Listening Party - Equinox

[Toph]

"Let's go back to 1975 and an album called...EQUINOX!"

First A&M, last album with JC, first foray into the big time and while it doesn't reach the huge success that is reached starting with Grand Illusion, the seeds are starting to be sown..... Here it is - Styx Equinox. So, what do you think? Closer to Wooden Nickel sound or the Classic Styx sound from the late 70s/early 80s?

Discuss...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uFQQOiM ... 70FF5A6353

[yogi]

You have got to own the ALBUM of this CLASSIC.

I vividly remember flipping side one over hundreds of times to lose myself completely in side 2. Only album that I EVER wore out a side. I wore out side 2 and the needle on my Pioneer turn table on this album. Had to purchase another Equinox album, and I took care of my albums.

The artwork on this album was brilliant and the album was EPIC. GREATEST rock and roll album EVER.

Side 2 is meant to be played at MAXIMUM volume. Its the PERFECT album.

[Toph]

After not hearing Lonely Child for many years, I have a new found respect for it after listening to it this morning.

[masque]

to me this album is really the beginning of styx. yeh I know tommy isnt there yet, but this album contains that patented styx sound.

light up- great song, and good opener to the record.....there are times I love this song and times where I'm not so keen on it. but right now, I am enjoying it!

loreli- one of the better styx songs ever......LOVE the intro keyboards and the melody that DDY sings. I actually like this song much better live with the extended solos being traded out between JY and tommy like on the RTP DVD. the only issue I have with this song is the ending with the huge reverb soaked voices......if the recorded version had an ending that I liked better this song would make a serious run at my top of my list.

mother dear- this is probably my favorite JC song......the verse melody with the stray piano notes and runs always hits me hard in a good way.

lonely child- this is a tune that I enjoy but more closely resembles the writing from the WN days. very dramatic sounding in typical DDY fashion and a tune I almost always enjoy.

midnight ride- this tune is near JY perfection for me.......one of his shining moments in styx. and a freaking fabulous way to begin side 2 and set the tone for the remainder of the album. I love the rock star lyrics.

born for adventure- classic.......believe it or not, i think some of DDY's finest moments in styx were when he was rocking out vs. doing the ballads that are more associated with him. this is one of those moments. while I respect his ability to write a song like "babe", i ten thousand times prefer this side of DDY. and once again this song has a bit of the WN days lingering within it but in a very good way and more sophisticated way.

prelude 12- pure 12 perfection. beautiful and haunting and a perfect way to lead into the album closer

suite madame blue- wow! one of DDY's most important songs and this tune is sort of the foundation of the styx sound that we would see for the next few years up thru PO8. I have always loved this song and they could not have picked a better album closer........the rocking part of this song always fires me up! GREAT styx tune!

this album laid the foundation of what I truly believe styx is......I have great respect for this album but as much as I like it I do think they have albums I prefer over this one. I believe this album was a huge step over any of the WN releases.

Overall I give it a 8.0

[ztyxlynne]

I agree. This album is one of my favorites. Light up, Lorelei, Midnight Ride, and sweet Madame blue are all awesome songs.Truly Dennis I think was getting some of his confidence back on this album.

[Toph]

And if you haven't seen it yet, the live show supporting this album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKVOJi-OmY

[yogi]

Born For Adventure and Suite Madame Blue are two of my favorite Styx tunes of all time. Midnight Ride is the PERFECT way to start off the EPIC side 2 of this GREAT GREAT album.

To this day I'm stunned that the critics didn't love it and that it didn't sell 5 million copies.

[Toph]

Born For Adventure and Suite Madame Blue are two of my favorite Styx tunes of all time. Midnight Ride is the PERFECT way to start off the EPIC side 2 of this GREAT GREAT album.

To this day I'm stunned that the critics didn't love it and that it didn't sell 5 million copies.

In hindsight, great album, but I don't think it was "mainstream" enough to sell that many copies. For example it was not quite as mainstream as Kansas Left Overture or Boston debut which would have come out soon afterward. Equinox doesn't have that one song like a Carry On Wayward Son or More Than A Feeling that had that magic hook that made everyone want to listen to it. Sure SMB is a rock classic but it doesn't have the mainstream hook. Same can be said for Lorelei, Light Up (well, Light Up's topic also prevents it from going super mainstream). Great, strong rock songs, but lacking that memorable hook that gets 10 million to buy your record. They would get there with Come Sail Away - that goes in the pantheon of great rock songs with killer hooks.

[ztyxlynne]

And if you haven't seen it yet, the live show supporting this album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKVOJi-OmY

. That is awesome! Early Tommy too!. Did JC tour behind this album at all does anyone know?

[yogi]

JC quit the band soon after the album was completed and never toured to back it.

Suite Madame Blue was coined by the 'critics' as a Stairway to Heaven rip off so it wasn't given near the play or love it truly deserved. It is such a classic song. In my opinion has one of the GREATEST hooks EVER with the 3 part AMERICA harmony.No other band could do that. NONE

Also on the live version when DDY holds the note on MOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE for like a minute, what a GREAT hook that was. I actually read some where that it was released as a live single because Frampton Comes Alive was the hottest album at the time & A&M had both Frampton & Styx. Frampton got far more love from the label at the time.

[Toph]

JC quit the band soon after the album was completed and never toured to back it.

Suite Madame Blue was coined by the 'critics' as a Stairway to Heaven rip off so it wasn't given near the play or love it truly deserved. It is such a classic song. In my opinion has one of the GREATEST hooks EVER with the 3 part AMERICA harmony.No other band could do that. NONE

Also on the live version when DDY holds the note on MOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE for like a minute, what a GREAT hook that was. I actually read some where that it was released as a live single because Frampton Comes Alive was the hottest album at the time & A&M had both Frampton & Styx. Frampton got far more love from the label at the time.

I never knew that SMB got released as a live single? Wonder when that recording took place and where?

[yogi]

Just watched the entire Winterland show. AWESOME!! It should be required viewing for all Styx fans.

Damn Dennis was a bad ass!!! I like the shi t out of Tommy but after watching that I kind of like it better when Dennis and JY kept him at the children's table. Never knew DDY took such a pro 'light up' stand as he did on his encore.

I stand corrected on Suite Madame Blue, what GREAT 4 part harmony. No other band could do that. What an AWESOME album Equinox was and still is.

[brywool]

Not a bad song on this album. Midnight Ride was SUCH a killer song for JY. Loved it.
The rest of the album is also great.

[Baron Von Bielski]

After not hearing Lonely Child for many years, I have a new found respect for it after listening to it this morning.

I really like this song. I realize that most people do not, but there's just something about it that speaks classic DDY.

As far as the album goes... excellent. Great one-two punch to start off with Light Up and Lorelei. Mother Dear on the other hand is a skippable track and we've already touched on Lonely Child. Midnight Ride is one that could belong in the Wooden Nickel era. Nothing special about it to me, but still a decent track. Born For Adventure is probably my second favorite song on the album. Progressive in it's arrangement, but a straight ahead rocker as well. JC then offers a simple yet perfect lead in to the best song on the album. Suite Madame Blue, progressive through and through... best song on the album and a top 5 of all Styx songs IMO.

[Toph]

My thoughts on Equinox

I think Equinox is a real transition point in the Styx story, probably moreso than any other album and that includes Crystal Ball, Cornerstone, and Kilroy. Don't get me wrong - all those albums represent major sound changes for the band, but I think Equinox is one that makes you stop and say, ok this is a changed band. Also, don't get me wrong, there is still some Wooden Nickel influence, but the band has a more polished, mature sound.

Why? Some major changes occur. In no particular order:
- The dominance of DDY as chief vocalist and writer
- The emergence of the Oberheim synth sound
- A general maturing musically resulting in more complex structures, chords, and melodies

I have always respected Equinox and while it probably doesn't rank in my top 5 Styx albums, I do consider it in the top half of the 14 studio albums that this band has recorded (not counting RTP new songs, GH bonus tracks, and Big Bang Theory as studio albums)

Song by song:
Light Up - I'm not a pot proponent so the message here somewhat bothers me, but I've gotten over it by taking a more literal translation of the song - and taking into context at the beginning of a Styx concert and the "Lights" from the stage and people's lighters and everything that represents about the arena rock experience. If it had stayed a tribute to the Beatles ("I remember it was 64 when I heard the band"), it might have ranked higher in my book as a Styx song. Nonetheless, a fun song and with DDY singing lead it makes you think about what might have been had he sung other upbeat WN songs like Winner Take All, You Need Love, and Rock N Roll Feeling.

Lorelei - A nice second one-two punch. The band shows here that they are coming out as an energy force - no stinkin' ballads here. Like the earlier poster the reverb vocals at the end date the song, but good melody and upbeat.

Mother Dear - A bit too long. Could have been a little shorter and had a bit more umph to it. That being said love the synth intro and the chorus is pretty catchy. I just don't embrace the duel non harmony singing of DDY and JC. Again, not bad, just not one of the best. But a big improvement over JC's Serpent stuff.

Lonely Child - I kind of feel like this song was written to emulate the success they had with Lady. Ballad-esque, but I do appreciate this song hearing it for the first time in many years. The synths are really strong. Glad they let DDY put more emphasis in the synth.

Midnight Ride - "Know what time it is? Time to kick a little ass." And as DDY says when he introduces this song live, it does kick ass. A JY rocker that has could have found a place on any Wooden Nickel release.

Born For Adventure - Great tune. And really a summary of the album. Not sure it was intentional or not, but do you realize that Equinox is all about sin? Pot smoking, living together "In sin," midnight craziness, questionable affairs with underage young lasses, etc. etc. This song kind of ties it all together and then Suite Madame Blue looks at it from a larger country perspective. Love the dueling guitars - and this is about as "tough" as DDY every sounded. Compare this DDY to the guy that sang "On The Street Where You Live" on the 10 On Broadway album...Very different! Cool song. Would love to see DDY do this live.

Prelude 12/SMB - What many consider the classic on the album and I must admit a grand opus. I've never been as big of a fan of SMB as some, but I definitely respect it and think that what they do on this song is quite complex and rich. Lyrically, a good metaphor that would be seen 6 years later with the Paradise Theater album. In Canada, Styx doesn't have a bigger song. And in the US, one could make an argument that it is on the top 10 Styx "must haves".

Equinox is a solid album that hints to greatness the band would become. It is a shame it didn't do better, but it still has a strong reputation among both the band and Styx fans alike.

[Everett]

Here's a recent "ish" version of midnight ride. Not the greatest quality
but still cool to see. Even with JY singing love the guy but not the voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqzzP0d7r04&sns=em

[gr8dane]

My introduction to Styx,way back in 75.
Walked in to my favourite record shop and was hit by this amazing wall of sound.
Loved it instantly and bought it right away.
It is my favourite Styx album to this day.
Guess those WN years were a pretty good learning experience.

[scarab]

a great album, a great blend of rockers and no sappy ballads.

[Everett]

a great album, a great blend of rockers and no sappy ballads.

Too bad it didn't stay that way.

[scarab]

we might wanna skip the cornerstone party,

[Toph]

Everett and scarab - the entire point of this exercise is to try and listen and discuss the Styx catalog without going into the gutter and turning this into ugliness and yet another Dennis vs Tommy thing. You both are starting down a slippery path with your comments. Lets try to keep this on the up and up.

[gr8dane]

Everett and scarab - the entire point of this exercise is to try and listen and discuss the Styx catalog without going into the gutter and turning this into ugliness and yet another Dennis vs Tommy thing. You both are starting down a slippery path with your comments. Lets try to keep this on the up and up.

Must be quiet at the Journey forum.

[Everett]

How do you guys think gowan would sound on born for adventure if they ever played it????????

[Kilroy1983]

I've bought "Equinox" after "TGI" but IMO "Equinox" has the best side from a Styx LP, the side 2: "MIDNIGHT RIDE", "BORN FOR ADVENTURE", "PRELUDE 12 ~ SUITE MADAME BLUE". Killer sequence. In my opinion, "Midnight Ride" is the best live song of Styx including its extended guitar solo where JY shows all his technic and guitar duel between JY & Tommy. Unfortunately "Midnight Ride" have been aborted from tours after Main Event Tour '78-'79.

[pinkfloyd1973]

How do you guys think gowan would sound on born for adventure if they ever played it????????

Hopefully they don't

[RumTumJM]

How do you guys think gowan would sound on born for adventure if they ever played it????????

I've always believed that Gowan could probably NAIL Born For Adventure.

Yes, all of you Dennis purists...no one will ever perform it better than Dennis. BUT, I genuinely feel that the song has a rockin', dramatic feel to it, that will suit Gowan better than many of the Styx songs he sings regularly.

[yogi]

Play it back to back with Criminal Mind.

It's DDY's baby as is the entire Equinox album but I too believe that this song fits Gowan well.