| Styx | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 31, 1972 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Paragon, Chicago | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 32:36 | |||
| Label | Wooden Nickel | |||
| Producer | John Ryan, Bill Traut | |||
| Styx chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Styx | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Styx is the debut album by American rock band Styx. It was released in 1972.
The band started as a cover band that played weddings and birthday parties. They called themselves The Tradewinds in 1961, when the band was composed of 12-year-old fraternal twins Chuck and John Panozzo, who played bass guitar and drums, respectively, and their neighbor, 14-year-old Dennis DeYoung on keyboards, accordion, and vocals. They later named themselves TW4, after adding their college friend John Curulewski in 1968, and the South Side hard rocker James "J.Y." Young in 1970, as guitarists, songwriters, and singers.
Their debut album showcased them as a progressive-art rock/'60s garage rock act. It contained the 13-minute opus "Movement for the Common Man," and J.Y. rocker "Children of the Land." It also features John Panozzo's percussion solo, the street interviews from Chicago "Street Collage," their symphonic rocker rendition of "Fanfare for the Common Man," and the prog-folk piece "Mother Nature's Matinee," sung by DeYoung and co-written by Young & DeYoung. The upbeat pop rocker "Best Thing" was co-written by DeYoung and Young, released as a single in late '72, and peaked at No. 82 on the charts.
The remaining songs on the album were cover versions that the record label suggested. The band members, including DeYoung, said that they had never heard of them before.
The album was reissued in 1979 under the title Styx I with new artwork. In late 2012, it was re-released for CD and digital download, along with Styx II (1973), The Serpent Is Rising (1973), and Man of Miracles (1974).
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Movement for the Common Man"
| James Young (section a) John Ryan (section b) Aaron Copland (section c) Dennis DeYoung (section d with Young) | a. Young b. spoken word c. Young d. DeYoung | 13:11 |
| 2. | "Right Away" | Paul Frank | Young | 3:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | "What Has Come Between Us" | Mark Gaddis | DeYoung | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Best Thing" | Young, DeYoung | DeYoung, Young | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Quick Is the Beat of My Heart" | Lewis Mark | Young | 3:49 |
| 6. | "After You Leave Me" | George S. Clinton | Young | 4:00 |
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "Best Thing" | Pop Singles | 82 |
Styx is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1972. They are known for blending melodic hard rock guitar with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established themselves with a progressive rock sound during the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.
Cyclorama is the fourteenth studio album by Styx, released in 2003. This was the first studio album with Lawrence Gowan, following the departure of group co-founder Dennis DeYoung in 1999. It was also the latter of two albums to feature Glen Burtnik, and the only album released by the Lawrence Gowan/Tommy Shaw/James "JY" Young/Glen Burtnik/Chuck Panozzo/Todd Sucherman lineup, and as such the only original Styx album to feature four different singer-songwriters as opposed to the usual three. The album peaked significantly higher on the Billboard album charts than Styx's previous release, Brave New World (1999), ending up 48 slots higher at No. 127, but paled in comparison to previous 1970s and 1980s releases on A&M Records.
Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Styx, released in September 1978.
The Grand Illusion is the seventh studio album by American rock band Styx. Recorded at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago, the album was released on July 7, 1977, by A&M Records, intentionally choosing the combination 7th on 7-7-77 for luck. The release was a smash worldwide, selling three million copies in the US alone. Some estimates have the album at over 6 million copies sold. The album launched the band to stardom and spawned the hit singles "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling Yourself." The title track also received substantial FM airplay, but was never released as an official single.
Crystal Ball is the sixth album by Styx, released in 1976.
Equinox is the fifth studio album by American rock band Styx, released in December 1975. The lead single "Lorelei" became Styx's second US Top 40 hit.
Cornerstone is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Styx, released in 1979. Styx's third straight multi-platinum selling album, Cornerstone was Styx's first album to earn a Grammy nomination, which was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Like the four previous Styx albums, the band produced the album themselves. Styx recorded the album at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. A concept album and rock opera about a world where rock music is outlawed, it is named after a famous World War II graffiti tag, "Kilroy was here." It was the last album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James "J.Y." Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo.
Man of Miracles is the fourth album by Styx, released in October 1974. It entered the Billboard Album charts on November 9, where it reached No. 154.
The Serpent Is Rising is the third album by American band Styx, released in October 1973, a mere three months after their previous album Styx II in July 1973.
Styx II is the second album by American band Styx, released in July 1973.
Caught in the Act is a live double album by Styx, released in 1984. It contains one new song, "Music Time," which was released as a single, reaching #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
Brave New World is the thirteenth studio album by Styx, released in 1999. It is the band’s first studio album to feature drummer Todd Sucherman, replacing John Panozzo, who died in 1996 and the last album to feature keyboardist/vocalist Dennis DeYoung. This is the last album that bassist Chuck Panozzo is credited as a full-time member, he would continue with the band as a part-time member. The album peaked at #175 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 on the Top Internet Albums chart. However, its position on the Billboard charts was the lowest from a Styx album of new material since 1973's The Serpent Is Rising.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album and primary Greatest Hits album by the American rock band Styx. It was released by A&M Records on August 22, 1995. It contains 16 tracks, 8 of which were Billboard Top 10 Pop Singles, another 4 that were Billboard Top 40 Pop Singles, and 4 that received heavy airplay on FM album oriented rock stations.
Greatest Hits Part 2 is a 1996 compilation album by the rock band Styx and a follow-up to Greatest Hits, another compilation album released in 1995. The album features 14 previously released Styx songs as well as two new songs, "Little Suzie" and "It Takes Love". Major omissions that were not included on either Greatest Hits packages are 2 top 40 charted singles, "Why Me" and "Music Time".
John J. Curulewski was an American musician who was one of the original members of Styx. Curulewski played guitar and sang occasional lead vocals on the band's first five studio albums, released from 1972 to 1975. He left in 1975 due to disputes between him and the band and died in 1988.
"Best Thing" is the first single released by the band Styx from their self-titled debut album, Styx (1972). It charted at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100.
With the success of Styx's album The Grand Illusion, Wooden Nickel Records, Styx's previous label, released Best of Styx, which contained selected Styx songs in the Wooden Nickel catalog. Styx had left Wooden Nickel to sign with A&M Records several years earlier, so the compilation does not contain any songs from Styx's three A&M albums that preceded this album's release. "Lady", "You Need Love" and "Best Thing" are the principal songs that could be classified as hits in this collection, having charted at numbers 6, 88 and 82 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively; the remainder of the songs are selected album tracks from Styx's Wooden Nickel releases.
Lady is a compilation of songs from the band Styx's early recordings under the Wooden Nickel Records label. It is very similar to the contemporary Best of Styx compilation, consisting of the same tracks as that album minus the song "Winner Take All", which does not appear on this album.
Rockers is a compilation of songs by the band Styx. It was released in 2003. The album is notable for deliberately omitting any songs for which former member Dennis DeYoung was the primary or sole writer; even DeYoung-penned signature ballad-to-rocker hits such as "Queen of Spades", "Suite Madame Blue", and "Rockin' the Paradise" are missing. It was an attempt by the remaining members of the band to reposition Styx as a hard rock band and move away from the DeYoungian ballads that had marked the last few albums of their career and most of their biggest hit singles.
rolling stone styx album guide.
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