Vinyl: STYX CRYSTAL BALL AUDIOPHILE 2O15 REMASTERED 180 GRAM LIMITED EDITION RARE LP

Crystal Ball, released in 1976, showcased the songwriting talents of Dennis De Young, Tommy Shaw and James Young.

Styx's 1976 offering is unique in many ways. It was the first album where Tommy Shaw contributed to songwriting. Shaw had already joined the band before recording this album to tour for the previous record EQUINOX. On CRYSTAL BALL they continued the art-rock aesthetic that they had always followed, but Shaw contributed a new organic feel that had not been present before and also brought in a rock factor that rivaled JY (the other lead guitarist/singer). The title song is a prime example of this and one of the band's best songs ever. Shaw is a natural when it comes to creating melodies and acoustic arrangements. He is a well-above average singer and lead guitar player too. He also contributed the two hits on this album; Mademoiselle and Crystal Ball. They're both catchy and at the same time artsy. Check out the Ahhh, Tsss, sounds on This Old Man. It's a song about DeYoung's (Founding member/keyboardist/lead vocalist) father and the sounds are a reference to printing presses (his father owned a print shop). This was the thing about Styx that was so appealing. They were creative, they rocked, they wrote catchy melodies and the songs were never boring. (Unless you're not into the artsy sort of thing). They were a true progressive rock fusion band and one of the best to combine prog with pop. Dennis DeYoung was a music major and the musical director for the band. He is famed for being a control freak, but if you listen to all of Styx albums from STYX I and on; if you listen to the songs written by DeYoung, it becomes clear that he was the main architect of the Styx sound. He was not greater than the sum of their parts, but his style is the one the prevailed and carried on through their best work. Of course the rest of the band also contributed greatly, but I'm talking about the underlying style that is Styx. This album is hugely underrated, and although bombastic and sometimes silly (Put Me On), these were the things that were a big part of the Styx charm. They were many times called America's answer to Queen. I don't think that it was a conscious effort on their part but in many ways it is correct.

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