Something that cd has that the other big 4 have, is a song that really bites. Never Say Never is way to long for a song that sounds as redundant has it does. There are very few Styx songs that I DON'T care for and this one.
Rest of the cd is better. Lights is an uneven, ever changing song that is just awesome. Love the keys on this one. The interlude in the middle almost chanting ending.
Why Me should not have been a single, but the song is good, Takes a step away from the basic Styx sound (has a more of DDY solo feel to it), but it works. The sax comes off good.
Babe, love it or leave it, you have to admit, it gave Styx more chart success than anything in the past, or future. It is a good song though, no I take that back, a great song. Like the demo to this, with out the guitar solo on it.
Boat on the River is a masterpiece of sound. This is a slower song, that sounds better than most loud songs when cranked up. Love the different instruments the members play on the song, and the vocal mixture between Dennis and Tommy at the end, GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Borrowed Time rocks out, but kinda hangs up for a minute at the end of the intro. Plus the yes no part of the song, tends to bring it down some. That makes the song unique, and the quirkiness of this and others things Styx has done, makes it for a love or hate relationship with the causal listener who only knows the hits. IMO Styx was the American rocks since Queen, or like the Cars was to punk pop. I know we have had the discussion a couple of times on whether yes no should have been in the song or not. I like it in, but I have a version of the song without, and then it really rocks.
First Time should have been the second single since Babe was the first. lot of people said First Time was DDY trying to de rock Styx, not true. This wasn't the first time Styx used string in a song. Golden LArk comes to mind on 1974's Man of Miracles cd. But this did open a lot of people up to the ever changing sound of Styx. The song is good.
Eddie, although a great rocker, has that tired been there, done that feeling of a JY song. The song is sonically tight, crank it up and see (hear I should say). But like Midnight Ride, Miss America, Great White Hope, and many other JY songs, sing, key solo, axe solo, sing. Nothing new.
The closing song Love in the Midnight, is a good closer. It's tight,Tommy pushes his vocals, great harmonies, and good instrumental in the middle. Don't think they have experimented like this since
.
This cd is Styx best produced cd, very clear, but with a good rhythm section running thru it. I guess you can tell DDY and Tommy were at odds. But not enough to keep from being a bad cd, just not as great as as it could have been. Most songs I can listen over and over, but on the cd, they just don't really connect with each other (like BNW)
IMO Borrowed Time should have been the first single, followed by Babe, Boat then First time, would have made more sense to me.
So was this a changing point for the band? I think so, but it was still good music-ERIC
-ERIC
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