Styx appreciation

[Orbert]

I spoke with Dennis today...

I love reading stuff like that.  I'll probably never sit down and have a chat with anyone famous, for reasons professional, personal, or otherwise, but I think it would be cool as hell.

I was jamming one time with one of my buddies back in Michigan, and we got into a discussion about some song (I forget which; I think it was by King Crimson), and he goes "Well, I was talking to Bill Bruford the other day, and..."  Asshole.  I say that with a smile, because it's just his way of casually bragging, and he knows I'm jealous.  Apparently he'd been to the King Crimson show a few nights before, and got a chance to go backstage and meet the band.  He'd managed to strike up an online friendship with Adrian Belew (this was back during the double trio era), and saw him outside before the show and introduced himself.  Adrian told him to catch him after the show, so he did, and he got to meet Bruford, Levin, Fripp, and the others.

[KevShmev]

I spoke with Dennis today...the interview was supposed to last 30 minutes, but we ended up talking for almost an hour. Really cool guy to talk to, very entertaining, funny and endearing. I know he has an axe to grind with the other Styx guys, and he's not shy to say that, but I really enjoyed the conversation.

Nice.   He is always nothing but personable, engaging and funny in literally every interview I have ever seen with him.  You know he is proud of his life's work and he damn well should be. 

[King Postwhore]

Smiling while holding an axe.  Perfect. Lol

[KevShmev]

Well, if someone delivers an axe to you first, then you have the right to swing one back, right? (metaphorically of course)

[King Postwhore]

You know I was provoking you. Lol

[KevShmev]

[King Postwhore]

Honestly, all are to blame. Relationships gone bad.

[KevShmev]

Speaking of blah, blah, did you see that Styx released an EP last week with two new songs?  I guess as a precursor to the new studio album coming out this week.  I thought both songs were pretty blah.  My expectations have been tempered big time now for the new album, and I will likely try before buying.  All of these new songs not being very impressive makes me think the lightning in a bottle they captured on The Mission went away as quickly as it appeared.

[King Postwhore]

Crap. I missed this.

Btw, one of the old DTF'ERS (Atliator) is in a Styx cover band. Dennis Atlas.  They already play Crash of the Crown live. They sound amazing.

https://youtu.be/zAypw3H2ENQ

[KevShmev]

Do I need to see a cover band playing a Styx song that sounds blah when played by the actual band Styx*?

*Really the fake Styx since there is no Dennis, but we can call them the "actual band Styx" in this instance.

[King Postwhore]

Kev, their band is amazing.   That's only one song.  I'd say 85% is classic.   Check them out. They are great.

[geeeemo]

Crash of the Crown is pretty boring. I loved the old Styx so much, but their modern stuff.   

[King Postwhore]

Crash of the Crown is pretty boring. I loved the old Styx so much, but their modern stuff.   

Boring? Nothing about that that song is boring.  The second song released (Reveries) was average.  Like the chorus a lot though.

[geeeemo]

Crash of the Crown is pretty boring. I loved the old Styx so much, but their modern stuff.   

Boring? Nothing about that that song is boring.  The second song released (Reveries) was average.  Like the chorus a lot though.

My bad... I meant the album....    

[King Postwhore]

Ooooh!  I'll let you know when I get it.

[KevShmev]

Not sure what to think of the new record.  Tons of good harmonies, but it seemed like every song ended way too soon.   Feels like one of those albums where I think, "this is pretty good," and then end up never listening to it.  Time will tell.

[King Postwhore]

2 listens and I really like it. I do agree with Kev that most songs are very short and some feel like there should be another verse but I think that was done purposely.

[TAC]

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[King Postwhore]

..

[BelichickFan]

I may like it more than The Mission (but I didn't like The Mission).  I think over time it will be dragged down by being a bit samey.  I like "Our Wonderful Lives" a lot.

[hefdaddy42]

I really like the new album.  Lots of good stuff.  Nothing overstays its welcome.

[jingle.boy]

Not sure what to think of the new record.  Tons of good harmonies, but it seemed like every song ended way too soon.   Feels like one of those albums where I think, "this is pretty good," and then end up never listening to it.  Time will tell.

Pretty much.  Just finished my first (and likely last) run through of it.  Pretty enjoyable, but entirely forgettable.  Not a single track longer than 4:00.  I'm really tired of bands releasing 40-ish minutes of music, then charging a full album's price.  This ain't the 70s anymore.  Part of my album buying criteria now includes how much music I'm getting for the price.

[King Postwhore]

I think they went into making this album with a mindset of short songs. 

[jingle.boy]

I think they went into making this album with a mindset of short songs.

Then they succeeded!

[King Postwhore]

 

I like the album a lot but i can admit i felt there were songs I felt like there was another verse was coming but the song ended.

[Orbert]

There's a fine line between leaving them wanting more, and leaving them disappointed that there wasn't any more.  I guess I can understand wanting to get back to shorter songs as a deliberate step away from the semi-proggy stuff, but there's still such thing as a well-written song, and I think a well-written song can push four or five minutes without feeling padded out or trying to be prog.

[hefdaddy42]

These songs were definitely semi-proggy IMO. 

I don't know, I'm a little tired of every "proggy" album having to be 2 discs with a 75-minute epic.  Bigger is not always better.  I thought it was nice to get a smaller does with tasteful amounts of progginess.

*shrugs*

[KevShmev]

I totally get that, but I think they swung the pendulum too far the other way, and most of the songs end up having that, "Wait, that's it?" feel.

[RodrigoAltaf]

Here's my chat with Dennis DeYoung, guys. If you have any comments, please post them on the YouTube video, and not here: https://youtu.be/8MIdQt5qYng

[KevShmev]

Here's my chat with Dennis DeYoung, guys. If you have any comments, please post them on the YouTube video, and not here: https://youtu.be/8MIdQt5qYng

Nice work!  Dennis is still so full of energy, and once he gets going with a thought, best to just let him go.   The Styx fallout will always be in the pink elephant in the room, so I have no issues with asking him about it or his answers.  I always figured that it was JY that had the problem with Dennis and that Tommy went along with it, but it appears evident at this point that it is the opposite.

Sorry, while they can be entertaining to read, I try to avoid posting in the YT comment section at all costs (I think I have maybe 4-5 over like 10 years ), so my comments went here. 

[RodrigoAltaf]

Here's my chat with Dennis DeYoung, guys. If you have any comments, please post them on the YouTube video, and not here: https://youtu.be/8MIdQt5qYng

Nice work!  Dennis is still so full of energy, and once he gets going with a thought, best to just let him go.   The Styx fallout will always be in the pink elephant in the room, so I have no issues with asking him about it or his answers.  I always figured that it was JY that had the problem with Dennis and that Tommy went along with it, but it appears evident at this point that it is the opposite.

Sorry, while they can be entertaining to read, I try to avoid posting in the YT comment section at all costs (I think I have maybe 4-5 over like 10 years ), so my comments went here. 

Thanks anyway! Yeah, he was great to talk to...I knew very little about him and Styx before I agreed to do the interview, and I'm happy I got to know their back catalogue now.

[kirksnosehair]

OK, I've now had the opportunity to listen to this new album a few times and it's AWESOME!  I was skeptical that they'd be able to top The Mission which was my album of the year when it came out, but this new one is even better.  This might be the best thing they've released in a couple of decades.  Definitely better than Cyclorama, slightly better than The Mission.  I'd put this album up against anything in their entire catalog with and without DDY.  Right now I've got it at 4 stars but it might go higher.


I don't care that the songs are short, they all kind of blend into each other and this feels more like a long, continuous epic to me.

[Kotowboy]

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[BelichickFan]

OK, I've now had the opportunity to listen to this new album a few times and it's AWESOME!  I was skeptical that they'd be able to top The Mission which was my album of the year when it came out, but this new one is even better.  This might be the best thing they've released in a couple of decades.  Definitely better than Cyclorama, slightly better than The Mission.  I'd put this album up against anything in their entire catalog with and without DDY.  Right now I've got it at 4 stars but it might go higher.

I don't care that the songs are short, they all kind of blend into each other and this feels more like a long, continuous epic to me.

Anyone who compares this to the classics like Paradise Theater just loses me, it's not as good and it's not the same band.  They're down to one songwriter and he needs a non Styx co-writer.  I like it, though.  It's too samey and bland to be really good but for this point in Shaw's career it's a solid effort.

Not sure if I like this or Dennis' new stuff better.  The two combined would have been nice

I combined the two 26 East Deyoung albums into one.  I deleted "With All Due Respect" - don't need a 70 year old singing about "assholes", 'St. Quarantine" - stupid and Grand Finale as it's just a dumb rehash of The Grand Finale on Grand Illusion.  Too bad Dennis didn't do a true Grand Finale but whatever. 

Then I moved "To the Good Old Days" and "AD 2020" (may rename to AD 2021) to the very end of the now 19 track album.  As this is Dennis' last album those two at the end fit well; not sure why he ended Volume 1 with them.

[KevShmev]

I wouldn't put Paradise Theater in the top tier, as for me, their best albums are that 4-album run of Equinox, Crystal Ball, The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight.  Nothing else touches those for me.  That said, The Mission, which I mostly loved, might be my 5th favorite. It really was that good.  No, it didn't touch those classics from the 70's, but it was light years better than anything they had done since then, IMO.  The new one is okay, but just way too much musical blue balls with all of those truncated songs for me to really enjoy.  Too bad, cause they came up with some killer choruses with those harmonies, but just not enough around them in most cases.