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A post that will please Froy (and a few others)

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 3:58 am
by RossUK
Maybe I've just seen where you folks are coming from.
I am big of classic and 'carrot' styx. But I've just listened to a new CD 'Queen with Paul Rodgers'
I love queen. I think Paul Rodgers is a great vocalist, but listening to the songs the absence of Freddie is all too apparent. Don't get me wrong Rodgers does a fine job, lending his vocal styles to give Queen a different edge. But its not Queen.
This must be the same reason why Froy etc feel the way they do. I'm only 23 and the main reason I think I embraced Gowan in Styx was that I do consider him to have more of a 'contempary' rock look, the way he dresses etc and I enjoy what he brings to the live shows, he resembles more of a rocker than Dennis has for many years. I suppose I thought he along with Tommy 'heavy rock' look these days make Styx look quite up to date.
However, dennis is a better singer than Gowan. I met Larry in London this summer before the show at hammersmith. No one would be able to deny he is a nice bloke.
Trouble is from a personal perspective, Dennis doesnt represent what I want to hear and see in Styx these days. when watching my 1981 tour video all the band have a certain balance in looks and styles that give them a feel of continuity. Even the RTP, they all looked like they were 'ageing grasously' But Brave New World and Dennis' gray haired Barry Manilow look just put me off.
I know Dennis is a better vocalist than Gowan
Gowan is a better Keyboard player than Dennis
Dennis WAS the best thing in Styx when at there peek
I just didnt like where he went after Paradise Theater.
BUT I can see why some of us on this forum feel like they do (see Queen section above) Although maybe cos Im younger I dont share those feelings to that extent, but do think occansionly about all what happened in 99 (His last show and CSA were a heart wrencher) and wonder what weve missed without dennis being in Styx......
Re: A post that will please Froy (and a few others)

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 4:33 am
by Zan
RossUK wrote:Maybe I've just seen where you folks are coming from.
I agree with most of what you said, and like you, I also understand why some people feel the way they do.
I'd be willing to bet that it still won't make a few people happy. LOL

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:12 am
by bugsymalone
I appreciate your post R-UK. Of course, it really depends upon your age as to how you feel about the "look" of a band onstage. When you are MY age

you have a different perspective!!!
I know Dennis is a better vocalist than Gowan
Gowan is a better Keyboard player than Dennis
Dennis WAS the best thing in Styx when at there peek
Don't know about your second statement, since I have not heard enough of his keyboard work. What I have heard is.....adequate.
The other two statements.
I think you speak the truth.
Bugsy
Re: A post that will please Froy (and a few others)

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:15 am
by froy
RossUK wrote:Maybe I've just seen where you folks are coming from.
I am big of classic and 'carrot' styx. But I've just listened to a new CD 'Queen with Paul Rodgers'
I love queen. I think Paul Rodgers is a great vocalist, but listening to the songs the absence of Freddie is all too apparent. Don't get me wrong Rodgers does a fine job, lending his vocal styles to give Queen a different edge. But its not Queen.
This must be the same reason why Froy etc feel the way they do. I'm only 23 and the main reason I think I embraced Gowan in Styx was that I do consider him to have more of a 'contempary' rock look, the way he dresses etc and I enjoy what he brings to the live shows, he resembles more of a rocker than Dennis has for many years. I suppose I thought he along with Tommy 'heavy rock' look these days make Styx look quite up to date.
However, dennis is a better singer than Gowan. I met Larry in London this summer before the show at hammersmith. No one would be able to deny he is a nice bloke.
Trouble is from a personal perspective, Dennis doesnt represent what I want to hear and see in Styx these days. when watching my 1981 tour video all the band have a certain balance in looks and styles that give them a feel of continuity. Even the RTP, they all looked like they were 'ageing grasously' But Brave New World and Dennis' gray haired Barry Manilow look just put me off.
I know Dennis is a better vocalist than Gowan
Gowan is a better Keyboard player than Dennis
Dennis WAS the best thing in Styx when at there peek
I just didnt like where he went after Paradise Theater.
BUT I can see why some of us on this forum feel like they do (see Queen section above) Although maybe cos Im younger I dont share those feelings to that extent, but do think occansionly about all what happened in 99 (His last show and CSA were a heart wrencher) and wonder what weve missed without dennis being in Styx......
No offence but you don't like Dennis because of the way he looks?
Not really fair man.
Gowan looks like a normal dude but could not sing hos way out of a cracker jack box.
Its not the looks my friend its the entire picture
Bono looks like he is aging but he still kicks ass.
When he gets grey hair do we dump him?

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:23 am
by Zan
bugsymalone wrote:What I have heard is.....adequate.
Don't hurt yourself with the praise, Bugsy! LOL 
Re: A post that will please Froy (and a few others)

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:35 am
by Zan
froy wrote:No offence but you don't like Dennis because of the way he looks?
Not really fair man.
Gowan looks like a normal dude but could not sing hos way out of a cracker jack box.
Its not the looks my friend its the entire picture
Bono looks like he is aging but he still kicks ass.
When he gets grey hair do we dump him?
Well, aren't you the voice of fairness. LOL
It has nothing to do with being "fair." PICKING on someone for their looks isn't fair. Enjoying watching someone who has a fashion sense and good looks over someone they feel doesn't is normal. Different people enjoy different things. My guess is that if Britney Spears was 250 pounds and 45 years old, she wouldn't be drawing the crowds based solely on her voice. Call it a hunch. Young people don't want to see their grandpa "rocking out." It's creepy. Some people could care less.

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:47 am
by bugsymalone
Zan wrote:bugsymalone wrote:What I have heard is.....adequate.
Don't hurt yourself with the praise, Bugsy! LOL 
It was..........painful.......
Bugsy

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:52 am
by bugsymalone
One more thought. Many (most) of us on here are, apparently, fans of classic rock music. Well....you are gonna get some guys who are, shall we say, no longer young? No longer looking like they did when they were 26???
Some of these guys are best viewed from FAR away, even if they can still rock and sing.
Again, my perspective, but Dennis looks pretty good for a guy 1 1/2 years shy of 60. He sho' nuff has white hair, but he looks pretty darn good, is very energetic onstage and the voice is as good or better than any out there.
Bugsy

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:57 am
by styxmike
Nice post Ross, I agree with everything you said!!!
The age thing???????????? nah you are as old as you feel dude, when you do get to my age "band politics" become less important, I couldn't care less about the "he said this, they did that, who gets the royalty cheque" there are more important things in my life (wife, kids, work, friends etc). Just enjoy the music , if you don't like it don't listen, simple as that, leave the "Rock stars" business to them

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:01 am
by sadie65
I say, whatever your reasons, go see who you like.
Music and art are personal preferences.
I can respect that.

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:03 am
by Zan
bugsymalone wrote:One more thought. Many (most) of us on here are, apparently, fans of classic rock music. Well....you are gonna get some guys who are, shall we say, no longer young? No longer looking like they did when they were 26???
Some of these guys are best viewed from FAR away, even if they can still rock and sing.
Again, my perspective, but Dennis looks pretty good for a guy 1 1/2 years shy of 60. He sho' nuff has white hair, but he looks pretty darn good, is very energetic onstage and the voice is as good or better than any out there.
Bugsy
Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I think the point here was that the guy prefers to watch a "middle aged guy" who dresses in "cool" threads jumping around like a lunatic when he goes to see a rock show more than he likes to see a guy in a suit making jokes like Harvey Coreman.

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:05 am
by sadie65
Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I think the point here was that the guy prefers to watch a "middle aged guy" who dresses in "cool" threads jumping around like a lunatic when he goes to see a rock show more than he likes to see a guy in a suit making jokes like Harvey Coreman.
That's Harvey Korman...thankyouverymuch
Some people's cool is another person's ohmygawdwhatishethinking
Live and let live
Re: A post that will please Froy (and a few others)

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:13 am
by froy
Call it a hunch. Young people don't want to see their grandpa "rocking out." It's creepy. Some people could care less.
Tell that to the Millions seeing Jagger McCartney and Buffet jamming year after year
Or the ones who see Heart year after year '
She's big but people still love her voice,

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:16 am
by SuiteMadameBlue
The "creepy" factor for me is the Rolling Stones. I don't care if I get free tickets anymore, I just can't watch those guys on stage. Also the fact that I'm not a huge Rolling Stones fan either
McCartney still looks good for being old.
Donny Osmond is a Grandpa now!! I'd still see him with my purple socks - LOL

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:51 am
by Zan
SuiteMadameBlue wrote:The "creepy" factor for me is the Rolling Stones. I don't care if I get free tickets anymore, I just can't watch those guys on stage. Also the fact that I'm not a huge Rolling Stones fan either

McCartney still looks good for being old.
Donny Osmond is a Grandpa now!! I'd still see him with my purple socks - LOL
I get it, but the point was that THIS 23 year old person finds Gowan more "hip" than Dennis. Froy said he wasn't being "fair."

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 7:06 am
by froy
I get it, but the point was that THIS 23 year old person finds Gowan more "hip" than Dennis. Froy said he wasn't being "fair.
Come on Zan don't spin this
He said he did not like the way Dennis looked .
Nothing to do with his hip .

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 7:09 am
by SuiteMadameBlue
Zan says:
I get it, but the point was that THIS 23 year old person finds Gowan more "hip" than Dennis. Froy said he wasn't being "fair."
I usually never "get it" on these boards with the posts
I guess the "hip" factor is in the eyes of the beholder too. I go to Dennis concerts for his voice, the music that he wrote and to see a great show.
I'm seeing Rob Thomas for his music and also what he brings to the stage (hopefully tight jeans-LOL)
Believe it or not, one of the Carrot Styx shows that I went to, I went with a total open mind and erased all the politics that happened in the band. I waited in the front row for 5 hours, Gowan side with my Carrot Styx fans. I loved the crowd, that was a blast. I couldn't stand Gowan's singing, on any song. I just don't care for his singing. I loved hearing Tommy's songs (just remember coming up DeYoung & Shaw in 2006), I didn't care for the harmonies, I thought they weren't that great (IMO). I thought the show was totally rushed and Tommy looked very tired. I didn't care for the medley, I wanted to hear the whole song, I don't like being teased - LOL
I personally didn't like the spinning keyboards, the little kids around me thought that was "cool".
By the way, what is a "bloke"?

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 7:28 am
by Angiekay
SuiteMadameBlue wrote:By the way, what is a "bloke"?
Austrialian(although I've heard the British use it too) for dude, stud, manly man.
Re: A post that will please Froy (and a few others)

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 9:57 am
by Monker
froy wrote:Bono looks like he is aging but he still kicks ass.
When he gets grey hair do we dump him?
No, but when U2 turned to Zooropa, and "Achtung Baby", I dumped them.
They turned their back on what got them there in the first place and went to lala land. That is what Dennis was doing to Styx. U2 turned back to their roots - with Bono. Styx did the same thing with Cyclorama - and they HAD to do it without Dennis - cuz Dennis is still on Broadway.

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:03 am
by Monker
SuiteMadameBlue wrote:Believe it or not, one of the Carrot Styx shows that I went to, I went with a total open mind and erased all the politics that happened in the band.
That is an impossibility. You can't erase your memories of what you think happened. That is science fiction and can't be done.
A person can try to deny it, but you will always have your biases.

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:04 am
by Monker
SuiteMadameBlue wrote:By the way, what is a "bloke"?
It's a guy who drinks Guiness instead of Bud Lite.

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:56 am
by SuiteMadameBlue
Monker says:
That is an impossibility. You can't erase your memories of what you think happened. That is science fiction and can't be done.
A person can try to deny it, but you will always have your biases.
Okay, I should have said that "I really tried", which I really did. Like I said, I did enjoy Tommy's songs, but didn't enjoy the harmonies with them.
Well at least I've seen both Dennis and Carrot Styx to have an opinion on both camps.
Thanks for the information Angie (and Monker) on the term "bloke".


Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:13 am
by SuiteMadameBlue
Froy says:
Or the ones who see Heart year after year '
She's big but people still love her voice,
Gosh, get off the "fat chick" kick!!
I think Ann lost weight again and looks good. I'll have to find recent pictures of her.
Zan says:Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I think the point here was that the guy prefers to watch a "middle aged guy" who dresses in "cool" threads jumping around like a lunatic when he goes to see a rock show more than he likes to see a guy in a suit making jokes like Harvey Coreman
.
Hey Ross, did you ever see Carrot Styx with Glen? I think you would've liked seeing him in concert if you didn't. He dressed in "cool" threads and he jumped around like a total lunatic. I liked when he went into the audience, that was fun
No one really talks about Glen anymore.


Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:47 am
by classicstyxfan
Glen who ? Is he related to Ricky ???? I heard there were twins in this band !


Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:57 pm
by Zan

Posted:
Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:35 pm
by sadie65
And probably because he isn't in the band anymore. I'd guess in live performance he made more of a mark than the cd's he was a part of.

Posted:
Fri Sep 23, 2005 1:56 am
by Zan
sadie65 wrote:And probably because he isn't in the band anymore.
Hmmm, neither is someone else that many people here can't stop talking about. ";-)"

Posted:
Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:37 am
by LordofDaRing
Hey Suite I will take your free Stones tickets. Mick Jagger is still incredible today. Now of course they need somebody on the payroll to check Keith Richard's pulse before the show...
You know this keyboard comparison really amzes me. JY has been quoted many times, that Gowan can "play circles" around their "previous Keyboard Player" (insert the guy who wrote, sang and produced most of their great stuff). Now to me, that says that Gowan is a way better keyboard player. I have seen Carrot Styx live, and as a hard DDY supporter, I have to give Gowan his dues, he is a great keyboard player...very flashy. He is not WAY better than DDY as a keyboardist. I always go back to the comments that TS made about why he never played Fooling Yourself in solo/damn Yankee concerts. He couldn't find somebody who could play the keyboard part. Gowan can do it. DDY can do it, originated it and probably wrote that part of the song. Sometimes flash doesn't make you the best technical guy as well. I always thought Ringo Starr never got the credit for being a very good drummer for instance. He was overshadowed (To say the least) by the other Beatles, and of course in his day, they were not that big on the solos, the spinning drums, etc. But Beatle record producer George Martin referred to him as the "one take" guy in the studio. Like the others, he didn't even read music.

Posted:
Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:51 am
by sadie65
Zan wrote:sadie65 wrote:And probably because he isn't in the band anymore.
Hmmm, neither is someone else that many people here can't stop talking about. ";-)"
And she took it. I posted with you in mind Zan. Bet there's a reason for it too. But let's not go there. I was only having fun. Honestly. I think Glen is a good guy and do believe he made more of an impression live than on the material he wrote/recorded during both stints with Styx.

Posted:
Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:53 am
by bugsymalone
Zan wrote:sadie65 wrote:And probably because he isn't in the band anymore.
Hmmm, neither is someone else that many people here can't stop talking about. ";-)"
Well, likely Glen does not get talked about much because he was just a tiny blip on the Styx radar screen.
The "someone that many people here can't stop talking about" WAS the radar screen.
Bugsy