Review of Regeneration Vol 1

[Mr JY Roboto]

Review of Regeneration Vol 1....

http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ume-i.html

[Babyblue]

Review of Regeneration Vol 1....

http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... ume-i.html

Thank you, for sharing this with us. It enjoyed reading this & will go and reread it again.A great read you need to check it out.

[stmonkeys]

excellent unbiased review. thanks for sharing. just waiting for the usual suspects to start making their typical comments... cue froy, toph, et al...

[Babyblue]

excellent unbiased review. thanks for sharing. just waiting for the usual suspects to start making their typical comments... cue froy, toph, et al...

[gr8dane]

It is indeed a fair unbiased review.

[yogi]

Is there any way someone can post it? The review is filtered here( at work) and I cant read it.

I am not going to get the internet at my home until I am sure that it is going to catch on.


Thanks,


Yogi

[styxfansite]

Is there any way someone can post it? The review is filtered here( at work) and I cant read it.

I am not going to get the internet at my home until I am sure that it is going to catch on.


Thanks,


Yogi

Here you go Yogi


Born of The Windy City, Styx was born of the last gasps of the 1960s. Influenced by rhythm and blues and rock n roll, Styx has undergone significant transformation, both musically and as a band. Much has been made of the public divorce of Styx and Dennis DeYoung, both in the press and among fans of the band, but both continue separately as vital and successful artists. This fall, Styx will engage in a once-in-a-lifetime tour, recreating two of their classic albums live: The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight. In celebration of this tour, Styx will release Regeneration, Volume I, a seven song EP featuring new recordings of six classic Styx songs as well as one new track.

Regeneration, Volume I opens with a new Styx tune entitled "Difference In The World", a mellow rocker about the changing of perspective from youth to adulthood; the realization with time that we are responsible in some fashion for the world in which we live. It's a great melody, voiced by Tommy Shaw, and it's perhaps the first Styx song with a shot at real radio airplay in some time. While the new song is a solid add to the Styx songbook, Regeneration, Volume I is all about recreating the past. Lawrence Gowan takes lead on "The Grand Illusion", taking over for the departed DeYoung. Gowan gives a dynamic performance that is likely to appeal to all but the most hardened DeYoung supporters. Styx sticks with the original arrangement with slight variations in the synth and in the main guitar solo. "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" sticks to the original script as well. The version offered here more closely reflects the energy and sound that Styx achieves in its live shows, although it should be noted that the vocal mix of Styx' trademark harmonies isn't quite the same with the current lineup.

"Lorelei" was a minor hit for Styx the first time around. Voiced by DeYoung originally, James Young takes the mic for the updated version. It's a pleasant surprise, as one might expect that Lawrence Gowan would have been the natural choice, but Young brings to "Lorelei" the raw exuberance that made the original work so well. "Sing For The Day" has long been a hidden classic better known to Styx die-hards but which never got a lot of play either on the radio or live. It's a "carpe diem" song; a musical paean to following your dreams. The subtle changes here won't be noticed by most, but there's a vibrancy to this version that cannot be ignored, and Tommy Shaw sings it with all of the passion he did when the song premiered in 1978. Shaw breaks out the 12-string guitar for what has become his signature song, "Crystal Ball". Once again, changes from the original are subtle, but where the original carried all the angst and uncertainty of a young man breaking onto the world at large, a knowing melancholy swirls in and blends with that angst in the current version. "Crystal Ball" turns out to be the most striking recreation on the album.

Regneration, Volume I closes with what is bound to be the most controversial track, "Come Sail Away". While this is perhaps the song Styx is most known for, it is also the one that is most distinctly Dennis DeYoung's. Simply put, there will be some fans who will never accept this version as a replacement from the original. That being said, Lawrence Gowan does a credible job in DeYoung's place, both vocally and in the atmospherics of his keyboard work. While there will be detractors, this is a solid update of a classic song and fits well with the sound Styx achieves in concert.

Styx is certainly not what they once were. No band can lose 3/5 of its core (including one of the original songwriters and singers) without growing into something new. The good news is that Styx rocks with all of the vitality and working class gusto that made them superstars in the 1970's. If anything, Regeneration, Volume I proves what fools the Rolling Stone ed... oops, I mean the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame board are for not enshrining Styx long ago. The vocal mix is a bit different, and Lawrence Gowan brings his own distinctive personality to the chair once held down by Dennis DeYoung. Tommy Shaw and James Young are both a bit older but none the worse for wear. Bassist Ricky Phillips (The Babys, Bad English, Coverdale/Page) is a competent sit-in for Chuck Panozzo, who still shows up and performs with the band from time to time. Of Todd Sucherman there's nothing I can say that hasn't been trumpeted by fans and critics all over the map, except to say that John Panozzo would be proud. From the creative angle, Regeneration, Volume I may seem a bit cynical. Styx and/or its current former labels have released at least fifteen albums since 1995. Of those, six have been live recordings; six have been compilations and only three of new material. This from a band who managed four consecutive platinum albums between 1977 and 1980, and a total of eleven albums of new material between 1972 and 1983. While that pace probably contributed in large part to Styx' original breakup in 1984, there must be a happy creative medium in there somewhere. Regeneration, Volume I proves that Styx still matters, but some new material (beyond the occasional token new track to sell a compilation) wouldn't hurt.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

[yogi]

Thanks.

Who did this review?

This review actually makes me want to purchase this CD.

[styxfansite]

Thanks.

Who did this review?

This review actually makes me want to purchase this CD.

No one I have heard of, but here is a little blurb from his site.

Please support the mission of Wildy's World with a donation, no matter how big or small! We put a lot of time and effort into reviews and promotion of Indie Artists without charging. If you're a regular reader or if you have benefitted from this site in some way, then please consider showing your support and ensuring we can continue to get the word out about great Indie Music. While we're a good cause, Wildy's World donations are not tax deductable.

[Everett]

Great review nice to see the current line up not being bashed for once.

[hoagiepete]

"Regurgitation"

Not buying it. Not listening to it. Why should I?

Not sure which definition would be most appropriate:

transitive verb to bring undigested or partially digested food up from the stomach to the mouth, as some birds and animals do to feed their young

transitive verb to repeat or reproduce what has been heard, read, or taught, in a purely mechanical way, with no evidence of personal thought or understanding

[gr8dane]

"Regurgitation"

Not buying it. Not listening to it. Why should I?

Not sure which definition would be most appropriate:

transitive verb to bring undigested or partially digested food up from the stomach to the mouth, as some birds and animals do to feed their young

transitive verb to repeat or reproduce what has been heard, read, or taught, in a purely mechanical way, with no evidence of personal thought or understanding

Please don't choke when you feed your kids.

I have gotten so tired of the originals from GI and forward that I only hear the few I have put on my I-Pod shuffle.Maybe 10 or 12 songs.
I got tired of Dennis' voice ,which ofcourse can be heard up front on most of the songs he wrote.
These new recordings may give me another run at some of the old (re-recorded ) stuff.
It sounds like they will be beefed up,which suits me fine.
Somewhere the re-gen 2 song list was posted,and I could really get in to that one.

[bugsymalone]

Fair and unbiased? Yes. Do I agree with him? No. His prerogative and mine as well.


Bugsy

[Babyblue]

Great review nice to see the current line up not being bashed for once.

[StyxCollector]

I think this is a case of "it is what it is" - the current lineup doing the old songs in a studio setting. Not everyone is going to like it and no one is going to convince those who love it that it's crap and vice versa. I'm going to wait to hear it before I issue any judgement on it both in terms of sound quality and otherwise. Maybe I'll hate it. Maybe I'll like it. Maybe I'll be indifferent. Time will tell - I'll let you know after the NYC show

[Babyblue]

I think this is a case of "it is what it is" - the current lineup doing the old songs in a studio setting. Not everyone is going to like it and no one is going to convince those who love it that it's crap and vice versa. I'm going to wait to hear it before I issue any judgement on it both in terms of sound quality and otherwise. Maybe I'll hate it. Maybe I'll like it. Maybe I'll be indifferent. Time will tell - I'll let you know after the NYC show

Enjoy the show

[StyxCollector]

Enjoy the show

I've seen Styx quite a bit since 1999 to know what I'm getting. Some of it I'll like. Other parts I won't. As long as "Superstars", "Lords of the Ring", and "Aku Aku" come off fine, I'm golden. I'll admit, though, the song I really dislike more than any other of Dennis' that Gowan does is "Queen of Spades". I somehow think that show will not convert me. I'm also hoping Ricky re-learns the bass part to BCM and puts the bounce back in during the verse instead of the straight quarter notes (which is the chorus ...)

[Bearded Clam]

[Bearded Clam]

[Everett]

You ok over there clamster?

[LtVanish]

This review is trash, this is not any known creditable website.

it's perhaps the first Styx song with a shot at real radio airplay in some time

No way 'Difference in the World' has any shot, my God it is a terrible boring song.

[Babyblue]

Enjoy the show

I've seen Styx quite a bit since 1999 to know what I'm getting. Some of it I'll like. Other parts I won't. As long as "Superstars", "Lords of the Ring", and "Aku Aku" come off fine, I'm golden. I'll admit, though, the song I really dislike more than any other of Dennis' that Gowan does is "Queen of Spades". I somehow think that show will not convert me. I'm also hoping Ricky re-learns the bass part to BCM and puts the bounce back in during the verse instead of the straight quarter notes (which is the chorus ...)

I bet you will enjoy it more than you think.

[froy]

This review is trash, this is not any known creditable website.

it's perhaps the first Styx song with a shot at real radio airplay in some time

No way 'Difference in the World' has any shot, my God it is a terrible boring song.

It's someone in the STYx camp doing there own review. Quite obvious.

[froy]

"StyxCollector"

I've seen Styx quite a bit since 1999 to know what I'm getting.

And not getting

Some of it I'll like.

Not much of it

Other parts I won't.

Those parts are obvious

I'll admit, though, the song I really dislike more than any other of Dennis' that Gowan does is "Queen of Spades". I somehow think that show will not convert me.

I think you will have plenty more to add to the list after this fiasco

[Bearded Clam]

There, their, they're
Your, you're
c'mon, it's not that hard to remember.

[StyxCollector]

Enjoy the show

I've seen Styx quite a bit since 1999 to know what I'm getting. Some of it I'll like. Other parts I won't. As long as "Superstars", "Lords of the Ring", and "Aku Aku" come off fine, I'm golden. I'll admit, though, the song I really dislike more than any other of Dennis' that Gowan does is "Queen of Spades". I somehow think that show will not convert me. I'm also hoping Ricky re-learns the bass part to BCM and puts the bounce back in during the verse instead of the straight quarter notes (which is the chorus ...)

I bet you will enjoy it more than you think.

Nah. If they haven't converted me on certain songs in 10 years and multiple times seeing them, doubt they will now. I'm sure I'll enjoy it (why spend the money otherwise), but my gripes about their set and how it's executed (as well as Dennis' for that matter) haven't changed much if you look at my comments here and on my site going back to 2000 or so.

The fact that Dennis has stopped doing SMTW a capella over the past few years rectified one of my major gripes there. Never warmed up to that version.

[brywool]

No way 'Difference in the World' has any shot, my God it is a terrible boring song.

In 1985, I would've agreed with you. Now though, I think songs pretty much don't have choruses or bridges and are BORING as hell. The song's okay, but to me, it's not a single. But then again, a "single" now is so much different than a single then.

I sound like my parents "Music today is just so bad!!"

[brywool]

The fact that Dennis has stopped doing SMTW a capella over the past few years rectified one of my major gripes there. Never warmed up to that version.

Wow. Really? I LOVED that version.
Dang bass line in that song is hard to remember. Not hard to play, just hard to remember...

[froy]

There, their, they're
Your, you're
c'mon, it's not that hard to remember.

I know every time I write it I wonder if it's correct.

[StyxCollector]

The fact that Dennis has stopped doing SMTW a capella over the past few years rectified one of my major gripes there. Never warmed up to that version.

Wow. Really? I LOVED that version.
Dang bass line in that song is hard to remember. Not hard to play, just hard to remember...

That version is nails on chalkboard for me.

Bass line on all the Styx stuff is really easy. I cut my teeth early on learning 'em all from the songbooks and figuring out everything else.