Ricky Phiilips-Sioux City Journal
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:53 pmSome comments from Ricky...
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/article ... 0721c1.txt
Styx getting back to where it once belonged
By Jesse Claeys Journal staff writer
Styx has enjoyed success in four decades. Today, the band has a new bassist, Ricky Phillips.
Leave it to the Beatles to start a revolution for the rock band Styx.
It was before a June 2004 performance at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival that the five members of Styx sat down to rework their set list, wanting it fresh for the festival.
Guitarist Tommy Shaw suggested covering "The Thrill is Gone," James "JY" Young wanted to do a Jimi Hendrix tune and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan had the idea to cover the Beatles' "I am the Walrus."
Gowan had stumbled onto something big.
The band played the cover and it garnered a huge response, big enough to earn regular set spot. Radio station program directors began requesting copies, so Styx released a live version of "I am the Walrus" as a radio single. Three weeks later the song was played on more than 120 stations.
"The song was getting lots of air play and it needed a place to live," remembered bass player Ricky Phillips. "Universal then came to us and asked us to do a record of covers."
Initially the band members were not all that jazzed to do so.
"It didn't meet all our ears that well because we were writing a new record and had great material and we knew it would take time away from that, but it's been so many positives that we are glad we did it," Phillips said during a telephone interview.
The result was "Big Bang Theory," an 14-track album released in May 2005. The CD sold 19,000 copies in the first week, putting it at No. 46 on Billboard's Top 200 and making it Styx's highest charting album in more than a decade.
The album is the "Great Rock Songbook," according to Styx. Phillips said the band wanted to do something special and turned to artists who have influenced the group for material. More than 100 songs came out of brainstorming sessions, and the tunes on the album came from that pool.
"That's how we came up with the name, it was songs that were from the beginning of our universe as musicians," Phillips said.
The album features songs from The Who, Hendrix, Jethro Tull and more. The album, along with a performance at the 2003 Super Bowl and songs being featured in television ads and shows (South Park, for one), has created a sort of Styx revival.
"If you come to a Styx show, it is amazing. Fans come up and tell us this is their 150th show, then you have kids singing the words to every song. It's gone from old farts to everyone from 13-year-olds to college kids. They even know my name and I'm the new guy," said Phillips, who has been in the band for two years.
Styx has been busy as of late re-establishing itself as the dynamic live act that first began rocking arenas in the early '70s after the song "Lady" took the album "Styx II" gold. The band is now made up of Shaw, Young, Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman and Phillips. The only living original member who is not associated with the group is co-founder Dennis DeYoung.
"As every family grows, some people die and some fall to the wayside and that's how it goes. We feel this is Styx. There is real care and focus on this being a continuum, not a new version."
A good call, because this band would be foolish to turn its back on what got it to stardom in the first place.
Styx had four consecutive triple platinum albums ("The Grand Illusion," "Pieces of Eight," "Cornerstone" and "Paradise Theatre") beginning in 1977. Since the band's debut in 1972, it has also earned one double platinum, one platinum and five gold albums. "Lady" was the first of 16 Top 40 singles, which includes "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," "Blue Collar Man," and "Fooling Yourself."
With such a proven history in the world of rock, Phillips didn't hesitate when the call came asking him to join the group.
"As far as playing live and pulling off what's on those records and adding a little more of that energy, you've got it every night with this band. It didn't take me more than 30 seconds to go, 'Yeah, I want to do this.'"
Styx will perform with REO Speedwagon at 7:30 tonight at the Tyson Events Center.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/article ... 0721c1.txt
Styx getting back to where it once belonged
By Jesse Claeys Journal staff writer
Styx has enjoyed success in four decades. Today, the band has a new bassist, Ricky Phillips.
Leave it to the Beatles to start a revolution for the rock band Styx.
It was before a June 2004 performance at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival that the five members of Styx sat down to rework their set list, wanting it fresh for the festival.
Guitarist Tommy Shaw suggested covering "The Thrill is Gone," James "JY" Young wanted to do a Jimi Hendrix tune and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan had the idea to cover the Beatles' "I am the Walrus."
Gowan had stumbled onto something big.
The band played the cover and it garnered a huge response, big enough to earn regular set spot. Radio station program directors began requesting copies, so Styx released a live version of "I am the Walrus" as a radio single. Three weeks later the song was played on more than 120 stations.
"The song was getting lots of air play and it needed a place to live," remembered bass player Ricky Phillips. "Universal then came to us and asked us to do a record of covers."
Initially the band members were not all that jazzed to do so.
"It didn't meet all our ears that well because we were writing a new record and had great material and we knew it would take time away from that, but it's been so many positives that we are glad we did it," Phillips said during a telephone interview.
The result was "Big Bang Theory," an 14-track album released in May 2005. The CD sold 19,000 copies in the first week, putting it at No. 46 on Billboard's Top 200 and making it Styx's highest charting album in more than a decade.
The album is the "Great Rock Songbook," according to Styx. Phillips said the band wanted to do something special and turned to artists who have influenced the group for material. More than 100 songs came out of brainstorming sessions, and the tunes on the album came from that pool.
"That's how we came up with the name, it was songs that were from the beginning of our universe as musicians," Phillips said.
The album features songs from The Who, Hendrix, Jethro Tull and more. The album, along with a performance at the 2003 Super Bowl and songs being featured in television ads and shows (South Park, for one), has created a sort of Styx revival.
"If you come to a Styx show, it is amazing. Fans come up and tell us this is their 150th show, then you have kids singing the words to every song. It's gone from old farts to everyone from 13-year-olds to college kids. They even know my name and I'm the new guy," said Phillips, who has been in the band for two years.
Styx has been busy as of late re-establishing itself as the dynamic live act that first began rocking arenas in the early '70s after the song "Lady" took the album "Styx II" gold. The band is now made up of Shaw, Young, Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman and Phillips. The only living original member who is not associated with the group is co-founder Dennis DeYoung.
"As every family grows, some people die and some fall to the wayside and that's how it goes. We feel this is Styx. There is real care and focus on this being a continuum, not a new version."
A good call, because this band would be foolish to turn its back on what got it to stardom in the first place.
Styx had four consecutive triple platinum albums ("The Grand Illusion," "Pieces of Eight," "Cornerstone" and "Paradise Theatre") beginning in 1977. Since the band's debut in 1972, it has also earned one double platinum, one platinum and five gold albums. "Lady" was the first of 16 Top 40 singles, which includes "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," "Blue Collar Man," and "Fooling Yourself."
With such a proven history in the world of rock, Phillips didn't hesitate when the call came asking him to join the group.
"As far as playing live and pulling off what's on those records and adding a little more of that energy, you've got it every night with this band. It didn't take me more than 30 seconds to go, 'Yeah, I want to do this.'"
Styx will perform with REO Speedwagon at 7:30 tonight at the Tyson Events Center.
