Dennis w/ Orchestra vs. STYX w/ Orchestra

[kansas666]

Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra vs. One With Everything.

This one is going to be a tough call for me. I am listening to both right now.

I will cast my vote when I am finished.

Let's be fair and just compare the CD's. Too many variables come into play when you try to compare the STYX DVD or Dennis' Soundstage performance which is similar but heavily edited.

[Everett]

Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra vs. One With Everything.

This one is going to be a tough call for me. I am listening to both right now.

I will cast my vote when I am finished.

Let's be fair and just compare the CD's. Too many variables come into play when you try to compare the STYX DVD or Dennis' Soundstage performance which is similar but heavily edited.

Why isn't their a both option?

[stmonkeys]

because on THIS board, you have to be a fan of either one or the other. you can't have it both ways.

[styxfansite]

because on THIS board, you have to be a fan of either one or the other. you can't have it both ways.

Just think if there was a button on the election machines to vote for both MCcain and Obabma. hmmmmm

[froy]

Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra vs. One With Everything.

This one is going to be a tough call for me. I am listening to both right now.

I will cast my vote when I am finished.

Let's be fair and just compare the CD's. Too many variables come into play when you try to compare the STYX DVD or Dennis' Soundstage performance which is similar but heavily edited.

Why isn't their a both option?

The question is
Which is better
How can both be better than each other?

[bugsymalone]

DeYoung sort of owns this format. Even compared to others (besides Current Styx) who have done orchestra shows. When you have a voice that can blow the doors off a venue, even with a large orchestra and a band behind you, it pretty much becomes no contest.

I think there have been some excellent rock band or rock singer (hell, even SINGER) + orchestra shows, but DDY ranks at the top, or right at the top, of artists who do this better than anyone.

Bugsy

[Everett]

because on THIS board, you have to be a fan of either one or the other. you can't have it both ways.

Just think if there was a button on the election machines to vote for both MCcain and Obabma. hmmmmm

Or how about neither?

[kansas666]

This was a really tough call for me.

Denny has the VOICE.

He makes better (if cheesier) use of the orchestra.

I've got to give him a point for playing Castle Walls.

But he really loses me when he does his Hunchback material. This CD is billed as The Music of Styx. Come on.

STYX on the other hand has the BAND.

They have a lot more energy onstage.

The medley alone is worth the price of the CD. (granted, the orchestra doesn't play on it)

But they dropped Lady and Come Sail Away from their set - a major misstep.

I can't believe I am saying this. But I have to give the nod to Denny.

On the other hand. Just leave both of them in the closet and put on Return to Paradise. This way you get the best of both worlds and can forget the cheesy and misused orchestras.

[froy]

Kansas said

On the other hand. Just leave both of them in the closet and put on Return to Paradise. This way you get the best of both worlds and can forget the cheesy and misused orchestras.

[/quote]

Bra freekin vo man

[stmonkeys]

This was a really tough call for me.

Denny has the VOICE.

He makes better (if cheesier) use of the orchestra.

I've got to give him a point for playing Castle Walls.

But he really loses me when he does his Hunchback material. This CD is billed as The Music of Styx. Come on.

STYX on the other hand has the BAND.

They have a lot more energy onstage.

The medley alone is worth the price of the CD. (granted, the orchestra doesn't play on it)

But they dropped Lady and Come Sail Away from their set - a major misstep.

I can't believe I am saying this. But I have to give the nod to Denny.

On the other hand. Just leave both of them in the closet and put on Return to Paradise. This way you get the best of both worlds and can forget the cheesy and misused orchestras.

for the record, they didn't "drop" lady and CSA. I'm almost positive CSA was performed that night. But ever since the settlement, the band isn't allowed to release any songs on record/cd/dvd etc that are credited only to DDY (but we all know that JY and Tommy had a lot to do w CSA, but that's besides the point) so the "misstep" is being in compliance with the requirements of the lawsuit. I'd LOVE to have heard CSA w the kids. perhaps a bootleg is floating around out there.

[bugsymalone]

This was a really tough call for me.

Denny has the VOICE.

He makes better (if cheesier) use of the orchestra.

I've got to give him a point for playing Castle Walls.

But he really loses me when he does his Hunchback material. This CD is billed as The Music of Styx. Come on.

STYX on the other hand has the BAND.

They have a lot more energy onstage.

The medley alone is worth the price of the CD. (granted, the orchestra doesn't play on it)

But they dropped Lady and Come Sail Away from their set - a major misstep.

I can't believe I am saying this. But I have to give the nod to Denny.

On the other hand. Just leave both of them in the closet and put on Return to Paradise. This way you get the best of both worlds and can forget the cheesy and misused orchestras.

Why kansas! We agree! RTP is amazing!

(As to Current Styx leaving off Lady and CSA, I say, thank goodness. Anything featuring Gowan that is not included is not a misstep in my book and is all right by me. So I guess we don't completely agree. )


Bugsy

[Rockwriter]

Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra vs. One With Everything.

This one is going to be a tough call for me. I am listening to both right now.

I will cast my vote when I am finished.

Let's be fair and just compare the CD's. Too many variables come into play when you try to compare the STYX DVD or Dennis' Soundstage performance which is similar but heavily edited.

I like them each for different reasons. I think Dennis' vocal performances are awfully hard to top, and he also made some adventurous choices in the song selection I might not have expected, like "Castle Walls" and "Black Wall". And honestly, the portion of the catalog that he performs tends to lend itself more naturally to the format; i.e., "The Grand Illusion" or "Castle Walls" are both more obvious choices for that kind of treatment than, say, "Miss America" or "Renegade". So in that way I like his take on it better. But Styx surely plays with a great deal of instrumental prowess and enthusiasm, and the Medley is amazingly well-executed even though I really don't much care for medleys as a rule.

For me there are song on each that don't make sense to try to add strings to, but that's the way it goes in that setting. Overall I have probably listened to the Dennis CD more, and if we're only comparing CDs and not the visual aspect of it, I'd go for Music of Styx hands down as a purely audio experience. The DVD of OWE is great, but the mixes and sonic quality of the CD alone left a lot to be desired, and I don't know that the whole point of the experience translates without being able to see the excitement of the kids. Oh, and Zan too, LOL. I don't listen to the CD much at all, or ever for that matter. But I do watch the DVD regularly.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

[BlackWall]

Wow, I have to say there is absolutely no comparison on this one.. Dennis takes it. Dennis has always been the voice of the theatrical side of Styx, and MOST of his songs fit perfectly with this format. I saw him once in 2002(half of the show got rained out), and again in 2004; both shows blew me away, even with half of the first being rained out. I agree that Styx is obviously a better band than the guys Dennis has supporting him(no offense to anyone who maybe a big fan), but the strings and Dennis' vocals more than make up for the somewhat thin sound of his backing band. His piano player is really something, too(although I wish he would play more of his own keys). I just can't say enough good things about Dennis and the orchestra shows.. I think he really made a good move in deciding to go with the format when he began making his comeback.

As far as Styx goes, I just think "OWE" was kind of a flop.. For one thing, I don't think they put the orchestra up far enough in the mix, and the truth of the matter is, it's always been Dennis' songs that had the theatrical flair, so the songs they have left to do once they've eliminated most of DDY's contributions, they just don't really work.

[kansas666]

for the record, they didn't "drop" lady and CSA. I'm almost positive CSA was performed that night. But ever since the settlement, the band isn't allowed to release any songs on record/cd/dvd etc that are credited only to DDY (but we all know that JY and Tommy had a lot to do w CSA, but that's besides the point) so the "misstep" is being in compliance with the requirements of the lawsuit. I'd LOVE to have heard CSA w the kids. perhaps a bootleg is floating around out there.

Then why was CSA included on Styxworld Live 2001?

[stmonkeys]

for the record, they didn't "drop" lady and CSA. I'm almost positive CSA was performed that night. But ever since the settlement, the band isn't allowed to release any songs on record/cd/dvd etc that are credited only to DDY (but we all know that JY and Tommy had a lot to do w CSA, but that's besides the point) so the "misstep" is being in compliance with the requirements of the lawsuit. I'd LOVE to have heard CSA w the kids. perhaps a bootleg is floating around out there.

Then why was CSA included on Styxworld Live 2001?

Pretty sure that was released prior to the settlement.

sterling? was that correct?

for example- I know that the band had to re-work the "cyclo-medley" for the CYO show. The musical snippets of "castle walls " and " pieces of 8" were taken out. (possibly other songs as well- i have to go back and listen to the copies of the cyclo-medley that i have from various sources)

[Rockwriter]

for the record, they didn't "drop" lady and CSA. I'm almost positive CSA was performed that night. But ever since the settlement, the band isn't allowed to release any songs on record/cd/dvd etc that are credited only to DDY (but we all know that JY and Tommy had a lot to do w CSA, but that's besides the point) so the "misstep" is being in compliance with the requirements of the lawsuit. I'd LOVE to have heard CSA w the kids. perhaps a bootleg is floating around out there.

Then why was CSA included on Styxworld Live 2001?

Pretty sure that was released prior to the settlement.

sterling? was that correct?

for example- I know that the band had to re-work the "cyclo-medley" for the CYO show. The musical snippets of "castle walls " and " pieces of 8" were taken out. (possibly other songs as well- i have to go back and listen to the copies of the cyclo-medley that i have from various sources)

I believe that is correct. Part of the settlement includes a clause wherein Gowan and Styx can no longer be taped for release performing Dennis' songs. They can perform them live, but the results cannot be released as part of any audio/video recording. In fact the guys shooting footage at the Nashville Ryman show a few years ago weren't even filming those songs. They only filmed the other songs. So any future live albums (which I kinda hope there won't be any for a long while) won't have those songs. Apparently they can still use them in commercials, though, which doesn't make much sense to me. If it were me I would have stipulated that my songs and vocal likeness could no longer be used to promote a band that I am no longer in. I have often wondered did Dennis just not ask for that, was it denied, or are local promoters simply making commercials in blatant disregard to that? Because the last two times Styx has played Nashville, the radio commercials featured Dennis singing his songs from the band - songs that in fact were not even played at the concerts. Bizarre.

I hope all is well.


Sterling