Was anyone else out there as heartbroken as I was when Styx: Behind The Music first aired in August of 2000? Remeber how desperate Dennis DeYoung sounded and how stone cold mean James “JY” Young seemed. The episode left no doubt that there wouldn’t be a happy reunion anytime soon. And now it’s been almost 21 years since that aired (you can watch that full episode below).
It was only a year ago that DeYoung was still trying to make the case that Styx should reunite for “one last tour”, but, in fact, the band are emabrking on an extensive tour as we speak, and have just finished their 17th studio album and…no DeYoung in sight. They’ve played more concerts since 1999, when he departed, than in all the previous years combined.
So where does that leave Dennis DeYoung?
The guy who made the best Styx songs, yet also arguably ruined the band, is still creating. His new album is a continuation of his long goodbye to recorded music, “26 East, Vol. 2.” This time he really means it – he’s done recording. “The last album (Vol. 1) was supposed to be my final album, but there were so many songs written that Serafino Perugino, CEO of Frontiers, suggested dividing it into two albums rather than one,” said DeYoung.
To be fair, the 74-year-old still sounds and writes like Dennis DeYoung. For longtime fans, that’s good news. I think it’s also welcome news to many that DeYoung has left behind his more overtly theatrical predilections for a more classic rock sound.
The first track, “Hello Goodbye” is a nostaligiac, autobiographical homage to the Fab Four. DeYoung sings,
“Two nine back in sixty four
I watched it all from my front room door
In the winter of our discontent
Four lads sounding heaven scent
Singin’ yeah, yeah”
“The Last Guitar Hero” features none other than shredder Tom Morello blasting from the speakers with a sound that is somehow both contemporary and retro, all at once. For good measure, there’s the odd power ballad, too. “You Saved Me” is sentimental, even sappy, but the background vocals sound like..are you ready for it? Styx! The words being sung are “Your Saving Grace” but they might as well be “The Best of Times,” I mean -it’s even the same amount of syllables and a very similar note sequence. You’ll also hear bits of Superstar and Grand Illusion buried within other song titles., for example. Call it an homage to his own career.
Bottom line- DeYoung has had some swings and misses, but he also has a place in music history and a host of hits that have stood the test of time. If you buy “26 East, Vol. 2.” it won’t be a mercy purchase- it’ll be because you still like the way Dennis DeYoung does his thing, and he’s going out sounding like a much younger man. And to be clear, he has said no more recording. He will contionue to perform and has dates scheduled for this fall. See tour dates here.
Meanwhile, Styx release Crash of the Crowns on June 18th. The title track reinforces a powerful vintage Styx vibe but with some present day flousihes. Like DeYoung’s solo album, the rest of the guys, paricularly on the layered chorus vocals sound an awful lot like…yes, Styx! (with a little old school Queen sneaking in, too).
And that wobbly moog sound – a signature of early Styx, is front and center on the second single, “Reveries.” Bottom line: these guys are still rocking. I have seen this version of the band twice and they were extremely sharp and tight. Lawrence Gowan was brought in to sing the Dennis DeYoung parts- that’s just a fact. Styx never stopped doing DeYoung songs in concert, and that’s fine. Gowan is a great singer and showman and, by all accounts, a super nice guy.
Yeah, 16 year old me sort of never got over Styx and DeYoung not working things out. And, to be honest, I haven’t purchased any barnd new music from either one ina long time. But for a bunch of guys in their 60s and 70s, they still know how to do their thing – and that’s what the fans want. I am comforted to see and hear that they have not embarrassed themselves with their respective new releases.
