UAWIL #267: Styx - Paradise Theater

Styx had achieved great highs in the 1970s. Albums like The Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight and Cornerstone had all gone multi-platinum in the US thanks to hard riffs from James JY Young and Tommy Shaw and the heartfelt lyrics and vocals of Dennis DeYoung. But by 1980, tensions in the band lead to the dismissal of DeYoung for his insistence on his songs and concepts be at the forefront of the bands creative output. Chuck (bass) and John (drums) Panozzo had known Dennis since childhood and had played together for 20 years but they tried to carry on without him.

However, in the end they decided to invite him back and give way to his concept of viewing the US like an old theater. You had an auspicious start with lots of promise, you had a brilliant heyday, you've seen some tough times and now it's time to find out who you are. While Shaw's Too Much Time on My Hands relates to the plight of the struggling working man, the hopeful The Best of Times offers respite from the weariness with a lover. Big riffs on Rockin' the Paradise keep the hard rockers listening and Half-Penny, Two-Penny lets James Young showcase his meatier solos.

However, the second side of the album is a bit disjointed with the offputting Lonely People opening up and then a sappy She Cares. AD 1958 is a reprise to AD 1928 and the windout song State Street Sadie borrowing a bit of ragtime makes for big leaps between genres which require more than one listen. And controversy ensued when the Arkansas State Senate found satanic backward masking and issued labels on albums that did the same (including The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and more). That would spark DeYoung's next concept album Kilroy Was Here which ended up breaking the band.

We like Styx and this is the first album of theirs we've reviewed and it's possible we'd do another down the road. While the band will never be our favorite, we recognize the talent - we may just not always be on board with the concept.

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