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Melodic Rock, AOR, Hard Rock, Prog, Classic Rock news

Category: STYX

DAMN YANKEES / REMASTER / REMASTER ROCK CANDY / STYX / TOMMY SHAW

TOMMY SHAW – Ambition [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded] HQ full *only at 0dayrox*

If one album which really represents the true Melodic Rock / AOR sound of the ’80s deserved to be reissued that is “Ambition“, TOMMY SHAW‘s third album from 1987, and Rock Candy specialists have done a terrific job with it, perhaps the best remastering job ever from this excellent British reissue label.
“Ambition” was Tommy’s third solo album and not only is regarded as his best, but also one of the best AOR-Rock records in history. Teaming up with British producer Terry Thomas – former leader and creative heart of cult AOR band Charlie – the disc was recorded in London with the musical assistance by a number of top notch session players.
Featuring some incredible vocal performances, recorded with pinpoint accuracy and loaded with ten truly great tracks (mostly co-written with Thomas), “Ambition” is a startling example of pumping Melodic Rock with lashings of power & passion, and delicate, super-polished AOR waves.
This Rock Candy remaster of Tommy Shaw’s “Ambition” is awesome, full of rich enhanced frequencies and balanced output. If you own the original edition, forget it, this one blows the previous out of the water.
A Classic Melodic Rock / AOR album now sounding better than ever…
You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

DAMN YANKEES / REMASTER / STYX / TOMMY SHAW

TOMMY SHAW – Girls With Guns / What If [2-in-1 BGO digitally remastered]

At the beginning of the Eighties TOMMY SHAW departed Styx to pursue a solo career focusing on commercial Melodic Rock, AOR and rock&pop with the radio-friendly approach so in vogue around the time. First it was “Girls With Guns” in ’84, and then “What If” (1985), both including cheerful melodious tunes but more deep lyrically than it may seem at first glance.
These discs have become quite hard to find since then, specially “What If” – fortunately BGO records ha sput out a great 2-in-1 package including “Girls With Guns / What If ” in a remastered form.
Some of the songs contained within “Girls With Guns” were written for Styx but rejected by other band members, and Tommy recorded them together with fresh compositions to create a sometimes eclectic, often amazing and always wonderful album. Follower “What If” is even much more ‘Tommy Shaw’ showing some hints of what would be his best – and one of the top albums from the 2nd half of the ’80s – ‘Ambition’.
This BGO Digitally Remastered 2-disc set at the price of 1 is a must have, both sounding truly outstanding.
You’ve seen it first at 0dayrox

JAMES 'JY' YOUNG / STYX

JAMES YOUNG BAND – Raised By Wolves (1995) Out of print

As requested, here’s Styx guitarist JAMES YOUNG third solo album “Raised By Wolves“, a quite hard to find CD released amid the grunge in 1995, hence a quite obscure pressing now out of print. JY of course here musically remains faithful to his roots, and the album style is a classic rock crossing with melodic hard rock of all times.
In the first half of the ’90s Styx wasn’t much active, so JY founded his JAMES YOUNG GROUP, and following his two ’80s solo albums recorded this third opus titled ”Raised By Wolves”.
The record featured songs penned from the ENUFF Z’NUFF writing team of Chip Enuff & Donnie Vie, admirers of JY since their teens. Young returned the favour by gracing a number of tracks on ENUFF Z’NUFF’s ‘Paraphernalia’ album. Talented Styx band mate Glen Burtnik contributed with a couple of songs and aided in the studio as well.
”Raised By Wolves” is a melodic hard rock album classic in songwriting & playing, but it’s pretty unique for the genre regarding its production: I never heard the drums / bass mix like here into any other recording. And we like it!

JAMES 'JY' YOUNG / STYX

JAMES YOUNG with JAN HAMMER – City Slicker (1984-1985) [CD version]

As requested, let’s hear now ”City Slicker”, the collaborative effort from Styx lead guitarist JAMES YOUNG and composer Jan Hammer (Miami Vice, Neal Schon). This is ‘JY’ debut solo album, however marketed as a Young/Hammer effort, released in 1984, 1985 or 1986 depending the country, and reissued on this not so easy to find CD in 1993.
There is a confident swagger to this album that many other ‘big band member going solo’ albums, with a rocking approach thanks to JY guitar work but not being the main focus only, with Hammer providing an arsenal of keys / synths for a wonderfully textured LP.
We find commercial, mid-80s slick sounding catchy tracks mixed with more elaborated compositions. For Styx, Young only provided one song per record, and in most cases that cut was a keeper (“Miss America,” “Snowblind”), and here he finds room for his pen, and proves he can sing very well too…

JAMES 'JY' YOUNG / STYX

JAMES ‘JY’ YOUNG (Styx) – Out On A Day Pass (1988) CD version

As requested, here’s Styx guitarist / founder JAMES ‘JY’ YOUNG second solo album “Out On A Day Pass“, from 1988. After collaborating with brilliant instrumentalist & producer Jan Hammer (Neal Schon, Miami Vice), JY felt he finally was ready for the total responsibility of not only arranging & performing his music, but producing it as well.
According to JY, the title “Out On A Day Pass” symbolizes the creative vacation he was having apart from Styx. It’s a quite different album, in sound & style. Young plays all guitars and most of the keyboards on the LP, and is credited with virtually all of the vocals as well.
Musically “Out On A Day Pass” mix late Seventies US arena rock with ’80s melodic hard rock, driven by catchy riffs and melodies.
The LP was recorded during breaks in the Styx schedule in a number of different studios (including J.Y.’s home studio), featuring performances by Utopia drummer Willie Wilcox, and former Whitesnake, Jan Hammer and Mick Jagger bassist Colin Hodgkinson. Styx drummer John Panozzo plays on two tracks, and original Mahavishnu Orchestra violinist Jerry Goodman lends his virtuosity to the remake of “Young Man”, a Styx song from an early, lesser-known album.
This CD version is not easy to find, out of print since many years…

DENNIS DeYOUNG / REMASTER / SHM-CD / STYX / TOMMY SHAW

STYX – Cornerstone [Japanese SHM-CD Limited Edition UICY-93923] HQ

One of you asked for the quality of the Japanese cardboard sleeve (mini LP) first reissue series of STYX on high quality SHM-CD. Well, in one word, this pressing quality is outstanding.
For many among their best LP’s, “Cornerstone” was Styx’s follow-up to their second consecutive Top 10 selling Triple Platinum album in a row, 1978’s Pieces of Eight.
Like the four previous Styx studio recordings, the band produced the album themselves once again. However, they started using a new recording studio Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Plus, the album was the first where the band shied away from the art-rock/prog-rock influences that dominated their first eight studio albums and was the band’s first move towards a more melodic rock direction…

STYX

STYX – The Same Stardust (2021)

Alongside their wonderful new album ‘Crash of the Crown’, STYX simultaneously released this translucent-blue 12-inch vinyl-only “The Same Stardust“, to participate for the very first time in their long and storied career in Record Store Day.
“The Same Stardust” includes two brand-new original Styx songs – title track “The Same Stardust” and “Age of Entropia”, both exclusive to this release – and five live tracks recorded between 2018-2020.
While “The Same Stardust” and “Age of Entropia” were both essentially recorded during the ‘Crash of the Crown’ sessions and were also in the final running to be included on the core album itself — the band ultimately had other plans for them instead: this collector’s limited vinyl.

0dayrox Contributor Exclusives / DENNIS DeYOUNG / EXCLUSIVE / STYX / UNRELEASED

STYX – Son Of Edge [Unreleased Album 1991-1992] *0dayrox EXCLUSIVE*

Named by fans “SON OF EDGE”, this is the unreleased collection of nine STYX songs from 1991-92 or so when the band consisted of Dennis DeYoung, James Young, Chuck and John Panozzo & Glen Burtnik.
After the band’s 1990 ”Edge Of The Century” album, Styx were preparing for a follow up record and sent this, the “SON OF EDGE” tape to their label, A&M Records, who the band had been signed to at the time, although their contract was up and it was time to renegotiate terms. This negotiation was handled by a big shot show business lawyer who apparently asked for more than A&M was interested in giving, so the album was never to be, and remains unreleased.
Today 0dayrox brings to you in exclusive, Styx’s unreleased 1991-1992 album “SON OF EDGE”.
There were less than 10 CDs burned, only to be sent to A&M Records executives. And not only the sound quality is excellent, it contains some of the best two Dennis DeYoung songs we’ve ever heard. It’s great to hear where Styx would have been headed if able to do this follow-up to ”Edge Of The Century” album.
A collectors item, Only at 0dayrox

DENNIS DeYOUNG / REMASTER / SHM-CD / STYX

STYX – Edge Of The Century [Japanese SHM-CD Limited Edition]

Some years ago appeared a great Japanese nine-album cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue series of STYX on high quality SHM-CD, a Limited Edition turned out of print soon.
Here’s the very good “Edge Of The Century“, the twelfth studio album by Styx, released in 1990. It was the first (and only) Styx album featuring Glen Burtnik, replacing Tommy Shaw, at that time busy with Damn Yankees. It was also the last album to feature John Panozzo on drums (he would die six years later of gastrointestinal hemorrhaging).
Seven years after breaking up, Styx were back in business, testing the commercial climate for richly arranged harmonies and Melodic Hard Rock tunes.
Indeed, “Edge Of The Century” hasn’t that classic Styx sound, but it’s a superb Melodic Hard Rock / AOR album with the awesome, glossy, polished production of the genre around 1989/91.
Burtnik contributed half of the songs…

STYX / TOMMY SHAW

STYX – Crash Of The Crown (2021)

A new era of hope, survival, and prosperity comes calling with the release of “Crash Of The Crown“, STYX’s uplifting new studio album which was written during the last three years and recorded during the trying times of the pandemic.
The legendary rockers – James “JY” Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals) – are back with their unique blend of melodies and perfectly crafted songs.
To put it simple, “Crash of the Crown ” is a superb STYX record that belongs on the shelf alongside their other records from “Equinox” forward…

DENNIS DeYOUNG / STYX

DENNIS DeYOUNG – 26 East Volume 2 (2021)

Former Styx frontman DENNIS DeYOUNG is back with the second volume of his fond farewell to recorded music, “26 East, Vol. 2” As with the preceding volume, “26 East, Vol. 2” once again hints strongly at DeYoung’s rock roots with Styx.
The production and musicianship are epic, and those timeless vocal arrangements get delivered in spades. A fitting goodbye and a final signature on an outstanding body of work which will stand the test of time.
DeYoung has previously stated that “26 East” will mark his retirement from the world of recorded music. Thanks to the abundance of material, Dennis agreed to split the album in two parts. This second half starts where the previous one left off and sees DeYoung collaborate again with the awesome Jim Peterik, a fellow Chicagoan and nearby neighbor, for the songwriting on select tracks.
Peterik also play guitar, bass, does backing vocals, and there’s many others musicians collaborating here…

DAMN YANKEES / JACK BLADES / SHAW BLADES / STYX / TOMMY SHAW

SHAW BLADES – Hallucination [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]

Rock Candy Records also released their own remastered version from SHAW BLADES collaboration project debut “Hallucination“. Formed by Damn Yankees’ Tommy Shaw (Styx) and Jack Blades (Night Ranger), these two Melodic Rock geniuses created a wonderful album here plenty of melody and showcasing not only their terrific voices, but also the duo’s amazing songwriting quality. When it comes to extracurricular...

REMASTER / STYX

STYX – The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings [first 4 albums Remastered]

As requested, here’s “The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings“, a 2-Disc set released by STYX containing remastered versions of the band’s first four albums: Styx, Styx II, The Serpent Is Rising, and Man Of Miracles, which were released by Wooden Nickel Records.
The four LPs contained in this compilation (plus Styx’s fifth album, Equinox) were recorded with original singer / songwriter / guitarist John Curulewski and feature a harder, eclectic, and more progressive sound when compared to subsequent albums.
The release also includes “Unfinished Song”, a rare B-side to the single “Best Thing” from the first album.

STYX / TODD SUCHERMAN

TODD SUCHERMAN (Styx) – Last Flight Home (2020)

Drummer TODD SUCHERMAN, who is best known as holding down the groove for STYX over the past 25 years, “Last Flight Home” means to officially come into his own as a lead singer and to release an album that bears his name on the front cover. “Last Flight Home” is filled with strong songwriting, expert production and solid musicianship. Oh...

DENNIS DeYOUNG / STYX

DENNIS DeYOUNG (ex Styx) – 26 East, Vol. 1 (2020)

Former Styx frontman DENNIS DeYOUNG will release his new album, ’26 East, Volume 1′ via Frontiers Music. Ten songs will comprise the album, DeYoung’s seventh solo studio effort and first in over a decade.
The title “26 East” refers to 26 E. 101st Place, the Chicago address where DeYoung grew up and from where Styx was formed. The record – where Jim Peterik is involved both in songwriting and playing – was originally planned as DeYoung’s final album, but the singer later decided to split it into two separate volumes.