Fantastic Star is the ninth studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released in 1996 and reached number fifty-four on the UK Albums Chart. It includes the singles "Adored and Explored", "The Idol", "Child Star" and the double A-side "Brilliant Creatures" / "Out There". The album was Almond's last on a major record label until 2007's Stardom Road. Accompanied by studio musicians and collaborators – specifically guitarist Neal X and John Coxon – Almond recorded the songs for the album over several years. This was due to his changing record labels and professional and personal difficulties. It was recorded at Red Bus Studios, London, The Stereo Society, New York, Skyline, New York, and GCHQ, London. Receiving mixed to positive reviews, the album was originally released as a CD and cassette in February 1996. The album was not reissued until 2023. The artwork was designed by 950 Fahrenheit with a cover photograph by Mike Owen. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantast...) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)