Crystal Ball - A step back

[Toph]

After such a strong album with Equinox, Styx really did take a step back with Crystal Ball. The only song on the album that has stood the test of time is really the title track. Compare that with the strong Equinox tracks, 3 of which, Lorelei, Light Up, and Suite Madame Blue are still heard on classic rock stations today. And that doesn't include strong rock track Born For Adventure and Midnight Ride. Beyond the title track, nothing on CB gets any sort of airplay commercially (and I'm not counting new lineup created "hits" like Shooz - sorry guys as much as you will it to be, Shooz has not stood the test of time). Even the single on CB, Mademoiselle is dated and doesn't get airplay. The weakest of the A&M albums IMHO.

After that dismal of a showing in their sophomore effort for A&M, it is a good thing they came back with Grand Illusion or who know what might have happened.

[Everett]

Agreed cb is not their best album thankfully they saved that for po8 (let the argument's begin) IMO they should've put jennifer on side two. It's an ok tune but imo it's better off on the other side. Shooz shoulda been on GI and superstars shoulda been on cb imho.

[G.I.Jim]

Agreed cb is not their best album thankfully they saved that for po8 (let the argument's begin) IMO they should've put jennifer on side two. It's an ok tune but imo it's better off on the other side. Shooz shoulda been on GI and superstars shoulda been on cb imho.

You talking about ME Beotch??? BTW... Dennis IS Styx!

[Everett]

Agreed cb is not their best album thankfully they saved that for po8 (let the argument's begin) IMO they should've put jennifer on side two. It's an ok tune but imo it's better off on the other side. Shooz shoulda been on GI and superstars shoulda been on cb imho.

You talking about ME Beotch??? BTW... Dennis IS Styx!

YOU would know if i were talking about you lol

[G.I.Jim]

Agreed cb is not their best album thankfully they saved that for po8 (let the argument's begin) IMO they should've put jennifer on side two. It's an ok tune but imo it's better off on the other side. Shooz shoulda been on GI and superstars shoulda been on cb imho.

You talking about ME Beotch??? BTW... Dennis IS Styx!

YOU would know if i were talking about you lol

Just making sure!

[BlackWall]

I tend to agree, but I think it's hard to compare the two, "Crystal Ball" seems more like a guilty pleasure(outside of the title track) pomp/rock album, where "Equinox" is more of a solid rock effort. Styx is always called "pomp" by the critics, and I would say "Crystal Ball" was definitely cut from the cloth of pomp, but I kinda like it. For instance, I admit, I dig "Ballerina", but is that a song I would play for a friend who is not a Styx fan? "Suite Madame Blue"? Hell yeah. Not to say "Equinox" doesn't have some pomp moments, mainly in the two singles, "Lorelei" and "Light Up".

[Abitaman]

DDY fell short on CB. Tommy's Crystal and Madm. were great. Put Me On had some balls too it, a good opener, but not a great song to stand on it's own.

[brywool]

Agreed cb is not their best album thankfully they saved that for po8 (let the argument's begin) IMO they should've put jennifer on side two. It's an ok tune but imo it's better off on the other side. Shooz shoulda been on GI and superstars shoulda been on cb imho.

........ Dennis IS Styx!

This coming from a keyboard player!

I LOVE Crystal Ball. I think it's a great album. To me, Equinox was weakened by Mother Dear and Lonely Child, otherwise, it's a great album. Crystal Ball didn't have those lows for me. The ones that would probably be considered lows would be (maybe) Jennifer and This Old Man, both great cuts. Shooz is one of the most rocking Styx songs ever and Ballerina is also superb. Always loved that album.

[cittadeeno23]

I love both albums equally. Agreed that Dennis fell short on Crystal Ball. He even admits that.
'Put me on' KICKS ASS! What a great opening to an album. I think I tend to listen to Ctal ball more because I love Tommy way more than JC.
My 5 favorite albums of all time are GI, PO8, PT, CTAL BALL and Equinox in that order. GI and P08 are interchangable!

[froy]

After such a strong album with Equinox, Styx really did take a step back with Crystal Ball. The only song on the album that has stood the test of time is really the title track. Compare that with the strong Equinox tracks, 3 of which, Lorelei, Light Up, and Suite Madame Blue are still heard on classic rock stations today. And that doesn't include strong rock track Born For Adventure and Midnight Ride. Beyond the title track, nothing on CB gets any sort of airplay commercially (and I'm not counting new lineup created "hits" like Shooz - sorry guys as much as you will it to be, Shooz has not stood the test of time). Even the single on CB, Mademoiselle is dated and doesn't get airplay. The weakest of the A&M albums IMHO.

After that dismal of a showing in their sophomore effort for A&M, it is a good thing they came back with Grand Illusion or who know what might have happened.

Crystal Ball is a great cd

This Old Man the best track next to Suite Madmoiselle.
It just did not make it commercially.
I would take that cd over anything the new lineup has done thats for sure

[shaka]

Why doesn't Shooz stand the test of time? It's a great rocker with some wicked slide playing by TS.

[chowhall]

Why doesn't Shooz stand the test of time? It's a great rocker with some wicked slide playing by TS.

Probably because of the mixed harmonies. Shooz doesn't do it for me. The song is OK, but the execution leaves something to be desired. BTW, Shaka we miss you. We could use your input more often.

[BlackWall]

DDY fell short on CB. Tommy's Crystal and Madm. were great. Put Me On had some balls too it, a good opener, but not a great song to stand on it's own.

I've often wondered if "Put Me On" should have made some of the hits compilations, but you hit the nail on the head.

[KWH17]

I really like the album myself, but I prefer Tommy's work to DDY's. It seems every artist as their "depression" album, and CB was it for DDY. Additionally, and I'm probably going to get some dissenters, I think CB is what Serpent and Miracles would have sounded like if they had been done better.

[cittadeeno23]

Clearly the band got better when Tommy came on board. But Equinox was the best pre-Tommy album.

[cittadeeno23]

I like both Tommy's and Dennis' work pretty equally. But oddly enough, I like Dennis' Non-Hits much better than his hit songs.
I prefer Queen of Spades/Suite Madam Blue/Castle Walls over Babe/Best of Times/Roboto any day of the week. Dennis was sooooo good from 1975-1978. I don't fault him for writing the hits, but I can listen to Castle Wall over and over. I can't say the same about Babe!

[Everett]

I like both Tommy's and Dennis' work pretty equally. But oddly enough, I like Dennis' Non-Hits much better than his hit songs. I prefer Queen of Spades/Suite Madam Blue/Castle Walls over Babe/Best of Times/Roboto any day of the week. Dennis was sooooo good from 1975-1978. I don't fault him for writing the hits, but I can listen to Castle Wall over and over. I can't say the same about Babe!

Same way here, i'm a fan of him pre cornerstone. I still like his stuff after the aforemeontioned album but not as much as the other material.

[chowhall]

I like both Tommy's and Dennis' work pretty equally. But oddly enough, I like Dennis' Non-Hits much better than his hit songs.
I prefer Queen of Spades/Suite Madam Blue/Castle Walls over Babe/Best of Times/Roboto any day of the week. Dennis was sooooo good from 1975-1978. I don't fault him for writing the hits, but I can listen to Castle Wall over and over. I can't say the same about Babe!

Be careful not picking sides around here. For some, and you know who you are, you have to choose Dennis or Tommy and JY. If you listen to the current Styx, then it's obvious that you hate Dennis. If you are a Dennis fan, then obviously Tommy's a coke head and JY a money grubbing no talent back stabber. If you can't play by the rules, then you might want to leave your common sense at the door.

[Everett]

I like both Tommy's and Dennis' work pretty equally. But oddly enough, I like Dennis' Non-Hits much better than his hit songs. I prefer Queen of Spades/Suite Madam Blue/Castle Walls over Babe/Best of Times/Roboto any day of the week. Dennis was sooooo good from 1975-1978. I don't fault him for writing the hits, but I can listen to Castle Wall over and over. I can't say the same about Babe!

Be careful not picking sides around here. For some, and you know who you are, you have to choose Dennis or Tommy and JY. If you listen to the current Styx, then it's obvious that you hate Dennis. If you are a Dennis fan, then obviously Tommy's a coke head and JY a money grubbing no talent back stabber. If you can't play by the rules, then you might want to leave your common sense at the door.

lol chow that pretty much explains how things work around here. God forbid we enjoy both sides

[shaka]

Why doesn't Shooz stand the test of time? It's a great rocker with some wicked slide playing by TS.

Probably because of the mixed harmonies. Shooz doesn't do it for me. The song is OK, but the execution leaves something to be desired. BTW, Shaka we miss you. We could use your input more often.

Thanks man. I'm just way busy and listen to Muse a lot more than Styx. I miss a lot of the people from the old boards though.

[bugsymalone]

... oddly enough, I like Dennis' Non-Hits much better than his hit songs.
I prefer Queen of Spades/Suite Madam Blue/Castle Walls over Babe/Best of Times/Roboto any day of the week. Dennis was sooooo good from 1975-1978. I don't fault him for writing the hits, but I can listen to Castle Wall over and over. I can't say the same about Babe!

I am with you on this. I think some of his very best work were songs that were not the big hits.

As for CB, I always felt it was an album where they were finding their footing as a group with the new member. The title song is just wonderful, but there are some nice aspects to the whole thing. I personally hate Shooz and Jennifer, so those are always album skips for me, but I like everything else on it a lot.

"Put Me On" is one of my favorite Styx intro songs of all time, showcasing all the aspects of this group.

Bugsy

[Higgy]

This Old Man, along with Golden Lark, is one of the most underrated Styx songs of all time. The first half of Ballerina is good. Jennifer sucks. Crystal Ball is Tommy at his best. Put me on is horrendous. Shooz is possibly one of Styx's worst songs of all time. Those of you who like it - the next time you're at a party, slip that one on the turntable and see what happens. You may lose some friends.

Here it comes...
Here is comes...

[BlackWall]

"Shooz" is not a great song.. I don't know why, but it just falls flat; is it just that it doesn't sound like something Styx would do? Perhaps, but I also think it suffers from a weak chorus and a build up that never really goes anywhere. Not a terrible song, but there's a reason why it was never really noticed till after DDY left the group and they needed to fill in some spaces.

I have to admit, I've formed an appreciation for "Jennifer".. I just wonder if Suzanne knew about this young 17 year old girl.. Maybe she was also the inspiration for "Lonely Child". "Jennifer" has some hypnotic music and the harmonies really work.

[S2M]

Not a huge Styx fan, and by that I mean I don't know when Dennis takes a crap. lol

IMHO the most consistent Cd is Pieces of Eight.


as always, your mileage may vary.

[cittadeeno23]

Amazing. I think every song on CB works. But I'm a classic Styx fanatic!
So we need to chose sides, huh? I chose the band that doesn't exist anymore! Dennis, Tommy, JY, JP, CP!
If I could pick a current touring/recording lineup it would be Dennis, Tommy, JY, Glen, Todd. That would be insane. 4 singers, one baddass drummer. Dennis, Tommy, JY and Glen would sound amazing harmonizing. Glen's backing vocals are incredible. Listen to "the day your ship gets through" from "heros and zeros". It will blow you away.

[S2M]

Amazing. I think every song on CB works. But I'm a classic Styx fanatic!
So we need to chose sides, huh? I chose the band that doesn't exist anymore! Dennis, Tommy, JY, JP, CP!
If I could pick a current touring/recording lineup it would be Dennis, Tommy, JY, Glen, Todd. That would be insane. 4 singers, one baddass drummer. Dennis, Tommy, JY and Glen would sound amazing harmonizing. Glen's backing vocals are incredible. Listen to "the day your ship gets through" from "heros and zeros". It will blow you away.

Styx has never been a drumming band.....for me it is all about Tommy's acoustic, Tommy and Dennis's vocals, and less about drumming, JY(especially singing).....etc.....

Just like perry said about Journey, 'Don't crack the stone'.....well the stone is cracked.

[Abitaman]

Amazing. I think every song on CB works. But I'm a classic Styx fanatic!
So we need to chose sides, huh? I chose the band that doesn't exist anymore! Dennis, Tommy, JY, JP, CP!
If I could pick a current touring/recording lineup it would be Dennis, Tommy, JY, Glen, Todd. That would be insane. 4 singers, one baddass drummer. Dennis, Tommy, JY and Glen would sound amazing harmonizing. Glen's backing vocals are incredible. Listen to "the day your ship gets through" from "heros and zeros". It will blow you away.

Styx has never been a drumming band.....for me it is all about Tommy's acoustic, Tommy and Dennis's vocals, and less about drumming, JY(especially singing).....etc.....

Just like perry said about Journey, 'Don't crack the stone'.....well the stone is cracked.

That line up was together for one show only, right before Brave New World was released. They played live for the Children's Miracle Network. They did sound awesome. I have a boot of it called The Grand Finale, and I was!!!! That was the lineup I wanted for years, back even when Edge came out. I didn't know about Todd then, but a cd from them!!!!

[cittadeeno23]

I'd love a CD with that lineup! I know Dennis and Glen would be up for it! Now to convince those two blond haired guitarists!
I think we got a better chance of winning the lotto.....twice!!

[Higgy]

I'd love a CD with that lineup! I know Dennis and Glen would be up for it! Now to convince those two blond haired guitarists!
I think we got a better chance of winning the lotto.....twice!!

Honestly, oust JY out of that lineup and you'd really have a great shot. Imagine how great an album you'd get with a DDY, Glen, Tommy line-up (with whatever paid rhythm section they could hire). You'd have three great songwriters and no shitty JY song.

[cittadeeno23]

I'd take a Dennis, Tommy and Glen album and lineup. It's more of a possiblity than the same lineup including JY. I just don't see JY ever doing anything with Dennis again. It would take a ton of money to get that and nobody is going to throw a ton of money at Styx.