- Audio CD (13 Nov 2006)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Frontiers
- ASIN: B000IZJZD0
- Other Editions: Audio CD
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 235,432 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I know what you're thinking - not another live Styx CD. After all, they've not been thin on the ground since the Stygians got back together again. And, to make matters worse, they've jumped on the whole symphony orchestra bandwagon, a few years too late. But hold hard - this is rather splendid. Younger readers may not recall the pomptastic proggish origins of Styx, waaay back in the seventies, and this time around it's that hallowed period that they've harked back to.
The other difference is that Styx have teamed up with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, who're all in their teens, so there's none of that nodding head nonsense, rather the sound of people learning their craft. Which makes a nice change. The opening version of 'Blue Collar Man' may well be the best version of that classic I've ever heard, and I've heard a few. And it is the early material that comes off best, designed as it was for pomp and circumstance. So the winners include fantastic versions of 'Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)', 'Boat On The River', 'Crystal Ball', 'Miss America' and 'Renegade'.
Things are less successful on the cover versions, so you may want to skip the Willie Dixon tune, 'I Don't Need No Doctor' and the Beatles 'I Am The Walrus', which you won't be surprised about given my antipathy to all things Beatle-ish. The new songs are worthwhile additions to the Styx canon, and this proved to be a delightful pleasure. A new stusio track, 'Just Be' is thrown into the middle of the CD, which jars slightly, but it's a cracking number, also harking back to their pomp origins.
If this sounds like the kind of thing you'd like, may I point you towards the DVD release which has extra tracks and a medley of Put Me On / Mademoiselle / Heavy Metal Poisoning / Midnight Ride / Sing for the Day / Shooz / Queen Of Spades / Great White Hope / Half Penny Two Penny / Borrowed Time / Rockin' The Paradise / Lights / Man In The Wilderness for your delectation.
I agree with Tommy Shaw on this one - "awesome"!
The other difference is that Styx have teamed up with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, who're all in their teens, so there's none of that nodding head nonsense, rather the sound of people learning their craft. Which makes a nice change. The opening version of 'Blue Collar Man' may well be the best version of that classic I've ever heard, and I've heard a few. And it is the early material that comes off best, designed as it was for pomp and circumstance. So the winners include fantastic versions of 'Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)', 'Boat On The River', 'Crystal Ball', 'Miss America' and 'Renegade'.
Things are less successful on the cover versions, so you may want to skip the Willie Dixon tune, 'I Don't Need No Doctor' and the Beatles 'I Am The Walrus', which you won't be surprised about given my antipathy to all things Beatle-ish. The new songs are worthwhile additions to the Styx canon, and this proved to be a delightful pleasure. A new stusio track, 'Just Be' is thrown into the middle of the CD, which jars slightly, but it's a cracking number, also harking back to their pomp origins.
If this sounds like the kind of thing you'd like, may I point you towards the DVD release which has extra tracks and a medley of Put Me On / Mademoiselle / Heavy Metal Poisoning / Midnight Ride / Sing for the Day / Shooz / Queen Of Spades / Great White Hope / Half Penny Two Penny / Borrowed Time / Rockin' The Paradise / Lights / Man In The Wilderness for your delectation.
I agree with Tommy Shaw on this one - "awesome"!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I loved it!
18 Jan 2007
Format:Audio CD
I also saw this concert first on HDNet and loved it. I will say that seeing it in HD is way better than the DVD...oh well, I guess I'll have to wait 'til I get an HD-DVD player...
I agree with the previous reviewer that Styx definitely upstages CYO most of the time, but I didn't really expect otherwise. I thought it was a good mix and I really enjoyed watching teenage kids get excited about music that wasn't hip-hop!!
I agree with the previous reviewer that Styx definitely upstages CYO most of the time, but I didn't really expect otherwise. I thought it was a good mix and I really enjoyed watching teenage kids get excited about music that wasn't hip-hop!!
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Just Another Live Album
9 Jan 2007
Format:Audio CD
I watched the live concert on HDNet, and had really high hopes for the CD. Working with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra could have been a great addition to an already great band. The problem is, the band got in the way. If you're expecting this CD to be similiar to the Dennis DeYoung CD or the Kansas CD where they played with an orchestra, you're going to be out of luck.
Instead of Styx putting their instruments down (or even turning them down a little bit) and letting the Orchestra give old Styx songs a new, more powerful feel, the band drowns them out every time. With the exception of a few songs, you won't even notice that the Contemporary Youth Orchestra is there. Gowan's keyboards and synthesizers still do what could have been done much better by the orchestra, Sucherman's drums overpower the string instruments, and even Boat on the River, which would have been amazing in an orchestral version, is still basically the same exact sound it's always been.
I'm not sure if it was the band's egos (of which they are all famous for) that prevented them from utilizing the CYO to it's full extent, or just the constraints of a live performance. Two new songs are performed, but one isn't even the live version, but a studio recording. Sadly what we have is just one more live Styx CD with mostly old songs. All in all a missed opportunity.
Instead of Styx putting their instruments down (or even turning them down a little bit) and letting the Orchestra give old Styx songs a new, more powerful feel, the band drowns them out every time. With the exception of a few songs, you won't even notice that the Contemporary Youth Orchestra is there. Gowan's keyboards and synthesizers still do what could have been done much better by the orchestra, Sucherman's drums overpower the string instruments, and even Boat on the River, which would have been amazing in an orchestral version, is still basically the same exact sound it's always been.
I'm not sure if it was the band's egos (of which they are all famous for) that prevented them from utilizing the CYO to it's full extent, or just the constraints of a live performance. Two new songs are performed, but one isn't even the live version, but a studio recording. Sadly what we have is just one more live Styx CD with mostly old songs. All in all a missed opportunity.
Live Performance
16 Feb 2010
Format:Audio CD
This show was on PBS. I bought the DVD because the enthusiasm of the young musicians was so upbeat. It's infectious. There's a young blond violinist who you will thoroughly enjoy watching as she gets in to the music.
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