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Styx: Regeneration Volume I & II

Re-recording old hits seems to be a trend these days for classic rock bands, and here is Styx joining the party with their new Eagle Rock release Regeneration Volume I & II, a 2CD set of brand new versions of many of the top songs in their catalog done by the current incarnation of the band. Of course, this line-up of Styx has now been together for some time, and comprised of Tommy Shaw (guitar, vocals, mandolin), James Young (guitars, vocals), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums), and both Ricky Phillips & Chuck Panozzo on bass (Chuck plays with the band on a part time basis).

You get some expected as well as unexpected classics here from the Styx cannon. Tunes such as "The Grand Illusion", "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)", "Come Sail Away", "Renegade", "Blue Collar Man", and "Crystal Ball" are all songs that any Styx collection would not be complete without, and the band do a great job with note for note reproductions of these staples. Tommy Shaw still sings as great as he did 30 years ago, which you can plainly hear on "Sing For the Day", and Gowan does his fantastic Dennis De Young impression throughout, so many of these tunes don't sound too much different from their original studio counterparts, except with 2011 production values. Nice to hear cuts like "Lorelei" and the hard rocking "Queen of Spades" and "Snowblind", as well as the folky "Boat on the River". 'JY' also proves that he can still rock out quite hard on his blistering track "Miss America", and the band even throw in a new tune here called "Difference In the World", a more acoustic based number with some great melodies and rich vocal harmonies, with Shaw especially sounding amazing. As an interesting bonus, the band decided to do updated versions of two Damn Yankees hits (the band Shaw was in with Jack Blades & Ted Nugent back in the early 90's), the rocking "Coming of Age" and "High Enough". Both are executed quite well, and it was fun to hear them again after all these years in the 'Styx way'.

Depending on your take of the whole 're-recording of old songs' trend, this will no doubt effect whether you want to take the plunge on Regeneration Volume I & II. In my view, this is a fun CD, a brand new 'hits collection' if you will, with a few surprises and bonus cuts thrown in for good measure. For the die hard Styx fan it's a no brainer.


Track Listing
CD 1

  1. The Grand Illusion
  2. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
  3. Lorelei
  4. Sing For the Day
  5. Crystal Ball
  6. Come Sail Away
  7. Difference In the World


CD 2

  1. Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
  2. Miss America
  3. Renegade
  4. Queen of Spades
  5. Boat on the River
  6. Too Much Time on My Hands
  7. Snowblind
  8. Coming of Age
  9. High Enough

Added: September 24th 2011
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 4742
Language: english

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» Reader Comments:

Styx: Regeneration Volume I & II
Posted by realstyxfan on 2011-10-15 16:49:20
My Score:

[GS - EIDTOR NOTE: Archive of original after edit to remove unauthorised reprint of content - IP: 98.80.205.38]


This is for the new Styx regurge issues as fans are calling them. Many reviews on Amazon and even on styxs facebook page. Also check out melodicrock forums for more.

This doesn't sound like a multiplatnium band neither does the albums. Jy's vocals are over the place. Lawrence Gowan is NOT no Dennis Deyoung.



This review comes from Classic Rock Magazine



Styx – Regeneration: Volumes I & II
Eagle Records
www.eaglerockent.com
www.styxworld.com

Rating: D

Many rock fans do not realize that many of their favorite bands do not own the rights to their own material. With classic rock tunes being favorites of advertisers, and advertisers willingness to pay big bucks to use these tunes in commercials, many bands redo their own songs in order to have something that they own to sell for these commercials. They also are handy to force the hardcore fan base completists to shell out a few more bucks for new product – err, sorta new product – to add to their collection.

Whether this was the reason Styx released a two-disc set of their own tunes or not, only the band and their management knows.

It's a shame this type of thing has to go on, as it really makes bands like Styx look as if they are out of original ideas. The fact that this 'Styx' album also contains two Damn Yankees songs on it only adds to the confusion.

The only interesting things about this album are the songs that Lawrence Gowan sings. Gowan replaced Dennis DeYoung and hearing his take on classics Styx tunes, including "The Grand Illusion" and "Come Sail Away," is something different. However, he can be heard singing these songs on any of the live CDs or DVDs that have been released since he has been in the band.


This is a throwaway album that really is not that impressive. There is a new song titled "Difference in the World" but, at the end of the day, it does more to make one wonder if the band really is out of good ideas, as it is a forgettable song.

Perhaps the time has come for Styx to take a few years off the road and recharge their batteries. Can anyone say, "Damn Yankees reunion?"

By Jeb Wright

Styx: Regeneration Volume I & II
Posted by realstyxfan on 2011-10-15 16:36:03
My Score:

This is for the new Styx regurge issues as fans are calling them. Many reviews on Amazon and even on styxs facebook page. Also check out melodicrock forums for more.

This doesn't sound like a multiplatnium band neither does the albums. Jy's vocals are over the place. Lawrence Gowan is NOT no Dennis Deyoung.

[EDITORS NOTE: We are sorry, but we are unable to reprint content & reviews from other sites/publications without written permission. The remainder of this comment has been removed.]




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