Semi-OT: New Song from Styx

[Moonglow]

Title track for the new album, due out June 18. Features some proggy organ/keys. I"ve always liked Styx, although not a rabid fan. Cool tune, with intermittent flavors that remind me of Yes and Queen. Enjoy!

 

[video:youtube]

[wd8dky]

Thanks for sharing!

[Stokely]

That sounded pretty cool, kind of a mix of really old Styx (I had all albums up through Paradise Theater) and something new for them (that I've heard at least). I would have liked more Tommy Shaw singing and less JY personally.

[Baldwin Funster]

Sounds like the beginning of Snowblind tacked on the front of Queens bycicle. Ok not really, but that's what I think of here. And styx should really avoid vocoder after the kilroy debacle.

[o0Ampy0o]

I like the song. I do not like the vocals. After all this time if they want to (they need to) appeal to their old fans they should push original Styx members front and center and especially feature the remaining lead vocalist Tommy Shaw.

 

When I think of the Styx sound I think of DeYoung and Shaw on vocals. I doubt people would know the band is Styx if you only heard James Young on vocals. He usually had DeYoung and / or Shaw jumping in on backing vocals while either Shaw or DeYoung could do all the vocal parts of their compositions and people would think Styx.

 

It is a mistake using the new sort-of-sound-alike Dennis DeYoung keyboard guy on vocals so much. His voice may work when filling in the hole covering their old material live but a studio recording shows the difference. This has been true with Boston as well. At least this song and the arrangement is pretty good while Boston's efforts with new material has shown that Brad Delp was irreplaceable. A sound alike singer may be able to cover the songs live but they cannot think, compose and arrange like Brad. How would Brad approach this? No one has done anything that sounds like what his take on things would have been.

 

The only success at this I can think of is Arnel Pineda and Journey. It seems to me that the odds are against this working and you are better off finding a unique singer who can cover old material well enough but who has their own strengths and run with that like Kansas and Marillion did. The later set their sights on a different horizon and are still going strong.

[Stokely]

JY sang most of the songs on the first couple albums, but certainly the only song people would know from those is one he didn't sing (Lady)

 

Unless Tommy Shaw has suddenly and completely lost it recently--and last I heard, he sounded GREAT--I agree, feature him.

[allan_evett]

That was fun! Thanks for posting it. My wife heard shades of ELO in there as well. I like the tonewheel and piano parts (guessing clonewheel and DP), but am missing that raw, vintage OB edge on the synths - which - along with occasional ARP and Moog tones - has been core to the Styx sound. Fun vocal harmonies though, and l'm digging the bass and guitar parts too. And Todd Sucherman's drumming is stellar, as usual. Hard to believe it's been 30+ years since he was a fellow jobber in the Chicago scene. I well remember a Sonor kit of his at a wedding reception we played down in Kanakee, IL

[nursers]

Enjoyed that a lot: the first 30-45 seconds has a healthy dose of Dave Matthews Band but it's certainly a diverse song over its entirety

[Doerfler]

I couldn't get through it. Will try again tomorrow..This coming from a guy who played "Blue Collar Man" and "Man In The Wilderness" while in my High School rock and roll band. Also saw the "Grand Illusion" tour whenever that was, 1981 or so. So I was a fan. Dennis still has a great voice for his age.

[Cabo]

Seems like they mashed together 3 or 4 different songs that really don't go together.

 

They should do a re-union album with DeYoung. His 2020 album, "26 East" sound more like classic Styx, imo.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ezG38Iirqg&list=PLKaec2euPcgr_YTOk73sqGhmWkPDuai_7

[MikeT156]

Styx moved on from Dennis DeYoung a LONG LONG time ago, Get over it friends. Dennis wanted to dictate to the rest of the band and they had enough. Time for US to move on too. I'll be looking for this new album.

 

 

Mike T.

[brenner13]

Agree...more Tommy, please.

[allan_evett]

I believe there's still a healthy part of the core, Styx sound remaining; but it's good to see the group build beyond that. Dennis was certainly the defining voice of classic Styx, but I feel that the guys do a good job covering the classics. I'm also a fan of Dennis DeYoung as a solo artist. Some tasty music there too.