Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Styx
Label: A&M Records / Interscope
Released: 1975
Length: 34:32
Rating: 4.5/5
With »Equinox«, American prog/arena rock titans Styx took a huge step forward in sonic sophistication and punched their way into the top league of the most fascinating rock bands of the late seventies. The band that spent its first four albums still groping for a recognizable style under the heavy influence of certain European prog masters finally became a group with a soul of its own, even if they again didn’t hide their rich influences. Their trademark, ever more seamless shifting between symphonic-tinged prog and hard rock threw the doors wide open on »Equinox« for a new genre, one the media of the day, thanks to the pompous arrangements, the specific production and above all the shows in big open-air stadiums, dubbed arena rock.
There are quite a few Styx classics on »Equinox«, their first album for A&M Records, the label they signed with after the unexpected success of the single »Lady«. »Light Up«, crowned with a cheerful vibe, is a relatively easygoing arena rocker that doesn’t demand any serious brain-wrinkle workout, since a big multi-voiced, high-spirited chorus with hand claps does the job. It’s yet another of Styx’s many party tunes, but one that can still boast a structure and atmosphere complex enough to satisfy more demanding listeners. Lyrics with rare flashes of intellectual inspiration and a feel for social sensitivity were never something this band could brag about. The big breakthrough, though, was the excellent power ballad »Lorelei«, which, thanks to a mighty multi-voiced chorus resting on a determined guitar riff and a pompous melody, in other words the very best of the Styx sound, brought them the second hit they so badly wanted, and it’s still a fixture of their live shows today.
The art-rock-leaning »Mother Dear«, where guitarist John Curulewski and keyboardist Dennis DeYoung trade off smoothly as lead singers, is a solid piece of work laid over a bouncing rhythm and a massive layer of Hammond organ. The mystical »Lonely Child« is another richly atmospheric composition, marked by plenty of juicy acoustic-symphonic arrangements while DeYoung’s vocals, helped along by hefty guitar phrases, slowly carry it toward a multi-voiced climax. The hard-rocking »Midnight Ride« is a punchy number, defined by a dirty guitar riff and mighty falsettos of the kind its author, guitarist James Young, always loved, and who with his aggressive vocal approach was always the band’s biggest ‘metalhead’. DeYoung’s masterpiece »Born for Adventure«, which every fan of epic fantasy and Conan the Barbarian is sure to love, is laced with a rattling bass line courtesy of Chuck Panozzo and dual guitar harmonies between the two guitarists, which leans a bit toward the legendary British masters of that technique, Wishbone Ash.
»Prelude 12«, topped with a subtle acoustic arrangement, serves exactly as its title says: a short instrumental prelude to DeYoung’s artwork »Suite Madame Blue«, the centerpiece of the album and also its best track. This epic classic, one of the most ambitious compositions in the band’s story, is dedicated to the coming bicentennial of American independence, which means it carries a patriotic lyric, especially in the middle of the hypnotic, multi-voiced »America« chorus. That kind of ode to patriotism can make plenty of people uneasy, especially those for whom the word is first and foremost a synonym for global injustice, oppression and greed. Maybe the Chicago quintet really does go a bit too far in its patriotic fervor, but that doesn’t cancel out the phenomenal symphonic centerpiece arrangement, which is on par with the best European art rock bands. It also earns the rare distinction of being the only Styx achievement with vocal harmonies from four different singers, which means the otherwise always quiet Chuck Panozzo briefly found himself in the singer’s role. The acoustic intro features one of DeYoung’s best vocal performances of his career, followed by a shift into an epic section where dramatic multi-part vocals reign. The acoustic and hard-hitting passages trade places several more times via well-timed transitions, all the way to the closing triumph.
»Equinox« was a major turning point for the Chicago masters of arena-rock pomp, finally launching them into the elite of the most exciting bands of the late seventies. In many ways it was the moment when Styx stopped fumbling for a recognizable sound and finally found ‘themselves’. On »Equinox« they at last hit the right balance between prog sophistication and melodic rock sensibility, which swung the doors wide open to the hearts of a much broader crowd of music connoisseurs. It was also the last album for guitarist/singer Curulewski, who, just before Styx’s big breakthrough into the favorites of American radio stations, chose to devote himself to his family instead (how typically American). His replacement was the young Tommy Shaw, who not only kicked off a new, ‘golden’ era in the band’s story but also suddenly gave them a powerful teenage-girl magnet, with more and more of them showing up at the front of the stage, however much that may smell of a typical American ‘commercial fairy tale’.
Line-up
John Curulewski – guitar, vocals, synthesizer
Dennis DeYoung – keyboards, vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar, backing vocals
John Panozzo – drums, percussion, backing vocals
James Young – guitar, vocals
Production
Styx
Track list
- Light Up
- Lorelei
- Mother Dear
- Lonely Child
- Midnight Ride
- Born for Adventure
- Prelude 12
- Suite Madame Blue
