Styx will package their first seven albums together on vinyl for the new box set The A&M Albums 1975-1984.
Out on May 12, all seven albums will be pressed on eight 180-gram heavyweight vinyl discs and included in a heavy duty slipcase. The albums will also be made available as part of UMe’s “Back to Black” vinyl reissue series.
The roots of Styx were formed in Roseland on the south side of Chicago back in 1961 by twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo on bass guitar and drums respectively, with vocalist/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung as The Tradewinds, then TW4, with guitarist James “JY” Young joining in 1970. By ’72, when they signed to indie Wooden Nickel Records, they changed their name to Styx because “it was the only one none of us hated,” according to DeYoung. The group scored a hit single in “Lady,” which hit the Top 10 in the U.S., but it wasn’t until signing with A&M Records that the band hits its stride, releasing eight albums in the course of nine years, starting with Equinox in 1975 and closing with the live Caught in the Act in 1984, while adding guitarist Tommy Shaw in 1976.
The following is the information from the press release on the seven albums:
Equinox (1975) was Styx’s first album for A&M, and the final one for guitarist John Curulewski, who was replaced by Shaw for the tour. The album’s biggest hit was Lorelei, which was the band’s second U.S. Top 30 hit. Another popular song from the album is Suite Madame Blue, which was written for America’s bicentennial. With its four-part harmonies, it is a staple of the band’s live set. Although the album stalled at number 58, it eventually went gold in 1977.
Crystal Ball (1976) was Styx’s first album to feature newest member Tommy Shaw, who made his vocal debut on Mademoiselle, the album’s Top 40 hit. The title track was another regular of the band’s live set. Other highlights include Shooz, co-written by Shaw and Young. Although the album got no higher than number 66 on the Billboard 100, it eventually went platinum in 1978.
The Grand Illusion (1977) was the band’s most successful album to date, spawning the hit singles, Come Sail Away and Fooling Yourself, eventually selling more than 3 million albums in the U.S., peaking at number 6 on the Billboard 100. DeYoung described the album’s theme as overcoming superficial differences by recognizing “deep inside we’re all the same,” as the title track put it. The album cover, created by the famed San Francisco team of Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, is an homage to a painting by Magritte.
Pieces of Eight (1978) was another concept album, and like The Grand Illusion, it went triple-platinum, selling more than three million copies in the U.S. thanks to the hit singles, Sing for the Day, Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) and Renegade, also climbing to number 6 on the Billboard 100.
Cornerstone (1979) marked a significant move away from progressive rock into a more pop-oriented approach. Dennis DeYoung contributed a pair of ballads to the disc, including the band’s only chart-topping pop single, Babe, which he wrote for his wife. The other singles included Borrowed Time and DeYoung’s Why Me, which hit the Top 30. Shaw’s folk-rocking Boat on the River became the band’s biggest European hit. The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 100, the band’s first Top 5 album and was the group’s third straight triple-platinum release.
Paradise Theater (1981) is a concept album – the band’s only number 1 album – a fictional account of the Chicago theater of the same name, described by DeYoung as a metaphor for America’s changes in the ’70s and early ’80s. The album contains four chart singles: DeYoung’s The Best of Times (#3 on Billboard 100), Shaw’s Too Much Time on My Hands (#9), Nothing Ever Goes As Planned (#54) and Rockin’ the Paradise (#10 on Top Rock Tracks chart). It turned into the band’s fourth consecutive triple-platinum album.
Kilroy Was Here (1983) was the final studio album released by the classic lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young and the Panozzo brothers, another rock opera about a futuristic fascist government that tries to outlaw rock ‘n’ roll. The single Mr. Roboto went to number 3 on the Billboard 100 and number 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart, while Don’t Let It End reached number on the Pop singles chart and number 13 at Adult Contemporary. The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard chart and sold more than a million copies, though its keyboard-heavy sound caused a schism between DeYoung and guitarists Shaw and Young. Three of the four videos – Mr. Roboto, Don’t Let It End and Heavy Metal Poisoning – were shot at the same time, and used as a mini-film which opened up the live tour of the album.
Caught In The Act (1984) was a double-live album that captured the band’s Kilroy Was Here tour, with one new song, Music Time, which hit the Top 40 of the Billboard 100. The album hit number 31. It would be the last Styx album until 1990’s Edge of the Century, recorded after Tommy Shaw left the band.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Never miss a story! Get your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to the Noise11 Music Newsletter here
Listen to the Noise11 Music News channel now at iHeartRadio
Follow Noise11.com on Facebook and Twitter
more from vvnmusic.com
