Looks Like High Enough is back

[brywool]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

[Toph]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

[Monker]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

It doesn't make any difference what they do, you would complain. if they performed DDY songs, you would complain about Gowan singing them. When they don't, you whine about 'hits'.

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

[StyxCollector]

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

They already do.

[Toph]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

It doesn't make any difference what they do, you would complain. if they performed DDY songs, you would complain about Gowan singing them. When they don't, you whine about 'hits'.

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

Monker..given the fact that they are giving away tickets for this tour...not exactly the argument you want to make. .Been kicked off the Journey board lately?

[Toph]

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

They already do.

Maybe if they didn't they'd not have to give away tickets to their events...

[brywool]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

BIG DEAL. WHY is this such a big deal to you dude? Seriously? WHO CARES? Dennis makes money, Styx makes money, Dennis has guys doing Shaw tunes, now... so what? It's been years now, it ain't gonna change, why spend your life picking fights with people on a message board and whining about the same thing every day?

[brywool]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

It doesn't make any difference what they do, you would complain. if they performed DDY songs, you would complain about Gowan singing them. When they don't, you whine about 'hits'.

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

Monker..given the fact that they are giving away tickets for this tour...not exactly the argument you want to make. .Been kicked off the Journey board lately?

MANY bands give away free tickets to their shows. I bet even... GASP! Dennis has done this.

[hurricane #1]

Styx haven't been worth apricot one since John Curulewski left.

[Boomchild]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts. Now it seems that the current members (TS, JY) would like to forget who is responsible for that by removing any mention of Dennis DeYoung in Styx's history. Which is simply petty and childish. It's understandable that they have not seen eye to eye with the man but the least they could do is give him credit were credit is due. Also, your original post implies that the DeYoung penned material has no significant value to Styx and therefore does need to be in their set lists. I am pointing out that this is not the case, if it was I'm sure they would delete them from their set lists in a heart beat. But they won't and can't since that is what the average fan knows from the band.

[Boomchild]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

BIG DEAL. WHY is this such a big deal to you dude? Seriously? WHO CARES? Dennis makes money, Styx makes money, Dennis has guys doing Shaw tunes, now... so what? It's been years now, it ain't gonna change, why spend your life picking fights with people on a message board and whining about the same thing every day?

Not a BIG Deal? When was the last time you had that many songs chart the Top Ten on Billboard? I'm sure that there are millions of artists out there that would disagree with you. If it is not, I and millions of artists would like to know what secret you have that makes it not a BIG DEAL. It is what launches life long careers for thousands of artists and in many cases also means large amounts of money earned. If it was not for DDY being in Styx the band more then likely would have not hit the big time. Plain and simple the evidence proves that. I do not agree that folks are picking fights but speaking their mind on a topic that interests them. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Just like in a face to face conversation it takes two to tango. So if you don't agree with someones point of view on something you can always refrain from responding. It's that simple.

[Boomchild]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

It doesn't make any difference what they do, you would complain. if they performed DDY songs, you would complain about Gowan singing them. When they don't, you whine about 'hits'.

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

Monker..given the fact that they are giving away tickets for this tour...not exactly the argument you want to make. .Been kicked off the Journey board lately?

MANY bands give away free tickets to their shows. I bet even... GASP! Dennis has done this.

I agree. It's not because DDY is no longer in Styx. It's part of the way the business is for many artists that are in the same stage of their careers as Styx and DDY are.

[styxfanNH]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

It doesn't make any difference what they do, you would complain. If they performed DDY songs, you would complain about Gowan singing them. When they don't, you whine about 'hits'.

Styx should ignore people like you and froy who will never be happy with anything they do. They should just do what they want...if the CROWD likes it, then they are doing fine. The whiners complaining will never buy a ticket anyway.

Monker..given the fact that they are giving away tickets for this tour...not exactly the argument you want to make. .Been kicked off the Journey board lately?

MANY bands give away free tickets to their shows. I bet even... GASP! Dennis has done this.

I agree. It's not because DDY is no longer in Styx. It's part of the way the business is for many artists that are in the same stage of their careers as Styx and DDY are.

Free or reduced tickets is no big deal. Dennis definitely does it. Styx does it. The industry does it. Dennis did it at the Rhode Island show with buy one get one free tickets. Live Nation has done it for years when they offer $10 lawn seats. It's not a ploy that is done by the band, it is the promoter that makes the decision.

Bottom line they want fanny in the seats. Because you can sell something to someone that is there, not people that are not. Whether that be parking fees, food, t-shirts, or general sales to that area of the town or city.

I would believe that there is some coordination between the band and the promoter as to what counts towards ticket count and payment, but that would llikely be part of the contract.

Bottom line is if you don't like the band, you won't go whether the tickets are free or not. You usually must like the act in some way in order to go and people like the band.

[Monker]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

[Saint John]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

lol .. leave it to you to cite the exception and not the rule. What about Elvis, The Beatles, Garth Brooks, Madonna, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Michael Jackson?!?! Nope, no Billboard Top 10 hits there!

[brywool]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

BIG DEAL. WHY is this such a big deal to you dude? Seriously? WHO CARES? Dennis makes money, Styx makes money, Dennis has guys doing Shaw tunes, now... so what? It's been years now, it ain't gonna change, why spend your life picking fights with people on a message board and whining about the same thing every day?

Not a BIG Deal? When was the last time you had that many songs chart the Top Ten on Billboard? I'm sure that there are millions of artists out there that would disagree with you. If it is not, I and millions of artists would like to know what secret you have that makes it not a BIG DEAL. It is what launches life long careers for thousands of artists and in many cases also means large amounts of money earned. If it was not for DDY being in Styx the band more then likely would have not hit the big time. Plain and simple the evidence proves that. I do not agree that folks are picking fights but speaking their mind on a topic that interests them. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Just like in a face to face conversation it takes two to tango. So if you don't agree with someones point of view on something you can always refrain from responding. It's that simple.

True, but the guy's not in the band any longer. The audience doesn't seem to mind as much as a few diehards. It's not going to change, so why freak out over it EVERY SINGLE DAY ????
I guess if you want to get yerself all worked up about every day, that's your thing... oh well.

[Boomchild]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

It may not apply for every band out there and I don't think I said that. But for Styx it did. It's the contributions of DDY that got the air play regardless of the chart listings.

[Boomchild]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

BIG DEAL. WHY is this such a big deal to you dude? Seriously? WHO CARES? Dennis makes money, Styx makes money, Dennis has guys doing Shaw tunes, now... so what? It's been years now, it ain't gonna change, why spend your life picking fights with people on a message board and whining about the same thing every day?

Not a BIG Deal? When was the last time you had that many songs chart the Top Ten on Billboard? I'm sure that there are millions of artists out there that would disagree with you. If it is not, I and millions of artists would like to know what secret you have that makes it not a BIG DEAL. It is what launches life long careers for thousands of artists and in many cases also means large amounts of money earned. If it was not for DDY being in Styx the band more then likely would have not hit the big time. Plain and simple the evidence proves that. I do not agree that folks are picking fights but speaking their mind on a topic that interests them. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Just like in a face to face conversation it takes two to tango. So if you don't agree with someones point of view on something you can always refrain from responding. It's that simple.

True, but the guy's not in the band any longer. The audience doesn't seem to mind as much as a few diehards. It's not going to change, so why freak out over it EVERY SINGLE DAY ????
I guess if you want to get yerself all worked up about every day, that's your thing... oh well.

I don't get worked up every day or any day for that matter. I'm just adding my .02 to the conversation here. I could care less what "the audience" thinks because that is not my point. My point is that the current members of Styx are so childish and petty that they seem to want to erase from their history that DeYoung was there and the significant impact that he had on the band's success. They are all full of themselves to an extent including DDY. The difference is that DDY has never tried to hide the efforts of his former band mates. Additionally, I don't believe he ever publicly put down any of his former band mates. Sadly, it's something that can't be said for them.

[Monker]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

It may not apply for every band out there and I don't think I said that. But for Styx it did. It's the contributions of DDY that got the air play regardless of the chart listings.

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

[masque]

i suppose i i had written or co-writtten a song that went to #3 on the charts in it's day I would probably want to play it live as well......just like DDY wants to play Babe at Dennis shows.

but i personally would prefer to hear great white hope or shooz instead of a DY song. but i understand why it's being done.

[Toph]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

It may not apply for every band out there and I don't think I said that. But for Styx it did. It's the contributions of DDY that got the air play regardless of the chart listings.

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

Its all about the stations you listen too Moker.. again, Iknowhow you like to apply your own specific listening/opinion and act like it is God's word, but let's get realistic here. If you listen to AC stations, especially ones that go back to the 80s over the weekends, you will here Babe, best of Times, DLIE, SMTW, etc. a lot on those stations. You'll also hear those songs on XM 80s as well. Believe t or not, Styx gets played on more stations than your 1 classic rock station that you listen to in your little market.

[brywool]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

BIG DEAL. WHY is this such a big deal to you dude? Seriously? WHO CARES? Dennis makes money, Styx makes money, Dennis has guys doing Shaw tunes, now... so what? It's been years now, it ain't gonna change, why spend your life picking fights with people on a message board and whining about the same thing every day?

Not a BIG Deal? When was the last time you had that many songs chart the Top Ten on Billboard? I'm sure that there are millions of artists out there that would disagree with you. If it is not, I and millions of artists would like to know what secret you have that makes it not a BIG DEAL. It is what launches life long careers for thousands of artists and in many cases also means large amounts of money earned. If it was not for DDY being in Styx the band more then likely would have not hit the big time. Plain and simple the evidence proves that. I do not agree that folks are picking fights but speaking their mind on a topic that interests them. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Just like in a face to face conversation it takes two to tango. So if you don't agree with someones point of view on something you can always refrain from responding. It's that simple.

True, but the guy's not in the band any longer. The audience doesn't seem to mind as much as a few diehards. It's not going to change, so why freak out over it EVERY SINGLE DAY ????
I guess if you want to get yerself all worked up about every day, that's your thing... oh well.

I don't get worked up every day or any day for that matter. I'm just adding my .02 to the conversation here. I could care less what "the audience" thinks because that is not my point. My point is that the current members of Styx are so childish and petty that they seem to want to erase from their history that DeYoung was there and the significant impact that he had on the band's success. They are all full of themselves to an extent including DDY. The difference is that DDY has never tried to hide the efforts of his former band mates. Additionally, I don't believe he ever publicly put down any of his former band mates. Sadly, it's something that can't be said for them.

If this was as you say, they'd be playing NO DeYoung tunes live, right? They are playing them, just without Dennis. As far as what I hear on the Radio, I hear Renegade and BCM all the time on the local Jack station and the other classic rock station. I also hear Come Sail Away and Lady. I do not hear (THANK GOD) Mr. Roboto. Nobody is saying DeYoung didn't create these tunes. Nobody is taking anything away from him. The band has chosen to move on without him. If Dennis had been easier to work with, maybe it wouldn't have turned out as it did. If the band had been willing to compromise (even more than they already did) maybe it would've worked out differently. The way I see it, the band let Dennis do pretty much what he wanted for a very long time, while what they wanted took a back seat. The other guys grew tired of it. It happens.

[Monker]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

It may not apply for every band out there and I don't think I said that. But for Styx it did. It's the contributions of DDY that got the air play regardless of the chart listings.

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

Its all about the stations you listen too Moker.. again, Iknowhow you like to apply your own specific listening/opinion and act like it is God's word, but let's get realistic here. If you listen to AC stations, especially ones that go back to the 80s over the weekends, you will here Babe, best of Times, DLIE, SMTW, etc. a lot on those stations. You'll also hear those songs on XM 80s as well. Believe t or not, Styx gets played on more stations than your 1 classic rock station that you listen to in your little market.

So what? That has nothing to do with my point that even if a song wasn't a hit, it doesn't mean that it is not played on radio, or known by the people who go to the concerts. The truth is that those 'other' songs are just as familiar, or even MORE familiar, to the people going to Styx concerts. What people need to 'get real' about is simply stating a list of 'hits' as being what Styx should perform in concert.

[Abitaman]

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

Have to agree, just because something is a hit, does not mean it will be a classic song years from now.
I myself hear Shaw's songs just as much as I hear DDY's on the radio, maybe more so. There is a greater chance of hearing a classic rock song than a classic ballad.

[brywool]

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

Have to agree, just because something is a hit, does not mean it will be a classic song years from now.
I myself hear Shaw's songs just as much as I hear DDY's on the radio, maybe more so. There is a greater chance of hearing a classic rock song than a classic ballad.

"Hit" doesn't = "good" (necessarily). There are many "hit" songs that blow big.... (Mr. Roboto being one of them!)

[Rockwriter]

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

Have to agree, just because something is a hit, does not mean it will be a classic song years from now.
I myself hear Shaw's songs just as much as I hear DDY's on the radio, maybe more so. There is a greater chance of hearing a classic rock song than a classic ballad.

That really depends on what you listen to. I hear Dennis' ballads all the time in this market on the AC station (Mix 92.9), especially "Babe." And I hear "Mr. Roboto" on Jack FM quite frequently. The local classic rock station here (105.9 The Rock) plays CSA, BCM and "Renegade" mostly, with a smattering of others.

What one person considers "classic", someone else considers crap. I know plenty of people who think ALL Styx music is trash. It's just one person's taste vs. another and there is no right or wrong, only opinion. The value of ALL art is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder anyway. What was great about Styx in its day is that it had a wide cross-section of material to offer, and that's part of why the band was so successful. It was a multi-format success.

That said, why do you think almost all of the TV and movie placements for Styx are Dennis songs? Because ad campaigns look for the widest commercial impact, that's why. Most of the songs the average person can hum from this band are his songs. Doesn't make them better, doesn't make them worse, but to argue anything other than that he was by far the most successful writer within the context of Styx is unsupported by historical fact. Look up the numbers for the records that had hit singles, and then look up the numbers for the albums that did not have hit singles, and you'll see what I mean. Styx was a band whose success was driven by hit singles, even if it was an album rock band.

By the way, everyone DOES realize that A&M chose the singles in the classic era, not Dennis, right? They chose them after test marketing them, pure and simple. They did that because they wanted to sell records. Styx went along because THEY wanted to sell records. They could have voted any of it down any time they wanted to, and in fact sometimes they did, for example "First Time." The notion that they were "made" to do anything against their will is pure revisionism. It is impossible for one person to "dictate" in a five-man vote. Perhaps Dennis had a stronger personality and tended to dominate the group because of it, but then, it's that way in every band. And I've said it before, but it bears repeating: the most successful and/or visible guy in every band is the odd man out, every single time. Nothing unusual about that at all. Change the names, but the story is the same.


Sterling

[LtVanish]

I actually hear Crystal Ball and Fooling Yourself all the time in the Chicago radio market. 97.1 plays them a lot. I'm not much of a radio fan these days, I only know this because the guys at work all enjoy listening to 97.1 "The Drive"

[Boomchild]

Exactly, Styx songs that DDY was responsible for. In fact, he was responsible for the majority of the material that got airplay and made it into the Billboard Top 10 charts. That is what gets people to buy your albums and come to your concerts.

No it's not. As I have said, Led Zeppelin never had a 'hit' but I doubt they had much of a problem selling tickets or albums.

It may not apply for every band out there and I don't think I said that. But for Styx it did. It's the contributions of DDY that got the air play regardless of the chart listings.

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

My points were in the context of the past not recently or currently. When Styx was on Top 40 radio etc. not what is deemed "Classic Rock" stations now.

[Boomchild]

That was great....


for a bar band.

Stick with the non-DeYoung Styx and the current lineup is fine.

Right, stay away from those top 10 hits that DeYoung contributed to the band. That's a smart business move, sure to please the average fan coming out to see you. I'm willing to bet that you will never see them drop DDY penned songs from their set list. Gee, I wonder why?

Because they were hits for STYX and they are STYX.

And the 7 biggest hits that they ever had were written and sung by the guy who is no longer there.

BIG DEAL. WHY is this such a big deal to you dude? Seriously? WHO CARES? Dennis makes money, Styx makes money, Dennis has guys doing Shaw tunes, now... so what? It's been years now, it ain't gonna change, why spend your life picking fights with people on a message board and whining about the same thing every day?

Not a BIG Deal? When was the last time you had that many songs chart the Top Ten on Billboard? I'm sure that there are millions of artists out there that would disagree with you. If it is not, I and millions of artists would like to know what secret you have that makes it not a BIG DEAL. It is what launches life long careers for thousands of artists and in many cases also means large amounts of money earned. If it was not for DDY being in Styx the band more then likely would have not hit the big time. Plain and simple the evidence proves that. I do not agree that folks are picking fights but speaking their mind on a topic that interests them. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Just like in a face to face conversation it takes two to tango. So if you don't agree with someones point of view on something you can always refrain from responding. It's that simple.

True, but the guy's not in the band any longer. The audience doesn't seem to mind as much as a few diehards. It's not going to change, so why freak out over it EVERY SINGLE DAY ????
I guess if you want to get yerself all worked up about every day, that's your thing... oh well.

I don't get worked up every day or any day for that matter. I'm just adding my .02 to the conversation here. I could care less what "the audience" thinks because that is not my point. My point is that the current members of Styx are so childish and petty that they seem to want to erase from their history that DeYoung was there and the significant impact that he had on the band's success. They are all full of themselves to an extent including DDY. The difference is that DDY has never tried to hide the efforts of his former band mates. Additionally, I don't believe he ever publicly put down any of his former band mates. Sadly, it's something that can't be said for them.

If this was as you say, they'd be playing NO DeYoung tunes live, right? They are playing them, just without Dennis. As far as what I hear on the Radio, I hear Renegade and BCM all the time on the local Jack station and the other classic rock station. I also hear Come Sail Away and Lady. I do not hear (THANK GOD) Mr. Roboto. Nobody is saying DeYoung didn't create these tunes. Nobody is taking anything away from him. The band has chosen to move on without him. If Dennis had been easier to work with, maybe it wouldn't have turned out as it did. If the band had been willing to compromise (even more than they already did) maybe it would've worked out differently. The way I see it, the band let Dennis do pretty much what he wanted for a very long time, while what they wanted took a back seat. The other guys grew tired of it. It happens.

I am saying that they are still playing songs that DDY was responsible for because of the impact those songs had on Styx's success while trying to erase DDY from Styx's history. For example, at one point they rewrote the band history section on Styxworld to remove any mention of Dennis DeYoung being in the band. He is a founding member for God's Sake, that contributed a ton of talent to the band that made them successful. That is taking something away from him. What Styx material that is currently being played on the radio is not part of my points here. As far as the other members taking a back seat to DDY, if they chose to do that it was their decision to do so. They shouldn't bitch about it after the fact since they all had equal voting rights to turn down things that they felt should not have been done.

[Boomchild]

The fact is that I hear: Crystal Ball, Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Too Much Time On My Hands, Miss America, Loralie...just as often as any of DDY's 'hits'...and much more often then some of those hits. Babe, Don't Let it End, Mr. Roboto, and Show Me the Way, are perfect examples of songs that are no longer on classic rock radio, even if they once were 'hits'.

Going on about 'hits' that are not being played is irrelevant...especially when the same people who complain about this would complain if they WERE played.

Have to agree, just because something is a hit, does not mean it will be a classic song years from now.
I myself hear Shaw's songs just as much as I hear DDY's on the radio, maybe more so. There is a greater chance of hearing a classic rock song than a classic ballad.

By the way, everyone DOES realize that A&M chose the singles in the classic era, not Dennis, right? They chose them after test marketing them, pure and simple. They did that because they wanted to sell records. Styx went along because THEY wanted to sell records. They could have voted any of it down any time they wanted to, and in fact sometimes they did, for example "First Time." The notion that they were "made" to do anything against their will is pure revisionism. It is impossible for one person to "dictate" in a five-man vote. Perhaps Dennis had a stronger personality and tended to dominate the group because of it, but then, it's that way in every band. And I've said it before, but it bears repeating: the most successful and/or visible guy in every band is the odd man out, every single time. Nothing unusual about that at all. Change the names, but the story is the same.


Sterling

Well put Sterling. I couldn't have said it better myself.