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Music, Reviews

“Live At The Orleans Arena Las Vegas” by Styx

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Artist: Styx
Title: “Live At The Orleans Arena Las Vegas”
Label: Eagle Records
Release Date: 7/24/2015
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

Back in 2014, Styx was touring as a part of the “Endless Summer” tour that featured a headlining Foreigner and support from The Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder. The three classic acts performed to rousing response in whatever town they happened to drop in on. Since I didn’t get to catch any of the regional appearances when they happened here I was super stoked to find Eagle Rock Entertainment dishing out both an audio and video of the bands set from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV. This summary speaks to the audio release only as I have not yet gotten my hands on the Blu-ray video but hope to do that soon.

Thinking back on my own personal appreciation for the music of Styx I have to chuckle at the fact that even though I’ve enjoyed them for decades now, and actually could play both “Equinox” and “Paradise Theatre” on the drums from beginning to end, they remain one of the bands that I have never, ever witnessed in concert for myself. I better get around to that before they decide that it’s time to retire but judging by the incendiary audio presentation I am currently blasting that does not seem to be something on the bands agenda anytime soon. The single CD release features twelve of the bands biggest hits such as “The Grand Illusion” which opens the set and draws you right into their musical world. It’s always been one of my favorites and usually seemed to be relegated to the closing part of their set. They follow with “Too Much Time On My Hands” from the great “Paradise Theatre” album and that was a radio hit times ten when that album came out. You young fans don’t remember the power of big radio rock stations but trust me this tune was in constant rotation. The band is joined by original bassist Chuck Panozzo during “Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)” and this seems to be a regular occurrence for the band as the musician is listed as being a part-time member. In today’s music world, the Styx band is comprised of Chuck Panozzo (guest bass), James “J.Y.” Young (guitar), Tommy Shaw (guitar), Todd Sucherman (drums), Lawrence Gowan (keyboards, vocals), Ricky Phillips (bass). The lineup has been this way for just over a decade now and that is what makes having these live releases the most interesting because you are getting the band as they are now and not during their earliest years. Trust me this is not a bad thing at all even though I grew up on the melodies of Dennis DeYoung as their singer.
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Music, Reviews

“Icon” by Styx

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Artist: Styx
Title: “Icon”
Label: Universal Music
Release Date: 8/31/2010
Genre: Progressive Hard Rock
Rating: 2.5/5

Let’s say that you are one of those fans that only likes a certain amount of a bands repertoire and outside of those tunes there is not a single song that you have any interest in. If this is you, then some of the single CD edition “Icon” series of releases is right up your alley. When it came to the band Styx, the folks at Universal Music released two separate editions and these are some views on the single CD version. The bottom line is while this is a very sound release and features some notables like “Come Sail Aawy”, “Babe” and “Too Much Time On My Hands”; it will clearly leave you wanting more oince the album have completed its run. Powerful numbers from the bands catalog that don’t often get the proper attention are touched upon as “Lorelei” and “Renegade” along with “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)” help to melt your stereo speakers but at only twelve tunes you will still be hungry after this appetizer is finished. I love and hate the “Icon” albums for a few reasons and the first is because they play it a little too safe with the hits instead of tossing in something that might surprise a listener. The tunes also only present the vocal talents of Dennis DeYoung who has not be in the band for many years at this point in time. For many these are the bands “Best Of Times” if you pardon the obvious pun. They are also to be considered a “no frills” release since they are often omitting band images and artwork or liner notes. We don’t get much of that with these eco-friendly albums. They would have served their public better by using the example set by Sony Music who did the “Setlist” albums, as each released offered you artwork, web-links and additional information if you played the CD in your computer. I have to think that these should have been exclusive online releases and available only via MP3 downloading services like I-tunes or Amazon MP3. Today’s younger generation of listeners are accessing music in this fashion anyway while the legacy fans want something substantial to hold. We are clearly in the minority.
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Music, Reviews

“Icon” (2CD) by Styx

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Artist: Styx
Title: “Icon” 2CD
Label: Universal Music
Release Date: 8/31/2010
Genre: Hard Rock/Progressive Rock
Rating: 3.75/5

For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed the music of Styx. There was just something about its overall majesty and melody that drew me in from the first notes of the song “Lorelei”, which if I remember correctly was my first introduction to the band’s output. This next edition in the “Icon” series of Best-Of’s that are coming out on Universal Music is a worthwhile piece for your music collection, especially if you don’t have any hits compilations for the band already. As you glance around the tracks listed you can see that we get a little bit of everything from their history, outside of the most recent years. You cannot go wrong with “Come Sail Away” or “Too Much Time On My Hands” and if you are old enough you will likely remember the glory days of radio when tunes like these ruled the airwaves. They include my own favorites like those just mentioned and “Lorelei”, “Fooling Yourself” and “Blue Collar Man” and it’s enough to make you not realize that nothing from the current lineup seems to be presented. We get a couple of tracks from the bands Wooden Nickel years by way of “Lady” and “Man In The Wilderness” so those might interest the hard core listener as well. They sound excellent as remastered tracks and will shake the walls when played at proper volume. The only downside to them in my humble opinion is the lack of liner notes and photos as these just give you the music with no other fringe benefits. I am thinking that in these ever changing music times that the new listener hardly cares about such inclusions and instead will do any searching for that stuff online.
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Music, Reviews

“Gold” by Styx

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Artist: Styx
Title: “Gold” (remaster)
Label: Universal Music
Release Date:
Genre: Progressive Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

Styx is a band who many feel were one of the finest of the Progressive Hard Rock outfits ever established and this view finds little argument when you add up the number of hit makers they have in their songbook. “Gold” has done right by the fans in its issue because unlike a typical greatest hits package that gives you but a sampling, this as an anthology works very well and touches upon a lot more music. While no release can ever capture every single amazing song that a group might have I think that 35 selections is a great start for any fan. As you peruse this particular track listing you do find a representation from some of their most pivotal and respected albums. The band was started in the early 60’s under a different name eventually becoming Styx for the release of their first record in 1972. The brothers Panozzo, Dennis DeYoung and James “JY” Young formed the nucleus of what was to become a musical blockbuster. Eventually recruiting Tommy Shaw the band would mix powerful Melodic Arena-styled Rock with elements of Progressive bands of the day. Listen to “Lorelei” on Equinox if you have any doubts on that. The band would find a breakthrough epic in their release “The Grand Illusion” and lead them to the chart-topping “Paradise Theatre”. Songs from all of these albums are here to enjoy (with five of them from “Paradise” alone). There is even some music from the confusing “Kilroy Was Here”, an album that essentially caused the end of the band of the time before the reunions with varied memberships would take place in the following years.
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