Trower and Triumph. With their debut, the band gained popularity with the songs "You Got What I Need," "Tonight," "Bring It On," and "Last Chance." "Wild In the Streets", a B-side release, was a staple of live show encores; the song was eventually released on CD as a bonus track. "You Got What I Need" ended up peaking at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100. The debut album stalled out at #147 on the Billboard Top 200 and Van McLain explained why: "We had the number one most played AOR song in the country with 'Last Chance' and our record company, Virgin, had gotten into a fight with Atlantic Records, who was their distribution. We ended up not being able to get our album in the stores for six months. We should have sold a ton of albums from having that popular of a song on the radio, but when people went to the stores, they couldn't buy the album because it was not in the stores." With the radio success, and Virgin switching over to Epic Records for their distribution, Shooting Star returned to the studio in 1981 to record Hang On for Your Life (July 1981) with producer Dennis McKay. The album generated FM airplay with the songs "Flesh and Blood," "Breakout" and the title track. "Hollywood" was released as a single and climbed the Billboard Hot 100, topping out at #70. Meanwhile, the album logged a surprising 30 weeks on Billboards album chart and sold a respectable 200,000 US copies. In support of the album, the band toured extensively with ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Todd Rundgren, Jefferson Starship, and Journey. They appeared on the radio shows Rock Line, King Biscuit Flower Hour (KBFH), The Source, and Westwood One and also began headlining showcase clubs across the United States, setting attendance records as they went. Keyboardist Bill Guffey left the group after the recording of Hang On for Your Life. In 1982 Shooting Star began recording their third album, III Wishes (July 1982), at the legendary Caribou Ranch studio near Boulder, Colorado. At the helm was Journey producer Kevin Elson. Without missing a beat, they returned to touring with such acts as REO Speedwagon, John Mellencamp, Jefferson Starship, Kansas, and others. 1983 saw their continued collaboration with Kevin Elson on their fourth album, Burning (June 1983). This record produced radio hits "Straight Ahead," "Winner" and "Train Rolls On."