Styx (band)

Styx is an American rock and roll band, popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, and touring again in the 2000s. They were the first band to have 4 consecutive triple platinum albums.

1980s

In 1981, Styx released Paradise Theater, a loose concept album that became their biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard pop albums chart and yielding five top-40 singles including the top 10 hits "The Best Of Times" and "Too Much Time on My Hands".

Related Topics:
1981 - Paradise Theater - Concept album

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During this period of greatest success, the band, particularly DeYoung and Shaw, began to be affected by interpersonal tensions. On the success of the ballad "Babe", Styx founder DeYoung had been pushing for a more theatrical and pop-oriented direction, while Shaw favored a harder-edged approach. The band followed DeYoung's lead with their next project, Kilroy Was Here: another, more fully-realized concept album, this one set in a future where music itself has been outlawed. Critics said that the concept behind the album was still very murky; several band members themselves admitted to not really getting it. Kilroy sold well and was the centerpiece of an ambitious and theatrical stage show; however, the album and tour were a critical disaster and brought the tensions within the band to a breaking point. Kilroy did contain several hits, including the synthesizer-based "Mr. Roboto" and DeYoung's power ballad "Don't Let It End".

Related Topics:
Kilroy Was Here - Synthesizer - Mr. Roboto - Don't Let It End

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1984, the band's first live album, Caught In The Act (which documented the Kilroy tour), was released, featuring one studio track, "Music Time," which was a modest radio hit and briefly cracked the top 40. By this time, however, the most successful version of Styx had disbanded and the members had moved on to moderately successful solo careers. DeYoung released several successful solo albums centered around pop ballads and soft rock tunes, and James Young attempted a solo career with The James Young Band and achieved limited success. Shaw formed Damn Yankees in 1989 with Ted Nugent, Jack Blades and Michael Cartellone.

Related Topics:
1984 - Damn Yankees - 1989 - Ted Nugent - Jack Blades - Michael Cartellone

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~