Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Styx
Label: A&M Records / Interscope
Release: 1984
Length: 83:30
Rating: 4.5/5
»Caught In the Act« was the first live album from Chicago arena rock heavyweights Styx. It came out right after the tour promoting the concept album »Kilroy Was Here« (1983), on which the band took the stage with a megalomaniac set design and costumes that let them play the individual characters of that rock opera. That obviously couldn’t end well, and Styx went on a six-year hiatus, with the members focusing on solo projects instead. Before that, though, they recorded this double live set during a show in New Orleans, catching them in great spirits and at the peak of their career, commercially at least, if not artistically.
Right at the start, »Caught In the Act« features one new studio track, »Music Time«. This likable mid-tempo melodic rock burlesque, with DeYoung on lead vocals and goofy lyrics, was the last Styx hit produced by the classic DeYoung-Shaw-Young trio. The mix of galloping rhythms, cheeky vocal harmonies and biting guitar riffs creates a playful vibe that’s a bit reminiscent of some of the many tongue-in-cheek gags from the legendary Queen. Shaw, who left Styx for a whole eleven years over disagreements with DeYoung about the band’s future sound (in 1989 he couldn’t rejoin because of his commitments to his then-band Damn Yankees), never hid the fact that he despised this song from the bottom of his heart, almost as much as its accompanying video. Despite this clash of egos between DeYoung and Shaw, which sent the members off into solo waters for a few years and brought them back to the scene only six years later with the album »Edge of The Century« (1990), you wouldn’t guess for a second while listening to »Caught In the Act« that the whole thing was about to fall apart.
The live setlist reads like a list of Styx classics from their best era. It’s no surprise that the recording opens with DeYoung’s notorious synth classic »Mr. Roboto«, whose synthetically compressed rhythms and pompous melodies whisk the listener straight into Kilroy’s dystopian world. On the »Paradise Theater (1981) evergreen »Too Much Time On My Heads«, where the ‘darling of the female part of the audience’ Shaw takes the vocal lead, Styx really shine for the first time on the record and prove why they were the leading American arena rock band of their time, and why, despite all those love ballads, they were also respected by many heavy rock fans.
DeYoung’s saccharine ballad »Babe«, dedicated to his dear wife, the kind of song where the listener always drowns in a glass of raspberry syrup thanks to the overly mushy lyrics, shows the other extreme, the other side of the band, and over time it led to a conflict between hard rocker Shaw and pop rock ballad lover DeYoung. The punchy »Snowblind« follows as the answer, with the thunderous James Young as lead voice, delivering an effective contrast with its raw energy, melodramatic harmonies and beefy guitar riff. The melodic rock treat »The Best Of Times«, which includes the piano interlude »State Street Sadie«, successfully continues the string of »Paradise Theater« standards. Here DeYoung once again proves himself the supreme commander when it comes to building mighty, hypnotic vocal harmonies. The first half of the record closes with the »Equinox« (1975) epic »Suite Madame Blue«, an unforgettable prog rock masterpiece that is without a doubt one of the highlights of »Caught In the Act« and of any Styx concert, period.
The second disc kicks off with the energetic rocker »Rockin’ The Paradise«, the kind of banger they never ran short of in their career, and where DeYoung’s pompous vocal approach once again impresses. The evergreen »Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)«, with its mighty guitar riff and dynamic Hammond organ sound, keeps cranking up the fiery mood. Shaw shines again, both as lead voice and in the guitar tandem with Young. The heated atmosphere is also kept going by the fan-favorite hard rocker »Miss America«, where Young, as lead singer, rails against the cheapness and phoniness of beauty pageants.
Only on DeYoung’s love power ballad »Don’t Let It End« do Styx rein in the galloping horses a bit and show off their contemplative side again. Of course, no Styx concert is complete without the rebellious anthem »Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)«, an always effective mix of symphonic prog and arena rock pomp that pumps fresh energy into even the sleepiest listener in an instant. The epic evergreen »Crystal Ball« is next in the lineup of Styx classics with Shaw as lead voice and lead guitar, topped off with a mouthwatering solo. It’s another first-rate demonstration of performance perfection, as this fan-favorite standard sounds no worse than its studio version. The epic prog rocker »Come Sail Away«, where DeYoung wins with a heart-wrenching vocal performance, is the closing highlight of this excellent double live release.
The first live album in the story of these Chicago arena rock giants is still a real treat for every fan, packed with brilliant versions of long-running classics, while the band glows with live energy all night long, and you can feel it in every single performance. On top of all that, »Caught In the Act« is crowned with excellent production, studio-polished to crystal clarity of all ‘imperfections’, yet still ‘live’ enough that you can also hear the audience actively joining in. It’s hard to believe that fans had to wait until 1997 for their next live effort, when »Return to Paradise« came out.
Line-up
Dennis DeYoung – keyboards, vocals
Tommy Shaw – guitar, vocals
James Young – guitar, synthesizer, vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar, backing vocals
John Panozzo – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Production
Styx
Track list
CD1:
1. Music Time
2. Mr. Roboto
3. Too Much Time on My Hands
4. Babe
5. Snowblind
6. State Street Sadie(uncredited)/The Best of Times
7. Suite Madame Blue
CD2:
1. Rockin’ the Paradise
2. Blue Collar Man
3. Miss America
4. Don’t Let It End
5. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
6. Crystal Ball
7. Come Sail Away
