I just saw Dennis DeYoung live...

[jestor92]

Very good show, he sounds great and seems very happy. The whole band was very good, Dennis's lead guitarist (whose name escapes me) was very good, Glen was great and energetic as usual. Dennis was telling about the time he spent on his honey moon in the Pocono's and how he's one of the few people who come to the area that know how to pronounce Wilkes-Barre properly. A very funny guy.

He played most of the hits, Grand Illusion, Lady, Lorelei, The Best Of Times, Show Me The Way (Highlight of the show because it was him singing along with the bassist, his wife and another background female vocalist), Suite Madam Blue, Come Sail Away, Mr. Roboto, Don't Let It End, Light Up, Castle Walls, Rockin' The Paradise, Babe. They also played Edge of the Century, an unreleased song from a 1992 recording that didn't get released on record because they couldn't find a label, and All In A Day's work all three of which Glen sang along with Run Rudolph Run. Dennis also sang Great Balls Of Fire. Also played Desert Moon from his solo efferts

If anyone has the audio or know where I may be able to get audio of this show please let me know, and whats up with Dennis's drummer playing behind a plexiglass barrier? Also does anyone know if the 8 or 9 songs they wrote for the Edge Of The Century album was has ever surfaced?

[shaka]

Very good show, he sounds great and seems very happy. The whole band was very good, Dennis's lead guitarist (whose name escapes me) was very good, Glen was great and energetic as usual. Dennis was telling about the time he spent on his honey moon in the Pocono's and how he's one of the few people who come to the area that know how to pronounce Wilkes-Barre properly. A very funny guy.

He played most of the hits, Grand Illusion, Lady, Lorelei, The Best Of Times, Show Me The Way (Highlight of the show because it was him singing along with the bassist, his wife and another background female vocalist), Suite Madam Blue, Come Sail Away, Mr. Roboto, Don't Let It End, Light Up, Castle Walls, Rockin' The Paradise, Babe. They also played Edge of the Century, an unreleased song from a 1992 recording that didn't get released on record because they couldn't find a label, and All In A Day's work all three of which Glen sang along with Run Rudolph Run. Dennis also sang Great Balls Of Fire. Also played Desert Moon from his solo efferts

If anyone has the audio or know where I may be able to get audio of this show please let me know, and whats up with Dennis's drummer playing behind a plexiglass barrier? Also does anyone know if the 8 or 9 songs they wrote for the Edge Of The Century album was has ever surfaced?

Drummers in theater and club size venues often play behind plexiglass to isolate the drums a bit from the other microphones on the stage. This helps prevent the drums from bleeding into the vocal and amplifier mics. It also reduces the volume of the drums a bit for everyone else on the stage. This protects hearing and makes it so the other musicians do not have to turn their amplifiers up too loud in order to compete with the drums. Lower stage volume means a better mix in the house PA.

Eric

[Abitaman]

Glad you enjoyed the show. Saw Dennis this year too, and was blow away by him. Great singer and performer-ERIC

[MtlLady]

Very good show, he sounds great and seems very happy. The whole band was very good, Dennis's lead guitarist (whose name escapes me) was very good,

Tommy Dziallo.

He absolutely ROCKS.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Very good show, he sounds great and seems very happy. The whole band was very good, Dennis's lead guitarist (whose name escapes me) was very good,

Tommy Dziallo.

He absolutely ROCKS.

Hi Amanda I know you're a HUGE Tommy D fan.

Here you go, I think you've seen this before on the other site

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Hi Jestor Thanks for the review, I'm glad you were able to see him perform Awwww, I wish I could've heard Run Rudolph Run and I love when Dennis sings Great Balls of Fire!!! How fun!!

I'm not sure on the audio for that show. Sometimes they show up here and other Styx/DDY related sites.

Here is more information on the Edge of Century 2:


http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/vie ... ge+century

[MtlLady]

[quote="Hi Amanda I know you're a HUGE Tommy D fan.

Here you go, I think you've seen this before on the other site

[/quote]

Hi Suite,

Gee, whatever gave you that crazy idea?

I have seen the pic on another site, but thanks for posting it - I have no problems seeing it again!! Good looks and talent all rolled up in one!

Thanks sweetie!

Amanda

[bugsymalone]

Nice picture, Suite! Tommy D and I had a discussion about the sound of the Fender Telecaster (which he is playing there) vs. the Stratocaster. We, disagreed, LOL!

He can play the hell out of any guitar in my book.

Bugsy

[shaka]

Nice picture, Suite! Tommy D and I had a discussion about the sound of the Fender Telecaster (which he is playing there) vs. the Stratocaster. We, disagreed, LOL!

He can play the hell out of any guitar in my book.

Bugsy

Tele's and strats sound diferent because of the scale lengths and pickup placement. When using the bridge pickup they can sound very similar. However the tele cannot get the middle pickup sounds of the strat and the tele's neck pickup is not only different but placed at a different length from the bridge which gives a slightly different tone. Tele's are often coupled with a compressor which gives the twangy tone for which they are known. You can approximate a similiar tone on a strat by using the neck pickup or neck and middle pickup in combination and using a compressor.

Now for my take on Tommy D. I hope I don't piss some of you off. Tommy D. is a very good player. However, his tone is horrible. His sound is way over-processed which is what guitar players were doing in the eighties. Those sounds were cutting edge back then but are considered dated by the guitar community as a whole. I watched the vids from that show up in Canada where Dennis was rehearsing with a house band. I thought that band sounded much better simply because the guitar players were using way less processed tones that are employed by most guitarists today. i.e. Tube amps uncluttered by stale sound rack effects units.

I know what I just typed may not make a bit of sense to many of you who don't know the ins and outs of what makes guitars sound the way they do. If clarification is needed I'd be happy to provide it.

The other Eric

[bugsymalone]

I know what I just typed may not make a bit of sense to many of you who don't know the ins and outs of what makes guitars sound the way they do. If clarification is needed I'd be happy to provide it.

The other Eric

Thanks, Other Eric! I always love talking guitars with anyone who will listen and enjoys them like I do.

I am an acoustic person myself, but like any guitar talk, especially with those who do it for a living.

Bugsy

[shaka]

I know what I just typed may not make a bit of sense to many of you who don't know the ins and outs of what makes guitars sound the way they do. If clarification is needed I'd be happy to provide it.

The other Eric

Thanks, Other Eric! I always love talking guitars with anyone who will listen and enjoys them like I do.

I am an acoustic person myself, but like any guitar talk, especially with those who do it for a living.

Bugsy

You're welcome. I do not make my living as a guitarist these days but it sure paid the bills in my twenties! Back when I was twenty two I became very interested in the modern acoustic folk players like David Wilcox (not the canadian one) and John Gorka. They inspired me so much I put my electric guitars under the bed for three years and played nothing but acoustic folk. It was during that time that I finally became a good enough guitar player to start making money as a session musician. The acoustic playing helped me immensely with my touch on the electric. I absolutely love acoustic guitars as well. I'll go into the music store just to smell them. Currently I'm playing a Larrivee.

I still do sessions occasionally and have an every changing collection of guitars and amps. For the most part I'm a purist and prefer vintage tube amps or at least modern takes on them. Currently I'm building a clone of a Matchless Lightning with a couple of enhancements. It's been a fun learning experience. Next up I'm going to do a clone of a Marshall Plexi which is once of the definitive rock and roll amps and used by JY in the early days of Styx.

Eric

[MtlLady]

Now for my take on Tommy D. I hope I don't piss some of you off.

No worries, if everyone had the same opinion, the world would be a very boring place!

Tommy D. is a very good player. However, his tone is horrible. His sound is way over-processed which is what guitar players were doing in the eighties.

The other Eric

I'll preface my question by telling you that I don't play guitar or any musical instrument (does singing in a church choir count??), so I'm just a simple fan.

But - considering most of DDY's music is from the 80's, isn't that what Tommy's guitar is *supposed* to sound like? I know that I want to hear what the songs sounded like then.

Personally, I think he's an even better musician to be able to adapt to whatever style he needs. But I'm no expert - I just know what makes my ears happy!

[styxdudebrandon]

I met Tommy D in Dennis's Toronto gig in June!

[Abitaman]

My guitar playing is like the Huey Lewis song sometimes "BAD IS BAD"-ERIC

[shaka]

Now for my take on Tommy D. I hope I don't piss some of you off.

No worries, if everyone had the same opinion, the world would be a very boring place!

Tommy D. is a very good player. However, his tone is horrible. His sound is way over-processed which is what guitar players were doing in the eighties.

The other Eric

I'll preface my question by telling you that I don't play guitar or any musical instrument (does singing in a church choir count??), so I'm just a simple fan.

But - considering most of DDY's music is from the 80's, isn't that what Tommy's guitar is *supposed* to sound like? I know that I want to hear what the songs sounded like then.

Personally, I think he's an even better musician to be able to adapt to whatever style he needs. But I'm no expert - I just know what makes my ears happy!

You make a good point. Should he try to match the album or should he go with what's the rage these days. Most other guitarists in similar positions have changed up how they play and sound. There has been a big backlash in the guitar community against overprocessed eighties sounds.

Eric

[Jazz]

Very good show, he sounds great and seems very happy. The whole band was very good, Dennis's lead guitarist (whose name escapes me) was very good, Glen was great and energetic as usual. Dennis was telling about the time he spent on his honey moon in the Pocono's and how he's one of the few people who come to the area that know how to pronounce Wilkes-Barre properly. A very funny guy.

He played most of the hits, Grand Illusion, Lady, Lorelei, The Best Of Times, Show Me The Way (Highlight of the show because it was him singing along with the bassist, his wife and another background female vocalist), Suite Madam Blue, Come Sail Away, Mr. Roboto, Don't Let It End, Light Up, Castle Walls, Rockin' The Paradise, Babe. They also played Edge of the Century, an unreleased song from a 1992 recording that didn't get released on record because they couldn't find a label, and All In A Day's work all three of which Glen sang along with Run Rudolph Run. Dennis also sang Great Balls Of Fire. Also played Desert Moon from his solo efferts

If anyone has the audio or know where I may be able to get audio of this show please let me know, and whats up with Dennis's drummer playing behind a plexiglass barrier? Also does anyone know if the 8 or 9 songs they wrote for the Edge Of The Century album was has ever surfaced?

It sounds pretty much like the show we saw in Edmonton. The parts where Glen was more involved or featured were some of the highlights for me. There was a really bad mix in the Edmonton venue (from where I was standing anyway) with the bass overpowering everything, including the vocals, at times. Overall, a good show, but the venue was terrible.

Jo

[MtlLady]

I met Tommy D in Dennis's Toronto gig in June!

Then you're one lucky man.

How does one get to meet the band, anyway? I've heard of some people meeting them before/after sound checks ....,

[MtlLady]

[But - considering most of DDY's music is from the 80's, isn't that what Tommy's guitar is *supposed* to sound like? I know that I want to hear what the songs sounded like then.

Personally, I think he's an even better musician to be able to adapt to whatever style he needs. But I'm no expert - I just know what makes my ears happy!

You make a good point. Should he try to match the album or should he go with what's the rage these days. Most other guitarists in similar positions have changed up how they play and sound. There has been a big backlash in the guitar community against overprocessed eighties sounds.

Eric

Which means he has to be comfortable enough with his guitar abilities to be able to stand against the backlash and stick with the original sound. I would think there would be a bigger backlash (and some angry DDY fans) if he changed the sound.

He must have other projects where he can go with what is a more the rage.

Thanks for your post, I've learned something today!!

[shaka]

[But - considering most of DDY's music is from the 80's, isn't that what Tommy's guitar is *supposed* to sound like? I know that I want to hear what the songs sounded like then.

Personally, I think he's an even better musician to be able to adapt to whatever style he needs. But I'm no expert - I just know what makes my ears happy!

You make a good point. Should he try to match the album or should he go with what's the rage these days. Most other guitarists in similar positions have changed up how they play and sound. There has been a big backlash in the guitar community against overprocessed eighties sounds.

Eric

Which means he has to be comfortable enough with his guitar abilities to be able to stand against the backlash and stick with the original sound. I would think there would be a bigger backlash (and some angry DDY fans) if he changed the sound.

He must have other projects where he can go with what is a more the rage.

Thanks for your post, I've learned something today!!

Well the backlash really isn't a personal thing. It's more about what is wanted in the world of the studio musician. Back in the eighties you could literaly show up to do a session at a studio and you would bring your rack of effects and preamps. Much of the time you would either be taped by plugging directly in from this rack or plugging the rack into a guitar amp. Either way what you were hearing on the tape was mostly the rack and not the guitar and amp. In those days you could plug a strat or les paul guitar into the same rig and they would come out sounding almost the same. Often included in that rack of gear was a device called a Rockman invented by Tom Scholtz of the band Boston. This little device was used in thousands of recordings in the eighties. It was meant to simulate the sound of a cranked Marshall amp and simplify the recording process. It interfaced perfectly with session guitarists rack effects, especially on the clean setting.

These days studio guitarists typically try and find out what the client wants them to sound like and picks an appropriate guitar and amplifier. The sounds most in demand these days are a guitar plugged straight into a high quality tube amp (Fender, Vox, Marshall, Matchless, etc...) with maybe an effects pedal (the little things you see on stage guitarists stomp on) or two. It's also common for the studio's to maintain a stable of these types of amps so the guitarist doesn't need to bring a thing. The goal of this approach is to make the guitar sound much more organic than the guitars you would hear in the eighties. It is a very old school approach and was how most records were recorded until the eighties. It's kind of funny how things come full circle. There is a twist. There are devices like the Line6 POD that do what a Rockman does only they simulate an entire roomful of vintage and modern amps and do a much better job than the Rockman. In addition to my status as a tube amp snob I own one of these devices and they are a lot of fun. Many of the recordings you hear these days, especially commercial jingles, are cut using a POD like device.

I can't speak for Tommy D. but sometimes the eighties guys are loathe to give up their equipment and sound as it's what they have become familiar and comfortable. I did notice on the Dennis DVD that he has some decent amplifiers up there on stage. I do know Tommy D. is a studio guy so I'm sure he's probably got a great collection of guitars and amps.

Years ago I read an interview with Trevor Rabin who is a renown composer as well as a member of Yes during their 80's era. He talked about what the recording industry refers to as the, "eighties stain". What he's refering to is the way recordings sounded in the eighties. In the eighties everything was big. The drums sounded huge and oftentimes electronic, guitars sounded mostly the same (the overprocessed sounds I'm complaining about), tons of reverb on the vocals. The problem with the eighties stain is that the recordings from a production standpoint really don't hold up to how most industry people want recordings to sound. Let me put it this way, you wouldn't want to record someone like Snow Patrol with the same techniques and instruments that were used for a Mr. Mister record in the eighties. You could however, record Snow Patrol with the same techniques used in the seventies because the process (aside from using computers vs.tape recorders) is mostly the same. In other words the eighties presented us with a lot of experimental recording techniques that are not considered good these days. The first solo albums by Dennis and Tommy were full of these types of sounds. Think of the guitar tones on Desert Moon and the amount of reverb used on Little Girl World. If Dennis and Tommy both recut their first two efforts these days they would sound a lot different and I think a lot better. Most of the eighties artists that are doing tours today have updated their sound in an effort to get rid of some of this eighties stain. My biggest gripe with the production on Dennis' solo albums has been the guitar tones. The reason I liked the sound of the Canadian house band better than Dennis' current group is that their guitar tone was a lot more modern and less processed. It gave the songs an updated sound and sounded much better to my ears.

Sheesh, I could go on and on!

Eric

[jestor92]

Hi Jestor Thanks for the review, I'm glad you were able to see him perform Awwww, I wish I could've heard Run Rudolph Run and I love when Dennis sings Great Balls of Fire!!! How fun!!

I'm not sure on the audio for that show. Sometimes they show up here and other Styx/DDY related sites.

Here is more information on the Edge of Century 2:


http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/vie ... ge+century

Thanks for the info on Edge of the Century 2 Suite. What happened when they did Run Rudolph Run was they started out doing another song, sounded like a James Brownish kind of song, then Glen stopped them and they started into Run Rudolph Run, very good show. Although the drums were kind of hard to hear in the beginning.

Now that I've got that bit of information, is it true that DDY was left go from Styx after the reunion because he was to poppish? That's always the story I've heard, is that true, or what it just because JY and Tommy didn't like him?

[bugsymalone]

Now that I've got that bit of information, is it true that DDY was left go from Styx after the reunion because he was to poppish? That's always the story I've heard, is that true, or what it just because JY and Tommy didn't like him?

That story has as many sides as there are those to tell it.

Let's just say it is one of the primary reasons for the division between the two "camps" when Styx left Dennis.

Bugsy

[sadie65]

Now that I've got that bit of information, is it true that DDY was left go from Styx after the reunion because he was to poppish? That's always the story I've heard, is that true, or what it just because JY and Tommy didn't like him?

How many hours do you have? LOL.

No seriously, Bugsy is correct...there are many variables that went into the split and many interpretations by the fans as to why. And we as fans here will probably never get the whole story.

Peace