – woodwinds
• Fred Tackett – horn arrangements
• Van Dyke Parks – steel drum arrangements
• "Maestro" Sid Sharp – concertmaster
• Jimmy Webb - conductor

Charts

References

References

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2. (April 19, 1975). "Billboard Review - Cher's Stars (1975)". www.billboard.com.
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5. Bego, Mark. (2001). "Cher: If You Believe". Taylor Trade.
6. (2008-07-25). "Ask Billboard: Sharing Cher On CD". [[Billboard (magazine).
7. (9 July 2021). "Cher - Stars {{!}} Completely Restored & Remastered {{!}} Out July 16".
8. (2012). "Cher-Stars : Allmusic Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". www.allmusic.com.
9. "''Billboard®'' • ''Newspaper'' ("Top Album Picks") (p. 60)".
10. Taraborrelli, J. Randy. (2021). "Cher: The Unauthorized Tell-All Biography". Graymalkin Media.
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12. (May 1975). "Reviews".
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