This was my late wife's favorite Styx song - today is her birthday.... makes one think - why did you play this song on this day at a time when I'm watching ?
Lead singer Dennis DeYoung had a really distinctive voice, strong enough to ably drive the power ballads. IMO his voice is unforgettably pure, making Styx a standout band.
In fall of 1974 we had a band scheduled to play a concert and the venue was my high school gym. It was Styx! Their album was just becoming a hit but they still honored their commitment to play their concert in our small town outside of Chicago. The other “local” bands we got to see in concert about that time was Chicago ( the band) and REO Speedwagon. What a great time to be a teenager. The 70’s were awesome!
Radio used to be formatted for 2 1/2 to 3 minute songs, as well as the limitations of vinyl LPs. That is why you will find most older songs are around the 3 minute mark. Dennis DeYoung is 75 now and still sounds great. He recorded 2 albums during the Covid quarantine. He is no longer with Styx. He developed a bad flu like illness and one of the side effects was an extreme sensitivity to bright light. The band was wanting to go out on tour in support of their new album, and Dennis asked them to please wait a few months so he could recover. They refused and basically kicked him out of the band that he founded. They kept the name Styx and Dennis has to be billed as "playing the music of Styx" I have seen his new band Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx and they are awesome...I would say better than the current lineup of the band. Dennis wrote a 2nd song for Suzanne "Babe" and it was their only #1 song. It is more of a traditional ballad rather than a power ballad like Lady. There are so many good songs in the classic Styx era, not only ones sung by Dennis, but quite a few written by Tommy Shaw. Oh, and you were commenting on the "spooky" cover art on the album. This is from Greek mythology. Charon, the boatman, ferried the souls of the dead who had received the rites of burial across the river Styx to Hades. The river Styx was the dividing line between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Styx was named after the river Styx, so the cover art was of the boatman crossing the river Styx.
@SalvoG the cover art is the ferry man taking people across the River Styx. This was sang about in another old song - Don't Pay the Ferryman by Chris de Burgh. Whatever you do Don't pay the ferryman Don't even fix a price Don't pay the ferryman Until he gets you to the other side"
You commented on the piano, the person that took over for DeYoung, Laurence Gowan, went to the Royal Conservatory of music and had an amazing solo career before moving to Styx
In Greek mythology, Styx is one of the rivers of the underworld. In Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the gods swear by the water of the Styx as their most binding oath. The album art alludes to this.
I saw them live in Seattle in 1977, and they were amazing. They sounded as good live, as their recorded albums on Vinal. Such a good live Band. Tommy Shaw is still performing in his late 60s. Great harmonies from these guys.
I love your reactions to Styx. You’ve listened to songs written and sung by Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw. They had 3 singer/ songwriters at the same time. Listen the James Young’s banger ‘Miss America’. You won’t be disappointed !!
fun fact, I met Dennis DeYoung at a meet and greet and asked him about that part with the drums if that was from Bolero and he said I had an excellent ear and yes it was from Bolero.
So happy you've been playing lots of Styx! I saw them live 3 times in the early 80's. Styx and Journey were my 2 favorite bands when I was growing up. Great reactions!
The word you were looking for in definition of the way the song goes up building anticipation then onward and upward is called Crescendo, and when it goes down, it’s called a decrescendo. That’s a common thing in all forms of music.
This self-titled album cover displays a reference to the mythical River Styx, the divider and path between this world and the next. The length of the song is directly related to the radio industry which required under three minutes. Don McLean (American Pie) and Meatloaf (Paradise by the Dashboard Lights) had two of the first long songs to be played on the radio.
Lady was re-done for a Greatest Hits album on A&M Records because Wooden Nickel wouldn't release it -- they knew the value of the song being the first and one of the best-loved Styx hits and how it would play missing from a Greatest Hits album. The re-do is ok but like any other classic recording nothing will ever come close to the original.
Hey there, buddy! Love your stuff, and I've been a Styx fan since 1977, when I was 11 years old. I've always thought of that guitar sound as "JY's Introductory Growl", and it's funny that you mentioned it because my husband and I were just talking about it the other day. He does it again in the song Renegade, right after the vocal break. I hope this helps! Another song you should listen to is Clair De Lune/Ballerina from the 1976 Crystal Ball album. It contains everything that makes Styx a great band: Dennis's piano, the vocals and harmonies, and the back and forth guitar solos between Tommy and JY. (It goes: JY, Tommy, Tommy, JY.) Even if you don't post it on UA-cam, it's worth a listen for yourself! Have a rockin' day! Lisa
You heard of the rim shot, like after an old bad joke? Bad-um Ching! The drummer does that here at the beginning, every other measure, only he's using drum sticks on a tambourine and a crotale, which is a small suspended bell. That's why the bell rings out, instead of being muted. Really cool and inventive effect, for the time.
Back in the day we said a song “cranked up” or „got cranked up” at that point where it intensified or as you said it “erupted” or “broke down”. Have you considered “The Eagles” - such as “Hotel California”. They have so many good songs.
Got to do a live one from The Return to Paradise 1996 concert DVD... Sweet Madame blue, Crystal Ball, fooling yourself etc.... 👍Great reactions bro : )
Styx is the legendary river one must cross after death...you must also make a deal with the boatman who ferries you across said river. Looks like the boatman is depicted in the cover art...
The singer, Dennis DeYoung, wrote it for his wife. It's one of the, if not THE, most well-known Styx songs. Edit: Dennis and his high school sweetheart, Suzanne, have been married since 1970.
I can't hear this song without picturing the scene from "Freaks and Geeks" where Jason Segal awkwardly serenades Linda Cardellini. LOL. Check it out if you haven't seen it.
I think that sound you are referring to is the bass guitar - a string is picked/hit/hammered/whatever, and then the player drags their hand down the fretboard...have a friend who plays bass and he does something that sounds similar.
For commercial songs back in the seventies the record companies kind of force them to be between 2 minutes and 50 seconds and 3 minutes and 20 seconds long
Styx is the river one had to cross after death, and the only way across was to pay the ferryman Chiron (that's why they used to put coins on people's eyes.)
I could be wrong but I think that sound is a Hammond organ. I think he is messing with the tone wheel so that it sounds like the organ is waking up… like a monster.
Wooden Nickel did not own the song, but we're tied money and contract wise to the original recording. STYX OWNED SONG, so they were able to re-record, the same way that Taylor Swift re-recorded the songs that she owned but did not have the publishing rights of the original recordings.
Styx could fuckin' sing. They were Beatles Freaks. Dennis LOVED the Beatles. Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw etc. That's Tommy singing the REAL HIGH harmony. Just outstanding lead vocal (Dennis DeYoung) & harmonies. Great musicianship.
Thank you for your reaction. The re-recording of Lady titled Lady95' is a slight arrangement and sounds a bit different. I personally prefer the original. I don't know the full details but as I understand it the first 4 albums were produced by Wooden Nickel and apparently a certain interpretation of a single specific line of Styx's contract led to all the music basically being owned by the CEO of Wooden Nickel and he ended up receiving over 90% of all sales on their albums. The members of Styx ended up having to switch producers with their 5th album Equinox. Apparently it took decades before anyone from Styx was able to make any money or even re-release their own music which lead to the creation of Lady 95'. This album that you just listened to that has Charon the Ferryman of Souls on the cover is a compilation album of all the music that was released under the Wooden Nickel label that even comes with some rare hidden tracks that was only released on a few very rare copies of certain albums. As I understand it this compilation is the only way for Styx to recieve any money from the music that they wrote. Please someone in the comments feel free to chime in and correct me on the details where I may be mistaken.
Other than Mr Roboto, every song STYX ever put out on an album was basically good to great and all we're listenable and repeatable listens where normal
I prefer Tommy Shaw's voice to Dennis DeYoung's. I don't know why. Dennis has an incredible and distinctive voice, and I do really like it, but there is something both powerful and vulnerable about Tommy's. Or something. I'm not wording well today, it's Monday.
Are you talking about the growling guitar sound right before the volume goes up, or are you talking about the dynamic difference between the soft and loud?
Styx was incredibly dynamic in the 70s but leaned increasingly pretentious and commercial in the early 80s. To sample more of their range, try "Fooling Yourself" from 1977; it has a different but wickedly crisp sound.
Wooden Nickel had issues with everybody. After the early times, Wooden Nickel would not promote any records released by their acts. And their acts left.
This was my late wife's favorite Styx song - today is her birthday.... makes one think - why did you play this song on this day at a time when I'm watching ?
Wow!🎂♥️ if that's not a sign she's saying Hello, I don't know what is!!
@Debbie Debster I think so to - if not its one hell of a coincidence
No more wondering. ❤😊
She's talking. Sorry for your loss.
It's your message, from your lady. 😊
"The one that started it all. "That's a quote from Dennis De Young himself.
In the 70's Styx was a show you didn't want to miss. Great vocals, and music. Seen em twice as a teenager.
Styx was the first band I saw in concert in the 70s. They sounded exactly like the records. Amazing!
Same here, my first in 1978 or 9 in a converted theater in Asbury Park, NJ. Amazing concert!
Dennis DeYoung is 75 and we Boomers remember all too well how this classic took us to a higher place! Loved grooving with you!
Lead singer Dennis DeYoung had a really distinctive voice, strong enough to ably drive the power ballads. IMO his voice is unforgettably pure, making Styx a standout band.
Yes. He makes the band.
@@Eowyn187 Absolutely! Styx isn't STYX without Dennis.
Styx is my wife’s favorite band and the chorus of this song is my text tone for her!
In fall of 1974 we had a band scheduled to play a concert and the venue was my high school gym. It was Styx! Their album was just becoming a hit but they still honored their commitment to play their concert in our small town outside of Chicago. The other “local” bands we got to see in concert about that time was Chicago ( the band) and REO Speedwagon. What a great time to be a teenager. The 70’s were awesome!
Lucky you . Three great bands to see.
I used to fascinate my classmates by playing the piano intro to this song...........I love it.
I believe the cover art is Charon, the ferryman in Greek mythology, conveying souls across the river Styx, to the land of the dead.
Man, I commented the same thing basically...didn't see yours... I agree 100%.
yes finally someone no's the meaning of styx and why it's spelled this way👌
Radio used to be formatted for 2 1/2 to 3 minute songs, as well as the limitations of vinyl LPs. That is why you will find most older songs are around the 3 minute mark.
Dennis DeYoung is 75 now and still sounds great. He recorded 2 albums during the Covid quarantine.
He is no longer with Styx. He developed a bad flu like illness and one of the side effects was an extreme sensitivity to bright light. The band was wanting to go out on tour in support of their new album, and Dennis asked them to please wait a few months so he could recover. They refused and basically kicked him out of the band that he founded. They kept the name Styx and Dennis has to be billed as "playing the music of Styx" I have seen his new band Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx and they are awesome...I would say better than the current lineup of the band.
Dennis wrote a 2nd song for Suzanne "Babe" and it was their only #1 song. It is more of a traditional ballad rather than a power ballad like Lady.
There are so many good songs in the classic Styx era, not only ones sung by Dennis, but quite a few written by Tommy Shaw.
Oh, and you were commenting on the "spooky" cover art on the album. This is from Greek mythology. Charon, the boatman, ferried the souls of the dead who had received the rites of burial across the river Styx to Hades. The river Styx was the dividing line between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Styx was named after the river Styx, so the cover art was of the boatman crossing the river Styx.
Dennis got shafted, imo. I'm glad he went on to make more music. I'll have to look into it.
I'd argue that Lady is the first ever power ballad. Lady was re recorded so A&M could put it on Styx's Greatest Hits CD. Thanks for playing this.
@SalvoG the cover art is the ferry man taking people across the River Styx. This was sang about in another old song - Don't Pay the Ferryman by Chris de Burgh.
Whatever you do
Don't pay the ferryman
Don't even fix a price
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side"
Always loved this song. One of Styx best songs in my opinion.
Definitely one of my favorites from Styx❤
You commented on the piano, the person that took over for DeYoung, Laurence Gowan, went to the Royal Conservatory of music and had an amazing solo career before moving to Styx
One of the best jams to ever be released
In Greek mythology, Styx is one of the rivers of the underworld. In Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the gods swear by the water of the Styx as their most binding oath. The album art alludes to this.
I saw them live in Seattle in 1977, and they were amazing. They sounded as good live, as their recorded albums on Vinal. Such a good live Band. Tommy Shaw is still performing in his late 60s. Great harmonies from these guys.
I saw them in Seattle in 82. Paradise Theatre tour.
Saw Styx live about a month ago and they still rock like they did on their Paradise Theatre tour back in the 80’s.
Styx has been one of my favorites since the 70s and 80s Always in my play list.
Styx is the name of the river to the hell for ancient Greeks. The cover is a play on the imagery of Styx and the name of the band.
This song is so catchy that it makes you sing-along even if you know you sing poorly.
Love your reaction. These guys had so many hits. Another great song is Babe. My favourite album of theirs though, is Mr Roboto.
Styx is just a fantastic band, they had something that appealed to every rock and roll taste.
My favorite Styx song!!!
Two lead singers and two lead guitarists, also, a band that was into concept albums, love them!
I love your reactions to Styx. You’ve listened to songs written and sung by Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw. They had 3 singer/ songwriters at the same time. Listen the James Young’s banger ‘Miss America’. You won’t be disappointed !!
Check out the live show with the contemporary youth orchestra
You'll like Lorelei and Light Up
EQUINOX is a great album. Suite Madame Blue is still played live. But I really like Lorelei and Lightup, just as much.
Love the song Lorelei...so much I named my dog Lorelei lol
fun fact, I met Dennis DeYoung at a meet and greet and asked him about that part with the drums if that was from Bolero and he said I had an excellent ear and yes it was from Bolero.
Love this!!!
They played at my high school frequently (Marian Catholic) when they were still named TW4. 1975.
So happy you've been playing lots of Styx! I saw them live 3 times in the early 80's. Styx and Journey were my 2 favorite bands when I was growing up.
Great reactions!
I love that part too, always listen for it too
The word you were looking for in definition of the way the song goes up building anticipation then onward and upward is called Crescendo, and when it goes down, it’s called a decrescendo. That’s a common thing in all forms of music.
This self-titled album cover displays a reference to the mythical River Styx, the divider and path between this world and the next. The length of the song is directly related to the radio industry which required under three minutes. Don McLean (American Pie) and Meatloaf (Paradise by the Dashboard Lights) had two of the first long songs to be played on the radio.
How could u never have heard of this song before ? 😅😅😅
Lady was re-done for a Greatest Hits album on A&M Records because Wooden Nickel wouldn't release it -- they knew the value of the song being the first and one of the best-loved Styx hits and how it would play missing from a Greatest Hits album. The re-do is ok but like any other classic recording nothing will ever come close to the original.
This Old Man from STYX is way under rated as Dennis sings about his father... very haunting and vulnerable in delivery... ;)
The chimes you hear are finger cymbals. Used a lot in Indian music. Lovely.
I'm going to see Styx in 2 weeks. I cannot wait!!
Love all your reactions but especially your Styx reactions. Good job on your channel, keep up the great work.
Hey there, buddy! Love your stuff, and I've been a Styx fan since 1977, when I was 11 years old. I've always thought of that guitar sound as "JY's Introductory Growl", and it's funny that you mentioned it because my husband and I were just talking about it the other day. He does it again in the song Renegade, right after the vocal break. I hope this helps! Another song you should listen to is Clair De Lune/Ballerina from the 1976 Crystal Ball album. It contains everything that makes Styx a great band: Dennis's piano, the vocals and harmonies, and the back and forth guitar solos between Tommy and JY. (It goes: JY, Tommy, Tommy, JY.) Even if you don't post it on UA-cam, it's worth a listen for yourself! Have a rockin' day! Lisa
Excellent song! Another "Lady" you would like is from Supertramp's 1975 album, 'Crisis? What Crisis?' ;-]
You heard of the rim shot, like after an old bad joke? Bad-um Ching! The drummer does that here at the beginning, every other measure, only he's using drum sticks on a tambourine and a crotale, which is a small suspended bell. That's why the bell rings out, instead of being muted. Really cool and inventive effect, for the time.
Back in the day we said a song “cranked up” or „got cranked up” at that point where it intensified or as you said it “erupted” or “broke down”. Have you considered “The Eagles” - such as “Hotel California”. They have so many good songs.
❤❤❤
I think that the cover depicts "the ferryman" in his boat on the river "Styx"...look it up
Great song from a great group. ❤🥳
Gonna see them in early September
Got to do a live one from The Return to Paradise 1996 concert DVD... Sweet Madame blue, Crystal Ball, fooling yourself etc.... 👍Great reactions bro : )
The note is a synth. A "pedal" a note held while being played over. Crescendo is the intense attack and volume.
This is a studio recording so the chime could have just been in studio. Great song, my favorite by Styx
I don’t think you’ve done Come Sail Away yet. You will love it. For the Lockdown and Civil Unrest summer I listened to Show Me the Way.
Show Me the Way is a favorite.
Styx is the legendary river one must cross after death...you must also make a deal with the boatman who ferries you across said river.
Looks like the boatman is depicted in the cover art...
The singer, Dennis DeYoung, wrote it for his wife. It's one of the, if not THE, most well-known Styx songs.
Edit: Dennis and his high school sweetheart, Suzanne, have been married since 1970.
Back then they always gave a good show.
The sound you are wondering about is produced by a Hammond B3 organ hooked up to a rotating Leslie speaker
I can't hear this song without picturing the scene from "Freaks and Geeks" where Jason Segal awkwardly serenades Linda Cardellini. LOL. Check it out if you haven't seen it.
Every now and then it's Important to just Listen to the Song..Try It!❤
that chime is a finger cymbal.
masters of progressive rock
@4:00 synthesizer 👍🚬☕🥃
Rock N Roll Feeling is another track from this album that stands out.
I think that sound you are referring to is the bass guitar - a string is picked/hit/hammered/whatever, and then the player drags their hand down the fretboard...have a friend who plays bass and he does something that sounds similar.
Your reaction is the same as my 17 year old Grandson . He didn't know Grandpa rocked.
Yes it is a chime on the drums
Looking forward to watching this one great great song love your style hope you love love you
The "chimes" sound like finger cymbals.
For commercial songs back in the seventies the record companies kind of force them to be between 2 minutes and 50 seconds and 3 minutes and 20 seconds long
those "chimes" are called finger cymbals, or _"zill"_
Styx is the river one had to cross after death, and the only way across was to pay the ferryman Chiron (that's why they used to put coins on people's eyes.)
❤️🔥❤️🔥
Hope you get back to some more Rush soon! I highly recommend either YYZ Live in Rio or Neil Peart's drum solo live in Frankfurt!
"fooling yourself" is my fave Styx song, do yourself a favor and check it out.
Another band I saw early on.
Convention Hall in Asbury Park, 1978.
Need to hit "Snowblind"
I could be wrong but I think that sound is a Hammond organ. I think he is messing with the tone wheel so that it sounds like the organ is waking up… like a monster.
Wooden Nickel did not own the song, but we're tied money and contract wise to the original recording. STYX OWNED SONG, so they were able to re-record, the same way that Taylor Swift re-recorded the songs that she owned but did not have the publishing rights of the original recordings.
Styx could fuckin' sing. They were Beatles Freaks. Dennis LOVED the Beatles.
Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw etc. That's Tommy singing the REAL HIGH harmony. Just outstanding lead vocal (Dennis DeYoung) & harmonies. Great musicianship.
You gotta listen to the original as much as you love keyboard
Try "Grand Illusion " :)
Thank you for your reaction.
The re-recording of Lady titled Lady95' is a slight arrangement and sounds a bit different. I personally prefer the original.
I don't know the full details but as I understand it the first 4 albums were produced by Wooden Nickel and apparently a certain interpretation of a single specific line of Styx's contract led to all the music basically being owned by the CEO of Wooden Nickel and he ended up receiving over 90% of all sales on their albums. The members of Styx ended up having to switch producers with their 5th album Equinox. Apparently it took decades before anyone from Styx was able to make any money or even re-release their own music which lead to the creation of Lady 95'.
This album that you just listened to that has Charon the Ferryman of Souls on the cover is a compilation album of all the music that was released under the Wooden Nickel label that even comes with some rare hidden tracks that was only released on a few very rare copies of certain albums. As I understand it this compilation is the only way for Styx to recieve any money from the music that they wrote.
Please someone in the comments feel free to chime in and correct me on the details where I may be mistaken.
How the heck did no one request "Babe" or "Renegade?
Have you heard their other power ballad babe?
Please add Blue Collar Man to your Styx list!
First time I ever really noticed the great bass line in this song.
"I almost wish it was longer" .....yep, you and about 40 million other people.....
You gotta listen to Emerson Lake and Palmer Tocata
Other than Mr Roboto, every song STYX ever put out on an album was basically good to great and all we're listenable and repeatable listens where normal
Mr. Roboto got to #3.
@@jodij6280 tacky song
@@rickrack4812 Why?
Finger cymbals!
If you can, please listen and react to their song "Man in the Wilderness. I think it's their best song.
The chime sounds are very high piano keys struck hard, with lots of reverb.
I prefer Tommy Shaw's voice to Dennis DeYoung's. I don't know why. Dennis has an incredible and distinctive voice, and I do really like it, but there is something both powerful and vulnerable about Tommy's. Or something. I'm not wording well today, it's Monday.
Tommy wasn't in the band yet when Lady was recorded. First album was Crystal Ball, and his song as the album title
@@JohnnyMegabyteCanada Yes, I know. Crystal Ball is one of my very favorite songs. I still like earlier Styx, of course.
I'm just the opposite. Dennis' voice has a depth of feeling that Tommy doesn't have.
It's a triangle. A percussion instrument.
Styx. River Styx. Look up the River Styx ferryman
Are you talking about the growling guitar sound right before the volume goes up, or are you talking about the dynamic difference between the soft and loud?
Styx was incredibly dynamic in the 70s but leaned increasingly pretentious and commercial in the early 80s. To sample more of their range, try "Fooling Yourself" from 1977; it has a different but wickedly crisp sound.
Wooden Nickel had issues with everybody. After the early times, Wooden Nickel would not promote any records released by their acts. And their acts left.