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Styx: What's your opinion?


treeduck
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STYX what's your take?  

91 members have voted

  1. 1. STYX what's your take?

    • 1 They're good, I have their three best albums, Pieces, Equinox, Illusion
      25
    • 2 I like one or two songs of theirs, the rest I avoid
      8
    • 3 They're a great, great band. I have all their albums, all are good.
      12
    • 4 I'm indifferent to Styx, I've heard their stuff and it left me feeling blank
      7
    • 5 I hate Styx, they suck, they should be called STYNX, de Young is a clown
      5
    • 6 I've not heard anything by them, and I don't think I'd like them
      0
    • 7 This is a band that passed me by, I have no opinion on them at all
      1
    • 8 I like some of their stuff, one side of an album here, another side there
      20
    • 9 I like Styx a little, musically, but I hate De young's vocals
      4
    • 10 I used to like them but now I find them hard to listen to
      5
    • 11 I used to hate them, I got into them recently but I'm no Styx freak
      1
    • 12 I've never heard of Styx but maybe I'll check them out one day
      3


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Personally I've never liked Styx, and I've never understood what people see in them. I'm curious though, hence this thread.

 

So let's see how many Stynx, whoops, Styx fans we have on here and what thoughts they have on the band.

 

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I love Styx. Really not too big of a fan of their pre-Equinox years and I especially love the Tommy eras, but yeah....75 onward I'm big time on board.

 

Sucks that they've not had a full studio album since '03's excellent Cyclorama. Great record.

 

Styx is a highly underrated and misunderstood band. Far heavier than they're given credit for with the likes of "Babe" and other Top 20 ballads.

 

Once again, not sure why people start threads about bands they dislike...but whatever. Like the PT thread this one will likely only bring out the fans.

 

 

 

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Great band, but I'm not a fan of Deyoung. He had a few great songs, but I don't care for the stuff he did in the 80's - 90's. His voice is annoying and he isn't a great songwriter or musician.

 

Tommy Shaw and JY are awesome though. I saw them last summer and they are excellent without Deyoung. My 3 favorite albums would have to be Pieces of Eight, Crystal Ball, and The Grand Illusion.

 

Shaw's solo albums are good too. 7 Deadly Zens is my favorite.

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QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 7 2011, 06:05 PM)
Sucks that they've not had a full studio album since '03's excellent Cyclorama. Great record.

I love Cyclorama too. They really should spend some time writing a new album instead of re-recording their hits.

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QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 7 2011, 05:05 PM)
I love Styx. Really not too big of a fan of their pre-Equinox years and I especially love the Tommy eras, but yeah....75 onward I'm big time on board.

Sucks that they've not had a full studio album since '03's excellent Cyclorama. Great record.

Styx is a highly underrated and misunderstood band. Far heavier than they're given credit for with the likes of "Babe" and other Top 20 ballads.

Once again, not sure why people start threads about bands they dislike...but whatever. Like the PT thread this one will likely only bring out the fans.

Well although I'm not a fan, I always hold out hope that someone might "show me the light" so to speak, though in this case I seriously doubt it. Plus, as I said curiosity.

 

And this is a thread for people who like the band as well, as you can see the poll is balanced with positive options and negative options and indifferent options. A fair thread I think.

 

I could have left my opinion out of it altogether and the poll and the thread would look the same.

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QUOTE (treeduck @ May 7 2011, 10:12 PM)
QUOTE (Presto-digitation @ May 7 2011, 05:05 PM)
I love Styx.  Really not too big of a fan of their pre-Equinox years and I especially love the Tommy eras, but yeah....75 onward I'm big time on board.

Sucks that they've not had a full studio album since '03's excellent Cyclorama.  Great record.

Styx is a highly underrated and misunderstood band.  Far heavier than they're given credit for with the likes of "Babe" and other Top 20 ballads.

Once again, not sure why people start threads about bands they dislike...but whatever.  Like the PT thread this one will likely only bring out the fans.

Well although I'm not a fan, I always hold out hope that someone might "show me the light" so to speak, though in this case I seriously doubt it. Plus, as I said curiosity.

 

And this is a thread for people who like the band as well, as you can see the poll is balanced with positive options and negative options and indifferent options. A fair thread I think.

 

I could have left my opinion out of it altogether and the poll and the thread would look the same.

Yep....same with me. I have the same problem with Kansas & Kiss...God I've tried, but no, just can't do it.

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Love Pieces of Eight and The Grand Illusion but after Mr. Roboto I gave them up for dead. Of Course I'll be seeing them in a couple of months because they are touring with Yes, I am going to see my second favorite bass player (Squire) and finally Steve Howe, my date will be going for the Styx show. smile.gif

 

I've been giving them some spins lately and must say I enjoy the version of the band without DeYoung better.

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I loved Styx when I was younger. Saw them during their Cornerstone tour, and they were great. Their concert DVD with the Cleveland Contemporary Youth Orchestra is outstanding.

 

The only thing I would change about their music is their group vocals; they're a bit too loud and overbearing.

 

Dennis DeYoung -a Liberace wannabe. I'm glad he's gone. Way too wimpy and pop. Lawrence Gowan is a solid replacement and a master musician. He had a decent solo career before hooking up with Styx.

 

Tommy Shaw is the heart and soul of the band. Styx could lose anyone else and survive.....but not if they lose Shaw. 1022.gif 1022.gif

 

When they tour, they are pretty formulaic. The same setlist almost every year. Oh well...no one's perfect.... wink.gif

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I like their seventies material such as Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, Cornerstone, and Paradise Theatre.
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I've noticed a lot of love for the current lineup, so I'm gonna elaborate a little on my position as to why I don't support them now.

 

Say what you want about DDY's musical direction during the later years of the band's original run. However, 'Come Sail Away', 'Suite Madame Blue', 'Lady', and 'Grand Illusion' are stellar songs, and it doesn't feel right having someone else up there singing them. Tommy Shaw and James Young all cannot stand DDY (and perhaps they have good reasons), but have no problems playing songs that he made famous.

 

I feel in order for the band to carry the name Styx, DDY, Shaw, and Young should all be there. Chuck should be there too, but he's not able to do full tours due to his health, so that's understandable. I also remember being disappointed when Tommy Shaw didn't come back for 'End of the Century', seeing as I was in high school and was of age to see them live.

 

At least they did one proper reunion tour.

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No secret, I'm a Styx fan from the Wooden Nickel albums forward. If someone wants to listen I'll talk all day about them. My two best friends growing up were Pieces of Eight and A Farewell to Kings. For well over thirty years Styx has never left my top three bands.

 

From the first self titled album up to Paradise Theatre, it's all good. Kilroy was a debacle and was the end that began with Cornerstone. Brave New World has it's moments as does Edge of the Century. Big Bang Theory is a waste of space in my cd collection.

 

I'm almost more of a Tommy Shaw fan these days than Styx as a whole. Although Shaw was not there from the beginning I think it is him that keeps the band running these days. I doubt JY could get a gig on his own, Todd would be snapped up in a heartbeat by another band, Ricky could get work anywhere as a guitarist or bass player; and Lawrence Gowan would go back to his legions of fans in Canada and still be successful.

 

I've got a love/hate thing with De Young, I don't really miss him, except for the fact that anything new they do put out sounds like Tommy Shaw solo work and not Styx. DeYoung always had such a high cheese factor it's hard to take him seriously, but yet he's the one that made Styx sound like Styx.

 

I think Gowan is a good replacement, he's an energetic performer and brings a lot of life to the show. It was also a good move for him too, I'm guessing it gave him a whole new fanbase for his solo work. I never would have discovered him and over the years I've purchased most of his back catalog, I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

I liked Cyclorama very much but to me it sounded more like a Tommy solo album than a Styx album, in my opinion due to the lack of DeYoung. I am disappointed in their choice to re-record old stuff and not put some time into new music. Especially since this second disc of re-records include Damn Yankees stuff, not even all Styx stuff.

 

My opinion - Tommy is an underrated guitarist and to this day still has the same voice of an angel that he had when he first signed on to the Styx machine. How he has been able to maintain his voice over the years I don't know, he had a lot of years of hard living the same as many of his age. I guess he cleaned up his act early enough and now lives a pretty healthy lifestyle. That little guitar intro at the beginning of Fooling Yourself is one of my favorite bits of music ever.

 

o.k., I'll shut up now.

 

 

 

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The band is best known for the hit songs "Lady" (#6, 1975), "Come Sail Away" (#8, 1977), "Babe" (#1, 1979), "The Best of Times" (#3, 1981), "Too Much Time On My Hands" (#9, 1981), and "Mr. Roboto" (#3, 1983). Other hits by the band include "Show Me the Way" (#3, 1990), "Don't Let It End" (#6, 1983) and "Renegade" (#16, 1978). The band has four consecutive albums certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.

 

I like a couple of their songs but I wouldn't pay to see them live.

 

http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/images/Styx-Equi.jpg

Edited by EveryNerveAware
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They are a great band! Especially up to "Paradise Theater."

 

Dennis DeYoung ruined the band yet luckily Tommy Shaw took the band over.

 

Their current drummer Todd Sucherman is a fuckking stud on the kit.

 

One of the best drummers in the world. JMO

 

Better than Neil.

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QUOTE (MCM @ May 7 2011, 09:21 PM)
No secret, I'm a Styx fan from the Wooden Nickel albums forward. If someone wants to listen I'll talk all day about them. My two best friends growing up were Pieces of Eight and A Farewell to Kings. For well over thirty years Styx has never left my top three bands.

From the first self titled album up to Paradise Theatre, it's all good. Kilroy was a debacle and was the end that began with Cornerstone. Brave New World has it's moments as does Edge of the Century. Big Bang Theory is a waste of space in my cd collection.

I'm almost more of a Tommy Shaw fan these days than Styx as a whole. Although Shaw was not there from the beginning I think it is him that keeps the band running these days. I doubt JY could get a gig on his own, Todd would be snapped up in a heartbeat by another band, Ricky could get work anywhere as a guitarist or bass player; and Lawrence Gowan would go back to his legions of fans in Canada and still be successful.

I've got a love/hate thing with De Young, I don't really miss him, except for the fact that anything new they do put out sounds like Tommy Shaw solo work and not Styx. DeYoung always had such a high cheese factor it's hard to take him seriously, but yet he's the one that made Styx sound like Styx.

I think Gowan is a good replacement, he's an energetic performer and brings a lot of life to the show. It was also a good move for him too, I'm guessing it gave him a whole new fanbase for his solo work. I never would have discovered him and over the years I've purchased most of his back catalog, I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I liked Cyclorama very much but to me it sounded more like a Tommy solo album than a Styx album, in my opinion due to the lack of DeYoung. I am disappointed in their choice to re-record old stuff and not put some time into new music. Especially since this second disc of re-records include Damn Yankees stuff, not even all Styx stuff.

My opinion - Tommy is an underrated guitarist and to this day still has the same voice of an angel that he had when he first signed on to the Styx machine. How he has been able to maintain his voice over the years I don't know, he had a lot of years of hard living the same as many of his age. I guess he cleaned up his act early enough and now lives a pretty healthy lifestyle. That little guitar intro at the beginning of Fooling Yourself is one of my favorite bits of music ever.

o.k., I'll shut up now.

The Wooden Nickel records are great! trink39.gif

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#2. I like a few of their hits but that's about it. A decent compilation would do. Their sound is a little too smooth and DeYoung's vocals too whiney. Foreigner and Journey are much better to me.
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I voted #3 (great band, have all albums, all are good) but not all of their albums are great. I have (and love) every album from the beginning up to Paradise Theater on vinyl (even the wooden nickel lp's) and alot of their cd's but I'm not a big fan of Kilroy Was Here but it's ok. Everything since is ok, some decent songs but nothing special. I like the live album "Return To Paradise" a heckofalot more than "Caught In The Act".

 

Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight are in my top 100 favorite rock albums.

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QUOTE (Albone2112 @ May 7 2011, 11:02 PM)
Say what you want about DDY's musical direction during the later years of the band's original run.  However, 'Come Sail Away', 'Suite Madame Blue', 'Lady', and 'Grand Illusion' are stellar songs, and it doesn't feel right having someone else up there singing them.  Tommy Shaw and James Young all cannot stand DDY (and perhaps they have good reasons), but have no problems playing songs that he made famous.

DeYoung made his songs famous just as much as Shaw or Young made their songs famous. They're a band and it's a group effort.

 

Sure, they made some great songs with DeYoung, but when the guy takes off in a different (and incompatible) direction, then it's only logical for him to leave the band. That's life in the rock & roll world..... smile.gif

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