Artist: Styx
Label: Frontiers Records
Released: 2006
You’d wish you could grab any studio album from this huge band to kick off a review of their rich discography on RockLine.info! But no, it’s this live disc that ended up in my hands first. So far Styx have put out five live albums and quite a few compilations, while studio albums from the House of Styx keep getting fewer and fewer with each passing year! Instead, the guys keep looking for all sorts of fun ways to remix their musical legacy. And the favorite way, naturally, is to get together on stage! In the US, of course, where they have by far the biggest crowd of loyal fans on Earth.
This is definitely a release that all fans of this legendary band will be thrilled about. This live recording, too, shows Styx standards in their most dazzling light. But right away there’s the first minus. This release is just a single disc, and the CD doesn’t hold the entire concert, which definitely runs longer than the 75 minutes this disc totals. The full show is on the Styx DVD (also an official release), which came out at the same time as this CD.
If we compare the material on the band’s earlier live releases with this one, the track list is a pretty sorry sight, pointing to a lack of wit and, to some extent, apathy in the band, since all the live material on “One With Everything” is again just repeats, which certainly doesn’t fill a person with any special feeling of happiness or excitement. On top of that, the guys cram three covers onto this live recording, taken from their covers album “Big Bang Theory” (minus number three).
Still, the album is perfectly “enjoyable” and acceptable, simply because, well, it’s Styx. After all the miles on the road and all the experience, this is a band that hits flawlessly on stage! Solid and tight! And you feel the rock vibe with ease even when the orchestra comes in! Styx have grown a symphonic tail! By the way, a very nicely fitting symphonic tail, just right for the bulk of their style! Shaw is indispensable on vocals and once again sings in a fantastic, true-Styx way!
Highlights? It’s unbelievable what Styx do with the cover of Blue Collar Man when they grab it and give it their own hands-on treatment! The stretched-out version of Fooling Yourself also stands out on the recording, as does the newer song One With Everything, a technically polished melodic rock anthem. The extended instrumental section led by the orchestra is a real atmospheric treat in this song! Styx wanted to offer something different (besides bringing in the orchestra) by including two brand-new songs: the studio-recorded ballad Just Be, which as a composition offers nothing worth mentioning, and Everything All The Time, which comes off much better in both the conviction of the performance and the structure itself. The concert reaches its dynamic finale in a run of four closing songs, Crystal Ball, Too Much Time, Miss America and Renegade, where the orchestra pays off especially well, ramping up the dynamics and atmosphere of these songs and bringing in a breath of fresh air!
All in all, this is yet another very good live album from a tried-and-true crew of old foxes who simply know how to have fun and, on top of that, how to quickly rake in a few bucks. An album that will help fans and devotees of the band wait out the long-awaited new studio album. Recommended mostly for seasoned Styx fans, less so for newcomers!
Lineup
Tommy Shaw – guitar, vocals
James Young – guitar, vocals
Lawrence Gowan – keyboards, backing vocals
Ricky Phillips – bass guitar, backing vocals
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar
Todd Sucherman – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Production
Styx & Charlie Brusco
Track list
1. Blue Collar Man
2. One With Everything
3. It Don’t Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace)
4. Everything All The Time
5. I Am The Walrus
6. Just Be
7. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
8. Boat On The River
9. I Don’t Need No Doctor
10. Crystal Ball
11. Too Much Time On My Hands
12. Miss America
13. Renegade
Running time: 74.00
