MR

I just heard that the Dennis CD will be released in in April.

Yep - April 1st -

From the Melodic Rock main site:

DDY SETS UP US RELEASE:
Rounder Records (www.rounder.com) is advertising an April 2009 release of Dennis DeYoung's great 100 Years From Now record. There are no track listing details, but as soon as I confirm the info, I will update the site accordingly.

http://dennisdeyoung.com/



Hello Everybody....


It's been a while since I've posted and a great deal has happened. A new president, and he's a White Sox fan, Brad and Angelina are about to split yet again,(I know this cause I was just at the supermarket) there's more evidence of global warming (llinois politicians hot air increases are risks) and last but not least it appears Rounder Records is releasing the U.S. version of "One Hundred Years From Now" in April. Some of you may have believed that there was about as much chance of this CD being released stateside as America electing an African American president...
The delay was due to many factors not the least of which was the unexpected amount of time needed to work on the Hunchback. It's extended run and Jefferson Award for Best Musical were welcomed but not anticipated situations. When we extended the show a new cast was required and rehearsals became necessary. This did become quite time consuming. Here's hoping I always have these kinds of problems.
With the addition of the German tour, which by the way was quite a spectacle, I performed about 70 concerts last year and added two new tracks to One Hundred Years. Caution: Do NOT have an album you have already finished siting in your home studio for nearly two years. You will hear the sirens sweetly singing, luring you back to the mixing console to fix all the little things that you didn't like about the album. Note to self, if you're looking for perfection son, you've come to the wrong planet. I did remix some tracks on the original CD and I believe I have improved them, however my left ear is still periodically spotting blood. Which I guess is still an improvement over that Van Gogh dude.
As for One Hundred Years From Now the song, those of you who have written me and expressed your desire to hear me sing it by myself, you have gotten your wish. The president of Rounder Records John Vi rant has held that opinion for over a year, this after I'd sent him the all English version with me singing both parts.
After performing this song in concert by myself and with three different French artists I realized that when the original vocalist who performed on the record is not available it seems a bit odd. Problem solved, I intend to be there now every time I perform it. Well nearly.
The two new songs are Private Jones and There Was A Time, welcomed editions both. I did drop one song from the Canadian version, My Sharrona, I admit it was a bit repetitive.


Random thoughts:
I have to confess that I really do like the recording artists, TV and movie sites on You Tube. I have never looked at any of the other videos other then the ones pertaining to entertainment. But its truly amazing the history that has been uncovered to the public. I love the old Beatles stuff and the interviews with the artists and performances that I never knew existed, fascinating. One thing I have learned in watching old footage of myself while in the band was Hey, I'm better then I remembered. I guess that's one of the annoying parts of my personality, that in the moment I always feel I should have done better, you know not quite up to expectations. But upon further review when I thought I might cringe at what I was about to see and hear I was instead pleasantly surprised. (Wardrobe aside of course. I mean who in the Sam Hill dressed this guy, Mr. DeYoung Shaky's Pizza called, they want their clothes back: note to all you youngsters with the tats and pierced body parts and new ways to wear your hats askew, your future awaits you)
Also I noticed that the band's most watched video's are Come Sail Away, over a million views, Babe over a million views(although unfortunately this week it appears to have been taken down) Lady over 700,000 views and had Mr. Roboto not been taken down earlier this year it would now most likely have been over 1,500,000 views. I based this on the fact that Roboto always substantially led all of our other video's including Come Sail Away by a wide margin. That Roboto, he's like the Energizer Bunny. I wonder what the process is as to the comings and goings of these videos? Perhaps Babe and Roboto are resting peacefully in cyberspace plotting their return so they might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow believe these tunes were a mistake. If they were I wish we would have had another 10 mistakes just like them, and I mean it. It is so difficult to write a song that first passes muster with your record company,(they will need to be convinced, see "Lady", Lorelei and Sweet Madame Blue as examples) then radio,(who are skeptical that anything is a hit record)to finally satisfying millions of strangers who must then go forth and put down their hard earned cash on the counter, well you get the picture. So when it does happen and then has the good fortune to remain popular for decades, I say fall on your knees and give thanks for your good fortune, cause that's what I do nearly every day. To all of you who have supported me these 37 years whether from the beginning or since last Thursday I offer a heartfelt THANKS FOR EVERYTHING.
I will be touring this year as I have since 2003 although who knows what the economy will be like. My time spent in Germany, England, Belgium and Italy this year informs me that after the USA jumped down the rabbit hole the whole world gladly went with us. To all of you who have been hit hard by the greed and stupidity of those supposedly watching the store I wish only good things, and though it sounds corny, health is always the most important thing. May the wind always be at your back and may the Bird of Paradise not fly up your nose.
There's that damn Paradise word again, I swore I'd stop using it...
Dennis
012809



Robin

Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

cittadeeno23 wrote:Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

Of course its James Young and Tommy Shaw
Both guys wrong time and time again

April eh ????? of what year ?

I guess it's good that Dennis is singing 100 Years by himself, but is anyone let down that there isn't going to be a duet in english? I was kind of interested in the possibility, but oh well at least it's getting a stateside release.

The fact that he is going to go it solo pretty much kills the possibility of any real commercial success, but that's not really what it's about anyway, and that would have also been quite a shot in the dark.. If people whose work we appreciate and admire continue to put stuff out there, the real fans will appreciate it.. Hopefully Dennis is at a place where his real revenue comes from the shows.

cittadeeno23 wrote:Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

They were mistakes- it and Dennis' ego basically broke up the band. Roboto is crap.

brywool wrote:

cittadeeno23 wrote:Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

They were mistakes- it and Dennis' ego basically broke up the band. Roboto is crap.

Funny how every article mentions Mr Roboto Babe and Sail Away
You see this current band with anything close to the sucsess of Roboto?
I don't
Like it or not the song put Styx on the map once again.
Not the greatest song but not as bad as She Cares or Eddie,

froy wrote:

brywool wrote:

cittadeeno23 wrote:Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

They were mistakes- it and Dennis' ego basically broke up the band. Roboto is crap.

Funny how every article mentions Mr Roboto Babe and Sail Away
You see this current band with anything close to the sucsess of Roboto?
I don't
Like it or not the song put Styx on the map once again.
Not the greatest song but not as bad as She Cares or Eddie,

It was a different time dude. Bands from THEN won't have that kind of success NOW.
I see tons of articles that mention "Renegade" BTW.
Come Sail Away - good.
Mr. Roboto - stupid. Look at the VW add, that showed you how stupid the song was. The add makes fun of it AND DeYoung. Funny add, but it's funny because in the add, someone is actually taking the song seriously. It's sh*t.
Also, in the articles that Styx is a part of, it mentions Roboto as the thing that tore the band apart. In Dennis' articles it just mentions the song. Dennis' articles sure aren't going to mention "Too Much Time on My Hands" or "Fooling Yourself".

brywool wrote:

froy wrote:

brywool wrote:

cittadeeno23 wrote:Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

They were mistakes- it and Dennis' ego basically broke up the band. Roboto is crap.

Funny how every article mentions Mr Roboto Babe and Sail Away
You see this current band with anything close to the sucsess of Roboto?
I don't
Like it or not the song put Styx on the map once again.
Not the greatest song but not as bad as She Cares or Eddie,

It was a different time dude. Bands from THEN won't have that kind of success NOW.
I see tons of articles that mention "Renegade" BTW.
Come Sail Away - good.
Mr. Roboto - stupid. Look at the VW add, that showed you how stupid the song was. The add makes fun of it AND DeYoung. Funny add, but it's funny because in the add, someone is actually taking the song seriously. It's sh*t.
Also, in the articles that Styx is a part of, it mentions Roboto as the thing that tore the band apart. In Dennis' articles it just mentions the song. Dennis' articles sure aren't going to mention "Too Much Time on My Hands" or "Fooling Yourself".

Roboto was never intended to be a serious song. DeYoung both sanctioned and loved the VW commercial. Does he have an ego, yes. Was the Kilroy album/tour solely his fault-no.
I think his letter on his site is funny and provides info. If all you got from it, was the one line you chose to pull from it, it seems a shame.

sadie65 wrote:

brywool wrote:

froy wrote:

brywool wrote:

cittadeeno23 wrote:Great note by Dennis. Glad he's going to keep touring despite the fact that this country has (and is still being) steered purposely into the toilet.

I could only wonder what he meant when he said Babe and Roboto "might continue to annoy a small group of people who somehow beleive these songs were a mistake".

I wonder if that small group of people includes one James "JY" Young!!

They were mistakes- it and Dennis' ego basically broke up the band. Roboto is crap.

Funny how every article mentions Mr Roboto Babe and Sail Away
You see this current band with anything close to the sucsess of Roboto?
I don't
Like it or not the song put Styx on the map once again.
Not the greatest song but not as bad as She Cares or Eddie,

It was a different time dude. Bands from THEN won't have that kind of success NOW.
I see tons of articles that mention "Renegade" BTW.
Come Sail Away - good.
Mr. Roboto - stupid. Look at the VW add, that showed you how stupid the song was. The add makes fun of it AND DeYoung. Funny add, but it's funny because in the add, someone is actually taking the song seriously. It's sh*t.
Also, in the articles that Styx is a part of, it mentions Roboto as the thing that tore the band apart. In Dennis' articles it just mentions the song. Dennis' articles sure aren't going to mention "Too Much Time on My Hands" or "Fooling Yourself".

Roboto was never intended to be a serious song. DeYoung both sanctioned and loved the VW commercial. Does he have an ego, yes. Was the Kilroy album/tour solely his fault-no.
I think his letter on his site is funny and provides info. If all you got from it, was the one line you chose to pull from it, it seems a shame.

Just ignore Brywool - he is a Dennis hater and is blind to anything that is pro Dennis.

It is interesting that "Mr. Roboto" has made two VH1 Best Of lists. And "Babe" made yet a third VH1 Best Of list.

I think that speaks to the larger point Dennis was trying to make about these two songs. They were hits in their day and they are still referenced 25-30 years after they first came out.


Bugsy

It was a different time dude. Bands from THEN won't have that kind of success NOW.

Your right those bands are all gone anyway.

I see tons of articles that mention "Renegade" BTW.

Yea paid ones.

Come Sail Away - good.

No Great

Mr. Roboto - stupid.

More like Brilliant

Look at the VW add, that showed you how stupid the song was. The add makes fun of it AND DeYoung. Funny add, but it's funny because in the add, someone is actually taking the song seriously. It's sh*t.

Great commercial
You see commercials for renegade?

Also, in the articles that Styx is a part of, it mentions Roboto as the thing that tore the band apart.

And all in all it was Tommy Shaw and cocaine not Roboto.

I see this thread went right to hell in a hen basket, thank you Bry and Froy


Robin

froy wrote:You see commercials for renegade?

Ask the Pittsburg Steelers.

Brad Pitt starred in a commercial a couple years ago featuring "Renegade." WTF are you talking about, Froy?

Brad Pitt starred in a commercial a couple years ago featuring "Renegade." WTF are you talking about, Froy?

Zan wrote:Brad Pitt starred in a commercial a couple years ago featuring "Renegade." WTF are you talking about, Froy?

Breast implants there Zan??
I like em

I don't think you can say Babe or Roboto were exactly positive or negative. They were really liked back when they were released, and many people enjoy them today. For every person I find who hates either of them there is another who likes them, but that's just my experience.

Now a lot of people will rip on Babe but Tommy should get as much flack for songs like Never Say Never [though I personally like it] and I Will Be Your Witness[which sounded like the Backstreet Boys]. So If anyone wants to say Babe ruined Styx, just remember that Tommy had his own songs of that type [just none of them became a single ]

As for Dennis' ego ruining things, well I feel more effort could have been put into combating it early on. It seems that they waited awhile before doing anything about it, and that whole fiasco of firing him and then rehiring him soon after certainly didn't help things a long. At the same time Tommy was going through his drug addiction, and the band was dropping everyone that had helped them get to where they were like Derek Sutton and Jim Vose. So I'd say that the band as a whole put themselves where they are, not just Dennis and his ego.

froy wrote:

Zan wrote:Brad Pitt starred in a commercial a couple years ago featuring "Renegade." WTF are you talking about, Froy?

Breast implants there Zan??
I like em

Of course you do.

But no, they're not. lol

Zan wrote:

froy wrote:

Zan wrote:Brad Pitt starred in a commercial a couple years ago featuring "Renegade." WTF are you talking about, Froy?

Breast implants there Zan??
I like em

Of course you do.

But no, they're not. lol

I like em even more now.

Toph wrote:
Just ignore Brywool - he is a Dennis hater and is blind to anything that is pro Dennis.

Whoa... hang on there lil fella.
NOT TRUE. I like Dennis. I think 10 On Broadway's a GREAT album. However, when Dennis' music went softer with Styx, I didn't dig it at all. I think that he wrote some great songs with great, political-based lyrics. When he started writing more "Moon in June" songs like "First Time" I grew concerned. Then, that seemed to be all he was interested in writing and I became really not that interested. Seriously, before "BoomChild" (GREAT FRIGGIN SONG) I cannot remember a ROCK song that he'd penned since "Rockin' The Paradise" (another great song with great lyrics and a great concept). Dennis doesn't have to JUST ROCK but the songs have to be good. He's had his moments since Styx's hey day (Harry's Hands, Goodbye to Roseland) but the majority of his stuff since Paradise Theatre has seriously lacked. I've got all the guy's solo albums (save the new one because it ain't out yet) but I do not think they're that great. I cannot remember the last time I put on a Dennis solo album. I listen to Shaw Blades and Zens all the time.

Also, I really DO feel that he steered Styx into some bad times. Roboto for me was idiotic. Personally, I loved the concept of Kilroy Was Here and thought he was right on. However, when the album was executed, every song lacked punch and the lowest moments (for me) since Paradise Theatre have been Dennis'. Roboto especially was an embarrassment to the band. Also, the fact that he let his wife kind of Yoko things was lame.

I also think that Hunchback (which I also own) is not the brilliant album that Dennis' fans think it is. I think it's Okay, but it's not something I'd play in front of anyone without hitting my skip button many times. Same with his tracks on BNW. Hip Hop Hipocracy was a terrible political statement from the same guy that gave us Suite Madame Bleu, Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight. His later stuff does NOT stand up lyrically or musically.

Styx, on the other hand, put together a brilliant ROCK album and from the credits on the album it was the most BAND effort that ever happened with Styx. Dennis, to me was just too much of a dictator and while he was steering Styx to what he thought it should be, he should've been looking at his own contributions. "Babe" was okay. I can live with it. But "First Time" as a single for the band??? I totally saw Shaw's point in saying "This cannot be what we've become, if that gets released, I quit". While Dennis relented and didn't put it out as a single, it caused a major rift in the band and nearly everything Dennis wrote for Styx after Cornerstone sounded like that type of song.

When Dennis puts out something worthy, I'll say it. I just have yet to hear it.

KWH17 wrote:I don't think you can say Babe or Roboto were exactly positive or negative. They were really liked back when they were released, and many people enjoy them today.

NOT ME

pinkfloyd1973 wrote:I see this thread went right to hell in a hen basket, thank you Bry and Froy


Robin

Oh please...

brywool wrote:

pinkfloyd1973 wrote:I see this thread went right to hell in a hen basket, thank you Bry and Froy


Robin

Oh please...

You stated your point of view. Not everyone agrees with it. Nor does it make it fact or reality. It is your perception. People can counter it, albeit some ineffectively, and others will agree with you. All that aside, just because you don't like something does not change the fact that others do and aren't going to agree with you.

I respect your opinion, and your right to say it. But, you lose ground when all you can take from a very lengthy letter from a man is one sentence. I don't expect to change your mind, anymore than I would think you will change others' minds here. It just about what each likes.

Where you find his post work lacking, I find it has more depth. To each his own.

I doubt Robin would have made her comment had you made some attempt at a positive statement regarding the letter. Unfortunately, more often than not, for you, where Dennis is concerned, it seems quite hard for you to do so.

Peace

pinkfloyd1973 wrote:I see this thread went right to hell in a hen basket, thank you Bry and Froy


Robin

Don't forget about me......

Roboto was an awesome song, but doing the whole stage acting thing in the Roboto costumes at every concert was the mistake IMO.

Come Sail Away - Pure genius. The opening of this song lets me look back on my life & just chronicle everything. I'm the captain of my life, I love thinking of childhood friends & the dreams we had... everyone can relate to this song - pure genius.

Babe - every time I deploy, whether it be to a war zone or just a standard 6 month deployment to a peaceful area, I listen to this song while I'm watching my wife as we pull away on the bus.... this song gets so many of us in the right frame of mind when we deploy, you just don't know. Another song that EVERYONE can relate to. I'll always be lonely without her....I'll always need her love to see me through... An American classic that can't be denied.

Even though DDY sang them, it took TS & JY's background vocals & playing to make it work....