What would a 1984 Styx Album have been like?

[Grotelul]

This has probably been done here before but could a Styx album possibly have been made out of the first three solo albums these guys made? What songs from those albums could have been Styxified? Here is my rough list...

DDY
Desert Moon
Gravity
Don't Wait For Heroes
Dear Darling

TS
Girls With Guns
Come In And Explain
Loney School
Free To Love You


JY
Chain Me Down

[StyxCollector]

This has probably been done here before but could a Styx album possibly have been made out of the first three solo albums these guys made? What songs from those albums could have been Styxified? Here is my rough list...

DDY
Desert Moon
Gravity
Don't Wait For Heroes
Dear Darling

TS
Girls With Guns
Come In And Explain
Loney School
Free To Love You


JY
Chain Me Down

"Chain Me Down" was rejected by Styx in 1977 (although demoed), so why would they resurrect it in the 80s?

I think a more interesting one would be to examine their whole solo output between 84 and 88 (I don't think Styx would have done a regular album in 84; probably 86 or 87), and come up with songs that may have made the demo stage:
"Free to Love You" - Arguably the most Styx sounding song on GWG.
"Heads Up" - Another natural for Styx
"Come In And Explain" (reworked - only parts couldbe used)
"Nature of the Beast" - I think it'd be interesting to hear what DDY could have brought to the arrangement.
"No Such Thing" - Token rocker.
"Are You Ready For Me" - Another decent rocker; it's already got JY
"Don't Wait For Heroes" - I always wondered what TS or JY would do guitar-wise on this.
"Gravity" - Very Styx-like (at least Kilroy-era)
"Warning Shot" - Could be Styxified.
"I'll Get Lucky" - Another song that could be slightly changed to be made more Styx-like.
"Boomchild" - I think this would have found its way on there; the harmonies would have been easy to hear Styx doing.
"Won't Go Wasted" - The power ballad - TS guitar solo.
"Beneath the Moon" - Bridges stuff you hear on EOTC.
"Something to Remember You By" - the chorus is kinda Styx-like.
"Out on a Day Pass" - one of the only other JY token song candidates

Obviously they'd write new Styx only material, but the above songs are the existing ones I'd think would sounds at least like what Styx would have in 1986 or 1987.

[DarrenUK]

And what subject would the concept album have taken ?

[ChicagoSTYX]

And what subject would the concept album have taken ?

It would be about a pack of girls with guns who live in the desert and only come out when the moon is full.

[DerriD]

And what subject would the concept album have taken ?

It would be about a pack of girls with guns who live in the desert and only come out when the moon is full.

Very Nice!

[styxfanNH]

or

A City Slicker meets a gang of girls with guns and gets burried in the desert when the moon was full

[Jodes]

Or

Because on the Desert Moon the Girls with Guns are on the lookout for the Wild Dogs In The Night..

[Grotelul]

This has probably been done here before but could a Styx album possibly have been made out of the first three solo albums these guys made? What songs from those albums could have been Styxified? Here is my rough list...

DDY
Desert Moon
Gravity
Don't Wait For Heroes
Dear Darling

TS
Girls With Guns
Come In And Explain
Loney School
Free To Love You


JY
Chain Me Down

"Chain Me Down" was rejected by Styx in 1977 (although demoed), so why would they resurrect it in the 80s?

I think a more interesting one would be to examine their whole solo output between 84 and 88 (I don't think Styx would have done a regular album in 84; probably 86 or 87), and come up with songs that may have made the demo stage:
"Free to Love You" - Arguably the most Styx sounding song on GWG.
"Heads Up" - Another natural for Styx
"Come In And Explain" (reworked - only parts couldbe used)
"Nature of the Beast" - I think it'd be interesting to hear what DDY could have brought to the arrangement.
"No Such Thing" - Token rocker.
"Are You Ready For Me" - Another decent rocker; it's already got JY
"Don't Wait For Heroes" - I always wondered what TS or JY would do guitar-wise on this.
"Gravity" - Very Styx-like (at least Kilroy-era)
"Warning Shot" - Could be Styxified.
"I'll Get Lucky" - Another song that could be slightly changed to be made more Styx-like.
"Boomchild" - I think this would have found its way on there; the harmonies would have been easy to hear Styx doing.
"Won't Go Wasted" - The power ballad - TS guitar solo.
"Beneath the Moon" - Bridges stuff you hear on EOTC.
"Something to Remember You By" - the chorus is kinda Styx-like.
"Out on a Day Pass" - one of the only other JY token song candidates

Obviously they'd write new Styx only material, but the above songs are the existing ones I'd think would sounds at least like what Styx would have in 1986 or 1987.

Boomchild? OMG but I really hate that song. Now I'm almost glad there wasn't new music with DDY,TS and JY in the late '80s. I hated almost everything DDY was putting out at that time and TS and JY's stuff was pretty bland also. EOTC is so drab but then again, I found pretty much all music during the mid to late 80's to be rather lacking in quality.

[Abitaman]

As for DDY's music in the 80's I really liked Boomchild and Dessert Moon cds. Back to the world was another story, did like Call Me, Unanswered prayer, and I'll get Lucky. Rest of the cd was ok at best.

Girls with Guns, and What if were pretty bad. Ambition is awesome.

City slicker is ok, Out on a Day Pass sucked. The whole cd is awful except for one song, at that is ok at best.-ERIC

[Jodes]

There were two words that made Edge of the Century stand out:

GLEN BURTNICK!

[brywool]

Jodes-
YUP! Glen WAS that album. His songs are the only thing I listen to when I play it today.
Regarding Boomchild- THAT is the ONLY song that Dennis has done solo that could've been a Styx tune. The rest aren't that great to me. Very middle of the road and boring. There's not one song that I'd want to pull out.
City Slicker... god, what a waste of time that album was. shudder...

[Rockwriter]

This has probably been done here before but could a Styx album possibly have been made out of the first three solo albums these guys made? What songs from those albums could have been Styxified? Here is my rough list...

DDY
Desert Moon
Gravity
Don't Wait For Heroes
Dear Darling

TS
Girls With Guns
Come In And Explain
Loney School
Free To Love You


JY
Chain Me Down

"Chain Me Down" was rejected by Styx in 1977 (although demoed), so why would they resurrect it in the 80s?

I think a more interesting one would be to examine their whole solo output between 84 and 88 (I don't think Styx would have done a regular album in 84; probably 86 or 87), and come up with songs that may have made the demo stage:
"Free to Love You" - Arguably the most Styx sounding song on GWG.
"Heads Up" - Another natural for Styx
"Come In And Explain" (reworked - only parts couldbe used)
"Nature of the Beast" - I think it'd be interesting to hear what DDY could have brought to the arrangement.
"No Such Thing" - Token rocker.
"Are You Ready For Me" - Another decent rocker; it's already got JY
"Don't Wait For Heroes" - I always wondered what TS or JY would do guitar-wise on this.
"Gravity" - Very Styx-like (at least Kilroy-era)
"Warning Shot" - Could be Styxified.
"I'll Get Lucky" - Another song that could be slightly changed to be made more Styx-like.
"Boomchild" - I think this would have found its way on there; the harmonies would have been easy to hear Styx doing.
"Won't Go Wasted" - The power ballad - TS guitar solo.
"Beneath the Moon" - Bridges stuff you hear on EOTC.
"Something to Remember You By" - the chorus is kinda Styx-like.
"Out on a Day Pass" - one of the only other JY token song candidates

Obviously they'd write new Styx only material, but the above songs are the existing ones I'd think would sounds at least like what Styx would have in 1986 or 1987.

We came closer to getting to this than most realize. In 1985-86, there were talks between the various camps about possibly doing a Styx album in a really unusual manner. The band broke up while still owing A&M an album, and it was proposed that that debt be satisfied by each principal singer/songwriter - Dennis, Tommy and JY - recording with his own band. The resulting tapes would be sent around to the other guys to add vocal parts/instrumental parts, and then John and Chuck would overdub bass and drums over the original performances from each guy's solo band to create an ad hoc Styx album without any of the warring factions actually having to be in the same room. The talks crashed, but it might have been.
This was 85-86, so in my mind at least, the candidates would have been:

Heads Up
Kiss Me Hello
Free To Love You
Desert Moon
Don't Wait For Heroes
Warning Shot
Black Wall
Nature of the Beast
Something To Remember You By
No Mistake

If I were to include songs post-86, I would also go for:

Are You Ready For Me
The Outsider
What A Way To Go
Outside Looking In Again
Love Me Tonight


Sterling

[Grotelul]

This has probably been done here before but could a Styx album possibly have been made out of the first three solo albums these guys made? What songs from those albums could have been Styxified? Here is my rough list...

DDY
Desert Moon
Gravity
Don't Wait For Heroes
Dear Darling

TS
Girls With Guns
Come In And Explain
Loney School
Free To Love You


JY
Chain Me Down

"Chain Me Down" was rejected by Styx in 1977 (although demoed), so why would they resurrect it in the 80s?

I think a more interesting one would be to examine their whole solo output between 84 and 88 (I don't think Styx would have done a regular album in 84; probably 86 or 87), and come up with songs that may have made the demo stage:
"Free to Love You" - Arguably the most Styx sounding song on GWG.
"Heads Up" - Another natural for Styx
"Come In And Explain" (reworked - only parts couldbe used)
"Nature of the Beast" - I think it'd be interesting to hear what DDY could have brought to the arrangement.
"No Such Thing" - Token rocker.
"Are You Ready For Me" - Another decent rocker; it's already got JY
"Don't Wait For Heroes" - I always wondered what TS or JY would do guitar-wise on this.
"Gravity" - Very Styx-like (at least Kilroy-era)
"Warning Shot" - Could be Styxified.
"I'll Get Lucky" - Another song that could be slightly changed to be made more Styx-like.
"Boomchild" - I think this would have found its way on there; the harmonies would have been easy to hear Styx doing.
"Won't Go Wasted" - The power ballad - TS guitar solo.
"Beneath the Moon" - Bridges stuff you hear on EOTC.
"Something to Remember You By" - the chorus is kinda Styx-like.
"Out on a Day Pass" - one of the only other JY token song candidates

Obviously they'd write new Styx only material, but the above songs are the existing ones I'd think would sounds at least like what Styx would have in 1986 or 1987.

We came closer to getting to this than most realize. In 1985-86, there were talks between the various camps about possibly doing a Styx album in a really unusual manner. The band broke up while still owing A&M an album, and it was proposed that that debt be satisfied by each principal singer/songwriter - Dennis, Tommy and JY - recording with his own band. The resulting tapes would be sent around to the other guys to add vocal parts/instrumental parts, and then John and Chuck would overdub bass and drums over the original performances from each guy's solo band to create an ad hoc Styx album without any of the warring factions actually having to be in the same room. The talks crashed, but it might have been.
This was 85-86, so in my mind at least, the candidates would have been:

Heads Up
Kiss Me Hello
Free To Love You
Desert Moon
Don't Wait For Heroes
Warning Shot
Black Wall
Nature of the Beast
Something To Remember You By
No Mistake

If I were to include songs post-86, I would also go for:

Are You Ready For Me
The Outsider
What A Way To Go
Outside Looking In Again
Love Me Tonight


Sterling[/quote

Well, they basically did do this, only 13 years later with Brave New World.

[LordofDaRing]

Kiss me hello is a very good song. Lonely School and Desert Moon under the STYX name would have done much better in sales. Don't wait for heros would have been to cool with those classic harmonies. The album as they say would have had the cash continue to flow in.