Listening Party - Edge of the Century

[Toph]

"Not DEAD Yet!"

It had been 7 1/2 long years for Styx fans to hear a new studio album from the band since 1983's controversial "Kilroy Was Here." Not that there hadn't been any SRP (Styx Related Product). A forgettable live album, Caught in the Act, with one new studio track, the odd and somewhat new wave sounding "Music Time", as well as a total of 8! solo albums between DDY, TS, and JY, Styx fans had received plenty of material to listen to. However, with the exception of DDY's Desert Moon single , and to a lesser extent, Tommy Shaw's Girls With Guns single, the band had disappeared out of the public eye and now found themselves releasing an album in a vastly different music scene that they left in 1983.

Arena rock had been replaced by Hair Band metal. Hip Hop had replaced rap. The new wave 80s were giving way to the grunge 90s. Things were vastly different. Styx themselves were also vastly different. Gone was lead guitarist and singer/songwriter Tommy Shaw who would be replaced by New Jersey rocker Glen Burtnik. Likewise, Styx found themselves in the hard position of trying to create an album that would be relevant in the 90s, yet maintain there distinctive Styx sound - all without a prominent member of the band in tow. A hard task indeed.

Wavering between trying to establish a modern "hair band" sound with Burtnik and the classic Styx sound with DeYoung, the question is does Styx succeed in this balancing act? The strategy would be to repeat the introduction of Tommy Shaw in 1976. Instead of being put in a background type of role, Burtnik was put out front and center and, not only wrote/sang more songs (4) than Tommy Shaw had written/sung since 1979's Cornerstone, but the band also named the album after one of his tracks and, most notably, chose, after a 7+ year absence, reintroduce Styx to the world with a Glen Burtnik song as the first single.

A few other notes from Edge:
- The first single "Love Is The Ritual" was the first single off a Styx album NOT to hit the Billboard top 40 since the "Man of Miracles" album as it peaked at #80 and only stayed on the pop chart for 6 weeks
- "Love" did succeed at rock radio where hit went to #9, just short of where RTP peaked at #8. However, its shelf life was much less than RTP as it only stayed on the Rock chart for 8 weeks.
- The second single SMTW reverted to the classic Styx "sound" and, thanks partly to the Gulf War, peaked at #3, and still is the Styx song that had the longest shelf life on the charts. It stayed on the pop charts for 23 weeks and on the AC charts (where it also peaked at #3) for an incredible 31 weeks.
- The third single LAFS had top 10 potential, but in the middle of its chart run, A&M announced that they would not be extending Styx's album contract, and promotion on the song dried up, resulting in a mid level chart performance peak of #25 on the Pop Charts (16 week run) and #13 on AC charts (19 week run). To this day, Love At First Sight is the last Styx song to crack the Billboard Hot 100.
- The stopping of promotion meant that the planned 4th single, All In A Day's Work, was scrapped.
- Edge was the end of Styx's platinum album streak at 5, although it did go "Gold." Sales were similar to Equinox and Crystal Ball.

So, get yourself in the mindset that you haven't heard a new Styx album in 7 years, it's 1990, and its time to listen to Edge of the Century!

Love Is The Ritual http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLNsv72ogQ8
Show Me The Way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXf2PbEPQ-Y
Edge Of The Century: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2cyzgDWbSo
Love At First Sight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6oUbKRok6o
All In A Day's Work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVU7AvyLU7E
Not Dead Yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZBn18FaLIU
World Tonite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS3vsgrxdmg
Carrie Ann: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAAaW5-Uqo
Homewrecker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL9ntj8QAWQ
Back To Chicago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of6JVn8i934

[yogi]

AWESOME album!!!

In most cases Styx's album side 2 are their best. Edge's side 1 ABSOLUTELY shines.

[masque]

edge for me was better received to my ears when it came out than it is now.....it has not stood up for me very well.

although TS is my main guy in the band I understood and accepted they werent working together and I was OK with Glen and especially the songs he brought because it was the closest thing to styx actually rocking or doing much up tempo stuff.

although the glen songs dont really "sound" like styx, i accepted the change because I knew styx had actually changed a great deal from album to album....think POE compared to CS.

I saw them live on this tour and it was pretty cool, but certainly not the best show from them I have seen.

the best song on the album hands down is "all in a day's work"....which is damn near flawless.

outside of that song the one that I actually still enjoy the most is "not dead yet", which they didnt write but I still loved it and I thought the lyrics fit right in with something that DDY would enjoy saying.

"show me the way" is a good ballad....but i dont care much at all more "LAFS" or "Carrie Ann".

"Homewrecker" is literally one of the most embarrassing things they have ever put on tape ever......and you guys know I love JY....but damn that was awful.

all in all I give it about a 6.2.......and if it had not been for Glen's songs then album would have been below a 5 for me based on what was written by DDY and JY.

[FormerDJMike]

I was listening to Damn Yankees on Rockline. Someone called in and asked what Tommy thought about Styx getting back together without him. He said it was good that they were doing it and the guy they had was pretty good but he didnt announce who his replacement was. The rest of the Damn Yankees interview was a blur. I could not believe what I had heard!!! Then maybe a week or two later I got a newsletter (976-STYX) and it announced the new guy was Glen. I used to tell people at the time I was the only Styx fan who had heard of the guy. A year or more before I heard Follow You on the radio and went out and bought Heroes & Zeroes on cassette. So I was very familiar with Glen and excited about the possibilities. The first single released was Ritual. I called the rock station and while they did have it they had not yet played it. The guy told me it might be the next day during the afternoon. He warned me it sounded nothing like Styx but I didn't care! He did say it was a good rock tune and to keep listening for it. Sure enough they played it the next day but it was around 10pm. The vocals were there, I could hear Dennis, it was clean production and I liked what I heard. I taped it and listened to it over and over.

Now, I don't know why people dislike Homewrecker. I love the song!! This was the second song I heard before the album was released. I bought the Ritual Cassingle and Side 2 was Homewrecker. This sounded more like traditional Styx! I was so stoked that with this single release this album was gonna rock! I mean we had 2 songs so far and both were rockers and there were rumors going around that they may go back to the Equinox days but with a modern twist.

Finally release day in Oct 1990. The first Styx album I ever bought on release day. In fact I went to THREE different stores. Bought the CD at Camelot, the cassette at Turtle's Music and the VINYL at Record Bar (and I want to puke every time I think about the vinyl because I lost it and it is very rare and sells for huge amounts of money- the last one I saw on eBay sold for $200). I picked up the vinyl because I heard it came with a poster. Nope, came with nothing, not even lyrics but I wish I still had it.

The first thing I noticed was "produced by DDY" instead of Styx. Hmmmmm. Strange I thought but no big deal. The. I noticed special thanks to Chuck on Show Me The Way and I wondered why he didnt get a song writing credit. Ok, time to play the album. Cranks off with Ritual. I still love it as much now as when I first heard it. Great rockin modern 90's tune. No guitar solo really, but a great song.

The first ballad SMTW. Typical Dennis stuff. It had to grow on me at first. I actually worked at WOKI in Knoxville, TN where the first Desert Storm mix originated. The guy who mixed it, Ray Edwards, was a coworker and the morning show host. The song took off and I mean it blasted off! We had calls out the ying-yang for it! It stayed on the Top 9 at 9 for something like 80 straight days at number 1. So the song grew on me and I still love it now.

Title track- finally another up tempo track but no Dennis on vocals. Really didnt sound like Styx to me at the time but the mid section did -- I could tell JY's guitar sound and I loved the musical breakdown in this song. Big harmonies on this one too. A great tune.

Next up LAFS. alright! 3-way writing credit and since JY is one of them this has gotta rock! Nope. Another ballad from Dennis. Ok song, didnt care for it then but like it better now. They actually played it live the first 2 nights of the Edge tour.

AIADW. Another slow one but a cool song. I was still waiting for another rocker like Ritual but enjoyed this duet between Glenny and Denny.

Not Dead Yet. Ha! What a fun, cool song! I never thought I would hear Dennis song about being "got by the balls". Supposedly Ralph Covert paid them a ton of money to record it.

World Tonight. Nice song. Nice percussion and acoustic guitar. I actually heard it as bumper music in the late 90's on NASCAR racing.

Carrie Ann- eh. Liked it then, not so much now. Had classic harmonies and I could hear JY song background on it so I guess it was ok.

Homewrecker- Again, I loved it then and love it now. I don't see all the hate it gets and I enjoyed it when they played it live.

Back To Chicago: another decent tune but was definitely more suited for a solo album.
As I first said I was expecting a rock album and didnt get it but it was still very good.
I still listen to this album and still like it a lot. I have it on my iPod and like when one of the songs come up while I am I. Shuffle mode.

I saw the tour 2 times. In Chicago and Milwaukee in July of 1991. My best friend Chuck and I drove from Knoxville to see the show and attend StyxCon. Kind of a Styx convention made up of newsletter fans. Was great to meet so many others but I have no idea where any of them are now. My friend Chuck I met when I was 9. We both discovered Styx around this time and while I was the more passionate fan, he always liked them too. He was my oldest friend and I spoke to him on a weekly basis until his death on Thanksgiving Day, 2013. I miss my Styx Bro, will always remember driving to that show! What an experience! Styx put on 2 great shows too. Glen did a fine job. JY assumed most of the guitar duties on the tommy tunes but that was ok by me. It was great to have them back and Johnny really looked happy behind the drum kit.

[yogi]

GREAT review. I too really like Homewrecker. Listened to the cassette single of Love Is The Ritual and Homewrecker over and over again. I like that entire album. Loved the tour also. Saw it once in Minneapolis/St.Paul. Still have my T shirt from that show.

I have an Equinox/Edge Of the Century 2 on 1 CD that I don't have a clue to this day where I got it from. Years back when I met Suite Madame Blue at a DDY concert in Wisconsin I had Dennis and Glen autograph it backstage after the show. Both Dennis and Glen commented that they had never seen this CD before.

Two of my favorite Styx albums of all time on 1 CD with no Tommy Shaw on either one. Wild.

ABSOLUTELY love that album- EVERY song on it.

[ztyxlynne]

This CD is great. The only song I don't like is homewrecker. Back to Chicago seems to have a Paradise vibe to it with the horns and all. I love all of Glens work on this album. When I first heard it on the radio here in Milwaukee the said "coming up next is a new song from Styx". When I heard it I was like WOW holy crap! What a new sound. They played Love is the Ritual And I was like where is Dennis? It still sounded great. I bought all of Glen's other albums after that and still do to this day. This is the most over looked album I think. I really miss Johns drumming and he blew me away when they played Ritual live.All in a Days Work,brilliant. Not Dead Yet, interesting to hear Dennis sing someone else's song for a change. I believe Glen breathed new live into them and I really believe Edge 2 would of been even better given the chance. I give this album a 8.

[scarab]

Love is the ritual was an instant like, although I would have never believed it was Styx.
Show me the way is a great DDY power ballad and the MOR song Love at first sight was also pretty good.
The rest of the album was either not very good, ior just plain blah.
(But a slight improvement over KWH) 6/10

[Toph]

I think your opinion of Edge is dictated by whether or not you are a fan of hair bands or not. If you are, the album sounds a lot better than if you aren't.

My personal story. Was in college. The local radio station had been plugging that they would debut the new Styx song on a certain night at 10pm. Remember, this is still when singles came out weeks ahead of albums. So, I'm over at my girlfriend's house and we have to sit there, listening to the radio, waiting for the new Styx song. Finally, the DJ comes on and says, "Their first song in 7 years (my note - technically 6 if you count Music Time), here is Styx with Love Is the Ritual" The first thing I thought, was, now that is an interesting name for the song. The song came on and honest to God, I thought he had messed up. This sounded nothing like Styx. I thought, "Could he had put a Def Leppard song on? Is it computerized and the computer messed up?" Because clearly it wasn't Styx. But then the chorus came on and yes, the song was clearly Love Is the Ritual. Then the DJ came back on and said, "The new Styx - Love is the Ritual" and exclusive right here on (Rock 96.5). It ruined my night. My girlfriend was like, "What is wrong with you?" and I am like "I've been waiting 7 years and I get a hair band wannabe song? Seriously?!" I have to be honest with you. I hated Ritual. I was never a huge hair band fan and was crushed that Styx went through with what I thought was a pretty significant image change.

And that is exactly what it was - an image change. Someone in the Styx marketing department must have thought the band needed a new look for the 90s and everything about the band, from the sound of the first single, to the look of the new video, to even the band's look screamed "We're a hair band now." From a marketing perspective, I understand it. However, I think is was such a massive change, that they should have gradually gone there vs. releasing the most hair band sounding song as the first single. I would argue that hearing Love Is The Ritual was as much or more drastic of a sound change than Mr. Roboto

Well, the strategy backfired as we all know how the American public wasn't ready for such a massive change in sound and the band and album only recovered with the more traditional Styx sound returning with Show Me The Way. But that is the problem with Edge. This is a band that sounds like it can't decide which direction it wants to go. Do you go with the Burtnik hair band sound or the classic DeYoung led ballads and Broadway? I don't think they adopt that sound if Shaw remains in the band - the harder rock songs would have still sounded Arena Rock/AOR like. On Edge, the sounds were so disparate that I don't think the album flows well together. Not quite as bad as Brave New World, but certainly much worse than a Paradise Theater, Cornerstone, or Grand Illusion. I'd like to have been a fly on the wall during the strategy sessions. I always heard that it was DDY's call to play up Burtnik so much. If so, I think it was a wrong move. I would have made the transition to Burtnik much more slowly. But that is just me.

The songs:
Love Is The Ritual - I just have never gotten behind this song. Don't find it that catchy and thought it was a critical error to release as a single. It sounds like a Burnik solo song - not a Styx song.

SMTW - This song is what saves the album for me. I love this song. It has the absolute best STYX harmonies since Paradise Theatre. The missing harmonies on Kilroy are restored on SMTW. It just sounds so HUGE. It feels like the "wall of sound" technique is being employed. When I got the CD and put it on, when this song came on, after LITR, my faith in the band was restored. My first thought was "Why didn't they release this song?!?!" The deep lyrical content, the spirituality, the big sound, and the catchy melody puts SMTW as one of my TOP 3 Styx songs OF ALL TIME.

Edge - Again, Burtnik hair band material just doesn't do it for me. This song, with the repetitive "Livin on the Edge on the Edge on the Edge..." is tiresome and burns out quickly for me. Skip

LAFS - Music written by Burtnik, there should have been more of these type of uptempo songs on the album. Catchy and pop oriented, and with DDY on lead vox. Doesn't really sound like classic Styx. More like a 90s version of Styx, but today sounds a bit dated.

All In A Day's Work - By far the BEST Burtnik song on the album. Fantastic tune. Great acoustic based song in the spirit of TS, but still uniquely Glen. Should have been a single.

Not Dead Yet - Decent rocker. Hard for me to wrap my head around a Styx song not written by a Styx member. But my favorite rocker on the album.

World Tonite - Ok. The bridge is close to traditional Styx sounding ("Young love run free..."). The rest is just ok. I'm not a huge GB song fan because I'm not a huge hair band fan.

Carrie Ann - Awful ballad. Lyrics are creepy and just not a very good ballad. Dennis could have done better.

Homewrecker - Awful JY song. There is one Stygian sounding piece in this song - DDY's keyboard solo. That's it. The rest can be flushed.

Back To Chicago - Someone said could have been on Paradise Theater. I agree IF they had had a big Styx chorus on the Back to Chicago part. If that had been the case, could have been a stronger song. I actually like the tune and the horns, but it still sounds like a DDY solo song.

Overall, I don't listen to Edge much. I listen to Show Me The Way, Back To Chicago, and All in A Day's Work. Maybe LAFS on rare occasions. The rest, I don't really listen to. Just doesn't do it for me. My biggest issue with the album (Besides Glen's hairband style) is the lack of true Styx moments. Those are limited to SMTW, the bridge on World Tonite, the Keyboard solo on Home wrecker, and the horns on BTC (Cornerstone/PT era). SMTW saves the album for me, but quite frankly I'll listen to it on Greatest Hits and don't have to worry about all the other filler.

[Boomchild]

My girlfriend was like, "What is wrong with you?" and I am like "I've been waiting 7 years and I get a hair band wannabe song? Seriously?!" I have to be honest with you. I hated Ritual. I was never a huge hair band fan and was crushed that Styx went through with what I thought was a pretty significant image change.

And that is exactly what it was - an image change. Someone in the Styx marketing department must have thought the band needed a new look for the 90s and everything about the band, from the sound of the first single, to the look of the new video, to even the band's look screamed "We're a hair band now." From a marketing perspective, I understand it. However, I think is was such a massive change, that they should have gradually gone there vs. releasing the most hair band sounding song as the first single. I would argue that hearing Love Is The Ritual was as much or more drastic of a sound change than Mr. Roboto

After reading this it made me think this is what some felt with Cornerstone and KWH. I am not saying it's right or wrong. If we are to believe what JY said about DDY demanding the ultimate final decision on what the band was going to do, then he is responsible for what you are discussing here. This was the first Styx album where DDY is listed as the sole producer.

My thoughts on the album are this. I remember hearing Ritual by accident while listing to the radio. I was not aware that they were even back together and putting out an album. My first thoughts were who is this guy singing this Styx tune? It's not DDY, it's not JY and not TS. Who the fuck is this guy? I liked the song but was both puzzled and psyched that a new album was coming. I bought the album the day of release and that is when I found out who this guy signing Ritual was. At that point in time I had never heard of Glen. Overall, I enjoyed the album. It didn't feel completely like a Styx album to me but I realized just like with Cornerstone and KWH the band had updated their sound. I don't really play this album as much as other Styx albums but I think it was good album all around. I felt DDY was doing the same thing he did with TS on CB, pushing the new guy to the front to expose Styx's new member. Even though Glen isn't Tommy and their writing styles are different, I felt he was a good fit.

[Baron Von Bielski]

I've never really liked this album. It has a few slight bright spots most notably Show Me the Way, but the album just isn't Styx to me. Without Tommy, it just doesn't garnish much interest for me... much the same a new Styx album without Dennis would.

[yogi]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE this album. Only song that I really didn't like was Not Dead Yet. Now I don't think its so bad.

GREAT Styx album.

[Toph]

My girlfriend was like, "What is wrong with you?" and I am like "I've been waiting 7 years and I get a hair band wannabe song? Seriously?!" I have to be honest with you. I hated Ritual. I was never a huge hair band fan and was crushed that Styx went through with what I thought was a pretty significant image change.

And that is exactly what it was - an image change. Someone in the Styx marketing department must have thought the band needed a new look for the 90s and everything about the band, from the sound of the first single, to the look of the new video, to even the band's look screamed "We're a hair band now." From a marketing perspective, I understand it. However, I think is was such a massive change, that they should have gradually gone there vs. releasing the most hair band sounding song as the first single. I would argue that hearing Love Is The Ritual was as much or more drastic of a sound change than Mr. Roboto

After reading this it made me think this is what some felt with Cornerstone and KWH. I am not saying it's right or wrong. If we are to believe what JY said about DDY demanding the ultimate final decision on what the band was going to do, then he is responsible for what you are discussing here. This was the first Styx album where DDY is listed as the sole producer.

My thoughts on the album are this. I remember hearing Ritual by accident while listing to the radio. I was not aware that they were even back together and putting out an album. My first thoughts were who is this guy singing this Styx tune? It's not DDY, it's not JY and not TS. Who the fuck is this guy? I liked the song but was both puzzled and psyched that a new album was coming. I bought the album the day of release and that is when I found out who this guy signing Ritual was. At that point in time I had never heard of Glen. Overall, I enjoyed the album. It didn't feel completely like a Styx album to me but I realized just like with Cornerstone and KWH the band had updated their sound. I don't really play this album as much as other Styx albums but I think it was good album all around. I felt DDY was doing the same thing he did with TS on CB, pushing the new guy to the front to expose Styx's new member. Even though Glen isn't Tommy and their writing styles are different, I felt he was a good fit.

I never equated the Edge change with that of Cornerstone or Kilroy and you've got a point there. I don't think the Cornerstone one was nearly as drastic - there are some Cornerstone sounding songs on earlier albums and there are some more rocking songs on Cornerstone, so I don't see that as nearly as big of a change. I will give you the Kilroy change. That was similar (with the exception of a new member) in terms of sound and look. The new wave techno sound and a techno look (everyone got a haircut!...Well with the exception of JY) was probably as drastic as the hair band look/sound of Edge. So, I can see how core fans were alienated. While I wasn't alienated by Edge, I certainly didn't like the first single at all. I thought that they had sold out to the hair band craze.

To me, Show Me The Way, is the redeeming song on that album. That is the classic Styx sound. And while it comes and goes on other tracks, this is the only track on the entire album that I could have listened to it in 1979 (or arguably even earlier) and said, "Yes that is Styx". But the rest of the album is quite different in terms of sound. In addition to SMTW, love AIADW (should have been the song they introduced Glen to the world with), and Back To Chicago. LAFS and NDY are also ok.

Edge is technically "out of print" so you can't get it except digitally or at a used CD store. Think it could have been a lot bigger with a better strategy, but hindsight is 20-20 and I'm sure they thought a modernized sound was what they needed.

Now, here's a question....if there had been a Son Of Edge would Styx have tried to hop on the trend and go "grunge?!?" (Only half joking here...)

[pinkfloyd1973]

Somewhere in storage, I have the big write up they did in the Illinois Entertainer (you used to be able to pick up a free copy at the record store, remember those?) about Glen Burtnick and the return of Styx

[FormerDJMike]

Wow, I had no idea the CD was out of print. At first I thought you were mistaken so I started looking around online and Amazon has it listed for 28.99. They have the vinyl also at a hefty price of 89.99 (which is a steal compared to the last copy I saw on eBay that went for $200! Man I wish I still had my vinyl copy of Edge!).

It also appears that Return To Paradise, Cyclorama and BNW are also out of print because Amazon doesn't have those either....

[Boomchild]

Now, here's a question....if there had been a Son Of Edge would Styx have tried to hop on the trend and go "grunge?!?" (Only half joking here...)

Personally, I think they would have stayed with the same type or similar sound that EOTC had. My question is how would it have sold? I think the "desert storm mix" of SMTW was the saving grace for the EOTC album. Had that not happened the album would not have done very well. Styx had been off the map for long time and the music scene changed a lot during that time. I don't think they would have been able to repeat that with "Son Of Edge". I think this is what A&M was thinking. Hence their cold shoulder to the band and dropping them like a hot rock.

[FormerDJMike]

Now, here's a question....if there had been a Son Of Edge would Styx have tried to hop on the trend and go "grunge?!?" (Only half joking here...)

Personally, I think they would have stayed with the same type or similar sound that EOTC had. My question is how would it have sold? I think the "desert storm mix" of SMTW was the saving grace for the EOTC album. Had that not happened the album would not have done very well. Styx had been off the map for long time and the music scene changed a lot during that time. I don't think they would have been able to repeat that with "Son Of Edge". I think this is what A&M was thinking. Hence their cold shoulder to the band and dropping them like a hot rock.

Makes sense to me. I can see if following in the footsteps of Edge and being very close in style (the Damn Yankees albums are also very similar so I assume these would have been too) We've heard a few of those songs "It Takes Love To Make Love" (which was the only "new" track from GH 1 or 2 to feature John on drums), "Love & Love Alone".

There is a link here, if it still works about each of the songs. I am curious to hear the "Black Crowes" song

http://webspace.webring.com/people/ss/s ... te/son.htm

[ztyxlynne]

Man I wish these songs we would see the light of day. I think edge 2 may have had a little more hair to it than edge.