Styx & CYO

[Liam]

Posted this over at the Annex..but I figured I'd do it here as well. "Styx with The CYO - One With Everything"

Ya know...I'm sitting here listening to this cd...and it's funny how Styx (mainly JY) bash Dennis DeYoung for things he does like have an orchestra and writing ballads and here they are doing the same thing.
That said....here's a little review.

Blue Collar Man- Tommy Shaw's most overplayed song but it sounds cool with the CYO behind it.

One With Everything - One of the saving graces on Cyclorama and NOW one of the saving graces on this album. Awesome song but the orchestra is too low in the mix. Then again...aside from Blue Collar Man...this is a CONSTANT problem.


Just Be- The other saving grace on the album...but it irritates me to no end that it's the lone studio track right smack in the MIDDLE of the album. Why? (And this is the ballad I was referring to earlier. You can try it out on youtube...but I don't have the direct link)

Everything All The Time - When I first heard it I thought it was a Xmas song with the way it started...but it's just a rocker. Cool song...I'd like to hear it revamped in the studio with more orchestration to it.

For me though...the rest of the album is just the same old rehashed shit that's SORELY under produced. Take that and the lack of Dennis's songs (which IMO aren't sung well by Gowan) and it makes for a sorry album as a whole.
So in other words....I'm giving it a 62%. Worst score Styx has ever received from me. Then again...I never reviewed Big Bang Theory. LOL. Sorry if this review bored anyone. lol.

[larryfromnextdoor]

i really like the way Crystal Ball came out and I dont Need No Doctor... (even WASP made that one sound good)... i like Gowans vocals,, and he can nail it live..

[brywool]

I'm actually glad Dennis is no longer there. Now if they can replace JY with Burtnik...
Believe it or not, I'm a Dennis fan, BUT...

Dennis is SO unhip, it's not even funny. I saw him on Duets and was embarrassed for him. I like his voice, I love his songs (Pre-Kilroy) but the guy hasn't written a ROCK song since BoomChild. Everything else has been recycled Babe.

Also, he apparently killed the momentum that the band had after Shaw rejoined and couldn't or wouldn't tour. I think that Shaw and company did the only thing they could do, much like another band who's singer just went AWOL for a number of years...
At least with Gowan, they get a showman, a better keyboardist and, most importantly, SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO WORK.

Jy's comments on the orchestra thing were silly and shortsighted. Jy seems like a dick and I'm tired of hearing his Cowardly Lion vibrato and WHY do they keep doing Miss America on live albums? It's horrible. The real crime is that on Cyclorama (a MASTERPIECE), Jy sang as many songs as Burtnik. Burtnik should've got more songs (he's a better writer and vocalist than Young could ever be) and the band should've treated him better and got him to stay. It's pretty cool that he's touring with DeYoung, especially after all the crap that Glen said about Dennis. Dennis was very cool to ask him to join him on the road.

I am looking forward to Dennis' solo record and I HOPE that he does some rock on it. If I hear that dopey Fender Rhoades piano in another ballad, I'm going to puke.

And now, back to Journey...

[Abitaman]

I'm actually glad Dennis is no longer there. Now if they can replace JY with Burtnik...
Believe it or not, I'm a Dennis fan, BUT...

Dennis is SO unhip, it's not even funny. I saw him on Duets and was embarrassed for him. I like his voice, I love his songs (Pre-Kilroy) but the guy hasn't written a ROCK song since BoomChild. Everything else has been recycled Babe.

Also, he apparently killed the momentum that the band had after Shaw rejoined and couldn't or wouldn't tour. I think that Shaw and company did the only thing they could do, much like another band who's singer just went AWOL for a number of years...
At least with Gowan, they get a showman, a better keyboardist and, most importantly, SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO WORK.

Jy's comments on the orchestra thing were silly and shortsighted. Jy seems like a dick and I'm tired of hearing his Cowardly Lion vibrato and WHY do they keep doing Miss America on live albums? It's horrible. The real crime is that on Cyclorama (a MASTERPIECE), Jy sang as many songs as Burtnik. Burtnik should've got more songs (he's a better writer and vocalist than Young could ever be) and the band should've treated him better and got him to stay. It's pretty cool that he's touring with DeYoung, especially after all the crap that Glen said about Dennis. Dennis was very cool to ask him to join him on the road.

I am looking forward to Dennis' solo record and I HOPE that he does some rock on it. If I hear that dopey Fender Rhoades piano in another ballad, I'm going to puke.

And now, back to Journey...

Would love to see JY go and Glen come in. Miss America needs to be dropped from the set. Bring Snowblind back in.-ERIC

[larryfromnextdoor]

Cowardly Lion vibrato ...

cowardly lion?? he kinda looks like a lion too....

[rajah2165]

I'm actually glad Dennis is no longer there. Now if they can replace JY with Burtnik...
Believe it or not, I'm a Dennis fan, BUT...

Dennis is SO unhip, it's not even funny. I saw him on Duets and was embarrassed for him. I like his voice, I love his songs (Pre-Kilroy) but the guy hasn't written a ROCK song since BoomChild. Everything else has been recycled Babe.

Also, he apparently killed the momentum that the band had after Shaw rejoined and couldn't or wouldn't tour. I think that Shaw and company did the only thing they could do, much like another band who's singer just went AWOL for a number of years...
At least with Gowan, they get a showman, a better keyboardist and, most importantly, SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO WORK.

Jy's comments on the orchestra thing were silly and shortsighted. Jy seems like a dick and I'm tired of hearing his Cowardly Lion vibrato and WHY do they keep doing Miss America on live albums? It's horrible. The real crime is that on Cyclorama (a MASTERPIECE), Jy sang as many songs as Burtnik. Burtnik should've got more songs (he's a better writer and vocalist than Young could ever be) and the band should've treated him better and got him to stay. It's pretty cool that he's touring with DeYoung, especially after all the crap that Glen said about Dennis. Dennis was very cool to ask him to join him on the road.

I am looking forward to Dennis' solo record and I HOPE that he does some rock on it. If I hear that dopey Fender Rhoades piano in another ballad, I'm going to puke.

And now, back to Journey...

You need to stay on Journey because your facts on Styx are so off, it ain't funny. DeYoung was voted the top performer on Duets. He also was the highest rated episode. He also was invited back. Gowan is a tool - he spins that piano around and looks like an idiot to say the least. His voice sucks and he is a total mismatch for the band. Finally, DeYoung didn't kill any momentum. If any momentum was killed is was by Shaw doing that putrid solo album the year before (7 deadly zens - talk about crap)

I agree that JY sucks - his voice is horrible and they do Miss America way too much - especially since it wasn' even a hit. And if you think Cyclorama was a masterpiece, I got some swamp land down in Florida to sell you...

[brywool]

You need to stay on Journey because your facts on Styx are so off, it ain't funny. DeYoung was voted the top performer on Duets. He also was the highest rated episode. He also was invited back. Gowan is a tool - he spins that piano around and looks like an idiot to say the least. His voice sucks and he is a total mismatch for the band. Finally, DeYoung didn't kill any momentum. If any momentum was killed is was by Shaw doing that putrid solo album the year before (7 deadly zens - talk about crap)

I agree that JY sucks - his voice is horrible and they do Miss America way too much - especially since it wasn' even a hit. And if you think Cyclorama was a masterpiece, I got some swamp land down in Florida to sell you...

My Facts on Styx or not off. I'm a huge Styx fan. I'm just tired of Dennis Deyoung's direction for the band. He might've been the top performer on Duets, but most of the performers on there sucked so of course Dennis would shine. Michael Bolton? PUHLEASE! Most of the people on that show are has beens. I like Dennis as a singer. He's great. But the Mr. Roboto duet was the most embarrassing piece of sh... television I've ever seen. If I was Shaw, I would've been cringing watching that. Looked like my Grampa after one too many beers at a 4th of July picnic. He might've sang fine (Dennis' voice is always good) but that song is ridiculous and an embarrassment to the band. I remember when that came out in 83. I was sitting by my MTV waiting for the new Styx video with baited breath.... then I see these stupid dancing robots. OMG- that was when Styx became UNCOOL in a second. Look at YOUR facts... Styx played the Texas Jam with acts like Hagar and others and came out and did their Roboto play. They were lucky that they didn't get injured by all shit that was thrown at them.
These days, Dennis looks completely unhip and too old for a rock band. Cyclorama was the best thing Styx has done since Grand Illusion in my opinion and I'm not alone. They actually rocked on that album. Did they rock on Edge? Glen did. Did they rock on Kilroy? no. The momentum was killed because Dennis couldn't or wouldn't tour. The Zens album was done while Dennis was still trying to do the Hunchback stuff wasn't it? THAT was also a piss poor record. It's awful. The last good things Dennis did were his Broadway album (great interpretations) and Goodbye Roseland. Let us not forget, Dennis also brough us "High Crimes and Misdemeanors". WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT THAT SONG IS. Also, other than "Boomchild" back in 1988, what's the last ROCK song that he's done?

Brave New World- Dennis had one good track on it and of course, it was a ballad. The only other good songs were Shaws.

The songs Gowan brought to Cyclorama were the best things on the record and that's saying a lot because it was a great record. Same with his tunes on the covers album (which I'm not a big fan of). His songs were the best on that too. Live on stage, he's a lot better showman than Dennis has been since the Pieces of 8 Tour. Look at the Return to Paradise video or the Caught in the Act Video. Dennis looks like a grandpa. Nice white socks Dennis. As for Gowan's voice, I would say that he's not as good a singer as Dennis, but a lot of people can say that. Dennis is a great singer. Still, he's good enough to do the job and I prefer him singing his stuff than Dennis's but that's fine too. At least with Gowan the band can still work. With Dennis, they couldn't. Gowan also is a way better keyboardist than Dennis and that's a fact. Do I really need to hear Come Sail Away again? No. (Same could be said for Blue Collar Man and Miss America) so I really don't care if Gowan sings Dennis' stuff or not.

Jy is Jy and he really needs to quit getting lead vocal spots on the albums. Jesus, Ringo usually only got ONE per album. The same should be said of Young.

[yogi]

Brywool,

I cant comment about DDY on duets because I never saw it.

What I can comment on is Styx at The Cottonbowl for the Texas Jam when they did their Kilroy show. I was there and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bullshit Tommy and Cahil said about the Dallas show were a TOTAL bunch of lies. The booing they depicted was because they cut off all alcohol sales right before Styx came out. There were no damn restroom working, people were pissing whereever and cops were busting them for it, escorting them out of the Cotton Bowl, this resulted in numerous fights. Most people had been in the 100 degree plus heat since 10am (I believe it was 104 degrees at 5 pm that evening). The parking lot opened at 9:00am. We were there at 8:30 am. Styx took the stage after 10pm. Thats 12+ hours after many people had arrived. People were tired, hot, drunk, stoned, pissed, looking for fights, and whatever else by the time the Kilroy video opened the concert.

I believe Sammy Hagar played right before Styx. We had a massive fight right in front of us during the Hagar show. There were fights everywhere. The restroom(portapots) situation was a bigass deal, then they announce right before the Styx Kilroy video that all beer sales are off it was a damn riot because of this now VERY VERY wise decision.

The Beattles, or The Stones could of taken the stage and the EXACT same thing that happened to Styx would of happened to them.

It had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the Kilroy concert.

Tommy & Cahil TOTALLY lied about The Cottonbowl Jam, and they should be ashamed to blame it on The Kilroy concept.

All I know is that I was there from the time the parking lot opened up until the police woke up me and three other Junior College buddies of mine, and told us to clear the parking lot at abot 1:15 am early Sunday morning.

I'm telling the truth about that show. I support current Styx & Dennis 100%.

I believe Sterling will touch on this subject in his upcoming Styx book, 'The Grand Delusion'. Hopefully, this will prove Tommy had someother type of motive( making Dennis look controling to justify replacing him) when he described his version as to what happened to VH1 for Behind The Music.

[brywool]

Although it doesn't sound like it, I also support both acts as well. I AM dissapointed in Dennis going strictly for the ballads these days. His rocking Styx songs usually had so much lyrical depth to them. When he went off on Babe stuff, then I found he got boring and I could see why Tommy and company wanted to part ways (that and Dennis' not wanting to tour). As for the Texas Jam, I wonder if Styx realized all that was happening around them? Maybe they thought it was directed at them. It sure sounded that way.

[yogi]

The restroom situation had been going on for hours. The crowd was soooo damn rowdy it was unreal. I had never been to a show like that before. Most of the cops were letting the pissing wherever go so the women could use all the bathrooms & portapots that were available. By 7 or 8 pm the bathrooms stunk sooo bad alot of the women starting going outside. During Hagar they started making people leave(concert security), or started making arrests( Dallas Police) for urinating in public. This caused a bunch of fights between rock fans themselves, and also between rock fans vs Dallas Police & concert security.

Then I swear it wasnt five minutes before Styx took the stage they announced no more beer sales. A third of the crowd went nuts. Add to this they were serving minors all damn day. The minors( 15-16 year olds) were the ones who went crazy for the most part.

Shit, one of the guys I was with had faught golden gloves before, and for no damn reason this drunk, wasted 16 year old got in his face. My buddy hit this SOB so damn hard I bet his nose and jaw are still screwed up to this day.

Anyhow, at the time Texas had Blue Laws. I think they were starting to phase them out, but still they had what were known as Blue Laws. Stores(shopping) were closed on Sunday, no alcohol sales on Sunday, only necessities could be purchased.

It was announced at the concert that the Blue Laws ( Texas Law....) regarding alcohol would take place at like 10:15 pm( Saturday night). Styx took the stage I believe at 10:20. I will always remember how the P.A. announced this: 'In accordance with Texas Law 218 or whatever, all alcohol sales will cease at 10:15 pm. It wasnt a law at the time. The actual law was no alcohol sales on Sunday. Sunday didnt start for another 1 hour & 45 minutes. So basically they( concert authorities) made their own law. Shit, back in those days you could purchase alcohol 30 minutes after a show had ended. It was waayyy different back then. Anyway, after that announcement, and then factoring in all the other variables all hell broke loose in many areas of the Cotton Bowl.

It was wild. I had a freckin blast that day & night. And as for the actual Styx show. AWESOME!!!!!!


All that booing and throwing stuff was aimed, at the cops, security, cutoff beer sales etc............

None of it had to do with the Kilroy concept or the actual concert .

For Tommy Shaw and Jim Cahil to distort the truth or even lie about that situation is flat out wrong. Hell, maybe Behind The Music took their quotes out of contex. I doubt it though. At the time that that show aired they were going after Dennis with both barrels.

None the less I was there, and what I am tellin you is fact. I have nothing to gain either way.

One last thing and this is coming from a VERY VERY reliable source.

At the time of Kilroy, Styx was hot. BIGTIME HOT. The fans LOVED The Paradise Theatre Concert & album. Outside of maybe Journey they were the hottest thing going. They could of made millions upon millions of dollars with the right type of concert. Kilroy was not that type of show. Dennis's vision cost JY, Tommy and the rest alot of money. They still made a ton, but they could of made much much more. This REALLY pissed JY off, because he was the business guy in the group. I could go on but thats enough. You get the picture.

[Liam]

Go on, dude. I love stories like this.

I was in Houston the next night. Still have my T-shirt but I don't remember a DAMN BIT of the concert. I was 3 and my brother took me. Shows ya how much of a fan I was even back then.

[sadie65]

Although it doesn't sound like it, I also support both acts as well. I AM dissapointed in Dennis going strictly for the ballads these days. His rocking Styx songs usually had so much lyrical depth to them. When he went off on Babe stuff, then I found he got boring and I could see why Tommy and company wanted to part ways (that and Dennis' not wanting to tour). As for the Texas Jam, I wonder if Styx realized all that was happening around them? Maybe they thought it was directed at them. It sure sounded that way.

I'll only add to this that people who think that Dennis went "totally ballad" miss the point. He isn't that way. But since people choose to believe what they want...far be it for me to stand in their way.

Enjoy what you wish.

Peace

[brywool]

I believe what I hear and I haven't heard a rock song from him since BoomChild which is a great, very styxish song.