Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Styx
Label: A&M Records / Interscope
Released: 1979
Running time: 38:17
Rating: 4/5
What do you do once you’re at the peak of your career, both artistically and commercially? American arena/prog rock veterans Styx would probably give a dead-simple answer to that one: »keep every sonic ingredient that got you to the top, polish it up even more if you can, and listen to what your ever-growing army of fans wants«. Commercially, »Cornerstone« carried on the enviable run of the previous two studio masterpieces, »The Grand Illusion« (1977) and »Pieces of Eight« (1978), bringing Styx another multiplatinum haul and cementing their status as the most beloved American arena rock icons of the late seventies. For all that, though, artistically it couldn’t repeat the compositional and lyrical depth of those two earlier achievements, even if it came pretty close.
On »Cornerstone« Styx became noticeably, but thankfully not overly, more commercial in production and style, largely because of some utterly senseless criticism aimed at their prog rock side. They opened the door to more love ballads and a few pop rock elements, even using wind and string arrangements here and there for the first time in their career, while the production, which they once again handled themselves, had never sounded so silky smooth before, and the bite of the individual guitar parts gets a bit lost in the process. With that kind of sonic nod to the trends of the day, it hardly seems strange that the two big hits off »Cornerstone«, namely their biggest American hit »Babe« and their biggest European hit »Boat On the River«, are practically the softest things they ever did. Still, despite the partial adjustment, the Chicago quintet didn’t completely ‘sell out’ to the demands of the music market of the day, since the album still has plenty of tracks with the trademark hard rock and prog rock elements, which they thankfully had no intention of giving up. Even so, the sonic compromise mentioned above was a step backward, since up to that point they had grown, more or less successfully, from one album to the next as songwriters.
Even though keyboardist, singer and unofficial boss of the band Dennis DeYoung was getting more and more ‘softened up’ as a songwriter in his determination to turn Styx into the biggest pop rock band of the day, the two guitar wizards/singers, Tommy Shaw and James Young, both hard rockers at heart, kept up all the necessary energy and fire with their punchy guitar work wherever it was needed. You can hear it right away on the opener »Lights«, a proper pomp rock wake-up call with Shaw on the mic and Young as lead guitarist, while mischievous synth sounds and cheeky backing vocals drive it along in the background. Listening to this one, you could easily get the false impression that Styx haven’t changed all that much sonically since »Pieces of Eight« – full-blooded arena rock in the best sense of the word.
DeYoung’s ballad »Why Me«, which came out as the album’s third single, is the first of the keyboardist’s three confessional pieces on »Cornerstone«. But despite the unappealing title, it’s another interesting number, with pompous harmonies, tasteful guitar passages and an excellent guest sax solo from Steve Eisen, all of which add to its generally uplifting, encouraging mood that has the listener brimming with positive energy. You could say the first seed of Styx’s decline as a relevant arena rock superpower was planted with the saccharine ballad »Babe«, which DeYoung wrote as a birthday present for his wife Suzanne and which is still their biggest American and British hit to this day. That’s not especially surprising, since by then their base of female fans had grown considerably, and Shaw’s bright curls probably played a bigger part in that than the music did. This syrupy number, which ironically wasn’t originally meant for a Styx album until Shaw and Young pushed DeYoung and he finally changed his mind, is by no means without its merits, since it’s one of Dennis’s best vocal performances of his entire professional career. »Babe« is sung with uncommon pathos while tasteful symphonic flourishes and gentle guitar passages swirl in the background, but the whole thing is dragged down by the sugary-sweet love lyrics that put you at serious risk of diabetes.
»Never Say Never« , where Shaw takes the lead vocals once again, is a gorgeous AOR crowd-pleaser with a light rhythm, damn effective, rousing harmonies, lovely keyboard arrangements and an inviting guitar melody. The biggest hit on European soil, especially in the German-speaking world, was the folk ballad »Boat On the River«, which, surprisingly, ‘became a folk song’ in our neck of the woods too, thanks to the 1994 Chateau cover »Mlinar na Muri«. In every respect it’s an interesting folk rock-tinged experiment and one of the most unique Styx classics, with a distinctly melancholy melody. Shaw, who sings it all with a generous helping of inconsolable nostalgia, plays mandolin and autoharp here, joined by Young on acoustic guitar, the Panozzo brothers on upright bass and tambourine respectively, and DeYoung, who this time grabbed an accordion. »Borrowed Time«, another melodic rock catalyst that came out as a single and is the fruit of a Shaw–DeYoung songwriting partnership, was the opening track on the »Cornerstone« tour, even though it did poorly commercially. Strange, given that it’s a genuine Styx classic with mighty harmonies in the chorus and infectious guitar and keyboard lines.
»First Time«, DeYoung’s third love ballad on the album, which bathes in ethereal, salt-sprinkled symphonic arrangements and a pompous chorus, was originally intended as the album’s second single, but that never happened, because Shaw found it so over-the-top commercial that he even threatened to quit the band if it went ahead. A pleasant surprise is the hard-rocking grumbler »Eddie«, which, thanks to its standout punch, was of course Young’s ‘baby’. The blond guitarist shines with potent guitar phrases and an energetic vocal performance, and he surprises too with an innovative-for-the-time use of a guitar synthesizer. The lyrics are about American senator Edward Kennedy, who was just then angling for a presidential nomination, and they beg him to drop the scheme, since the ambitious and thoroughly corrupt guy didn’t seem to have learned a thing from the sad fate of his two brothers. »Love In The Midnight«, led by Shaw’s vocals, where Styx briefly reawaken their prog rock roots with complex symphonic arrangements, fiery harmonies and a mischievous synth solo, makes for an excellent finish to the album.
»Cornerstone« was a smash commercial hit on release and became the third Styx album in a row to climb to the top of the American charts, though with a bit more saccharine than usual, it doesn’t reach the artistic heights of its two cult predecessors. Even with ballads mostly ruling the roost, it’s still among their best work, and with the possible exception of »Babe«, there’s really no reason for the band members not to still be proud of it as a whole today.
Lineup
Dennis DeYoung – keyboards, accordion, vocals
Tommy Shaw – guitar, mandolin, autoharp, vocals
James Young – guitar, vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar, backing vocals
John Panozzo – drums, percussion, backing vocals
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Steve Eisen – saxophone
Arnie Roth – string arrangements on “First Tim” and “Love In The Midnight”
Ed Tossing – horn
Production
Styx
Tracklist
1. Lights
2. Why Me
3. Babe
4. Never Say Never
5. Boat On The River
6. Borrowed Time
7. First Time
8. Eddie
9. Love In The Midnight
