ok, so great news folks. My collection.db has been wiped clean after I installed the new amarok. Good to know. Now that I know, and realize that all my 5-starred music is rendered with no stars I can relax and listen to it all, while trying to place stars on it again.

So anyway.... Moral of the story: don't get the new amarok 1.80, it's not worth it. It is so stripped down that it looks ugly, and besides it somehow, wipes your collection.db clean.