Grand Illusion was my very first album given to me from my mother for my birthday 1981 I was 12 years old and I still have it today unfortunately my mom isn’t around anymore but I cherish her passing along to me her love for music. I did see Styx live in concert and their performance is fantastic!
Two good songs on Pieces of Eight? You've got to be kidding. That album is solid from top to bottom. If you think there were only two good songs you need to spin that thing several more times.
Two good songs??? Pieces of Eight was their Magnum Opus. Excellent from the first track to the last track, no skipping allowed. Up there with Who's Next, The first Boston album, Steely Dan Aja, Kansas Leftoverture, Van Halen 1, Aerosmith Toys In the Attic, Rush 2112 etc. I was a monster album before they went commercial in the 80's! Blue Collar Man still gets me fired up 46 years later!
"Castle Walls"... Did they ever do better than that? "Suite Madame Blue" from "Equinox" never got the recognition it deserves... but "Castle Walls" and "Man In The Wilderness"... just wow!
I saw Styx 3 times in the 70's with Dennis Deyoung and in my opinion these guys really rock out in concert, a class act performance,this band was amazing. 😊👍
I love listening through the wooden nickel albums as you hear them experimenting and slowly developing their sound and style. It really started to come into focus in Equinox and gets fine tuned in Crystal Ball. When Grand Illusion came out, they were a well oiled machine ready for the big time.
As a 59 year old Styx fan I appreciate this discussion! I loved their music, attitude, musicianship and talent, some of my high school and college friends not as much so I felt alone in my fandom. There is a lot of music that plays in my head for decades, including bands like Foreigner, Boston, etc and others that fall into this realm.
Indeed Brother... I Remember, I think it was in 76... Kansas had commercials on tv for their album Leftoverture... My favorite Styx song is off the Equinox Album. Lorelei... Stay cool Brother, Peace, from Creel Chihuahua, Mexico...
I am a fellow South Sider, and I have always been a fan of STYX. They recorded almost all of their albums in Oak Lawn at Pumpkin Studios a tiny place just walking distance from my house where I grew up. While other groups would have taken off for LA or New York these guys remained loyal to where they grew up and were very friendly with us locals, they were at heart, at least back then just a group of neighborhood guys!
September 02, 1978 was my first ever concert. STYX with Trooper opening up in Montreal. Fantastic show! Pieces Of Eight had only just been released the day before and I hadn't heard it yet. Wow! Made a fan for life.
It's funny how many people have Styx as their first concert. Me too, 1980 Hammersmith Odeon London - and even more amazingly I read Natalie Merchant's first gig was Styx as well!
Everyone in my households first concerts as well. My brother and Sister, both quite a bit older than me, saw Paradise Theater. My first was Kilroy was Here tour. We all had a ton of Styx memories. Saw them in Fort Myers Florida at the long Lee Civic Center. Great times.
Two good songs on Pieces of Eight? Really? Queen of Spades got quite a bit of airplay too. But the whole album is great. One of my favorite albums of all time. The soaring organ solo on I'm OK, the penultimate Pieces of Eight, Sing for the Day. A truly great album.
Saw Styx in ‘78 on tbe Grand Allusion tour. They were amazing. I remember Tommy Shaw telling the crowd they had a new album out and he was going to sing a new song off it: “Blue Collar Man”.
I’m 61, a long time Styx fan… I wish I could see them in concert, but alas, timing is everything… Grand Illusion is my favorite album of theirs… I also have a fondness for Pieces of Eight, and Paradise Theater… Lady is one of my most favorite songs from Styx… Cornerstone, Equinox, and Crystal Ball have some awesome songs on them as well…
I graduated in 82 so Styx was a huge part of my musical world . As a keyboard player, i loved the heavy influence of keys in their many forms used in their songs. From the raw Wurlitzer piano used on Lady to the gigantic sound if a theater organ on Foolin Yourself, the many synths heard on many songs and of course the grand daddy of em all the combination of keys used on Come Sail Awy continuing on through their catalog and their biggest hits to come. I could sit down anywhere on campus that had a puano and start playing Babe, CSA, Best of times, etc., and within 30 secs id be surrounded by girls . It didnt hurt that i could sing too! For me, styx's music will forever be engrained in the soundtrack if my life. Were they that good? Absolutely! If not, they wouldn't receive as much air play as they continue to do nearly 50 years on.their snub by the Rock Hall just cements the fact that its a worthless POS!
I always thought “Equinox” was their breakthrough… I guess we must define breakthrough. Then, as you pointed out, “Lady” from Styx II, 1973, became a hit, but that was retro… Loved the vid very much, thanks for that.
"Queen of Spades" is heavier than "Renegade" or "Blue Collar Man" and is perhaps their best deep cut along side "Castle Walls" or "Man in the Wilderness" from The Grand Illusion. STYX is and always will be my favorite band. 3 great lead singers, great harmonies, great songs and an unparalleled range of music styles. They had something for most everybody.
Alpine Valley amphitheater was an incredible place to see a concert ! We drove 10 hours to see GNR in 91! Its also where Stevie Ray Vaughan lost his life, The only thing I have to say about Styx, besides loving a lot of their music, I got my sister Paradise theater for Christmas that year
Another good video. I am from Milwaukee, so I saw many Alpine Valley shows in the late 70's and 80's. Saw Styx twice at the Milwaukee Arena. Pieces of Eight and Paradise Theatre.
@bradmoore7971 that's really cool ! We drove from Clarksville Tennessee straight up 41A through Chicago into Wisconsin, we stay with a friend of mine and her cousins And there are people partying days before the concert started in the parking lot! We took a keg of beer and went got to that morning before the show and got drunk as hell and had the best time! People in Wisconsin were very nice to us, Loved it up there!
I was at Alpine Valley when STARCASTLE opened for STYX. Fabulous Gig! My brother was at the SRV show when he died. Extremely Foggy 😢 STYX STILL KICKS ASS !
The Grand Illusion should be accepted as a prog classic. Every song on this album is good to great. Three different lead singers. Songs 40+ years later that are cross generational. Some deep, meaningful lyrics. They could play live and had a great stage show. The two previous albums Crystal Ball and Equinox are must listens as well, just not as consistent front to back as The Grand Illusion.
April, 1976, Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens, Styx opened for Bad Company. They were awesome. So much so, we continuously called for encores to the point that the house lights had to come on to stop us so Bad Company could come on. Hope I'm remembering this correctly.
You articulated my sentiments on Styx. When I was a teen in the 80's, I recall WMMR & WYSP (Phila.) played heavily from this album along with "Paradise Theater" while only two songs from the other albums received airplay. @2:52 Easter Island yes that's what that was! I'm geeking out @13:48-15:42! Grest commentary, especially @18:19-20:02! You mentioned Grand Funk...you've got my subscription!!!👍🏼
Yea. Styx killing it in the 70’s. Progressive with rock edge. All the 70’s output is incredible. Miss America, Castle Walls .. and the brilliant Man in the Wilderness. So so good. All on one record.
FANTASTIC!! I really enjoyed this. Styx was my band growing up. Nothing but talent and great great songs and full albums. Equinox will always be my favorite album of all time. Songs like Man In The Wilderness, Castle Walls, Queen Of Spades, Lights, Love In The Midnight, Half Penny/Two Penny & Snowblind are some of the greatest deep cuts in the history of rock music. You do have the story of Lady a little mixed up. After Lady was only a regional hit upon its release by Wooden Nickel back in the early 70's, Styx put out their final two albums on Wooden Nickel label. After the release of their final Wooden Nickel album Man Of Miracles, they took the album to the studio of WLS in Chicago to try to get a few songs off that album played. At the time WLS was the most powerful radio station in America. The Program Director was familiar with Styx and also knew they had a new album out in Man Of Miracles. He told them ( JY ) I think something like " I wont play anything off of your new album but I will play the song Lady off of Styx ll every night at 8pm until we make it a hit. The first night they played Lady the DJ said something like " Welcome to WLS Styx" and rolled the song. The rest is now history of how the band broke nation wide. Thanks again for this.
Styx in concert will surprise you. They ROCK!!! Extremely talented and very professional from many years on the road. If you get the chance to see them, do it. Trust me. ✌
The late 70s was the sweet spot for Styx. Pieces of Eight, Paradise Theatre and Grand Illusion are the hands three best albums, and number four isn't even close.
Other underappreciated bands worth revisiting from 60's and 70's -- Three Dog Night, Kansas, Supertramp, Little Feat, Bad Company, Marshall Tucker Band, Faith Band (Limousine), ...
i feel that TOMMY SHAW saved the band.. what a genius.. dont get me wrong, dennis was amazing. but shaw was the hard edge.. damn yankees was my favorite.
I was a kid in the Chicago Suburbs as Styx really came into their own. 1977 and on. They were a monster band in the Chicago area. Right up there with Cheap Trick and RUSH, yes RUSH. One record of theirs really destroyed their standing in the rock pantheon, at least in my school and my town: Kilroy was Here. That Mr. Roboto song and video was absolutely horrendous. Styx became really uncool instantly. Anyway, I Finally got to see them a couple years ago and they put on a fantastic show. I wish Dennis was with them but he isn't. But the guys who sings and plays his parts is really great. If you can see them and you like them, you should check them out.
I would totally disagree that there are only 2 or 3 good songs on each album. Equinox through Pieces of Eight are perfect albums. That's four albums with not a bad song on all of them.
BTW, I'm going tonight to the first of 5 Styx concerts at the Venetian in Vegas. I couldn't tell you how many I've been to, but it is always a very awesome experience.
Totally incorrect assessment of Styx and their albums. They had 5 consecutive platinum albums starting with Grand Illusion. I currently play in a Styx Tribute Band. I love them more now than I did before. Great writing, playing and singing.
Long time Styx fan. I grew up in the Milwaukee area and remember them playing locally as Tradewinds and TW4. While "Grand Illusion" and "Pieces of Eight" are the albums that put them on the map and among my favorites, "Equinox", pre Tommy Shaw, might be my overall favorite. A lot of great tunes on that album.
I always liked Tommy Shaw's guitar work and what he brought to the band. I saw them live at a Texas Jam in '83 or '84 where they shared headlining the concert with Sammy Hagar who was huge at the time. Hagar killed but Styx as they were setting up it was very noticeable that much of the crowd was leaving the Cotton Bowl. We decided to stay and watch them and wanted to miss the traffic leaving the venue. They were very good but the Kilroy robot stuff was a little off putting, Domo Arrigato Mr Roboto I mean come on. However, the main hits were awesome. The Grand Illusion album was my entry point to the band (I borrowed one of my older brothers cassettes). One track you didn't mention was Miss America, what a great guitar riff. Thanks for doing the excellent video. It really takes me back. Brian from Dallas, 58 years young.
We've lost something in the move to a format of less albums, more singles in a digital format. In the 70's, a deep dive into an album often gave us some great songs that never received mainstream airplay. Man in the Wilderness and Castle Walls are great examples. Add those to the radio favorites and you have a great start-to-finish album.
I really liked Equinox and Crystal Ball leading up to that period. I had all the Styx albums up to Cornerstone…kind of lost me with that one. Pieces of Eight was really solid. Paradise Theater was a good come back. JC was fantastic. He didn’t like touring so much, so he left. Highly regarded as a guitar teacher in the Chicago area for a long time.
Just saw Styx in Daytona 2 weeks ago. Awesome show! They opened with The Grand Illusion and closed with Renegade. Sounded like they did back in the day.
My first foray into the concert arena cost $4 whole dollars for a general admission ticket. Artists were Bob Welch's band Paris followed by Stxy then Head East as the topper. Styx had already broken on a regional manner in the Upper Midwest with the albums Equinox and Crystal Ball. What an eye and ear opener, I'd never heard music so loud before. What great memories! 2nd time was the next year on The Grand Illusion Tour with opener Henry Gross. 3rd time the lineup flip-flopped with Head East as the opener. In the following decades have seen them a total of 6 times, never a bad show.
They were my fave band when I was learning the craft because they featured the keys and guitar equally...not to mention the amazing mandolin solo on Boat on the River...I saw them live at the now long gone Reunion Arena in Dallas, where they recorded part of their first video for MTV...and I had the pleasure of meeting Shaw in Nashville and had a very good long visit. He didnt even have a hint of prima donna...great guy
Well, to the question in the title of your video, yes! Songs like Lady, Crystal Ball, Light Up, Lorelei, Suite Madame Blue, Miss America... All great stuff! Saw Dennis DeYoung at a festival and he played most of those songs, it was fantastic for the older fans like me!
Four consecutive albums worth buying. Equinox, Crystal Ball, Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. Had they stopped there they would be more fondly remembered.
There’s a reason they had 6 albums before The Grand Illusion. They had a very strong following. Relatively small but intense. They were heavy/hard prog. My favorite of theirs is The Serpent is Rising. Which is as heavy haunting and cerebral as the title would lead you to believe. There’s way more to them than the overplayed hits. Cyclorama from a few years ago is another classic that people sadly seemed to miss.
I totally agree with you about the 2 perhaps 3 songs on their albums thing. What is even crazier was the FALL off, the hits were BIG but the duds were ear rot.
Thanks for the informative video. Saw Styx a year or two ago in Las Vegas. I wasn’t a big fan but I knew and liked more than several of their hits. Grew up in LA so heard them all the time on KLOS and KMET. Didn’t really want to see them but so happy that I did. My buddy dragged me there begrudgingly. They rocked! Watched come sail away played on one of only two existing Liberace pianos. Awesome show. I’m more of a fan now. If you get a chance to see them I would highly recommend it. Who knows how much longer they’ll be around. Example: saw Jeff Lynn’s ELO at the Forum last year. Incredible show! But now they’re gone.
I've been saying the same thing about Grand Funk Railroad for ages. I never understood how Cheap Trick could get in ahead of Styx. As far as I'm concerned Cheap Trick is a one horse pony with their Live at Budokan album, while Styx had several monster albums and hits from a much longer time span as well.
Tommy Shaw joined Styx just before the band's Equinox (the record was already released) tour. He wrote the title track to their next album Crystal Ball.
I saw Grand Funk a few months ago. No more Bruce Kulick, no more Mark Farner. Playing at early 1900's exquisitely restored auditoriums that hold 1-2000 silver haired people. But still an enjoyable show comprised of their best songs. I got more of a kick watching us "old timers" getting up and dancing about and wearing big grins. Oh yeah, about Styx, I have always preferred their first 10 albums. I lost interest beginning with Kilroy. Sad that most great bands have a slow start do to poor label promotion. Sadder that most great band members lose sight of their early days when they were hungry.
Styx had there first US hit in 1973. I clearly remember it because aside from top Beatles hits and a few other bubble gum tunes like “Yummy Yummy”, the song “Lady” was the first Rock song (ballad rock?) that I could identify on the radio when I was 10 years old. That means it was played on the radio enough times to where a 10 year old boy could recognize it. That means it was a top hit.
Great bands with powerful uplifting lyrics seemed too get that kinda treatment in the early 2000s. Creed is back together and all look to be in great shape 👊👊👊
Paradise Theater was a concept concert before Kilroy. I saw Styx on that tour and the opening was just a piano and someone just walks across the stage with a broom like he's just cleaning the Theater.
Thanks - subscribed after watching this vid. Some thoughts; - Pieces of Eight was the very first album I bought (in 78') with my allowance money. I don't agree that there's only about 2 songs per album that were good on Styx albums; from The Grand Illusion to Paradise Theater -SO many great songs on each album! The band did start to lose their way with 'Kilroy Was Here' though, where indeed there was about 2-3 songs that were good and then the ATROCIOUS 'Music Time' (remember that?) song from 'Caught Live'. Oh dear. I like Dennis DeYoung alot but I can see where some of the disgruntlement Tommy and JY had came from in the later years. Not a fan of the DeYoung - less Styx really BUT the last 2 albums by Styx has redeemed their reputation a bit AND indeed, the last two solo albums by Dennis were very good as well. Cheers!
Queen was the same kind of band. I really like Styx but there was a couple of great songs but the rest were ok. I was a kid back then so I LOVED ALL THE SONGS..
Actually the story of how the song "Lady" became a hit is not accurate. What occurred was the band was making the rounds to radio stations with their fourth Wooden Nickel album "Man of Miracles". When they went into WLS, the most powerful AM station at the time, the program director asked to talk to them. He was puzzled why the radio station kept getting requests for "Lady" when it was not on the station's rotation. The end result was that while he wasn't going to put anything from their current album on the air, he told them he would put "Lady" on DJ John Landecker's show at eight o'clock every night until it was a hit. The rest is rock n' roll history. Styx was off to the races. As DeYoung has said, to have success in the music biz you need three things, Luck, Timing and Talent.
Grand Funk Railroad will never be much more of a tribute band unless they bring the heart and soul of the band, Mark Farner, back to his rightful place as lead guitarist and front man.
I saw Styx and Journey at the Diamond Head Crater Fest in 1976. 1 was 13. Both were great. I forgot about TV ads for LPs. I also remember getting 10 records for for a penny in the mail with Columbia House record club. I think the rest would cost like $50 each in today’s money 😂
@@charlesbronson4282 kiss tried 5 concerts to record live couldn't get it.....then used multiple cuts and redubes in the studio question was how much live was it....but they did something never done nobody did a live album it was a unsuccessful format kiss not only did a live album they did a double live album after that everyone started making live albums
I grew up in the Midwest. Styx was big there before going national. My friends and I were listening to those early albums when they came out. They were the opening act at the first concert I ever attended. Steppenwolf was the headliner. They used to play bars in my town before they made it. "Equinox" was a solid album and it has some great songs. "Suite Madam Blue" and "Born For Adventure". I lived "Crystal Ball" as well. "Cornerstone" was the last album of theirs I ever bought. Thought it was crap and things only went downhill from there.
The TV commercial for an album that I remember most vividly was the one for The Wall. I had never seen anything like it, and it kinda creeped me out a bit. Now, of course, I’m a huge fan.
I'm sorry, but I think every Styx album, including Mr. Roboto from the 70s and 80s were amazing. I saw the Paradise Theater show in Seattle in 1980. My first concert.
I lost some respect for Rick Beato a couple years ago when he had a top twenty list of top acapella in rock songs and Renegade wasn't even on the list becasue he hates Styx. Then the same for bands with two lead guitars.
I love Styx but sadly never got to see them. I did see an awful lot of concerts at Alpine Valley though. A sad side note... this was the sight of Stevie Ray Vaughn's last concert. I imagine a lot of you knew this.
Grand Illusion was my very first album given to me from my mother for my birthday 1981 I was 12 years old and I still have it today unfortunately my mom isn’t around anymore but I cherish her passing along to me her love for music. I did see Styx live in concert and their performance is fantastic!
That's a great memory. Thank you.
Two good songs on Pieces of Eight? You've got to be kidding. That album is solid from top to bottom. If you think there were only two good songs you need to spin that thing several more times.
It sounds like I need to bust it out again.
I admittedly haven't purchased a whole lot of albums in my life, maybe 30 total. But Pieces of Eight is without a doubt one of my favorites.
As is the Grand Illusion album
@@audiomover Your definition of "good" might be a bit limited
Two good songs??? Pieces of Eight was their Magnum Opus. Excellent from the first track to the last track, no skipping allowed. Up there with Who's Next, The first Boston album, Steely Dan Aja, Kansas Leftoverture, Van Halen 1, Aerosmith Toys In the Attic, Rush 2112 etc. I was a monster album before they went commercial in the 80's! Blue Collar Man still gets me fired up 46 years later!
Castle Walls, Man in the Wilderness and Miss America still reside in my playlist. Jy and Tommy played so well together.
"Castle Walls"... Did they ever do better than that?
"Suite Madame Blue" from "Equinox" never got the recognition it deserves... but "Castle Walls" and "Man In The Wilderness"... just wow!
Come Sale Away, Grand Illusion, Lights, Miss America & more! This album rocked! And their later albums also did as well!
I saw Styx 3 times in the 70's with Dennis Deyoung and in my opinion these guys really rock out in concert, a class act performance,this band was amazing. 😊👍
My love for Kansas got me interested in Styx. Excellent band! DeYoung is one of my favorite singers.
I love listening through the wooden nickel albums as you hear them experimenting and slowly developing their sound and style. It really started to come into focus in Equinox and gets fine tuned in Crystal Ball. When Grand Illusion came out, they were a well oiled machine ready for the big time.
"The Grove of Eglantine"!!! lmao
Pieces of Eight and Grand Illusion have almost no filler.
As a 59 year old Styx fan I appreciate this discussion! I loved their music, attitude, musicianship and talent, some of my high school and college friends not as much so I felt alone in my fandom. There is a lot of music that plays in my head for decades, including bands like Foreigner, Boston, etc and others that fall into this realm.
Indeed Brother... I Remember, I think it was in 76... Kansas had commercials on tv for their album Leftoverture... My favorite Styx song is off the Equinox Album. Lorelei... Stay cool Brother, Peace, from Creel Chihuahua, Mexico...
I am a fellow South Sider, and I have always been a fan of STYX. They recorded almost all of their albums in Oak Lawn at Pumpkin Studios a tiny place just walking distance from my house where I grew up. While other groups would have taken off for LA or New York these guys remained loyal to where they grew up and were very friendly with us locals, they were at heart, at least back then just a group of neighborhood guys!
September 02, 1978 was my first ever concert. STYX with Trooper opening up in Montreal. Fantastic show! Pieces Of Eight had only just been released the day before and I hadn't heard it yet. Wow! Made a fan for life.
That would have been a great show! My first concert was April Wine that same year in July. I was 14 years old. What a great time to be alive!
My first show too. In Montreal. I was in grade 9. What a blast!
@ very cool. I saw them in Edmonton. Teaze opened. Another great band!
It's funny how many people have Styx as their first concert. Me too, 1980 Hammersmith Odeon London - and even more amazingly I read Natalie Merchant's first gig was Styx as well!
Everyone in my households first concerts as well. My brother and Sister, both quite a bit older than me, saw Paradise Theater. My first was Kilroy was Here tour. We all had a ton of Styx memories. Saw them in Fort Myers Florida at the long Lee Civic Center. Great times.
Equinox is my favorite Styx album.
Two good songs on Pieces of Eight? Really? Queen of Spades got quite a bit of airplay too. But the whole album is great. One of my favorite albums of all time. The soaring organ solo on I'm OK, the penultimate Pieces of Eight, Sing for the Day. A truly great album.
Their performance of the entire album live a few years back is a great watch.
the organ solo was recorded on an actual giant cathedral pipe organ...awesome
I saw Styx last summer in Nashville- they still play Lady. At this point only JY and Tommy Shaw play full time with the band.
Saw Styx in ‘78 on tbe Grand Allusion tour. They were amazing.
I remember Tommy Shaw telling the crowd they had a new album out and he was going to sing a new song off it: “Blue Collar Man”.
Yep!
I don't think Tommy said that on the Grand illusion tour seeing Blue collar man was on pieces of eight.....yes yes yes
@@jimmiekeeling925
He sure did. At least toward the tail-end of the tour.
@fredbriggs2225 My bad...I saw them on the Pieces of Eight tour in Columbia, S C....they were awesome...
I’m 61, a long time Styx fan… I wish I could see them in concert, but alas, timing is everything… Grand Illusion is my favorite album of theirs… I also have a fondness for Pieces of Eight, and Paradise Theater…
Lady is one of my most favorite songs from Styx…
Cornerstone, Equinox, and Crystal Ball have some awesome songs on them as well…
I graduated in 82 so Styx was a huge part of my musical world .
As a keyboard player, i loved the heavy influence of keys in their many forms used in their songs.
From the raw Wurlitzer piano used on Lady to the gigantic sound if a theater organ on Foolin Yourself, the many synths heard on many songs and of course the grand daddy of em all the combination of keys used on Come Sail Awy continuing on through their catalog and their biggest hits to come.
I could sit down anywhere on campus that had a puano and start playing Babe, CSA, Best of times, etc., and within 30 secs id be surrounded by girls . It didnt hurt that i could sing too!
For me, styx's music will forever be engrained in the soundtrack if my life.
Were they that good? Absolutely! If not, they wouldn't receive as much air play as they continue to do nearly 50 years on.their snub by the Rock Hall just cements the fact that its a worthless POS!
I always thought “Equinox” was their breakthrough… I guess we must define breakthrough. Then, as you pointed out, “Lady” from Styx II, 1973, became a hit, but that was retro… Loved the vid very much, thanks for that.
"Queen of Spades" is heavier than "Renegade" or "Blue Collar Man" and is perhaps their best deep cut along side "Castle Walls" or "Man in the Wilderness" from The Grand Illusion. STYX is and always will be my favorite band. 3 great lead singers, great harmonies, great songs and an unparalleled range of music styles. They had something for most everybody.
Keep talkin' 'er up... Her black widow's curse might find you yet! :-)
0:45: their breakthrough was ‘Lady’, which was on their second album. I don’t know if it was on AM radio at the time, but it was huge on FM.
Absolutely was on AM radio.
Alpine Valley amphitheater was an incredible place to see a concert ! We drove 10 hours to see GNR in 91! Its also where Stevie Ray Vaughan lost his life, The only thing I have to say about Styx, besides loving a lot of their music, I got my sister Paradise theater for Christmas that year
Another good video.
I am from Milwaukee, so I saw many Alpine Valley shows in the late 70's and 80's.
Saw Styx twice at the Milwaukee Arena. Pieces of Eight and Paradise Theatre.
@bradmoore7971 that's really cool ! We drove from Clarksville Tennessee straight up 41A through Chicago into Wisconsin, we stay with a friend of mine and her cousins And there are people partying days before the concert started in the parking lot! We took a keg of beer and went got to that morning before the show and got drunk as hell and had the best time! People in Wisconsin were very nice to us, Loved it up there!
I was at Alpine Valley when STARCASTLE opened for STYX. Fabulous Gig! My brother was at the SRV show when he died. Extremely Foggy 😢 STYX STILL KICKS ASS !
They were originally Tradewinds and Lady was the one hit. I had the albums. Grand Illusion was their height only Paradise came close.
They like Bad Company should already be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 😊
The Grand Illusion should be accepted as a prog classic. Every song on this album is good to great. Three different lead singers. Songs 40+ years later that are cross generational. Some deep, meaningful lyrics. They could play live and had a great stage show. The two previous albums Crystal Ball and Equinox are must listens as well, just not as consistent front to back as The Grand Illusion.
April, 1976, Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens, Styx opened for Bad Company. They were awesome. So much so, we continuously called for encores to the point that the house lights had to come on to stop us so Bad Company could come on. Hope I'm remembering this correctly.
You articulated my sentiments on Styx. When I was a teen in the 80's, I recall WMMR & WYSP (Phila.) played heavily from this album along with "Paradise Theater" while only two songs from the other albums received airplay. @2:52 Easter Island yes that's what that was! I'm geeking out @13:48-15:42! Grest commentary, especially @18:19-20:02! You mentioned Grand Funk...you've got my subscription!!!👍🏼
Yea. Styx killing it in the 70’s. Progressive with rock edge. All the 70’s output is incredible. Miss America, Castle Walls .. and the brilliant Man in the Wilderness. So so good. All on one record.
Saw Styx last summer with foreigner and John Waite , Styx was phenomenal felt like the 70s and time had stood still
FANTASTIC!! I really enjoyed this. Styx was my band growing up. Nothing but talent and great great songs and full albums. Equinox will always be my favorite album of all time. Songs like Man In The Wilderness, Castle Walls, Queen Of Spades, Lights, Love In The Midnight, Half Penny/Two Penny & Snowblind are some of the greatest deep cuts in the history of rock music. You do have the story of Lady a little mixed up. After Lady was only a regional hit upon its release by Wooden Nickel back in the early 70's, Styx put out their final two albums on Wooden Nickel label. After the release of their final Wooden Nickel album Man Of Miracles, they took the album to the studio of WLS in Chicago to try to get a few songs off that album played. At the time WLS was the most powerful radio station in America. The Program Director was familiar with Styx and also knew they had a new album out in Man Of Miracles. He told them ( JY ) I think something like " I wont play anything off of your new album but I will play the song Lady off of Styx ll every night at 8pm until we make it a hit. The first night they played Lady the DJ said something like " Welcome to WLS Styx" and rolled the song. The rest is now history of how the band broke nation wide. Thanks again for this.
Styx in concert will surprise you. They ROCK!!! Extremely talented and very professional from many years on the road.
If you get the chance to see them, do it. Trust me. ✌
The late 70s was the sweet spot for Styx. Pieces of Eight, Paradise Theatre and Grand Illusion are the hands three best albums, and number four isn't even close.
I saw the Grand Illusion tour. It was awesome!
Two good songs per albumn?! Wow.
Other underappreciated bands worth revisiting from 60's and 70's -- Three Dog Night, Kansas, Supertramp, Little Feat, Bad Company, Marshall Tucker Band, Faith Band (Limousine), ...
i feel that TOMMY SHAW saved the band.. what a genius.. dont get me wrong, dennis was amazing. but shaw was the hard edge.. damn yankees was my favorite.
I was a kid in the Chicago Suburbs as Styx really came into their own. 1977 and on. They were a monster band in the Chicago area. Right up there with Cheap Trick and RUSH, yes RUSH. One record of theirs really destroyed their standing in the rock pantheon, at least in my school and my town: Kilroy was Here. That Mr. Roboto song and video was absolutely horrendous. Styx became really uncool instantly. Anyway, I Finally got to see them a couple years ago and they put on a fantastic show. I wish Dennis was with them but he isn't. But the guys who sings and plays his parts is really great. If you can see them and you like them, you should check them out.
Styx is the band that made Greatest Hits albums relevant again
When i was a kid, about 8, my dad bought the grand illusion album, and i was hooked on Miss America! Still one of my fav tracks!
That is a cool tune!
DeYoung founded it WITH the Panozzos.
I would totally disagree that there are only 2 or 3 good songs on each album. Equinox through Pieces of Eight are perfect albums. That's four albums with not a bad song on all of them.
I loved StYX through the Grand Illusion. The Grand Illusion was a concept album and if you listen to the album in order it's all tied together.
Grand Illusion was one of the greatest albums of this era. The whole thing is a masterpiece!
BTW, I'm going tonight to the first of 5 Styx concerts at the Venetian in Vegas. I couldn't tell you how many I've been to, but it is always a very awesome experience.
Totally incorrect assessment of Styx and their albums. They had 5 consecutive platinum albums starting with Grand Illusion. I currently play in a Styx Tribute Band. I love them more now than I did before. Great writing, playing and singing.
They put on a great show too. Got to see them three or four times in the 70s and 80s. Never disappointed. For me, Equinox was their breakout album.
1977 opening for Kiss, I was about 11, Styx was great, I bought 2 albums after seeing them.
That was my introduction to Styx as well. Never heard of them at that time, have since been to many of their shows and own a copy of all their music.
Long time Styx fan. I grew up in the Milwaukee area and remember them playing locally as Tradewinds and TW4. While "Grand Illusion" and "Pieces of Eight" are the albums that put them on the map and among my favorites, "Equinox", pre Tommy Shaw, might be my overall favorite. A lot of great tunes on that album.
I always liked Tommy Shaw's guitar work and what he brought to the band. I saw them live at a Texas Jam in '83 or '84 where they shared headlining the concert with Sammy Hagar who was huge at the time. Hagar killed but Styx as they were setting up it was very noticeable that much of the crowd was leaving the Cotton Bowl. We decided to stay and watch them and wanted to miss the traffic leaving the venue. They were very good but the Kilroy robot stuff was a little off putting, Domo Arrigato Mr Roboto I mean come on. However, the main hits were awesome.
The Grand Illusion album was my entry point to the band (I borrowed one of my older brothers cassettes). One track you didn't mention was Miss America, what a great guitar riff. Thanks for doing the excellent video. It really takes me back. Brian from Dallas, 58 years young.
We've lost something in the move to a format of less albums, more singles in a digital format. In the 70's, a deep dive into an album often gave us some great songs that never received mainstream airplay. Man in the Wilderness and Castle Walls are great examples. Add those to the radio favorites and you have a great start-to-finish album.
I really liked Equinox and Crystal Ball leading up to that period. I had all the Styx albums up to Cornerstone…kind of lost me with that one. Pieces of Eight was really solid. Paradise Theater was a good come back. JC was fantastic. He didn’t like touring so much, so he left. Highly regarded as a guitar teacher in the Chicago area for a long time.
Just saw Styx in Daytona 2 weeks ago. Awesome show! They opened with The Grand Illusion and closed with Renegade. Sounded like they did back in the day.
That's awesome!
Great White Hope was Great and I'm OK...Great Album...
My first foray into the concert arena cost $4 whole dollars for a general admission ticket. Artists were Bob Welch's band Paris followed by Stxy then Head East as the topper. Styx had already broken on a regional manner in the Upper Midwest with the albums Equinox and Crystal Ball. What an eye and ear opener, I'd never heard music so loud before. What great memories! 2nd time was the next year on The Grand Illusion Tour with opener Henry Gross. 3rd time the lineup flip-flopped with Head East as the opener. In the following decades have seen them a total of 6 times, never a bad show.
I loved the early albums once I had a chance to purchase them. At one time I had all of STYX albums from Styx 1 through Paradise Theater.
They were my fave band when I was learning the craft because they featured the keys and guitar equally...not to mention the amazing mandolin solo on Boat on the River...I saw them live at the now long gone Reunion Arena in Dallas, where they recorded part of their first video for MTV...and I had the pleasure of meeting Shaw in Nashville and had a very good long visit. He didnt even have a hint of prima donna...great guy
Well, to the question in the title of your video, yes! Songs like Lady, Crystal Ball, Light Up, Lorelei, Suite Madame Blue, Miss America... All great stuff!
Saw Dennis DeYoung at a festival and he played most of those songs, it was fantastic for the older fans like me!
Four consecutive albums worth buying. Equinox, Crystal Ball, Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight.
Had they stopped there they would be more fondly remembered.
CRYSTAL BALL man.
There’s a reason they had 6 albums before The Grand Illusion. They had a very strong following. Relatively small but intense. They were heavy/hard prog. My favorite of theirs is The Serpent is Rising. Which is as heavy haunting and cerebral as the title would lead you to believe. There’s way more to them than the overplayed hits. Cyclorama from a few years ago is another classic that people sadly seemed to miss.
Not a big Styx fan, but Queen Of Spades is a favorite of mine.
I just finally noticed 45 years or so later that that is the same woman... young, middle aged and old with the grey hair. wow!
Best Band Ever
BTW - a fun song off Styx II is "You Better Ask" and that song features John Curlewski.
I totally agree with you about the 2 perhaps 3 songs on their albums thing. What is even crazier was the FALL off, the hits were BIG but the duds were ear rot.
Grand Illusion was among those I ordered on my very first Columbia House order, along with Steve Miller and REO.
Grand Illusion and Pieces of 8 were both great albums!
Great video , i have a love/hate relationship with styx . Love the rocking stuff , JY and tommy shaw ... pieces of 8 is my favorite .
Thanks for the informative video. Saw Styx a year or two ago in Las Vegas. I wasn’t a big fan but I knew and liked more than several of their hits. Grew up in LA so heard them all the time on KLOS and KMET. Didn’t really want to see them but so happy that I did. My buddy dragged me there begrudgingly. They rocked! Watched come sail away played on one of only two existing Liberace pianos. Awesome show. I’m more of a fan now. If you get a chance to see them I would highly recommend it. Who knows how much longer they’ll be around. Example: saw Jeff Lynn’s ELO at the Forum last year. Incredible show! But now they’re gone.
How in the hell they're not in the Rock Hall, and we can say that with a lot of bands , but this one, ???😮
I've been saying the same thing about Grand Funk Railroad for ages. I never understood how Cheap Trick could get in ahead of Styx. As far as I'm concerned Cheap Trick is a one horse pony with their Live at Budokan album, while Styx had several monster albums and hits from a much longer time span as well.
Tommy Shaw joined Styx just before the band's Equinox (the record was already released)
tour. He wrote the title track to their next album Crystal Ball.
The Serpent is Rising is my favourite. Back when they were a real rock band. Witch Wolf is their best tracks.
you are correct my Friend
Miss America got airplay in my hometown
If your 14 in 73 the Albums styx II and serpent is rising are going to be loved for the rest of your life.
Absolutely!
I saw Grand Funk a few months ago. No more Bruce Kulick, no more Mark Farner. Playing at early 1900's exquisitely restored auditoriums that hold 1-2000 silver haired people. But still an enjoyable show comprised of their best songs. I got more of a kick watching us "old timers" getting up and dancing about and wearing big grins. Oh yeah, about Styx, I have always preferred their first 10 albums. I lost interest beginning with Kilroy. Sad that most great bands have a slow start do to poor label promotion. Sadder that most great band members lose sight of their early days when they were hungry.
Styx had there first US hit in 1973. I clearly remember it because aside from top Beatles hits and a few other bubble gum tunes like “Yummy Yummy”, the song “Lady” was the first Rock song (ballad rock?) that I could identify on the radio when I was 10 years old. That means it was played on the radio enough times to where a 10 year old boy could recognize it. That means it was a top hit.
I'm 65 I loved Styx, they were one of those bands that for some unknown reason they got the Nickleback Creed treatment.
Great bands with powerful uplifting lyrics seemed too get that kinda treatment in the early 2000s. Creed is back together and all look to be in great shape 👊👊👊
Their best songs were the ones that the radio stations didn’t play, deep cuts, like Castle Walls.
Lawrence Gowan, who is a very talented musician , has been in STYX over 25 years.
Paridise Theatre was peak Styx. That album was massive. Right up there with REO and High Infidelity
Kind of a guilty pleasure. The bombast of some of their songs are so over the top and cheesey that they can’t help but be ear Candy
discounting the top 40 hits Lady and Lorelei, sure, Grand Illusion was a "breakout".
Paradise Theater was a concept concert before Kilroy. I saw Styx on that tour and the opening was just a piano and someone just walks across the stage with a broom like he's just cleaning the Theater.
Thanks - subscribed after watching this vid. Some thoughts; - Pieces of Eight was the very first album I bought (in 78') with my allowance money. I don't agree that there's only about 2 songs per album that were good on Styx albums; from The Grand Illusion to Paradise Theater -SO many great songs on each album! The band did start to lose their way with 'Kilroy Was Here' though, where indeed there was about 2-3 songs that were good and then the ATROCIOUS 'Music Time' (remember that?) song from 'Caught Live'. Oh dear. I like Dennis DeYoung alot but I can see where some of the disgruntlement Tommy and JY had came from in the later years. Not a fan of the DeYoung - less Styx really BUT the last 2 albums by Styx has redeemed their reputation a bit AND indeed, the last two solo albums by Dennis were very good as well. Cheers!
Queen was the same kind of band. I really like Styx but there was a couple of great songs but the rest were ok. I was a kid back then so I LOVED ALL THE SONGS..
Crystal Ball was the album for me👍🤘
Actually the story of how the song "Lady" became a hit is not accurate. What occurred was the band was making the rounds to radio stations with their fourth Wooden Nickel album "Man of Miracles". When they went into WLS, the most powerful AM station at the time, the program director asked to talk to them. He was puzzled why the radio station kept getting requests for "Lady" when it was not on the station's rotation. The end result was that while he wasn't going to put anything from their current album on the air, he told them he would put "Lady" on DJ John Landecker's show at eight o'clock every night until it was a hit. The rest is rock n' roll history. Styx was off to the races. As DeYoung has said, to have success in the music biz you need three things, Luck, Timing and Talent.
Grand Funk Railroad will never be much more of a tribute band unless they bring the heart and soul of the band, Mark Farner, back to his rightful place as lead guitarist and front man.
So true!!!!!
I saw Styx and Journey at the Diamond Head Crater Fest in 1976. 1 was 13. Both were great. I forgot about TV ads for LPs. I also remember getting 10 records for for a penny in the mail with Columbia House record club. I think the rest would cost like $50 each in today’s money 😂
Styx was unbelievable Live .
Coliseum Rock Show @ it's Best !!
No, Styx in the 70’s was not good, they were awesome.
Every song on the Grand Illusion is either really good or great!
Cartman’s version of Come Sail Away was awesome.
Rumour is that the back of KISS Alive was taken at Styx show. Which is basically true...but it was a KISS show Styx opened.
@@charlesbronson4282 kiss tried 5 concerts to record live couldn't get it.....then used multiple cuts and redubes in the studio question was how much live was it....but they did something never done nobody did a live album it was a unsuccessful format kiss not only did a live album they did a double live album after that everyone started making live albums
I grew up in the Midwest. Styx was big there before going national. My friends and I were listening to those early albums when they came out. They were the opening act at the first concert I ever attended. Steppenwolf was the headliner. They used to play bars in my town before they made it. "Equinox" was a solid album and it has some great songs. "Suite Madam Blue" and "Born For Adventure". I lived "Crystal Ball" as well. "Cornerstone" was the last album of theirs I ever bought. Thought it was crap and things only went downhill from there.
The TV commercial for an album that I remember most vividly was the one for The Wall. I had never seen anything like it, and it kinda creeped me out a bit. Now, of course, I’m a huge fan.
I'm sorry, but I think every Styx album, including Mr. Roboto from the 70s and 80s were amazing. I saw the Paradise Theater show in Seattle in 1980. My first concert.
I lost some respect for Rick Beato a couple years ago when he had a top twenty list of top acapella in rock songs and Renegade wasn't even on the list becasue he hates Styx. Then the same for bands with two lead guitars.
I love Styx but sadly never got to see them. I did see an awful lot of concerts at Alpine Valley though. A sad side note... this was the sight of Stevie Ray Vaughn's last concert. I imagine a lot of you knew this.
I saw the Grand Illusion tour at Alpine Valley. It was great! I was 15.
Great album!
My favorite part of "Renegade" was Tommy Shaw's blistering guitar solo at the beginning of the instrumental interlude.
love your videos, but the singing? ( activate LP scratch sound effect )
Lol! Yeah, I get 50/50 reviews on that. 😂
@@audiomover you've got a great attitude Sir! Keep on doing you!