Man Of Miracles

[Toph]

Listening to this album this afternoon. Trying to peg it and figure out what they were trying to do. In my mind, the most pop oriented of the Wooden Nickel LPs. Trying to figure out who was driving the bus at this point. A few JY songs that are really more pop oriented (exception title track). Dennis's songs border on early A&M proggier side while no JC is to be found at all. I think closer to the A&M albums than anything else in the Wooden Nickel catalog. Was this there last contractual album for Wooden Nickel? What was the single on this one? If you consider UNFINISHED part of this, a pretty good collection of tunes. Seems like it was forgotten after Lady hit and the record company went back to Styx II.

[Baron Von Bielski]

My least favorite of the Wooden Nickel albums. Serpent is much better.

[Toph]

My least favorite of the Wooden Nickel albums. Serpent is much better.

Different strokes. Think Serpent and Styx I are in bitter competition for the worst Styx album ever made in my opinion.

[gr8dane]

Don't care for 'Rock'n Roll Feeling','Havin' a Ball' and 'Lies' at all.
But everything here that Dennis was writing , is absolutely killer tunes.
I will go as far to say,that song for song,this is his best album,of any Styx.
Even his song for Suzanne, is his best tribute to her.
So there.

[Toph]

Don't care for 'Rock'n Roll Feeling','Havin' a Ball' and 'Lies' at all.
But everything here that Dennis was writing , is absolutely killer tunes.
I will go as far to say,that song for song,this is his best album,of any Styx.
Even his song for Suzanne, is his best tribute to her.
So there.

You get an early glimpse of Dennis's Broadway to be on this album...
Song For Suzanne, the line "I'm just a man, please let me...sing my song!" could be out of Phantom, Les Miz, Chicago, etc. etc. Any Broadway musical.

Have you ever heard the original Lies? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n03a7cLf0M

[gr8dane]

Don't care for 'Rock'n Roll Feeling','Havin' a Ball' and 'Lies' at all.
But everything here that Dennis was writing , is absolutely killer tunes.
I will go as far to say,that song for song,this is his best album,of any Styx.
Even his song for Suzanne, is his best tribute to her.
So there.

You get an early glimpse of Dennis's Broadway to be on this album...
Song For Suzanne, the line "I'm just a man, please let me...sing my song!" could be out of Phantom, Les Miz, Chicago, etc. etc. Any Broadway musical.

Have you ever heard the original Lies? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n03a7cLf0M

Yep.I heard it and got it on my Nuggets Box set,and I like it.
Great version and video.But for some reason I'm not too keen on Styx version.

[gr8dane]

Forgot to mention,that reading a review on Allmusic.com,someone there said,
that this album is kinda schizophrenic,and I have to agree.

[Baron Von Bielski]

My least favorite of the Wooden Nickel albums. Serpent is much better.

Different strokes. Think Serpent and Styx I are in bitter competition for the worst Styx album ever made in my opinion.

Different Strokes indeed. I quite like Styx I, more than Serpent. I like about 6 songs on Serpent whereas I like every song on Styx I. Out of all the Wooden Nickel albums though I'd put Styx II way above the rest. I love that early stuff. The 70's were so great music wise.

[Kilroy1983]

Here´s what Dennis DeYoung thinks about MOM.

CLASSIC ROCK REVISITED (Dennis Deyoung: Speaking The Truth)

"Jeb: Man of Miracles I kind of liked. I hate to disagree with you.

Dennis: I appreciate all of that, I just disagree. The song “Man of Miracles” is okay; it doesn’t suck. Once again, the mix is atrocious. I heard through the grapevine that the person who was in charge of the tapes has openly admitted that he does not know what happened to the original tapes and that they are lost. I always wanted to go back and remix those albums. I know I could make those albums better. I know that is a dangerous thing to say but I know “Man of Miracles” could have been so much heavier and better.

You have to realize that not only was I having confidence problems, the albums were horribly mixed. Here are the ones that I like from the two albums in question: “Young Man” on Serpent. “Witch Wolf” is okay but I think “Young Man” is actually the only song I like off of Serpent. Off of Man of Miracles” I like the title song. “Christopher, Mr. Christopher” is not so bad. If you listen to Man of Miracles and then listen to Equinox it sounds like a leap of ten years. If “Lady” would have been a hit song at the time, instead of becoming one two and half years later then Equinox would have been the follow up to Styx II. We didn’t get any smarter. I just found out that people liked what we naturally did. "

[yogi]

IMO Young Man is the best JY led Styx tune that he ever did. Just a GREAT GREAT song. The Serpent Is Rising( single)is JC at his absolute best. Kurt Cobain before Nirvana. Those two songs were brilliant and thats about it for the Serpent album. Still those two songs are worth the price of the album.

On Man Of Miracles I love Golden Lark outside of Lady DDY's best Wooden Nickle song. A Song For Suzzanne is very good as was Unfinished Song.

[masque]

I like the MOM album pretty well but it's not my fave for the wooden nickel stuff......but the title track is one of my favorite styx songs.....it would rank high in nearly all lists; 1) my styx songs, 2) favorite JY songs and 3) favorite wooden nickel songs.

[gr8dane]

Bump.
Cant we continue this one ?
It's only a couple of weeks old.

[Toph]

Bump.
Cant we continue this one ?
It's only a couple of weeks old.

I put the YouTube link out there on Listening Party - Man of Miracles in case anyone wants to relisten to this one.