Why I prefer Cyclorama over 100 Years From Now

[Grotelul]

In my opinion..these songs represent what I loved about this band when I first heard them in 1977.....

Cyclorama: With 5 members who have participated on previous Styx studio records. This record sounds like it was written, produced and played by a band. I love that band sound/feel.

1. These Are The Times-Classic Styx sound
2. Fields Of The Brave-Another that has an early classic rock sound & feel (Queen mix w/Styx)
3. Yes I Can-Not my favorite but still an acoustic Styx sound
4. One With Everything-Has everything a Styx song should have
5. Killing The Thing That You Love-Middle section classic Styx with great piano work
6. Waiting For Our Time-Not a great song, but good..chorus sounds very classic Styx


*Not my favorite Styx record but it is by far my favorite since 1981.


100 Years From Now: With 1 and possibly a slight participation from a 2nd who have participated on previous Styx studio records. These songs sound like they were written and produced by one man and played by studio players. In other words, players who are told what to play.

1.



*For me, very little if anything about this record sounds like what made me love Styx in the first place. Totally nothing wrong with that as there are a few nice tunes on here, but not Styx quality in my opinion. I would say the same for a Tommy Shaw solo release, it's just not STYXIFIED.

[DarwinNebraska]

For me, other than 2 songs... nothing on "Cyclorama" sounds even remotely like Styx.

Very similar to Tommy's material on "Brave New World".... it's like the guy forgot how to write Styx songs... or more likely Dennis always molded them more Styx-like with his production and background vocals on past albums which he was unable to do on BNW.

Very telling about BNW... the reprise which actually has contributions from Dennis unlike the title track itself is the most Styx-like sounding collaborative song on the disc.

So I guess they tried hard and came up with "One With Everything" and "These Are The Times" in the classic style.

I hear Styx on somewhere on every single track on OHYFN... not surprising because Dennis DeYoung is the heart and soul of Styx.

There is nothing about Cyclorama remotely reminicent of a band project. Sounds like bunch of solo works thrown together.

I wouldn't be surprised if Gowan's songs were intended for his solo album and brought to the sessions.

[bugsymalone]

Good heaven's Grote! I was prepared for the worst with this subject line, but you have presented your perspective quite well on this. It is all in what one hears.

I agree, of course, with Darwin. I really cannot make much of a judgment on Cyclo because, honestly, I only listened to it once or twice and haven't a clue where the CD I was given is.

Because I am prejudiced and biased, I know I did not much like it, save for one or two songs, and not even sure which ones those are.

I do remember thinking the production values pretty much sucked, but then, see the "prejudiced" /"biased" notation above.

Bugsy

[Grotelul]

Good heaven's Grote! I was prepared for the worst with this subject line, but you have presented your perspective quite well on this. It is all in what one hears.

I agree, of course, with Darwin. I really cannot make much of a judgment on Cyclo because, honestly, I only listened to it once or twice and haven't a clue where the CD I was given is.

Because I am prejudiced and biased, I know I did not much like it, save for one or two songs, and not even sure which ones those are.

I do remember thinking the production values pretty much sucked, but then, see the "prejudiced" /"biased" notation above.

Bugsy

You are right, it is all in what one hears. I think everyone can agree that all of these guys create their best when they are creating together. No one can deny Dennis was the director or creative leader in the studio during those years I love...1975-1978. Tommy has said as much himself that Dennis just knew how to produce a song. Unfortunately various decisions/actions by Dennis and Tommy after 1978 brought down what was a great team.

Dennis, Tommy or JY as solo artists never really cut it for me. I like some stuff but none of it is as lasting to me as STYX music. I understand how one could dislike Gowan's vocals because it really does not fit STYX music prior to Cyclorama. I do think he is a wonderful lyricist, writer and keyboard player though. I think More Love For The Money is a really well written song and you add Tommy's guitar and the rest...I like it. Now if you can't stand his voice, you might not be able to listen to it. I am not that big a fan of Glen's voice either but he too knows how to write a song. But for me, nothing beats Dennis, Tommy and JY as a vocal trio or creative team.

Whatever the reasons they are no longer working together, for myself, I can still enjoy the music they created ...live or on record. Like someone said before...we should feel blessed that we can still enjoy all of their talents in one form or another some 35 years after they started this whole thing.

[GrandIllusionist725]

Good heaven's Grote! I was prepared for the worst with this subject line, but you have presented your perspective quite well on this. It is all in what one hears.

I agree, of course, with Darwin. I really cannot make much of a judgment on Cyclo because, honestly, I only listened to it once or twice and haven't a clue where the CD I was given is.

Because I am prejudiced and biased, I know I did not much like it, save for one or two songs, and not even sure which ones those are.

I do remember thinking the production values pretty much sucked, but then, see the "prejudiced" /"biased" notation above.

Bugsy

You are right, it is all in what one hears. I think everyone can agree that all of these guys create their best when they are creating together. No one can deny Dennis was the director or creative leader in the studio during those years I love...1975-1978. Tommy has said as much himself that Dennis just knew how to produce a song. Unfortunately various decisions/actions by Dennis and Tommy after 1978 brought down what was a great team.

Dennis, Tommy or JY as solo artists never really cut it for me. I like some stuff but none of it is as lasting to me as STYX music. I understand how one could dislike Gowan's vocals because it really does not fit STYX music prior to Cyclorama. I do think he is a wonderful lyricist, writer and keyboard player though. I think More Love For The Money is a really well written song and you add Tommy's guitar and the rest...I like it. Now if you can't stand his voice, you might not be able to listen to it. I am not that big a fan of Glen's voice either but he too knows how to write a song. But for me, nothing beats Dennis, Tommy and JY as a vocal trio or creative team.

Whatever the reasons they are no longer working together, for myself, I can still enjoy the music they created ...live or on record. Like someone said before...we should feel blessed that we can still enjoy all of their talents in one form or another some 35 years after they started this whole thing.

Agreed!!

I really enjoy 100 years and Cyclorama is magnificent!! They're both great and i cannot wait for a new Styx album.

[stabbim]

I also enjoy Cyclorama more than 100 Years, mostly for the same reasons Groetful mentioned: production and band vibe. There's also the fact that I just don't much enjoy the direction DDY has gone in over the past several years, although there are some very nice moments on his new CD.

I know it's a point of pride for DDY (and many of his fans) that he function as an island unto himself, but I believe that he was at his best when bouncing off the differing creative influences of his bandmates back in the day, and I think the album could have benefited from outside influences, especially in terms of production. DDY has such great natural strengths, it would be interesting to see what would come of them being interpreted by, say, a Rick Rubin or a Danny Kortchmar. I'm also not crazy about the musicians on the record, particularly the drummer, but I respect the loyalty that DDY has shown in working mostly with the guys he's had on the road for the last little while.

I think Zan pretty much epitomized my reaction when she called the album "inconsistent." There are some tunes here which I feel are a cut above most of the things he's written over the past couple of decades, and there are some which rank with the worst of his worst. Most fall in between (or have bits of both within the same song.) The overall effect is frustrating, because after all the over the top raves it was receiving here, I was honestly hoping to like it a lot more than I do. I can't flat-out dislike or dismiss it as a whole, but I can't be in love with it the way some folks here are, and that's unfortunate.

I also think Cyclorama is a bit patchy. I agree that for the most part it doesn't feature especially strong songwriting contributions from Tommy Shaw (if one goes by the usual M.O. that the lead vocalist on a Styx song was also the chief architect) which is problematic. And it does come across, as did the marketing and promotion to follow, as a rather calculated attempt to cover all bases, be all things to all people, fish for that Santana Moment at all costs ...to the detriment of making a solid, unified artistic statement. I suppose one could argue that "One With Everything" accomplishes that all by itself in a way, and I think had that been the template for the album's creation rather than a deviation from it (it almost didn't make the cut, which still boggles my mind) things would have been better overall.

That said, the production and performances on the album are top notch, and the worst I can say for the majority of the tunes that don't reach me is that they fall flat, or seem like throwaways. Nothing on that record is outright cringeworthy or skippable to me, but I can't say the same of 100 Years.

So..there's that.

[Abitaman]

I am waitng for a month with the cd before I give my point of view-ERIC

[BlackWall]

I have to give it a little more time, I've really only sampled Dennis' new one two or three times, and it usually takes a little longer for something to grow on me; especially something that might be a little less commercial and more complex. I know that "Rubicon" caught my attention from the start, and "Save Me" has potential. I'm kind of disappointed in the love songs, but the guy has to write about what inspires him.. I do think one of the songs, it might be "Dear Suzanne"(I'm honestly not sure), has a really classic sound that is appealing. I need to listen to the faster tracks again, but I remember thinking that they didn't really catch fire.. "Rain" and "Respect Me" sound like songs that could be on any of his earlier solo efforts(save for "Broadway") Again, in another month or two, I will probably be totally praising this CD..

"Cyclorama" is a fine album, but nothing from it has really ever totally moved me. "These Are The Times" and, actually, "Yes, I Can" come close, but I find myself doing a lot of skipping on this album. I actually think I would take(most of) Tommy's material on "BNW" over this one.. I just feel like they played it a little too safe here. It's also funny how people just have totally different taste; I actually will admit to the fact that I think "One With Everything" falls a little flat. The lyrics sound like Tommy "trying" to be classic Styx, and the music sounds like it belongs in some '80s cop film. It's not a terrible song, but I just don't comprehend all of the praise it seems to get.

[bugsymalone]

I might add that on the very first listen of Cyclo for me one thing really stood out. That was the lack of DDY's voice in the harmonies. It was so noticeable it stunned me. I hadn't realized how much his voice added to the mix in the harmonies and filled everything out. It had nothing to do with Gowan. It was simply the subtraction of an essential sound to Styx.

ALL of DDY's music requires multiple listenings in my view. "One Hundred Years" is no exception. There is so much texture there, in my view, that it takes me many, many times to appreciate all he has done to make a song complete. The melody is always the first thing to hit me. That, and how he creates it, and this CD has, IMO, GREAT melodies on every single song.

Lyrically it ranges from really pretty bad to amazing.

MY benchmark of a great album is do I want to listen to every track over and over and often. In the case of "One Hundred Years" this is true, for me. But then, I love listening to Dennis DeYoung sing and everything else that is good on this album is simply a bonus to that voice.

Bugsy

[DarwinNebraska]

MY benchmark of a great album is do I want to listen to every track over and over and often. In the case of "One Hundred Years" this is true, for me.

This is my barometer for a great album too... and I definitely enjoy listening to this album from start to finish.

[styxfanNH]

MY benchmark of a great album is do I want to listen to every track over and over and often. In the case of "One Hundred Years" this is true, for me.

This is my barometer for a great album too... and I definitely enjoy listening to this album from start to finish.

For me the barometer isn't do I listen to every or most tracks when it is released, but if it is in my regular rotation 6 months down the line when it has had a chance to settle into the rotation of songs I listen to on a regular basis. When I buy a cd, I tend to listen to it alot when I first buy it, teying to make decisions on the songs and gettign to know the lyrics. Still way to early for me personally to say whether this is a great album yet or not, it just hasn't had the endurance of time yet. But there are a number of tracks I like a lot right now.

[DarwinNebraska]

MY benchmark of a great album is do I want to listen to every track over and over and often. In the case of "One Hundred Years" this is true, for me.

This is my barometer for a great album too... and I definitely enjoy listening to this album from start to finish.

For me the barometer isn't do I listen to every or most tracks when it is released, but if it is in my regular rotation 6 months down the line when it has had a chance to settle into the rotation of songs I listen to on a regular basis. When I buy a cd, I tend to listen to it alot when I first buy it, teying to make decisions on the songs and gettign to know the lyrics. Still way to early for me personally to say whether this is a great album yet or not, it just hasn't had the endurance of time yet. But there are a number of tracks I like a lot right now.

I agree, but if I don't genuinely like the songs now, I'm not going to like them in 6 months.

It's usually a good indicator if I can play it all the way through without the urge to skip certain tracks and I can do that on this disc. I couldn't even do that on "Edge of the Century" or "Brave New World".

I am very cyclical with my music listening... meaning I'll get in the mood for certain things and listen to a ton and go months without listening to certain artists.

If I'm attending a show by a certain band, I tend to really want to listen to that artist's stuff a lot.

Just got my Genesis tickets for Sept 9th... can't friggen wait!

[Zan]

I agree, but if I don't genuinely like the songs now, I'm not going to like them in 6 months.

It's usually a good indicator if I can play it all the way through without the urge to skip certain tracks and I can do that on this disc. I couldn't even do that on "Edge of the Century" or "Brave New World".

I am very cyclical with my music listening... meaning I'll get in the mood for certain things and listen to a ton and go months without listening to certain artists.

I'm very much the same way about being in the mood for certain music and listening to it often until I tire of it and move on to something else. My daughter pointed out to me just yesterday that we haven't listened to any of Glen Burtnik's solo work in a while - so we put on Welcome to Hollywood, and everything was right in the world again.

I also agree about my gauging a CD's worth based on how many total tracks I can get through without skipping. And if I like a CD off the bat, chances are, I will love it forever. However, I've also grown to like, even love, some CDs in the past, MANY of them being Styx or Styx-related CDs. I rarely fall head over heels with Styx discs right away, it usually takes me several listens to get into the groove of it, so to speak. That's the way it's always been, save a few exceptions like KYAG and One With Everything (and Just Be, haha).

That said, DDY's cd has been growing on me a little more, and I've been making mental notes for when I post my much-awaited review of it Patience, grasshoppers.

[DarwinNebraska]

However, I've also grown to like, even love, some CDs in the past, MANY of them being Styx or Styx-related CDs. I rarely fall head over heels with Styx discs right away, it usually takes me several listens to get into the groove of it, so to speak.

Every now and then I'll revisit something and find I love it. This happened with a Genesis... I always preferred the later stuff but over time I've grown to love the '76-'78 era which I initially wrote off entirely. Now it's my favorite era. The Gabriel stuff has never completely grown on me... I really like a lot of it, but don't love it the same way.

Extreme's "III Sides To Every Story" was the same thing... I wrote that band off because of their ballads... heard the album a few times in passing but it didn't grab me... maybe due to prejudices. Then later on it was recommended again so I went back and listened to it and now I think it's an absolute masterpiece.

While I'll find certain songs on an album stand out on first listen, often times the ones I tend to prefer in the long run are the ones that didn't stand out initially although I didn't hate them. They kind of need to be digested more I guess. There is stuff like that on Dennis' disc.

[stabbim]

ALL of DDY's music requires multiple listenings in my view. "One Hundred Years" is no exception. There is so much texture there, in my view, that it takes me many, many times to appreciate all he has done to make a song complete.

That's not been my experience. There are some artists which I've found to be "growers," either generally or with specific albums/songs, but with Styx or Styx-related music it's most often an immediate like/dislike reaction, which tends to stick. If anything, I've had my estimation of more songs go down over time than the other way 'round.

[StyxCollector]

My official review is going to be posted soon ... like you Zan, I've been taking mental notes.

Cyclorama just doesn't hold up 4 years later. Some songs are really good on that album, but Styx really stopped being a prog rock band after Styx I. "These Are The Times" and "One With Everything" are "classic" sounding songs, but not necessarily classic Styx. They have elements of some old Styx things. I won't quibble that the production of Cyclorama is very good - both the mix and mastering job are fine. When Cyclorama fails, it fails spectacularly.

One Hundred Years from Now is *not* a perfect album. And as NH says, the true mark is about 6 months down the road - are you still listening to it?

[bugsymalone]

Every now and then I'll revisit something and find I love it.

That sure happened to me with Supertramp!

Bugsy

[stabbim]

"Cyclorama" is a fine album, but nothing from it has really ever totally moved me. "These Are The Times" and, actually, "Yes, I Can" come close, but I find myself doing a lot of skipping on this album. I actually think I would take(most of) Tommy's material on "BNW" over this one.. I just feel like they played it a little too safe here.

I'm down with that. BNW gets drubbed mercilessly by most folks, but I believe the TS/JY contributions contain within them the seeds of what could have been a great record, if things had played out differently. Cyclorama has a handful of lovely musical islands floating in a sea of "meh." Neither, unfortunately, are fully satisfying album experiences IMO.

[StyxCollector]

Let's take a slightly different angle: we have the other thread this is the "best of Styx" from 1996 - now. But throw that out for a moment. If you took all Styx and solo output from 1996 on (original, not cover tunes), you could most likely craft ONE strong Styx album.

Having said that, it still wouldn't sell well. So at this point, why shouldn't everyone just record what they want? The fans will buy a certain number of CDs, but beyond that, it's DOA.

[stabbim]

Let's take a slightly different angle: we have the other thread this is the "best of Styx" from 1996 - now. But throw that out for a moment. If you took all Styx and solo output from 1996 on (original, not cover tunes), you could most likely craft ONE strong Styx album.

I think maybe two, if we're looking at everything from GH2 through 100 Years. Definitions of "strong" will vary, obviously.

Having said that, it still wouldn't sell well. So at this point, why shouldn't everyone just record what they want? The fans will buy a certain number of CDs, but beyond that, it's DOA.

Absolutely, and I've wished time and again that Styx/DDY would embrace that mindset and run with it, rather than chasing the Santana Moment &/or continuing to be slaves to the Nostalgia Factory, but it turns out I have little to no say in these matters.

[thebook]

"Cyclorama" is a fine album, but nothing from it has really ever totally moved me. "These Are The Times" and, actually, "Yes, I Can" come close, but I find myself doing a lot of skipping on this album. I actually think I would take(most of) Tommy's material on "BNW" over this one.. I just feel like they played it a little too safe here.

I'm down with that. BNW gets drubbed mercilessly by most folks, but I believe the TS/JY contributions contain within them the seeds of what could have been a great record, if things had played out differently. Cyclorama has a handful of lovely musical islands floating in a sea of "meh." Neither, unfortunately, are fully satisfying album experiences IMO.

Agree. Tommy's songs on BNW are much better than Cyclo. Cyclo is produced better, but the songs aren't as good. Burtnik's stuff on Edge is better too.

[kipthekid]

IMHO, "Fields of the Brave" ranks among the worst songs ever recorded by Styx. The blaring "shout chorus" certainly sounds "Styxish" - but it almost sounds like a parody. The lyrics? Silly and somewhat profane. "More Love for the Money" wasn't bad - had a post-Beatles George Harrison "vibe" to it.

Tommy Shaw, I thought, carried the day on Cyclorama. I know that every song was given "multiple writing" credit to Tommy, JY, LG and GB, but it seemed obvious who wrote what songs. While the claim was that this was truly a "collaborative" effort, it didn't really come across that way.

JY's 'These are the Times' was the closest thing to classic Styx the album offered IMHO. It easily could have been on Grand Illusion - or even Equinox.

GB? Including his old tune "Lennon's Assassin" made almost know sense other than to take another thinly veiled shot at DDY. It's not even one of his better songs. I enjoyed "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" - but, stylistically, it wasn't a Styx song.

"One with Everything" was my favorite song on the album and REALLY show cased LG's keyboard viruosity. Was it a classic Styx song? Kind of - it almost sounded like it came from the Equinox/Crystal Ball era.

I'm still waiting for my "100 Years From Now" to arrive, so I can't compare that with Cyclorama. I thought Cyclorama was better, overall, than BNW - HOWEVER - IMHO, Dennis' "Goodbye to Roseland" and "Great Expectations" were the best songs on BNW and as good as the best that Cyclorama had to offer. I thought was, overall, better than EOTC, but it didn't contain anything as strong as "Show Me the Way" or "All in a Day's Work." It pales in comparison with Paradise Theater.

Finally, I'm not a huge fan, as a whole, of Dennis' solo work. I actually prefer Desert Moon - I liked it because it was a "small" record - a nice solo follow-up to the brash, over-produced techno-drivel of Kilroy Was Here. Some songs - "Dear Darling" were too syrupy or "ick-filled", but, for the most part, it worked very well for me. "Back to the World" had one awesome, very Styx worthy song - "Black Wall" - a couple of ok tunes - This Is The Time and Southbound Ryan - and alot of banal filler. Outside of Harry's Hands and MAYBE "Beneath the Moon," I didn't like Boomchild at all. It sounded like he ran out of creative steam. In essence, I've felt that, since Desert Moon, DDY's solo work has become too self-indulgent. I'm hoping that 100 Years has less of that than his previous efforts.

[DarwinNebraska]

Dennis' "Goodbye to Roseland" and "Great Expectations" were the best songs on BNW and as good as the best that Cyclorama had to offer.

Absolutely. I prefered all of Dennis' material on BNW.

It's too bad egos got in the way, because if Dennis had been able and willing to steer the ship on BNW we might have gotten a darn good album out of it.

[BlackWall]

I have to give kudos to Dennis. What I said would probably happen has happened.. "100 Years From Now" is a hell of an album. I just did a 22 hour drive to and from Myrtle Beach, and I actually managed to listen to both "Cyclorama" and "100 Years From Now"(among many other things, lol) back to back. One thing working in favor of my appreciation for Dennis' new CD is that I can relate to many of the songs on somewhat of a personal level right now, and that also is usually a large factor in whether I will enjoy a song or not. I'm not saying that the fact that I can relate to something makes it good, and it doesn't make me blind to the fact that there are a couple of weaker tracks on the album, but when he's on, he's on, and for starters, "Crossing The Rubicon" might just be his best, ever.

"Forgiveness" is another great track.. I haven't see that one mentioned so much, but it really has a strong, personal message.

"I Don't Believe In Anything".. Catchy, honest.. I really appreciate his point of view here. I love when this guy is cynical; he's so damn good at it, lol.

"This Time Next Year" has grown on me as well. Certain parts of it remind me of something else.. possibly "High Time"; can anyone else see this?

"Dear Suzanne" has some great vocal harmonies and an appealing melody.

"I Believe In You" loses me with some of the lyrics, but it has one heck of an upbeat, catchy chorus.

"Save Me" has potential, but the chorus is a little too sugary for me.



Anyway, these are the highlights for me, and I will say that I find "100 Years From Now" to be more interesting than "Cyclorama", but I'm not going to say at this point that it's a better album. Nothing from "Cyclo" has ever moved me as much as "Crossing The Rubicon", I can say that much.

BTW, add me to the list that can't get into "Fields Of The Brave".

[kipthekid]

I only recently received the CD and have listened through it 1.5 times...but my general observations:

1. IMHO (emphasis added), this is the most "Styxified" recording ANYONE has done since Paradise Theatre. It's not as "Styx" as that one...and certainly not as "Styx" as earlier efforts, but, from top to bottom, it has Styx stamped all over it - from the phrasing, the progressions, the production (remember, Dennis produced Styx' albums). "100 Years From Now" is the "f-the critics, big bombastic Styx song" that I WISH he would have had on "Edge" or BNW. And it goes on from there. On Cyclorama, only "Do Things My Way" and JY's contributions - because he never changes regardless of the band he's in - are "Styx" sounding tunes. I happen to love Tommy's work post 1996, but he's grown away from the types of songs he wrote in 1976-1978. With that said,

2. Dennis adds some "solo Dennis" flashes in most of the tunes. "Rain's" shout chorus sort of takes the song from "early Styx" to "Boomchild" for me. "Rubicon" however, is updated "old Styx Dennis." Breath Again is an odd little song. Not his typical syruppy balad....but just "odd" - for me anyway. "Save Me?" Let me just say...

3. THIS is the song that SHOULD have been a Styx single...a single that would have put the band back in the top 40 and back into the public eye on a broader level. Love it or hate it, it's got the kind of EXTREMELY catchy melody that marked Dennis' hits with Styx. In essence, it's a sequel to "Show Me the Way" with a thinly veiled nod to Kilroy Was Here (the way he inunciates "Control" early in the song). The shame of it is that this will probably get NO airplay in the states.

4. Turn Off CNN? A 21st Century ode to "Rockin' the Paradise."

5. Some songs - "This Time Next Year" - start out like Desert Moon era Dennis - with a nod to the "Really Bow, Bow" portion of "High Time." Dennis' gift for unusual melody saves this tune IMHO. I am one of "those" that didn't like "Dont Wait for Heroes" and thought of that song when I first listed to "This Time..."

6. CLEARLY, Dennis was writing with his Styx days in mind while still wanting to "explore" things musically. In that sense, this is by far his most "experimental" solo work since "Desert Moon." Critics probably won't like this - but that's ok - he obviously wasn't writing for them. Finally,

I found myself feeling "sad" after listening through this. Why? Well, I thought Dennis was "sad." Where Tommy et al were clearly angry when they put Cyclorama together, Dennis sounds a bit down. His own mortality and the fleeting nature of fame coupled with the fact that many of the songs he penned for this CD would have been welcomed by his former bandmates in another life seem to be influence many of the songs here. I'm also sad because this work is worthy of a CHANCE to be heard in the states and, outside from a lucky break (i.e. being a guest on American Idol), it probably won't happen.

[stabbim]

"Save Me?" Let me just say...

3. THIS is the song that SHOULD have been a Styx single...a single that would have put the band back in the top 40 and back into the public eye on a broader level. Love it or hate it, it's got the kind of EXTREMELY catchy melody that marked Dennis' hits with Styx.

I like this song a lot, and I'm surprised to see that it hasn't received many accolades from the folks here. It's nothing ambitious, but has a great melody and manages to pull off a breezy pop feel even with the downbeat subject matter. Very well-crafted tune, IMO. One of my Top 3 on the record.

I found myself feeling "sad" after listening through this. Why? Well, I thought Dennis was "sad." Where Tommy et al were clearly angry when they put Cyclorama together, Dennis sounds a bit down.

Cyclorama has it's less-than-happy moments, but I don't hear a lot of "anger," specifically. Even KTTTYL, probably the darkest song on the album, comes off as more of a lament than a confrontation.

[kipthekid]

it's obviously a matter of opinion, but the decision to include "Killing" was one, IMHO, made of anger - lament to be sure, but anger nonetheless. Bourgeois Pig and Do Things My Way reflect anger, IMHO, at Dennis. There were no "Crossing the Rubicon" moments on Cyclorama - no "maybe we could have done things differently" introspection.

Ironically, the only TRULY introspective tune on Cyclorama was JY's "These Are The Times." It would have fit in VERY well with "Save Me" , Rain and Rubicon.

[stabbim]

it's obviously a matter of opinion, but the decision to include "Killing" was one, IMHO, made of anger - lament to be sure, but anger nonetheless. Bourgeois Pig and Do Things My Way reflect anger, IMHO, at Dennis.

I'm not sold on the idea that either of those tunes are directed at DDY specifically, but in any case I feel that they are too playful to be truly "angry" songs, and DTMW has a certain compassion about it as well. There's nothing on this album that's a musical "fuck you" on the order of Lennon's "How Do You Sleep," TFF's "Fish Out Of Water," Queen's "Death On Two Legs," etc ...though, as I said, KTTTYL comes closest. All interpretation, of course.

[bugsymalone]

I'm also sad because this work is worthy of a CHANCE to be heard in the states and, outside from a lucky break (i.e. being a guest on American Idol), it probably won't happen.

I feel this may be his fate stateside unless, as you say, and others have said as well, he can get some outlet to promote the album. I wonder if the label will give him the support here that he has gotten in Canada.

I liked your review, ktk, but would say that, amid the examinations of his life, he has some hopeful, happy stuff, too. I see the album as a sort of graph of his life post-Styx. Ups, downs, and WAY downs, but reasons to look at some parts of his life with happiness.

Dennis' best work has always been when he looks at his life at that point in time, and looks at the larger world around him, and then writes songs about it.



Bugsy