Brave New World........

[Victim Of My Own Design]

is the only STYX album I don't have. I haven't heard alot of good things about it, is it worth purchasing? I believe the only song I've heard is a live version of Heavy Water.

[Abitaman]

Depends. Me I will buy anything with Styx on it to add to my collection. But this cd is not as good as most of theirs. It's like listening to two different people sharing one cd. 1 a Dennis cd, and 2 a Tommy cd, with JY guest starring. While both have some good songs (Goodbye Roseland, Heavy Water, While There's Still Time, I Will Be Your Witness, and Everything is Cool), both have stinkers (Just Fell in, Great Expectaions, HIgh Crimes, and Best New Face). The flow between songs isn't good, the cd hopes from one style of music to another, and the differnet producers for each person doesn't help this either. It's a very uneven sounding cd. It never really ever sounds like a Styx cd, just each persons on solo work.
Would I recommend it to some one who isn't a big Styx fan, NO. I would say either go to I tunes or some other music serive and listen to the songs and deceide which ones you like, or go buy some better Styx cds first, then after buying all the A&M years, and the "new Styx" cds, buy this then go to Wooden Nickel Years-ERIC

[Zan]

It took me a few listens to get used to it. There are 3 or 4 songs I fast forward, but I love a lot of it. Everything is Cool was the best show opener - I miss that!

[kansas666]

It is one of 3 STYX albums I never purchased, along with Edge of the Century and Cornerstone.

I found Denny's comment in the Classic Rock Revisited interview interesting when he said there was never a backlash over the song Babe.

I for one did not purchase Cornerstone because of that song.

I am familiar with the material on all 3 albums. But they don't interest me.

[bugsymalone]

I for one did not purchase Cornerstone because of that song

I know there were a number of fans who were upset by the success of Babe. But I think Dennis speaks the truth about a so-called backlash with regards to the popularity of Styx being affected by it.

Their next album went to number one. This simply would not have happened with a wholesale migration of fans away from Styx due to disgust over Babe.

Though I am not a fan of Babe or First Time, Cornerstone has some great music on it and is definitely worth owning in my book.

Bugsy

[SuiteMadameBlue]

I have every Styx album/cd and then some. There are songs that I like on every album/cd and then there are few that I don't care for. I'd buy it if I were you, listen a couple times and I'm sure there will be few songs that you'll enjoy.

As for Cornerstone, I played that album every day and night when I first received it. It has a lot of special memories for me and will always be one of my favorite albums. The song "Babe" has a lot of memories too for me. When that song came out I was just starting to go to school dances and this was one of the most "romantic" songs that you had to dance too. Since I played the music of Dennis/Styx faithfully every week since I was 7 til the present day (YUP, 31 years of DDY/Styx EVERY week of my life) there are special memories for each album/cd. And no, I'm not obsessed - LOL

To each his/her own

[ek88]

Everything is Cool was the best show opener - I miss that!

Same here, I really wish they'd bring that one back to the setlist!

[Zan]

Everything is Cool was the best show opener - I miss that!

Same here, I really wish they'd bring that one back to the setlist!

yeah - But you know, I was listening to the Cyclomedley the other day and thought that they should open with THAT. How f***ing awesome would that be to just come right and kick the sh*t out of everyone with that!?

OK, I know that was a rant, but it's so true!

back to BNW: Songs that make it worth it are: Everything is Cool, BNW (and BNW reprise), Goodbye to Roseland, Heavy water, Brave New World, I Will be Your Witness, *I* personally liked Just Fell In (but many loathe it).

Songs that make you wish you were dead: Great Expectations, High Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[bugsymalone]

I thought that the arrangement of the order of the songs on that CD was not the best choice. I have no idea who decided the placement, but I am guessing it was not Dennis. I think he might have opened with a stronger song.
"Everything is Cool" SHOULD have been the opener. It is a very good song and it sounds more Styx than most on there.

There are some decent songs on this CD, to me. Great Expectations and High Crimes were maybe not the most accessible works Dennis had ever done, but the lyrics in both songs are very powerful.

I certainly think it is worth owning and listening to from time to time, which is what I do.

Bugsy

[swwskj]

i have said a few time before that the problem (or one of them anyway) with BNW was that there were too many songs on it. the majority of Styx albums had 8 or 9 songs on them and that seems about right. i took my BNW album and burned a 'slimmer' version containing only eight tracks. after i did that, the album seemed much stronger than before. with Bugsy's advice here is BNW, the slim version.

Everything is Cool
Brave New World
Heavy Water
While There's Still Time
What Have They Done to You
I Will Be Your Witness
Goodbye Roseland
Brave New World Reprise

Buy the album, make your own 'thin' version and it becomes a worthwhile buy.

Scott

[BlackWall]

I might have this a little turned around, but is it true that the song "Everything Is Cool" was originally going to be titled "Brave New World", but Dennis objected to this, claiming the song was not strong enough to be the title track, and this is when they came up with the song "Brave New World"?

As for the quality of the album, I actually think it's a little better than "EOTC". I think it's worth buying, but then again, if it's a group I can really get into, I like to have all of the official albums..

My slim version..

1.Everything Is Cool
2.Brave New World
3.I Will Be Your Witness
4.Fallen Angel
5.Heavy Water
6.Number One
7.Goodbye Roseland
8.BNW Reprise

I think "Just Fell In" is actually kind of funny, but.. I just can't see it really fitting on any Styx album..

[gr8dane]

I also like it better than EOTC,and slim version is a splendid idea.
Mine would be very close to BlackWall's,give or take a song or two.
Mine would include 'Great expectations' believe it or not.

[Abitaman]

Everything is Cool was the best show opener - I miss that!

Same here, I really wish they'd bring that one back to the setlist!

[color=magenta]



back to BNW: Songs that make it worth it are: Everything is Cool, BNW (and BNW reprise), Goodbye to Roseland, Heavy water, Brave New World, I Will be Your Witness, *I* personally liked Just Fell In (but many loathe it).

color]

Just Fell In sounds like Tommy doing Cheap Trick trying to do Elvis-ERIC

[Victim Of My Own Design]

EOTC is probably my least favourite Styx album, and from what I read
BNW isn't that much better....I'll see if I can pick it up used.....Thanks for the input guys/gals

[BlackWall]

Actually, Gr8dane, I was thinking about including "Great Expectations", too.. Lyrically, I think it's pretty good, it's just the music, I can't quite decide what I think.. Is it Broadway, is it Reggae? It really isn't a bad song, and even as far as "High Crimes", as far as the message goes, great song, but the finished product sounds absolutely nothing like a Styx recording..

[Guest]

I for one did not purchase Cornerstone because of that song.

Your loss.

[Monker]

I for one did not purchase Cornerstone because of that song.

Your loss.

Actually, it would be his loss if he bought the album and never played it...kinda like me and EotC. He didn't "lose" anything by not buying it.

[Guest]

Actually, it would be his loss if he bought the album and never played it...kinda like me and EotC. He didn't "lose" anything by not buying it.

He lost the enjoyment of the rest of the album for the last 20+ years.

Regardless of whether you like "Babe" or not there are other good tunes on the album.

[Monker]

He lost the enjoyment of the rest of the album for the last 20+ years.

Please explain how you can 'lose' something that you never had in the first place. That's kinda like saying Dennis lost his tiny nose because he was never buds with Steve Perry.

Regardless of whether you like "Babe" or not there are other good tunes on the album.

I don't disagree with that. I think Cornerstone is a good album. There are better albums, and there are worse albums...But, just because someone never owned it does not mean they "lost" the enjoyment of it.

It's his choice. He has to judge for himself if he would miss out on anything if he did not own it...or if he would be wasting his money if he bought it.

[Guest]

He lost the enjoyment of the rest of the album for the last 20+ years.

Please explain how you can 'lose' something that you never had in the first place. That's kinda like saying Dennis lost his tiny nose because he was never buds with Steve Perry.

Regardless of whether you like "Babe" or not there are other good tunes on the album.

I don't disagree with that. I think Cornerstone is a good album. There are better albums, and there are worse albums...But, just because someone never owned it does not mean they "lost" the enjoyment of it.

It's his choice. He has to judge for himself if he would miss out on anything if he did not own it...or if he would be wasting his money if he bought it.

I lost 5 minutes of my life reading your useless drivel.

[bugsymalone]

I lost 5 minutes of my life reading your useless drivel.

You have learned a valuable lesson, newbie. MUCH of what Monker posts is humor-free and, often, what you said.

Bugsy

[Monker]

I lost 5 minutes of my life reading your useless drivel.

Another perfect example. You had to have that five minutes of life in order to waste it. If you were reading this and you were dead, you wouldn't be wasting your life away at all.

As I told Zan, life is wasted on the living. LOL.

[Zan]

I lost 5 minutes of my life reading your useless drivel.

You have learned a valuable lesson, newbie. MUCH of what Monker posts is humor-free and, often, what you said.

I like his posts, and I think a lot of them are funny. Then again, I agree with a lot of it. It's probably not as funny tothose who don't share his viewpoint. LOL

[yogi]

Tommy decided the order of the songs. He even gave himself CREDIT on the CD sleeve for this brilliant order. Tommy called it sequencing. Is that even a damn word??

As for the CD the songs Everything Is Cool, Goodbye Roseland, What Have They Done For You, and Heavy Water are all real good. Brave New World, Witness, While Theres Still Time & Number One are good. The Reprise is fair.

Dennis's Fallen Angel, Hip Hop, and Great Expectations are all AWEFUL!!!!!!! Tommys Just Fell In and Best New Face may even be WORSE!! The above Dennis tunes are cut from the same cloth as Please, Boys Will Be Boys, and Music & High Time. Compare Tommy's to his classic's This Is Not A Test & Cold War.

In my opinion the SEQUENCING and the credit given for it are enough to purchase this CD. BUY IT!!!!!

BUT... Before you buy it,purchase Edge Of The Century. Edge is a VERY VERY good & underrated Styx CD.
Cornerstone is 'pop' Styx BUT...... once again I love Side Two. 'Love In The Midnight' is another Styx song that needs to be played live. Styx needs to add this to their set. Cornerstone is a REALLY REALLY good CD. EACH and EVERY song can hold its own!!

[bugsymalone]

BUT... Before you buy it,purchase Edge Of The Century. Edge is a VERY VERY good & underrated Styx CD.
Cornerstone is 'pop' Styx BUT...... once again I love Side Two. 'Love In The Midnight' is another Styx song that needs to be played live. Styx needs to add this to their set. Cornerstone is a REALLY REALLY good CD. EACH and EVERY song can hold its own!!

I completely agree, Yogi.

Bugsy

[Monker]

Edge and BNW are different sides of the same coin.

On one side you have Dennis controlling everything with input from Glen...and minor input from JY.

On the other side you have Tommy and JY controlling everything with a few songs from Dennis.

So, of course your viewpoint is going to be skewed depending on what members you like in the band. If you like Dennis and Glen, you'll like Edge more. If you like Tommy and JY, you'll like BNW more.

At the time of Edge, I didn't like what Glen brought to the band. It felt like adding Bruce Springsteen to the band. Yeah, he's a good songwriter and OK singer, but his style just did not seem to fit into the band. JY's sound DOES fit into Styx (duh!) and he was hardly used at all on Edge...a HUGE disapointment, IMO. It was interesting reading Glen's Q/A that was posted here...cuz I was saying those same type of comments years ago. I have to wonder if his lurking on Prodigy during the Edge years influenced that Q/A.

[yogi]

Both CD's have their share of EXCELLENT moments. But.... Edge has two charting songs, and mooooore importantly it does NOT have ANY of those shi t rotten songs that are found on Brave New World.

Glens wrong on a couple of points. He dismisses himself on the importance he had in Styx. That is wrong.

I'm a diehard Styx fan who had NO clue who Glen Burtnik was when he replaced Tommy.

Two Styx CD's and 8 live Styx concerts later Glen was by faarrrrr my favorite Styx member. Add to this his past solo collection and Welcome To Hollywood he may be my favorite performer of all time.

He can dismiss himself all he wants from the band. I never will!!!!!

I honestly wonder if John C. felt the same way as Glen because he also never had a charting single where he sang lead????

Dennis, Tommy & even JY are TOUGH TOUGH Acts to follow!!!!

[Guest]

The worst thing about BNW is that horrible album cover.

My god.

[Guest]

Add to this his past solo collection and Welcome To Hollywood he may be my favorite performer of all time.

Actually, I thought Glen was spot on with his assessement of his importance in the band's history. Not a knock on Glen, I actually give him kudos for realizing his role in the big picture.

The reality is that until the band has a signifcant hit with this line-up they're really just a footnote.

Actually, one hit is not going to quite do it either... I mean Bad Company had a hit without Paul Rodgers but who cares at this point because it ain't really Bad Company without Paul.

[styxfanNH]

And it ain't really Styx today with Dennis