Styx

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Reissue of their first album, originally released on the Wooden Nickel label, which was under the RCA umbrella. The fact that it includes such diverse fare as Copland's 'Fanfare For The Common Man' & George Clinton's 'After You Leave Me' alongside the original 'Best Thing' seemingly indicates the Chicagoans had a taste for experimenting and an unknowing sense of humor that vanished during their stadium rock dynasty of the late '70s & early '80s. Six tracks total. 1998 One Way Records release.

Tracks:

Lady '95
The Best Of Times
Lorelei
Too Much Time On My Hands
Babe
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Show Me The Way
Renegade
Come Sail Away
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
The Grand Illusion
Crystal Ball
Suite Madame Blue
Miss America
Mr. Roboto
Don't Let It End

Amazon.com

If it's your belief that one of the reasons today's rock is so bereft of personality is that all sense of show business has been drained from the music, then a look back at the career of Styx offers proof positive that it wasn't always thus. Greatest Hits offers a comprehensive overview of the band, from its art-rock days--which produced a top 10 hit in "Lady," a new version of which is included in this package--to its years as a perennial album-rock favorite--with offerings ranging from flights of fancy ("Come Sail Away," "Renegade") to proto-power ballads ("Babe," "Crystal Ball") to songs reflecting the working-class roots of its audience ("Too Much Time on My Hands," "Blue Collar Man"). The band eventually succumbed to a shift in musical tides and just plain silliness ("Mr. Roboto"), but for a time, this disc suggests, a satin-suited pomp-rocker was something to be. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Styx Greatest hits........2007-06-15

Brings back memories. Also kind of a upgrade to CD. I have The Grand Illusion on cassette.

It doesn't get more annoying than this.......2007-06-02

There were a bunch of bands from the '70s and '80s that were created with the help of evil equations by corporate America. The equations were based on this logic:

* What are all the elements that go into a hit song?
* How can we create a band that generates songs by patching all of these elements together?
* How can we plug these bands until we completely saturate the listening public?

The result was a collection of completely inbred sounds that charted well but that completely lacked originality or innovation. It was like taking a film about World War II and saying "Our research suggests that this film would make more money if it had a dinosaur in it." It is a bad idea but it fits the equasion.

The bands that were based on this kind of thinking included Styx, Foreigner, and Starship. "Styx Greatest Hits" is an example of what happens when you take one of those groups and distill it down to it's most shamelessly commercial material. This CD is an example of why commercial radio turned to crap. It doesn't get more annoying than this. Styx is the worst band in music history.

The worst of the worst.......2007-05-02

If the record label truly wanted to put together all of the "greatest" hits by Styx they would have ended up with a blank CD. Nothing Styx ever did was great. They were a generic, over-produced band that never reached beyond the bland corporate sound of their era.

Come sail away...to an album of incredible music!.......2007-04-27

Long before I got into Styx, I read in my Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll that in a 1979 poll, they were voted the most popular band for people aged 13-18. Of course, Styx can appeal to everybody, as the collection of songs on this album signals. I can't believe so many critics said negative things about these guys, they give the role of somebody who judges a bad name! Well, I don't care if those critics are too blind or unwilling to love Styx, because I do, as there are so many things to love about this compilation.
For starters, it goes on sale for only ten bucks. Secondly, it's got sixteen songs wrapped up on one disc. Finally, it's got great liner notes and pictures of the band, along with songwriting credits.
In terms of the music, it's got plenty to love, too. What opens the album is the rerecorded verison of "Lady". From the beautiful piano work, wall-of-vocals effect that became Styx's trademark, the epic drumming and fiery guitar solo, it's wonderful. "The Best of Times" starts off dramatically, but proceeds into a great song and followup to "Lady". "Loreli" has a strong guitar usage and seems to be a song featured in a movie based on the concept of the song, having a young lady move in with you. How awesome!
The bouncy keyboards and great chorus in "Too Much Time On My Hands" goes to show that these guys just don't let up when it comes to great songwriting. All right, I've really gotta give it up for "Renegade". This was the first Styx song I've ever heard and it got me hooked! From the opening, melodic vocal usage, the heavy, funky guitar riff, pounding, arena-ready drums and blazing guitar solo, this is a song to love! "Come Sail Away" is an epic, six-minute song that is very uplifting, from more great piano and guitar work to the wall-of-vocal chant of "Come sail away! Come sail away!". Such a great and timeless song.
Then comes the Christian-rock influenced ballad of "Show Me The Way". "Crystal Ball" seems to be another, early power ballad, and then, of course, there's the timeless, "Mr. Roboto". The dazzling, spacey keyboards, the chanting of "Secret! Secret! I've got a secret!", to the "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto", I mean, who could forget? And if you weren't around then, this'll still prove to be a timeless song.
The rest of the songs are great, as well, and each musician is extremely talented and a great singer. This is very highly recommended as I hope that you'll love it all just as much as I do. Oh, by the way, I'm hoping to go to a Styx concert this summer, alongside another fave of my, Def Leppard! What a combination! Anyway, thanks for the time, and peace.

Styx, a clever band with a clever name.......2007-04-04

Thanks to bands like Styx, Kansas, and Journey, we are left with a female population between the ages of 40-60 that are now contaminated with the diseases of dirty rock stars posing as musicians from an era of pure human disgrace. Thanks Styx.
What were these psycho girls thinking anyway. These guys looked like subhuman ape creatures that just got done rolling around in the mud with their fellow piggies. But girls liked them because they were famous.

Millions of girls everywhere. Millions of diseases. Herpes, the Clap, HIV, Crabs, Yeast infections, toenail fungus and diarreah of the private organs. Don't be alarmed, I'm just giving you a reference point for this stupid band STYX that existed for a moment in the disgusting 1970's.

Why did they have to contaminate so many females? They weren't the only band. Like I said there were many bands that played horrible ape-like junk music, but Styx and Kansas were the worst of the worst.

Their music was stuffed down our throats by greedy bloated record company executives who had no concern about the outcome and the effects. As little kids in the 70's, we bought into it, we listened to this garbage. It wasn't until we were in our 20's when Nirvana came out that music finally came back.

But how did this Styx/Kansas garbage prevail for so long? It was horrible.

One day, hundreds of years from now, the 70's will be looked back upon as the "age of the subhuman". The age when the human race went backwards for a breif time and descended into a subhuman race.

I mean, face it, Everybody smelled bad in the 70's, and everyone had lice. I'm sure Styx had lice as well, with all that nasty good for nothing long pattern baldness hair.

As far as their musical quality, "Come Sail Away" was one of their hits. The lead singer always had to sound like some stupid shamrock leprachon in every song. "Come Sail away with me lad". They try to give off a feeling of a fantasy land filled with pretty trees and big oceans. How many times do they repeat that line in the song. Holy rotten chicken fingers, it's just seriously annoying.

What a poor piece of poop Styx was. Horrible, utterly Horrible.
No wonder everyone wants to start a war.

Average customer rating:

Stellar
Top Five desserted Island CD's
Styx bashers, cross the river Styx...there's a place in hell reserved for you...
Old Favorite
Tommy Shaw completing a flawed line-up...

The Grand Illusion
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Pieces of Eight
Paradise Theater
Equinox
Crystal Ball
Cornerstone

ASIN: B000002GB9
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

The Grand Illusion
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Superstars
Come Sail Away
Miss America
Man In The Wilderness
Castle Walls
The Grand Finale

Amazon.com essential recording

More than two decades before it became Eric Cartman's favorite song on South Park, "Come Sail Away" was the choice of music fans with one foot in the art-rock camp and the other in Top 40 pop. The Grand Illusion straddled the seemingly divergent directions as only Styx could, laying on the pomp with layers of keyboards and high-flown lyrical conceits, yet keeping the proceedings light with hook-filled choruses and breezy melodies. Tommy Shaw's engaging "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" is the set's highlight, offering a bit of armchair psychology even as it acted as a subtle dig at the snarling punk rockers to whom Styx was anathema. James Young's "Miss America" rocks out, while Dennis DeYoung's title track reminds us that life is fleeting and illusory. Not exactly Nietzsche, but you can dance to it, sort of. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Stellar.......2007-06-28

This is the release that launched Styx into commercial stardom that would give them years of top 40 hits and would lead to tensions in the band between founding member Dennis DeYoung and 6th album newcomer Tommy Shaw. With very minor hits on their previous album 'Equinox' the single 'Lady' from their second album comes into airtime and then this album bursts onto the scene and the rest is history. There isn't a bad song on this album and the trademark Shaw / Young songs that really started here is perfect. If you're looking for a classic rock album with progressive, rock, and a little theater thrown in then get this today. It might be commercial, but Styx was still able to keep their originality alive without succumbing to the corporate label. That would come later.

Top Five desserted Island CD's.......2007-06-27

This one is by far the best of the CD's that Styx has created. The classic Come Sail Away, the erie and haunting Castle Walls, to the fun and uplifting Superstars this CD has it all. Styx hit it's stride with this effort and left a permanent mark on my life, most certaintly one of my five favorite albums of all time. Anyone who is a Styx fan Must have this one in their collection. Crystal Ball, Equinox, and Paradise theater are close behind, but this one is still the class of the field.

Styx bashers, cross the river Styx...there's a place in hell reserved for you..........2007-05-09

As Samhot's review said, Styx gets trashed quite a bit these days. I still like their music (especially this album), and it isn't a nostalgia thing with me. I have never been one to listen to something to take me back to my youth. To me, great music/film/novels/TV last for all time, and it doesn't matter what era they were made. I don't listen to Styx because I like to make fun of their music in the Gen X, "ironic" way, I just really dig it. Some of their lyrics (like Angry Young Man) come close to cheese at times, but the sincerity is there, and that makes up for the somewhat naive message of the song. Every single song here is perfect. The title track is so valid today (they'll show you photographs/of how your life should be/but there just someone else's fantasy). With the way the world (especially the USA) worships celebrities, it's nice to hear some music tell us that they're really nothing, and hollow to the core. Come Sail Away is deserving of every accolade that came its way. It's a beautiful, poetic, powerful song, with a great, intricate time signature by the underrated John Panozzo and it has that sincerity that is so lacking nowadays. Miss America is probably the most underrated song in the entire Styx cannon, an acerbic, hilarious, drenched in acid parody of the "beautiful people". I don't feel that Styx is ripping off prog rock here. There are prog rock traces in Styx's music (especially their earlier stuff), though I never really considered them prog rock (Kansas is really the only American band that can share the stage with the British prog rocks bands in my opinion). They are just a great band that Gen X types like picking on for some reason (Supertramp and REO Speedwagon are 2 others). So what if they were popular? So what if they are sincere? Being popular is not a horrible thing, if you achieve it honestly, and Styx did.

Old Favorite.......2007-04-11

I'm old enough to remember when this album was first released in the 70's - It wasn't as good as I remember it back then, but is still a good example of the classic (?) Styx sound (high vocals and keyboards, and progressive rock drumming), and has some of Styx's most memorable songs (Grand Illusion and Fooling Yourself). I'm not a big Styx fan and purchasing this CD kind of reminded me why - it's OK to listen to, but at the end of the day, the songs sound too much alike and I can only take it in short bursts. It's a good addition (a must?) to a 70's rock collection, but beyond that, it won't leave you wishing you had more songs to listen to.

Tommy Shaw completing a flawed line-up..........2007-02-17

1977 - tommy shaw is like turning a light on in a dark room... before him styx was missing some depth in their vocal range & harmonies not to mention their guitar line-up helping james young out. this epic album is pure genius but is heavily flawed in one area as are many albums from the 60s-70s --- THE DRUMMING SUCKS... I just can't stand john panozzo's drumming from his muted acoustics to his dull patterns & poor timing... otherwise, this album is ahead of it's time. If the drums were better the album would be 5 stars... I think deyoung's keyboard's are phenominal but the drums aren't there to back them up. Especially in fooling yourself... The grand illusion opens the album showing the new band's vocal range & guitar stylings. You can hear the improved harmonies & shaw's flawless guitar riffs. I also think that shaw & young do a good job of rotating guitar duties. Chuck's bass part's are muted & unaggressive per usual but that's okay because the vocals & keys make up for it. The album is almost conceptual as it's reviewed at the end. I love it. It's in my cd player all the time...

Average customer rating:

Number 10
A Return to Glory
Great Great Great
BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT!
Great era for music

Paradise Theater
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Grand Illusion
Pieces of Eight
Cornerstone
Kilroy Was Here
Equinox

ASIN: B000002GBW
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

A.D. 1928
Rockin' The Paradise
Too Much Time On My Hands
Nothing Ever Goes As Planned
The Best Of Times
Lonely People
She Cares
Snowblind
Half-Penny, Two-Penny
A.D. 1958
State Street Sadie

Amazon.com essential recording

One album before Styx cut loose with an honest-to-goodness concept album, Kilroy Was Here, they flirted with the idea on Paradise Theater. The concept here has something to do with the decline of America in the '70s, based on the condemnation and destruction of the Paradise Theater, a famous showplace in the band's hometown of Chicago. Truth be told, the concept hasn't held together that well, though the individual songs have, led by the optimistic ballad "The Best of Times," and the rockers "Too Much Time on My Hands" and "Snowblind." Dennis DeYoung gives some of his most theatrical performances throughout, presaging his overly ambitious Kilroy concept, but also his successful run performing in the legitimate theater, as Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar. Paradise, meanwhile, was about as good as it got for Styx. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Number 10.......2007-06-29

After the disappointing 'Cornerstone' I was a little nervous about buying this. Didn't want to be let down. But, to my surprise, a very solid release. Almost a concept album of sorts with a common theme of the Paradise Theater. Once again, DeYoung delivers his radio friendly 'The Best of Times', but also delivers the rocking 'Rockin' the Paradise'. Two songs basically the same musically, just a little twist thrown in on the styling. Shaw gives us 'Too Much Time on My Hands', still playing on top 40 today. The only song that never really fit into the album and maybe could be considered filler would be Shaw's 'She Cares'. As much as he would say about DeYoung's songs later on this was a pretty sappy song from him. At least today on cd you can just skip it or just not include it in your mix. But then again, maybe you're one of the fans that likes it. Your choice, but a great album to hear especially after their last.

A Return to Glory.......2006-10-19

Styx returned to a harder style with this album, a style that seemed to vanish on 1979's Cornerstone. While they didn't rock as hard as they had on "Pieces of Eight", fans nonetheless embraced this album, thanks to songs like "Rockin' The Paradise" and "Snowblind". Newer fans of the band were also happy with "The Best of Times" and "Too Much Time On My Hands". This is probably the most polished album of Styx's career; for older fans this was probably their biggest complaint with the album. The blend of styles worked well for them here, but this would be the last album that would prove satisfying to what had become a large legion of fans.

Great Great Great.......2006-10-14

This album is another great one in a long line of great Styx albums. Dennis DeYoung is such a huge part of the success of Styx. Every song here is a winner.
Rockin' The Paradise really gets it rocking. Too Much Time On My Hands is a Styx classic. All the way through this album shows how awesome Styx was. This is a must have for any Styx or classic rock fan.

BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT!.......2006-09-02

Styx Flirted With The Idea Of A Concept Album On This Piece Of Art. The Album Is About A Theatre Known As The Paradise That Is Built To Last Forever But Is Eventually Torn Down Due To Lack Of Interest. It Symbolizes The Decline Of Morals In The United States. Sad But True. If You Know Your Rock And Roll History You Very Well Know That When Styx Went On Tour For This Album They Set A World Record For The Highest Grossing Tour By One Band.

Anyway About The Album. You Can Kind Of Tell This Is About A Theatre Because Almost Every Song I Wouldn't Mind Seeing Or Hearing on Broadway. This Album Holds A Lot Of Great Styx Songs Like "Too Much Time On My Hands", "Snowblind", "The Best Of Times", And The Famous Two-Parter "A.D. 1928" And "Rockin' The Paradise". Paradise Theatre Also Checks In With The Rocker "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" And Shaw's Ballad "She Cares". And If You've Seen Styx's Return To Paradise" DVD Or Heard The CD You Know What They Did. I Loved How They Closed Out The Concert With "The Best Of Times" Combined With "A.D. 1958" To Finish Off The Cocert. I Thought That Was A Particular Nice Touch By Them.

This Is A Great Styx Album And One Of Their Best. These Guys Are One Of The Greatest Bands Of All-Time In Any One's Opinion. The Best Band (In My Opinion) Of All-Time.

This Is A Must Have Album. If You Love Music As Much As I Do You Must Have This Album In Your Collection.

Great era for music.......2006-03-15

Styx was at the top of their game in this album, and it's definitely a RECORD that make syou longn for the days when there actually were nice big record albums and big album covers and sleeves that the artists put a lot of thought into the design for. Beautiful lead singing voice, beautiful music and a very beautiful album design! I like my CDs like anybody else, but this is an era of rock we can't forget.

Average customer rating:

Number Eight
You Can't Go Wrong
Awesome!!!!
last great album
Two sides of styx

Pieces of Eight
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

The Grand Illusion
Cornerstone
Paradise Theater
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ASIN: B000002GBB
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Great White Hope
I'm Okay
Sing For The Day
The Message
Lord Of The Rings
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
Queen Of Spades
Renegede
Pieces Of Eight
Aku-Aku

Amazon.com

In some ways, Styx was America's answer to Queen. The Chicago quintet never ascended to the ranks of rock-and-roll royalty, as did their English counterparts, nor are they held in as high a regard today. Nevertheless, Styx fulfilled a Midwestern American hunger for high-flown fantasy typified on Pieces of Eight with songs like Dennis DeYoung and James Young's "I'm Okay" and "Lords of the Rings," with their elaborate arrangements, soaring vocal harmonies, and lyrical pretensions. In quite another direction, guitarist Tommy Shaw writes about basic human needs and working-class values in "Blue Collar Man," while his song "Sing for the Day" is a pleasant air, and "Renegade" a hard-charging rocker. Styx may have seemed somewhat schizophrenic on Pieces of Eight but their legions of fans diminished not a whit, making the album the band's second multiplatinum effort in a row, following The Grand Illusion. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

Number Eight.......2007-07-04

Styx would really have to blow it out of the water with their eighth release, especially after the unprecedented success of 'The Grand Illusion'. This album very much succeeded. Once again, not a bad song on this album and really a companion to 'The Grand Illusion'. You have to have both. The only song that I thought never really fit and I owned it on vinyl when it first came out was 'Lord of the Rings'. I don't know why. It was the last song on side A of the album and always seemed out of place. Just my opinion, but I always wondered what the heck it was doing on this album and not on a tribute to Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' instead. Maybe, that's what the band was doing, I'm not sure. Radio staples like 'Blue Collar Man' and 'Renegade' keep the band going and keep the pressure building to churn out hits. The sappy ballads are yet to come from DeYoung; they're just not here yet. A must have for any Styx fan, old or new.

You Can't Go Wrong.......2007-04-10

I'm a teen, and I've been into Styx for a while now. I have 4 of their albums, including their "Greatest Hits" album. Fact is, this is my favorite album of theirs. You will find no bad songs on this album. The soft, upbeat songs like "Pieces of Eight", "I'm O.K.", and "Lords of the Ring" are contradicted perfectly with the heavy songs like "Blue Collar Man", "Queen of Spades", and "Renegade" (which is one of my favorite songs of all time). John Panozzo, Dennis DeYoung, and Tommy Shaw all especially shine on here. I wish teens my age liked this instead of emo music. You just can't go wrong with this album. If you are a Styx fan, BUY IT!!! If you're starting with Styx, you might want to try something else first. But whatever you do, you just can't go wrong buying Pieces of Eight.

Awesome!!!!.......2007-04-09

Just started collecting Styx albums.Although I have been a big fan of theirs for years.Have always listened to the greatest Hits."Pieces of Eight" is a great one to start with. Standouts are: "Great White Hope","I'M Okay","Sing For The Day","Lords of The Ring","Blue Collar Man", and "Renegade",my fave all-time Styx song. Styx will never be the same without DeYoung and Shaw.
Get it if you love Styx!!!!!

last great album.......2007-01-10

In many ways "Pieces of Eight" is the finest of all Styx albums. Overall it even outdoes "The Grand Illusion" which many consider to be Styx's finest work. The tracks 6-10 are in my opinion the best side of Styx ever. Tommy Shaw tears it up on both "Blue Collar Man" as well as "Renegade" and Deyoung has two of his most underrated tracks on the album in "Queen of Spades" and "Pieces of Eight." This album has a great mix of melody and crackling guitar which is sadly missing on "Cornerstone" which sounds like it could not have come from the same decade never mind a year later! Other later releases would include the so-so "Paradise Theater" which was at least a step up from Cornerstone, and the dreadful "Killroy was Here" when Deyoung and his ballad fettish put the nails in the coffin but good for these guys. I guess this is what makes this album a great one. A final time when the band ran on all cylinders and were at the peak of their creativity. Not many bands stay that way for long. Styx was no exception.

Two sides of styx .......2006-12-27

This is an awesome album that really shows off tommy shaws knack for writing and performing. This albums also has alot of JY's strong hard rock vocals and pleasantly shows off DeYoung powerful keyboard abilities. I highly reccomend this album for styx fans like myself.

Average customer rating:

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST STYX GREATEST HITS COMPILATION ALBUM THUS FAR.
Philosophical Breakthrough
Awesome Collection of Styx
Groan!
THIS ALBUM IS FRIGGIN AWESOME

Come Sail Away: The Styx Anthology
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001ZMXDG
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Tracks:

Best Thing
You Need Love
Lady
Winner Take All
Rock & Roll Feeling
Light Up
Lorelei
Prelude 12
Suite Madame Blue
Shooz
Mademoiselle
Crystal Ball
The Grand Illusion
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Come Sail Away
Miss America
Man In The Wilderness

Tracks:

Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
Sing For The Day
Renegade
Pieces Of Eight
Lights
Babe
Borrowed Time
Boat On The River
A.D. 1928
Rockin' The Paradise
Too Much Time On My Hands
The Best Of Times
Snowblind
Mr. Roboto
Love Is The Ritual
Show Me The Way
Dear John
One With Everything

Amazon.com

Styx may have had their musical roots in the UK's burgeoning late-'60s/early-'70s prog-rock bombast, but they were true pioneers in at least one sense: The Chicago-bred quintet virtually defined the hugely successful "corp rock" boom that followed a decade after prog's original fortunes tarnished. And if that label suggests a certain sense of the formulaic, in Styx it actually denoted a band with sharp ears and a shrewder sense of rock history, attested to immediately here by the Yes-inspired harmonies of "You Need Love" and the staccato rhythms of the Beatles' "Getting Better" on "Winner Take All." This 35-track double-disc anthology charts a course from sudden fame to its sometimes stormy aftermath, spanning the band's 1972 debut and its resilient 2003 comeback contender, Cyclorama. But after working their way up from the Grand Funk-worthy, meat 'n' instant potatoes of "Rock and Roll Feeling" and bald-faced melodramatics of "Lady" and "Come Sail Away" to the gutsier edge of "Blue Collar Man" and "Too Much Time on My Hands," rising tides of punk and new wave began to erode their younger demographic. And by the time "Babe" gave way to the faux techno of '83's "Mr. Roboto," even those sympathetic to the band's hook-rich, prog-lite sensibility seemed restless. Still, their Tommy Shaw-dominate output in the '90s and beyond showcased a band that had subtly matured from their arena-rock cliché salad days. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST STYX GREATEST HITS COMPILATION ALBUM THUS FAR........2007-06-26

I will be writing a review on the legendary masterpiece 2-CD compilation album entitled "COME SAIL AWAY, THE STYX ANTHOLOGY" by one of Rock's all-time greatest premiere bands ever. I give you one of America's favorite sons and one of Chicago's many pride and joy's, S-T-Y-X! "COME SAIL AWAY, THE STYX ANTHOLOGY" was originally released in 2004 on the UTV Records / A&M Records label on a special 2-CD Gold disc set series using the Original Recording Remastered process. As always, if I hear any new additional information concerning this legendary compilation album or the artist, I will edit this review immediately so that you the consumer will get the overall best informative and most accurate review possible.

STYX will forever go down in Rock n' Roll history and be remembered for composing and recording some of Rock's all-time greatest "slow ballads exploding into Hard Rockers" ever. I guess you can say that STYX followed along the same lines and tradition of LED ZEPPELIN and one of their many legendary Rock songs that would forever be the band's signature and trademark Rock anthem, "Stairway To Heaven." "Stairway To Heaven" would start out as a beautifully slow romantic and poetic acoustic arrangement which would end with a fast upbeat and explosive Hard Rock ending that would have you begging for more. In true retrospect, many of STYX'S classic Rock anthems follow the same LED ZEPPELIN formula but would take it a step further. I will mention more about this formula throughout this review. When the original members such as acoustic and electric guitarist Tommy Shaw met up and joined forces with guitarist James Young, keyboardist, vocalist and synthesizers Dennis De Young, bassist Chuck Panozzo and his brother, drummer John Panozzo, STYX would be born and a new era of arena Rock was about to begin and unfold. It was full speed ahead for STYX and the band would delight us for many years to come from 1972 to 2003 with such beautifully slow, poetic and romantic acoustic sound arrangements thus resulting in blowing us away with a fast explosive and electrifying sound fury at the end of their songs with such grace that the band made it look so easy to perform when it really wasn't. Which now brings me to the legendary compilation album I'm about to review for you today. "COME SAIL AWAY, THE STYX ANTHOLOGY" would be the result of the many great Rock anthems that STYX would deliver to all of us during the 1972 to 2003 period. In my opinion, "COME SAIL AWAY, THE STYX ANTHOLOGY" is without a doubt, a true testament of the greatness, pure genius and musical creativity of five extremely multi-talented musicians. This legendary compilation album is also a fine fitting tribute to a great band that was truly indeed, far ahead of their time. This is the story of STYX, their music is their story that speaks for itself.

It is now time to let the music of STYX to do all of the talking and back it up musically as it was truly intended. "COME SAIL AWAY, THE STYX ANTHOLOGY" from 2004 begins with DISC ONE starting with the CROSBY, STILLS & NASH sounding and incredible acoustic turned acoustic and electric Hard Rocker "Best Thing," the fast paced and explosive Hard Rocker "You Need Love," the formula at its best, the beautifully slow, poetic and romantic arrangement which would soon thrust into a Hard Rockin' masterpiece anthem, "Lady," the explosive and energetic Hard Rocker "Winner Take All," the sizzlin' and loud a*s kickin' Hard Rock anthem with a lot of heart and feelin', "Rock & Roll Feeling," the powerfully slow synthesized turned funkish Hard Rocker "Light Up," the synthesized Hard Rocker with a backbone, "Lorelei," the beautifully sounding acoustic arrangement "Prelude 12," which would evolve into the beautifully arranged mild acoustic number which would later explode into a Hard Rock extravaganza "Suite Madame Blue," the a*s kicking Hard Rocker "Shooz," the amazing guitar sounding effects and wizardry developing into a QUEEN-sounding Hard Rocker, "Mademoiselle," the brilliantly sounding acoustic arrangement turned Hard Rocker, "Crystal Ball," the unbelievable synthesized KANSAS sounding Rocker, "The Grand Illusion," the circus like atmospheric synthesized number turned into an acoustic Rocker, "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)," this next song is another fine example of the formula performed to its fullest potential. This beautifully slow STYX stamped trademark song would erupt into the Hard Rock anthem it was destined to become, a masterpiece. The Hard Rocker of Hard Rockers, "Come Sail Away," the daring and in your face Hard Rocker "Miss America" and the beautifully slow mystical and mysterious number growing into another Hard Rock anthem, "Man In The Wilderness." END OF DISC ONE.

DISC TWO picks up right where DISC ONE left off beginning with the a*s kicking synthesized Hard Rocker "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)," the uplifting synthesized mild Rocker "Sing For The Day," the a*s kicking Hard Rock anthem "Renegade," the Rock n' Roll opus with a synthesized and orchestrated Hard Rock sound touch, "Pieces Of Eight," the heartfelt synthesized mild Rocker "Lights," the beautifully slow sounding Rock anthem that would be another STYX stamped trademark song, "Babe," the rude awakening sounding Hard Rocker "Borrowed Time," the beautifully slow and mandolin filled mild song "Boat On The River," one of the most beautifully sounding Rock anthem ballads ever, "A.D. 1928," which would grow and shake Rock n' Roll to its very foundations with the rugged Hard Rocker "Rockin' The Paradise," the synthesized Rocker with a life of its own, "Too Much Time On My Hands," another one of STYX'S trademark Rock anthems, the beautifully sounding and breathtaking mild Rocker "The Best Of Times," the slow a*s kicking Hard Rocker "Snowblind," the synthesized and energetic Rocker "Mr. Roboto," the synthesized progressive Rocker "Love Is The Ritual," the beautifully slow and encouraging song with hope, "Show Me The Way," the beautifully sounding acoustic and orchestrated song "Dear John" and the true STYX Hard Rock anthem that kicks a*s, "One With Everything." END OF DISC TWO. May I also add an important note and highly commend all of the bandmembers on a great job well done. Much of the music contained on this album is extremely difficult to play. However, the band's timekeeping was laid down perfectly resulting in enabling the other bandmembers to join in and harmonize beautifully and perfectly together. WHAT A SOUND!

This legendary greatest hits compilation album is another great album for everyone of all ages to hear, enjoy and appreciate. This compilation album should automatically be considered an necessity to own as a valuable and important part of his or her own personal music collection. This compilation album will definitely prove to stand the test of time and will always be around to be enjoyed, cherished and appreciated for many years to come, NOW AND FOREVER. You can do all of your album researching and purchases either on Amazon com or at your nearest local Borders Books and Music store.

In closing, STYX has successfully continued in entertaining sell-out audiences the world over up to this very day. STYX has also persevered through many band personnel changes through the years but STYX'S own special blend of magical sounds remain fully intact. With this in mind, STYX has forever left their place and mark in Rock n' Roll history and their accomplishments, contributions and achievements speak for themselves and will never ber forgotten. Knowing this, I guess it is safe to say that STYX is here to stay to delight us further with their sound resulting in many more gothic tales and stories within the STYX saga and legacy that would still need to be told and written in pages and chapters. But that, my fellow readers and reviewers, you will just have to stay tuned and read further more about it at a later date. So here's to you Tommy, James, Dennis, Chuck and John. Thanks for the great memories and moments with many more still yet to come. And as the saying goes, "AND THE REST IS ROCK N' ROLL HISTORY," need I say more? Thanks for reading my review and I truly hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have truly enjoyed writing it for your reading pleasure. I also deeply hope that all of you will read all of my other reviews in the near future when time permits. STYX RULES! Long Live Rock n' Roll. Rock out always and take it easy. Forever in Rock, John L.

Philosophical Breakthrough.......2007-05-30

This CD finally proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that there is no God. No benevolent ruler would sit idly by while music this bad was being unleashed on innocent people. A plague of locusts would be much easier to take than this CD.

Styx featured the kind of song writing that only developmentally delayed junior high kids would pen. Then, they performed their songs over a barrage of generic guitars and cheesy synthesizers. The result is the most synthetic, formulated music ever to come out of the corporate music industry.

Awesome Collection of Styx.......2007-01-08

Styx is one of those groups that many people seem to hate, and yet has always done well both in concert and on tour. One likely explanation is that Styx has sung songs that often almost "gimmicky" or too cute for some fans. One example is "Mr. Roboto." Furthermore, their commercial success may turn some critics away because some people have the opinion that commercial success means little or no artistry. Regardless of why the opinions are what they are, Styx had a long successful career and though they had many pop hits they began life with a progressive and harder edge.

As Styx's popularity waned they tried to experiment with their music, which is always dangerous for a long-established group since their existing fans may feel betrayed and the genre they are trying to break into either reviles their music or doesn't recognize what they are trying to do. "Kilroy Was Here," from which "Mr. Roboto" was taken, was such an experiment. "Kilroy Was Here" was a concept album. I think that had Styx been a new group the album may have worked. However, many longtime Styx fans felt betrayed by an album that appeared to diverge from Styx's traditional music. This album marked the end or the beginning of the end for a monster group that had churned out many top 40 songs.

Styx continues to release albums, with two albums released in the 1990's and two released after the beginning of the new millennium. This album covers up to the 2003 release "Cyclorama."

This CD is a significant improvement over "Styx - Greatest Hits." As with the previous release, I'm not sure that all of the songs on the CD are "greatest hits," but certainly they are representative of Styx from the beginning of their career to the end. This CD is much like "Styx - Greatest Hits" in that it makes a great sampler of Styx. However, serious fans will want to move beyond this collection and acquire Styx albums.

Styx has been classified many ways. Some critics call their music prog-lite. Some critics call them arena rockers and glam rockers. I guess I do not understand what any of these definitions mean when applied to Styx. I think many of these songs still have an edge to them. As an example, "Miss America" is a rocking song. "Crystal Ball" and "Renegade" are also rockers on this CD. There are other fast-paced songs, but they are more pop, such as "Fooling Yourself" and "Lorelei."

Ignore the criticism of Styx if you are a fan of Styx. They created their own style of music, which added, not subtracted, from rock music. They did not try to be like anyone else. I think most groups, including Styx, would rather be thought of as creating their own genre rather than fitting into an existing genre. I think in many ways they did exactly that. In the process they created detractors. Oh well. There will always be someone who wants to denigrate a successful artist. If you like what you've heard of Styx's music and are looking for a good overview of their career, this is the CD. If you are looking for early Styx that had yet to be a pop success, try "The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings."

Enjoy!

Groan!.......2006-10-29

Just what we needed. Q:What could be worse than a CD of Styx greatest hits? A: a TWO CD set of Styx greatest Hits! Double the swill! I know there's lots of you Mr.Roboto heads who'll hate me for saying this,but Styx were undoubtably the worst band who ever made it big. Overwrought,overblown,and sappy. Just to be fair,though, Tommy Shaw was a pretty good guitarist. Too bad he didn't have better songs to play on. Miserable.

THIS ALBUM IS FRIGGIN AWESOME.......2006-08-16

I became a Styx fan about 2 years ago when I was a senoir in high school. The first time I heard the song Blue Collar Man (long Nights) I instantly fell in love with the classic lineup of Dennis DeYoung, The Panozzo Brothers, James Young, and Tommy Shaw. This was the very first Styx CD I ever bought and I loved it so much I had to go out and buy the rest of the Styx albums. I love every song on this CD from "Best Thing" all the way to "One With Everything". I do think that there are some songs missing though such as "Don't Let It End", "First Time", "Haven't We Been Here Before", "Queen Of Spades", and "Superstars", and there are no songs from BRAVE NEW WORLD which really is a great album. And I also feel that there isn't enough from the wooden nickel era. But that is the truth with every greatest hits or anthology album something is always missing to someone that is why we buy the individual albums and why artists release more than one greatest hits album.

But enough negative stuff this is a great album to start with. They start with their first Top 100 hit off their self-titled album STYX with "Best Thing". And then comes two songs off of Styx II The Top 100 hit "You Need Love" and the original "Lady" their first Top Ten hit. They then showcase "Winner Take All" off of THE SERPENT IS RISING and "Rock & Roll Feeling" from MAN OF MIRACLES. Then comes their best off of EQUINOX with their classic songs, "Loerelei", "Light Up", and the two parter "Prelude 12" and "Suite Madame Blue". Then comes the start of the Tommy Shaw era album CRYSTAL BALL with the songs "Crystal Ball", "Shooz", and the Top 40 hit "Mademoisselle". Then the THE GRAND ILLUSION with the songs "Come Sail Away", "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)", "Grand Illusion", "Miss America" and the full length version of "Man In The Wilderness".

Then they start disc 2 with my favorite album PIECES OF EIGHT. They start out the 2nd CD with my favorite song too. "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" they also have songs "Sing For The Day", "Renegade", and "Pieces Of Eight" from that album. Then comes the songs off of CORNERSTONE with their only #1 hit ever. "Babe" plus other songs like "Lights", "Borrowed Time", and "Boat On The River". Then comes the songs off of the album PARADISE THEATRE with "Too Much Time On My Hands", "The Best Of Times", "Snowblind", and the two-parter "A.D. 1928" and "Rockin' The Paradise". Then comes "Mr. Roboto" from their album KILROY WAS HERE. Then comes two songs from their first reunion EDGE OF THE CENTURY. Their Top Ten Hit of the 90s "Show Me The Way" and their spin on the music of that day with "Love Is The Ritual". Then comes the emotionally gripping song dedicates to their late and great drummer John Panozzo in "Dear John" off of RETURN TO PARADISE and then they finish off the anthology with "One With Everything" from CYCLORAMA which features Lawrence Gowan.

Well thats it sure its missing a few things but doesn't every greatest hits album for any band have songs that they miss. This a great album to start or end your collection. I highly suggest that you buy this album today.

Average customer rating:

Wow, what do you say about this album, 25 years later?
Finally, DeYoung's Concept
The album that finished Styx...
Great concept
Kilroy Was Here: Ahead of Its Time

Kilroy Was Here
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Paradise Theater
Cornerstone
Pieces of Eight
Crystal Ball
The Grand Illusion

ASIN: B000002GF6
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Mr. Roboto
Cold War
Don't Let It End
High Time
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Just Get Through This Night
Double Life
Haven't We Been Here Before
Don't Let It End (Reprise)

Customer Reviews:

Wow, what do you say about this album, 25 years later?.......2007-07-09

Styx was my favorite band growing up. I got really into them when Cornerstone was released, and followed up through Kilroy. At the time, I thought Kilroy was an interesting idea, more of a musical than an album, and very, very corny.

Looking back on it now, it's still a very well known album, "Mr. Roboto" is pretty much universally known. So I think they made their point.

Finally, DeYoung's Concept.......2007-07-04

Their eleventh album is the grand concept from DeYoung. This is his album and I think by this time tensions in the band were mounting and the band just went along for their ride, much to their disapproval. Although DeYoung delivers 'Mr Roboto' (secret, secret, I got a secret - today we actually know what the secret was) and 'Don't Let it End', the ballad coming at you full force and pretty much this would spell the end of Styx as everyone knew it. But for this album the magic wasn't there and when the band played live it was a disaster, especially when they played live in Texas with great rockers like Sammy Hager. Fans wanted a rock show and here comes Styx with their unusual concept album and stage act that just didn't get fans excited. In fact, it went the opposite way. Shaw and Young wanted to rock while DeYoung wanted to do the theater on stage. So, Exit Stage Left. This would be their last album as a full band (Shaw went off to form Damn Yankees with Jack Blades and used his stage playing with fellow band mates to publicly ridicule DeYoung on songs like 'Babe' and 'Don't Let it End'- at some point DeYoung and his wife stepped in and asked Shaw not to do this) until 1999 and 'Brave New World' which left little doubt that the rift between DeYoung and Shaw was ever present still. This might not be their best to go out with, but still a must for your Styx collection.

The album that finished Styx..........2007-05-16

I really never liked this album, the last by the "classic" lineup of Styx. This album seriously wounded the band, and the subsequent tour pretty much killed it off. It's really a pity that it came to such a disasterous end. As for the album, the only song that's really good is James Young's sole contribution Heavy Metal Poisoning, a funny, rocking take on right wing religious fundie types irrational hatred of heavy metal music (remember this was the 80's when heavy metal was "killing" our kids...now their target is rap music). Mr. Roboto is really annoying, and Don't Let It End is the worst ballad Styx ever did. This album is pretty much DeYoung's baby, and the tour was as well. They actually acted parts on stage inbetween songs on the tour (which was in arenas, not small venues), and the fans were furious. The rift it caused in the band never healed, even to this day. So unless you're a Styx completist, skip this one.

Great concept.......2007-05-12

Some great songs on this album, Mr. Roboto, Don't Let It End, Cold War. But also a few that don't make sense out of the context of the rock opera itself. I like it for the feel of listening to it straight through, but it does become a little disjointed when shuffled.

Kilroy Was Here: Ahead of Its Time.......2007-05-04

Kilroy Was Here was a very progressive album in 1983. True it was a departure for Styx, but a very worthy departure. KWH should have been Styx' fifth consecutive triple platinum album. As we all know "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End" were successful singles by the incomparable Dennis DeYoung. But,there are some other real gems on this album. Tommy Shaw's "Cold War" and "Just Get Me Through This Night" are great (not bad for a Guy who reportedly despised this album and the tour). James Young's "Heavy Metal Poisoning" is quite entertaining and I absolutely love "Doulbe Life," a great rocker with the line: "I'm schizophrenic and so am I." Dennis Deyoung also contributed "High Time" and finshes off the album with a reprise of "Don't Let It End" which is a nostalgic tribute to early Rock n' Roll music. This was Styx' best thematic effort on an album, very cohesive. In my opinion, this was their best album since The Grand Illusion (1977). Definitely a great album that is worth the listen and a must for any Styx collector.

Average customer rating:

The cornerstone (#9) to success or breakdown
back and forth with some of the songs on this LP/CD
Is This The Sellout Moment?
two words BUY IT
A Tale of Two Sides

Cornerstone
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Pieces of Eight
Paradise Theater
Crystal Ball
Kilroy Was Here
The Grand Illusion

ASIN: B000002GBU
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Lights
Why Me
Babe
Never Say Never
Boat On The River
Borrowed Time
First Time
Eddie
Love In The Midnight

Amazon.com

If Styx didn't do enough to endear itself to a generation of prom-goers with its 1975 slow-dance classic "Lady," they closed the deal a few years later with Cornerstone's premiere hit, "Babe." Perhaps the prototypical I-love-you-but-I-just-gotta-go power ballad, the song was Styx's first No. 1 hit, and it propelled the album to platinum-plus status. Led by that track as well as "Why Me," another Top 40 hit, Cornerstone is Styx at their most accessible and melodic. The album experiments with some new sounds as well, with horns added to the mix on Dennis DeYoung's "Borrowed Time" and "Why Me" and mandolin on Tommy Shaw's "Boat on the River." If their album sales didn't offer the final word on the band's popularity at the close of the '70s, a 1979 Gallup poll did the trick: The group was named America's most popular rock band. It's you babe, indeed. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews:

The cornerstone (#9) to success or breakdown.......2007-07-04

After 'The Grand Illusion' and 'Pieces of Eight' there was little doubt back in the day that Styx would deliver another killer album. Not true at all. Okay, everyone, by now, knows the big radio hit, 'Babe' from DeYoung (the start of the sappy ballad - include with that 'First Time'- what was DeYoung thinking with this song, absolutely terrible), but little to be said really good about this album. Shaw delivers a couple of good hits like 'Lights' and 'Boat on the River', but this release didn't even come close to their previous releases. And for fans that had been listening to Styx since their inception, you got the sense that they were definitely heading in the marketable top 40 direction and away from their roots. Ultimately, this turned out to be a bad thing for the band as evidenced by the departure of Shaw a little bit later down the road. If you already own other Styx albums you'll find enough here to keep you happy. But, the sound is so different from their Wooden Nickel label days especially with James Young not doing alot of the lead vocals these days. He seems content now to be pigeon-holed into his one song-off or duet with Shaw. Get it anyway and judge for yourself.

back and forth with some of the songs on this LP/CD.......2007-01-30

I am 44 years old, female and owned this when it came out in 1979...I still have it and it is a worn looking raggedy thing...I also now have the CD...I loved Styx back in the 70's and still do but am NOW more into the rock-ier songs they produced. I liked this LP when I was a teen and it was one I listened to along with others and silly as it sounds was therapy bc music back then was something I listened to on a constant basis-mostly harder rock and roll but Styx was my secret delite..
I have to say--then and now... my favorite song from that LP/Cd is by far " Love in the Midnight" written and sung by Tommy Shaw.

It always caught my emotions and still does. I can truthfully take or leave the rest of the LP esp Babe and The First Time which I never liked....someone mentioned saccharine overdose-- they are right about that...blech..

I do like Eddie tho even tho it is dated-- it is now interesting to listen to it and it is well written by JY... it is about Ted Kennedy running for president which he had considered back for 1980 and decided not to run as the Kennedy luck in high politics wasnt too probable.....and I do have a fondness for JY and Tommy Shaw...I didn't particularly like Boat on the River..I think this is one of Tommy's weakest songs... like a weak caribbean diddy...Never say Never by Tommy is just OK but somewhat sappy listening to it now ...Why Me is ok but weak too--somewhat whiny ....

Lights is a moderately decent tune -better than most of the stuff on this LP... Borrowed time is a powerful ballad music-wise but I dont like the "Yes/No" shouting part and "don't look now but here come the 80's"...reminds me an auctioneer...all in all it isn't one of my favorite Styx LPs but again it has a few decent songs and especially Love in the Midnight-- that to me is a timeless Deep Styx sleeper track that for me stands the test of time....

Is This The Sellout Moment?.......2006-10-19

It would be easy to argue...and at the time of the release I was one of many loyal Styx fans to believe it...that this was the beginning of the end. "Babe" was a huge worldwide hit, and "First Time" is another supremely commercial power ballad. So when we look beyond the commercialism..this still isn't the best of efforts for this band. "Borrowed Time" is an attempt to move into a new decade, but seems forced; "Eddie" is far from James Young's best effort, and Tommy Shaw's "Lights" and "Boat on the River" are hardly memorable. Of particular interest is that "Boat on the River" was a huge hit in Europe and helped to propel the band to superstardom throughout the continent. But overall, while "Babe" defines the band to the heretofore uninitiated, "Cornerstone" is a poor definition of Styx's career.

two words BUY IT.......2006-09-10

Styx's 9th album and their 3rd in a string of 5 multi-platinum albums. This condidered by many their "ballad album" but really there are only 2 ballads in this album which means there is 7 other songs on here that really are enjoyable.

My Favorites on this one include the #1 hit "Babe" the second ballad "First Time" the hard-rocker "Borrowed Time" the thought provoking song "Lights" the catchy tune "Why Me" and the off-beat almost polkaish song "Boat On The River".

This is a great album to both continue and finish your collection with if you are a music fan you will buy this I know you will. This is truly a must have.

A Tale of Two Sides.......2006-05-30

This album is on the shortlist of maybe a dozen or so that I nostalgically remember hearing from my Dad's stereo while I was growing up. I still like it, but with time and distance you have to admit that on the whole, it's not one of Styx's greatest works because the quality songs are so unevenly split: it's almost as if the original vinyl album was split into A and B sides, with all the secondary material relegated to the B-side as if in an old 45 release.

Side one of the vinyl album was excellent. Lights, Why Me, Never Say Never, Babe (which was, at one time, horrendously overplayed - but today it's all but forgotten by mainstream listeners and hence almost fresh again). Boat on the River is pleasant enough but nothing special.

Side two of the vinyl was merely decent. I have never been able to get very worked up over Eddie, Love in the Midnight, or (god help us for the saccharine overdose) First Time. Borrowed Time is quite good. As a result, back in the dark ages when I was about 13 and had to actually flip over albums on my Dad's turntable, I often didn't bother.

Average customer rating:

Not their best, but still very worthwile.
"Lorelei" lets get together
Equinox-Styx
Equinox - an album for all time
A great hard rock album with some prog

Equinox
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Crystal Ball
Pieces of Eight
The Grand Illusion
Cornerstone
Paradise Theater

ASIN: B000002GB2
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Light Up
Lorelei
Mother Dear
Lonely Child
Midmight Ride
Born For Adventure
Prelude
Suite Madame Blue

Customer Reviews:

Not their best, but still very worthwile........2007-06-17

I'm 14, and I got into Styx almost completely by chance. My parent have no record players or LP's, and neither have any Styx cassettes or CD's. My Dad and I were just listening to SIRIUS classic rock, and Lorelei came on. I IMMEDIATELY LOVED THE SONG! That night, I also happened to watch "Big Daddy", and learned that the song Mr. Roboto was by Styx. Since then, I've been collecting their albums. In fact, this is the first of theirs I bought (because of Lorelei), and I was not dissapointed. The very first song I heard told me that I was going to enjoy this band for years to come. Well, one year later, I'm still into this album. Compared to their others, it's not their best, but it's still essential to have for Lorelei and Light Up alone.
Light Up: Ought to be in their Greatest Hits I. Very mellow, 60's feel. 9/10
Lorelei: Styx's first step towards stardom, and one of the their best songs to date. 10/10
Mother Dear: Strange, upbeat feel. It's actually very entertaining. 8/10
Lonely Child: Very nice, passionate love song. DeYoung's vocals are top notch here. 9/10
Midnight Ride: Probably the most forgettable JY rocker. Still O.K. though. 7/10
Born For Adventure:A DeYoung rocker. It's a very heavy sound, which doesn't quite match DeYoung's vocals. 6/10
Prelude 12/Suite Madame Blue: Just barely worse than Lorelei. Another classic Styx prog/mainstream hit. 10/10

"Lorelei" lets get together.......2007-06-14

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.

In circa 1976 a group of punk rock/new wave/alternative fans that could actually read and write decided that Journey, Kansas, REO Speedwagon, and Styx were responsible for the problems of the world. They labeled these groups "Corporate Rock." Astonishing to the normal people on earth was seeing the word corporate because it contained three syllables. What these folks have never understood is the output of a band should be judged on the musical level and not the sales or lack there of.

For that reason alone you should purchase this recording.

On to serious business. Styx has had three very distinct phases of the band. The 1st would be the releases (4) on a small label "Wooden Nickel." Please check out the samples Amazon is kind enough to provide us on that period. It includes the tremendous tune "Lady" as well as many other interesting compositions.

Phase two would be "Equinox", "Crystal Ball", and "Grand Illusion." The next chapter would begin with "Pieces Of Eight."

Sometimes lost in the shuffle can be a recording or two that a band should be rather proud of. "Equinox" and "Crystal Ball" will look good in any Styx fans CD collection.

The opening track "Light Up" is straight ahead rock and roll. Getting your attention right out of the starting gate and rightly so. This is one of the finest tracks from the band.

"Lorelei" with the catchy keyboard mix and strong vocals takes us in a different direction and we aren't distracted.

"Mother Dear" has really nice inter-play with the keyboards and guitar. There is a vocal effect that makes the words stand out.

"Lonely Child" offers very well done production. The proper levels of guitar and voice are crucial for the song to thrive and thanks to the craftsmanship of the production team they have everything under control.

"Midnight Ride" is a relentless rocker. It is a sledgehammer all the way through. Pure intensity and one of the group's best.

"Born For Adventure" doesn't let you recover. It is more quality rock and roll. The energy is superlative.

"Prelude" allows you to regain your strength. The nice acoustic guitar gets us ready for the finale.

"Suite Madame Blue" a continuation of the same construction as the previous track. It is a good way for the album to end.

If you purchase this CD not only do you get back at the annoyances the punk movement caused to us years back but you put a solid rock and roll disc in your hands to play often!

Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

Equinox-Styx.......2007-06-02

AWESOME seller! pristine condition and FAST delivery! Hope to do business with you again REAL soon! THANK you so much for your attention to these details!

Equinox - an album for all time.......2007-05-16

This album came out during the time when drugs were still popular just after the 60's movement. Many songs reflect the mood of the era where people just wanted to be free and enjoy life. Lyrics are more story telling rather than just catchy soundbites. Done befor the time of "gloom and doom".

The group is still exploring areas in music other bands seem to ignor. Perfect for just kicking back and letting your mind wander as they take you to places in your mind only STYX can create. The song "Midnight ride" is surprizing in that it is a hellacious rock song with good energy that is a departure from the other (mellow) themes in this album.

Likewise "Suite Madam Blue" became a famous "Power ballad" for STYX fans everywhere. Starting with a "Stairway to heaven" style intro, leading you on a journey of sound that finally brings on a pounding ride that features a ripping guitar solo that even headbangers love. It climaxs and finishes off almost where you started and leaves you thinking.

A great hard rock album with some prog.......2007-04-14

I waited at least (gasp) over 25 years from the time that I had first heard of Styx (maybe 79-80) before I purchased my first Styx album (The Grand Illusion, 1977). I enjoyed that album so much that I started right at the beginning with the Wooden Nickel albums and worked my way up through Pieces of Eight (1978). This 1975 release was the band's first major label release following the final Wooden Nickel album Man of Miracles (1974) and shows the band beginning to develop the signature sound that was brought to it's fullest expression on albums like The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. In general, Equinoxe presents a good example of American hard rock with aspects of English Progressive rock mixed in that makes for a very enjoyable listening experience.

The lineup at this point included John Curulewski (electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers, vocals); Dennis DeYoung (acoustic piano, synthesizers, Hammond organ, vocals); Chuck Panozzo (bass guitar and vocals); John Panozzo (drums, percussion, and vocals); and James Young (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals). All of the guys are solid players and there is some good ensemble work. The flourishes on the synthesizers (mini moog I think) are reminiscent of some English progressive rock and add a lot to the overall sound. All of the vocalists are great and there are some excellent vocal harmonies throughout the entire album. Equinoxe would be John Curulewski's last album with the band and he was replaced by Tommy Shaw on the follow up Crystal Ball (1976).

The eight tracks on the album range in length from 3'19 to the 7'52" Prelude 12/Suite Madame Blue suite. In large part, the music on Equinoxe is fairly sophisticated hard rock with some progressive touches here and there. All in all, this makes for a pretty good combination in my book. There are nice dynamic contrasts between the spacier sections dominated by acoustic guitars/synthesizers and the harder rocking tunes dominated by heavily distorted guitars, a "heavy metal" vocal style, and a thunderous rhythm section, e.g. Midnight Ride, Born for Adventure. Melodies are also used a lot on Equinoxe and leaven the heavier aspects of the music nicely. I have to say that as a hard core prog fan, my favorite moments on the album include the rich sounding 12 string acoustic guitars on Prelude 12; the spacey synthesizers on Suite Madame Blue, and the tracks Light Up and Lorelei, although all of the tracks are pretty enjoyable.

This album is recommended to those folks that like well arranged and well played hard rock, with touches of prog here and there along with The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. Other stylistically similar albums that might be enjoyable include two by Kansas (Song for America, 1975; Leftoverture, 1976) and two by Rush (Farewell to Kings, 1977; and Hemispheres, 1978).

Average customer rating:

ALL THE BEST OF THE ORIGINAL STYX
Styx - 'The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings' (Hip-O)
The Roots of Styx, 70's classic
DON'T TAKE ANY WOODEN NICKELS...
Early Wood

The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings
Styx
Manufacturer: Hip-O Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Equinox
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Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra

ASIN: B0007LLPM4
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Tracks:

Movement For The Common Man
Right Away
What Has Come Between Us
Best Thing
Quick Is The Beat Of My Heart
After You Leave Me
You Need Love
Lady
A Day
You Better Ask
Little Fugue In "G"
Father O.S.A.
Earl Of Roseland
I'm Gonna Make You Feel It
Unfinished Song

Tracks:

Witch Wolf
The Grove Of Eglantine
Young Man
As Bad As This
Winner Takes All
22 Years
Jonas Psalter
The Serpent Is Rising
Krakatoa
Hallelujah Chorus
Rock & Roll Feeling
Havin' A Ball
Golden Lark
A Song For Suzanne
A Man Like Me
Lies
Evil Eyes
Southern Woman
Christopher, Mr. Christopher
Man Of Miracles

Customer Reviews:

ALL THE BEST OF THE ORIGINAL STYX.......2007-06-04

IF YOU ARE A STYX LOVER, YOU WILL LOVE!! THIS COLLECTION. THE COMPLETE FIRST THREE ALBUMS FROM WOODEN NICKEL MUSIC. THIS IS AND WILL ALWAYS BE THEIR VERY BEST STUFF. MANY OF THESE SONGS THEY PERFORMED EVEN BEFORE THEY NAMED THEMSELVES STYX, AND THEY PLAYED AS A HOUSE BAND IN CHICAGO. I SAW THEM PERFORM THESE SONGS AT THE ORIGINAL PARIDISE THEATHER IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO 30 YEARS AGO, AND STILL AM BLOWN AWAY BY THEIR POWER AND MUSICAL TALENTS. SO MUCH GREAT MUSIC TO ENJOY.

Styx - 'The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings' (Hip-O).......2007-05-21

Nicely assembled 2-CD, 35 track repertoire of early Styx. Essential for all fans of pre-platinum Styx. Some of these tunes I haven't heard in ages. Some truly memorable arena rock 'deep album cuts' to be fully taken in here. This 2-CD release draws from the first four Styx lp's, their self-titled ('72), 'Styx II' ('73), 'Serpent Is Rising' ('74) and 'Man Of Miracles' ('74). Songs that got me going were "Right Away", the rocking "Best Thing", their first-ever hit "Lady", "Young Man", "Rock 'N Roll Feeling" and "A Man Like Me". A must-have.

The Roots of Styx, 70's classic.......2007-05-09

For starters if you are a total Styx fan this is a must have (Five stars for you). The album features the band's work before signing with A&M records. That would mean prior to Equinox and Tommy Shaw's debut on Crystal Ball and the Grand Illusion. But it does demonstrate all of James Young's hard rocking contributions to the early band and of course earlier Denis DeYoung ballads and Works. (Works meaning some really neat pipe organ and arrangements with a more clasical flavor).
These recordings are Remastered which is a big plus, because if you are familiar with the cd "The Best of Styx" the sound quality on it was dissappointing. But all the tracks on this new release are more brilliant and sound fine.
The most popular track on the recordings of course would be Lady, and it also features the harder rocking tunes I personally enjoyed like Southern Woman, You Need Love, Winner Take All, Witch Wolf, Man of Miracles, Rock and Roll Feeling, and I'm Gonna Make You Feel It.
In general the rest of the album is a trip down memory lane of the early seventies sound I remember as a kid. Heavy doses of electric organ and heavy Bass Guitar. The style typified by so many other bands around the same era like early REO Speedwagon and Yes. So if you love early 70's classic rock this would also be a Check it out.

DON'T TAKE ANY WOODEN NICKELS..........2007-02-10

- This expression, first recorded in about 1915, was originally a warning from friends and relatives to rubes leaving the sticks in the great migration from rural areas to the big cities at the turn of the century. It was a humorous adjuration meaning beware of those city slickers...

Same thing applies here. Unless you are a DIE HARD STYX fan there is nothing here for you except a mound of pretentious mystical blatherings.

With the exception of Styx 2's well known "Lady" and the beautiful "A Day" on disc one, I cannot imagine why you would play the rest of this excrutiatingly preposterous record more than once.

Early Wood.......2007-02-02

I'm not ready to forgive these guys for "Babe" or anything, but there is some nice stuff scattered across these two pre-A&M discs. Some of it's rather derivative, of course ("The Serpent Is Rising" appropriates the riff from Crimson's "Pictures Of A City," for example), and some of it just bland (their cover of The Knickerbockers' "Lies" is so straightforward it's a wonder why they bothered). But when it's good, it's really good: the elegiac "Father OSA," the lazy, hazy "A Day," the naughty "Grove Of Eglantine" (which lies "just south of man's delight, close to a soft flowing stream" - - that's the lowdown, see?) and the early, soulful "Right Away" are good examples of what Styx was about early in their career. And the mix of different lead vocalists ensures lots of variety. To be sure, the more progressive side of the band was always balanced with a more formally hard rock style, so there's something here for pretty much everybody who's willing to temporarily forget the radio-saturation of their A&M years. It's likely you haven't heard much from these four albums except the deservedly-a-smash "Lady," and a lot of it is better than anything Styx would later release (don't EVEN mention KILROY). And it's a shame they lost the late John Curulewski so early on (he'd stick around for only one more album, EQUINOX, the band's A&M debut) as he provided the band with much of what was so great in their material. As for his infamous "Plexiglass Toilet" - - well, those who love calypso but hate potty humor are going to have a little problem.

Average customer rating:

Certainly A Turning Point In Styx's Career
It's about time I finally got ahold of this CD
Styx Schick
Inconsistent
They Had A Lot Of Fun On This Album While Fine Tuning Their Sound

Crystal Ball
Styx
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Equinox
Pieces of Eight
The Grand Illusion
Cornerstone
Paradise Theater

ASIN: B000002GB4
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Put Me On
Mademoiselle
Jennifer
Crystal Ball
Shooz
This Old Man
Clair De Lune/Ballerina

Customer Reviews:

Certainly A Turning Point In Styx's Career.......2007-04-17

With the addition of Tommy Shaw to the band, Styx would ultimately go on to great success, and evidence of that was shown on this album. Although it's not the best of styx, no Styx fan should be without this album. Although "This Old Man" is a bit forgettable, the other songs on here are must haves. T. Shaw's shivering "Crystal Ball" is one of Styx's most famous hits, and for a good reason. DeYoung's "Mademoiselle" is possibly one of Styx's most classic pop songs, and JY and Shaw's "Shooz" is one of the greatest Styx rockers of all time. It may be Styx in a small dose, but it may be some of the only Styx you'll need. However, as I said earlier, you should buy this album if you're a Styx fan already. Those who are new to the band might want to try Equinox or possibly Paradise Theatre first. And, as also mentioned, it's a tad short (only 35 minutes). But if you are a Styx fan, you MUST have this album!

It's about time I finally got ahold of this CD.......2007-04-07

This CD is a must have for progressive rocker

Styx Schick.......2006-12-27

Great set o songs from the 70's albumns before styx turned dyx. "Rock'n Roll Shooz", "Put me on", and "Jenifer" are undebatably(did i spell incorrectly, oh gee why no e-mail me and tell me in loud boistrous font-like ye have nutn' better to think of herbert) the best of the bunch...
Other trax like Crystal Ball had a nice mellow tune of atmopshere. Rush and styx were comparable as was Kansas in the quality and rythmic stait(gosh/golly! I didn't know this was a spelling bee.) foreward rock. Instruments, though were often subtle in these bands too, bass utilized for more than "volumn" And gitars in "Shooz" something to live a