Why did Styx never have that one big album?

[AnnieOprah]

If you look at all the AOR groups from the late 70s and early 80s, they all had their really HUGE album with 4 or so big singles that sold like 7 million or more copies. All except for one - Styx. Styx never hit it really big like Journey with Escape (4 top 40 singles, 3 top 10s), Foreigner 4 (4 big singles), REO Speedwagon's High Infidelity (4 big singles),etc. In fact, Styx 's biggest albums only sold 3 million copies.

Why? Styx never could manage more than 2 singles off an album that made any dent in the chart. Does this mean that Styx song quality dropped off after 2 singles where other acts had more depth in the quality of radio friendly singles?

Just a thought.

[DarrenUK]

STYX WERE THE FIRST BAND TO HAVE 4 TRIPLE PLATINUM SELLING ALBUMS IN A ROW AND NOT UNTIL WE GOT BABE OFF CORNERSTONE DID WE GET STYX TRYING TO AS ITS BEEN PUT GO INTO BARRY MANILOW TERRITORY AND LOOK TO HAVE A HIT.

[bugsymalone]

Styx always, to me, was an album group. Their music needed to be listened to as a whole.

I also think Styx was not for everyone. They truly had a unique sound and that did not lend itself to monster top 40 hits. When you think about it, they had 14.5 million in sales of their albums GI thru KWH. That is pretty darn large in my book, but the buyers were responding to the whole package and not just individual songs.

Just my take.

Bugsy

[ek88]

Their sound probably worked against them, in terms of successive singles. Some fit into rock, some into pop, etc.

[styxfanNH]

It's probably the same reason that people have a hard time pigeon holing STYX, including reviewers. There songs appeal to a vast number of people, but not collectively as a group. Fans identified with Dennis or Tommy or JY, but perhaps not with the others.

[LordofDaRing]

Some of those guys only had one truly great album, the rest was a song here or there (can anybody say Frampton). I think even amongst all of us we can agree that there are 4 or 5 truly fantastic Styx albums.

But point well taken, none approached Rumors or Hotel California. But FM never topped Rumors, from an impact anyway and the Eagles began self destructing afterwards.

[acroyear]

I think it is safe to say STYX won't be cranking out any multi-million selling albums anytime soo.

[LordofDaRing]

You never know that next live album leading off with Blue collar man might be the one!

[BlackWall]

Well, I definitely don't think Styx was as radio ready as other groups from their time, but it also has to be considered that they didn't release as many singles from each album in general. For instance, an album as successful as "The Grand Illusion" only had two singles released.

I think some of the albums could have had more singles, and then sometimes maybe slightly better judgement could have been used, as far as what songs or what order to release them in.

With "Cornerstone", if "First Time" would have been released right after "Babe", I bet we would have had two Top 10 singles in a row, and then if maybe "Lights" or "Borrowed Time" had been tried next, rather than "Why Me?", I bet there would have been a third, at least minor Top 40 hit.

Same kind of thing with "Paradise Theatre" and "Kilroy".
We already had two Top 10 singles on "Paradise", but then instead of releasing "Nothing Ever Goes As Planed", they should have gone with "Rockin' The Paradise".

With "Kilroy", they should have made "Haven't We Been Here Before?" the third single, rather than "High Time". Then, if "Haven't We Been Here" was a success, they should have taken a chance on something like "Double Life". In some ways, I think "Haven't We Been Here" should have been issued even before "Dont' Let It End", but that's just me.

To go back to what I said at the beginning, other bands were a little more commercial, but I think compared to some of the groups, the success of Styx was spread out a little more.

[yogi]

I think back then alot of it has to do with the band and it's management ( minus Dennis) trying to figure out a way to get Gowan into the group.