Games -

Games were an American art-rock band from California that released the 1977 album Stargazer on self-press Cascade Court Records.

Members: Colleen Fitzpatrick (vocals), David Miller (bass), Stan Tatkin (drums, percussion), David Tatkin (keyboards)

Background

Games formed in Los Angeles during the mid-1970s as a guitar-less quartet of vocalist Colleen Fitzpatrick, bassist David Miller, drummer-percussionist Stan Tatkin, and keyboardist David Tatkin. The group built a strong reputation on the Southern California club circuit, where it often headlined over younger local acts and drew industry attention without securing a major-label deal.

David Tatkin directed the writing and overall concept, while Fitzpatrick gave the band a clear lead identity at the front. Games ultimately released one album on its own Cascade Court label and handled much of its promotion across the western United States.

Stargazer

Games released Stargazer in 1977 on Cascade Court Records.

Fitzpatrick sets a soft lead line over brisk rhythm patterns, bright keyboard surfaces, and a steady low-end anchor. David Tatkin carries the upper register through piano, synthesizer, and occasional harpsichord, while David Miller and Stan Tatkin keep a firm backbone under songs that join dance pulse, long forms, unusual chord turns, and denser instrumental passages.

“Don’t Let Me Down” rides a light beat and a breezy refrain. “A World of My Own” stretches into a slow, dramatic ballad with extended keyboard detail, while “A Need to Be Frail” opens side two with a harder initial push and a larger keyboard charge.

A1. “Stargazer 1” (3:38) — Miller, S. Tatkin / D. Tatkin
A2. “Don’t Let Me Down” (5:45) — Chay / D. Tatkin
A3. “A World of My Own” (10:16) — S. Tatkin / Fitzpatrick, D. Tatkin

B1. “A Need to Be Frail” (4:18) — Miller / Fitzpatrick, D. Tatkin
B2. “Feeling This Feeling” (5:55) — Chay / D. Tatkin
B3. “Dream Him Here” (4:10) — Chay / D. Tatkin
B4. “Stargazer 2” (3:39) — Miller, S. Tatkin / D. Tatkin

Games recorded Stargazer at Dirk Dalton Studios in Santa Monica with producer David Tatkin, associate producer Stan Tatkin, production assistance and engineering from Dirk Dalton, and mastering by John Golden at Kendun in Los Angeles.

Postlude

Stargazer remained the band’s only album. Contemporary accounts describe later material that moved toward shorter, more direct song forms, but Games broke apart before that shift reached an album. One of the group’s near misses included a song recorded for Airplane! that went unused. They dissolved soon after the death of bassist David Miller.

Fitzpatrick later worked in film and stage productions, while the other members moved into work outside the band. The album survived as the document of a group that came close to broader exposure and left behind a single, self-issued record with an unusually distinctive keyboard-centered design.

Discography: