MR

It's time for thoughts on Styx's 5th studio cd, and their first with A & M records.
Equinox is simply a great cd. Only one song in the bunch that is below par for the cd, and thta was Mother Dear. Keys on it were good, but it is the singing I found lacking.
Cd starts of with a bang and ends with a bigger one. Light Up was has been talked about on this board for it's wording, has a funky beat and attitude to it. But if it's about pot, and they were on it at the time I can see why.
Lorelei, has a great keyboard intro, and good mid paced rocker. Ending is a little repetitive (like Light Up). This is one song, that as good as it is, is even better live, with the guitar bridge to end it.
Lonely Child, starts out fast, slows down to a nice slower paced love song before building back up. Dennis voice is just awesome on this.

The next few songs change pace from key driven to guitar driven. Like the way they did that.
Midnight Ride rocks, another fine JY rocker, with a slight twist soulfulness in there.
Born For Adventure is the song that first stuck out to me when I first got this record many many years ago. Played it over and over. Like the way the guitars traded off, and the vocal trick at the end. Still love it today.
Prelude 12 is just that
Suite Madame Blue one of the best Styx songs of all time, and another live song that out shine the original version. The way Dennis sings it, to the way it builds in tempo. The soaring keys, to scorching guitars, what is not to like about this song. Plus a message in it to boot.
This is the Styx cd, where all the pieces fell together-ERIC

Those were the days.Equinox,my favorite Styx album,was also my introduction to Styx.With this album,I became a die hard fan of a band for the first time.I played this like crazy( along with Kansas-Leftoverture.).
I printed Styx everywhere.My lunchbox,backpack,school table ,walls,blackboards and on and on and on.
Every song flows and with a healthy dose of punch.
They never matched this again.Did I get over it? I think so.So it goes

Their best album ever. My opinion.

Great energy. Original sound. Wonderful song selection.

And it has the signature Styx masterpiece -- "Suite Madame Blue."

Nothing they recorded before or after was as good as this one as a complete work, as far as I am concerned.

Bugsy

I myself think it is a great cd, as you can see. But do you have anything you dialike about it? Any of you?-ERIC

No complaints.It's just one of those albums,I'm sure we all got ,that are flawless or so close that a slight fault,won't matter.
Along with Equinox my no fault classics include.
Kansas-Leftoverture
Golden Earring-Moontan
Ambrosia -1
Saga-1
Saga-Images at twilight
Deep Purple-Made in Japan
Supertramp-Crime of the century
Moody Blues-To our children's children's children
Roxy music-Stranded
Roxy Music-Country Life
and a few more I am sure.

Earliest Styx album that I got into the latest. I was a casual Styx fan for a few years before I realized they sang Light Up and Lorelei. Maybe it's because I had already gotten into some of the later mainstream stuff, but neither song left much of a first impression on me. To this day, they're among my lesser Styx faves. Both songs do have fantastic harmonies, though.

I kind of get a kick out of Mother Dear and still enjoy listening to it. Parts of the song remind me of Kansas. I liked Lonely Child and thought it began to reveal Dennis' potential as a songwriter, which he would later realize with songs like Come Sail Away and Pieces Of Eight (IMO).

Midnight Ride is definitely the highlight of the album for me (and the best song, IMHO). I really enjoy JY's vocals much more here than on later albums. I go out of my way to hear this song, and would love to hear the band resurrect this song in concert. I don't mind Born For Adventure, got quite a catchy riff and some nice instrumentation. Probably the second best song on the album, according to my own personal taste.

And now the shocker: I don't care for Suite Madame Blue (the song, not the person who posts here--LOL!) I hate admitting that, because it appears to be a well-liked song among Stygians. It has grown on me a bit through the years, though, and I listen to it a lot more nowadays than I did back then.

All in all, a decent album, but probably 7th or 8th on my own personal Styx album scale

Awesome CD.......and perhaps my favorite album cover of all Styx releases.

Prelude12 is such a cool lead in to SMB.....

Light up is my all time favorite Marijuana song ( easily outdistancing Boston's "Smokin" )

Lonely child is vintage DDY.

And I love Born For Adventures raw energy.

Midnight ride is my #2 all-time favorite JY vocal.

Hard to believe they could put out an album this good without TS. Makes me wonder what would have been if JC hadn't left......

Truly a wonderful album. Loved Chuck's description of the artwork...burning away the confinements of Wooden Nickel...

SMB and Born For Adventure...Dennis at his best. Lonely Child...and Prelude

Not a clinker in the bunch.

Midnight Ride...great song

Lorelei...how can you not have fun with this one?

Light Up...well...definitely holds up as indicative of it's era.

Definitely keeps in rotation for me.

Their BEST CD!!

DENNIS COMPLETELY STEALS The SHOW on this TOTAL MASTERPIECE!!!!!

Like everyone else, I really like this one, too. My only complaint is that it seems a little too short..

My favorites: "Lorelei", "Born For Adventure", "Prelude 12", and "Suite Madame Blue". When they play "Suite Madame Blue" on rock radio, it should always begin with the "Prelude 12" piece.

I could never say enough great things about "Suite Madame Blue". This was one of the first Styx songs that I really got into. I don't think the live versions have ever had quite the same bite, though, as this original studio recording; although, hearing Dennis do it with the orchestra is quite an experience.

"Lorelei": This one deserves more attention than it gets. In all of the years I've been a Styx fan, I've never once heard this one on the radio. It's not the best song, lyrically speaking, but it's fun, it rocks, and it has some great keyboards. I also really like the harmonizing on the chorus.

"Born For Adventure": I love the groove on this one.. Dennis really does a great vocal on the verses. My only small complaint is that the lyrics to the chorus kind of seem like someone trying really hard to say things that would be considered bad or cool, and it comes off as a little generic, but it doesn't really take away from the song, it's one of my faves.

"Light Up": I really like the energy here, and Dennis does another great vocal, but I have to be in the right mood for this one.

"Lonely Child": I guess Jennifer was the sequel? This one is okay, but it usually ends up being skipped.

"Mother Dear": See "Lonely Child". I don't think this one is bad, but with songs like "Suite Madame Blue", "Lorelei" and "Born For Adventure", this one tends to get overlooked.

"Midnight Ride": Ahh, J.Y.. We went from having his vocals on over half of each album, to just one effort per release. I really like the music here, but I can't really get into his vox. I actually think he could carry a song(Southern Woman), but he just seems to be screaming here.

I really like Light Up on this one fun party tune
but Suite is one of the best songs ever
"Whatever the price I'll pay,for you,Madame Blue"
that line is very lucious!

Moon Beam wrote:I really like Light Up on this one fun party tune
but Suite is one of the best songs ever
"Whatever the price I'll pay,for you,Madame Blue"
that line is very lucious!

One of the things I love about so many of DDY's songs is, though some were written over 30 years ago, they are so right here, right now. Suite Madame Blue is one of those. If ever a song applies to America right now it is this one.

I don't think the live versions have ever had quite the same bite, though, as this original studio recording; although, hearing Dennis do it with the orchestra is quite an experience.

I agree with you BW. I think I like that original studio recording the very best. It is quite impressive with a full orchestra, and DDY's still powerful voice, but the recording on Equinox is the definitive one in my opinion.

Bugsy

yogi wrote:Their BEST CD!!

DENNIS COMPLETELY STEALS The SHOW on this TOTAL MASTERPIECE!!!!!

completely agree with the Dennis comment-ERIC