STYX MANTRA- RELIVING THE PAST

[yogi]

My CD Styx Mantra arrived yesterday from Japan. This CD is the live radio recording of when Styx played the Mantra in Chicago in either late 1977 or early 1978. This show was recorded and played on radio stations all over the USA. I tried to record the entire show off of KQRS in Minneapolis back when they aired it but ran into some major recording problems that I will go into later.

As for the CD, the quality is not very good at all, but its kind of like a bad odor( once you are in the room a while you either get use to it or forget about the smell). Even though the sound quality is not very good whatever I paid( have no clue on the shipping cost because it came from Japan- hoping $3.99) this CD is worth EVERY penny. Suite Madam Blue is epic on this CD. Its sooo slow and methodic at the beginning. Dennis holds the note on the word MORE for 17 seconds. His voice actually sounds younger. Suite Madame Blue comes in at 8 minutes 25 seconds and its by far the most classic version I have ever heard on this song even with the poor quality of the recording. Before Dennis sings Light Up he tells the live audience that there is nothing better than getting high with friends. Come Sail Away is very good but it sounds faster to me when they get to the chorus. They play 4 songs from Equinox( Lorelei & Midnight Ride ) which is my favorite Styx album so I love this. They also play Mademoiselle, Lady, Fooling Yourself & Miss America from their NEW album the Grand Illusion.

On a kind of weird side note on the linear notes that come with the CD it sounds like the band broke through once they got rid of JC. Thats the way I kind of interpreted it. They really praised Tommy and acted like it was JC holding the group back.


Back when concert came on KQRS (92.5) I was in 7th grade. I was recording this on my older brothers Sounddesign stereo. He was downstairs and my parents were out for the night. I was recording this on his stereo without his knowledge because It recorded better than my stereo did. I think it was after Fooling Yourself I went to flip the cassette over and when I pulled the tape out the tape had been eaten. In a frantic search the only blank tape I could find was his because I always punched the little plastic things out of my recordings so I didnt tape over them. My brother never did so I taped over his BTO/ Rolling Stones/ Led Zepplin cassette. In mid Lady he came up found out what I had done and boy did we fight. The fight ended when I threw a potato through the side window in our living room. It was the last real fight we ever had.

I never got to hear this full recording until this morning. After hearing this recording, there is no way to overstate how good this band was. It's also, unreal how time goes by.

[Boomchild]

I just got a version of this recording as well. Ordered mine from a seller in the U.K.. The version I have must have different liner notes. The disc title is Styx Live In Chicago. The liner notes indicate that it is the Mantra recording. I thought that the liner notes were somewhat odd when describing the band. For example there was this: "Styx's iconic status in American rock history comes of recorded legacy and scandalous tales of rock n' roll debauchery that would establish the wild child tag belonging to rock bands on the road". "However, beneath the animated decadence and sexual exploits lay a molten underbelly of songwriting talent".

I have never heard Styx described in such a way as above. Another interesting part of the liner note is commentary on Miss America. "Miss America benefits from a "borrowed" Jethro Tull riff (Minstrel In The Gallery)".

[yogi]

When I can get to my Mantra CD I will post what some of the linear notes say about Tommy, JC & Styx. I wonder who wrote these??

I have really enjoyed reliving those days and that night based on this CD.

You know if I remember correctly our old buddy Froy along with his dog Chunks was at one time going to burn this on a CD for me. We were on good terms at the time and he said he had a double album of this concert. Before I could get it from him I made some crack about Dennis playing at an Arby's opening somewhere in Wisconsin and that ended that.

[FormerDJMike]

Man wish I would have known! This boot has been floating around for free for several years. Great show but yeah the sound is a bit bad but considering it was taped off the radio then eventually burned to CD it isnt bad. One of my favorite bootlegs.

[Abitaman]

Sounddesign I forgot all about them. My fist stereo.