Styx – Regeneration:Volume I & II
2011, Eagle
Like many classic rock bandssubject to the avarice of labels who own the rights to their songs, Styx hasseen a number of re-releases and repackages of their material over the years. Since 2007 there have been no less than ninegreatest hits/best of packages released in various countries around theworld. Not too shabby for a band thatapparently can’t even get a grudging nod of respect from the folks at RollingSt… I mean the Rock and Roll Hall ofFame. Styx is back with anotherre-package of old hits, but this time it’s a bit more intriguing. Regeneration:Volume I & II offers 15 new recordings of classic Styx songs, plus onenew track.
Styx released Volume I and VolumeII separately over the past year and a half, with the intent that the albumswould be sold only at shows and on-line through the band’s fan club. The secondary demand for the discs provedsignificant, however, and Eagle Records has packaged both albums in one set. You can see our prior review of Regeneration: Volume I here. Volume II runs in the same vein, with oldStyx favorites getting new life from the current lineup. Like VolumeI, Volume II has a raw-but-polished quality, similar to a professionallyproduced live album. Styx strives tocapture the sound you hear in concert today on record rather than re-create theoriginals note-for-note. The result isan exciting update to material that still seems vibrant even (in some cases)thirty-five years later.
The band revives such hits as “BlueCollar Man”, “Renegade”, “Miss America”, “Snowblind” and “Too Much Time On MyHands”, with Tommy Shaw and James Young belting out classic vocal lines. In the process, Styx digs out a wonderful gemin “Queen Of Spades”. Lawrence Gowandoes a great job with this classic album cut, even if it doesn’t have quitehave the dramatic sense of the original. Styx also gives life to two cuts Tommy Shaw performed with side projectDamn Yankees (Shaw, Jack Blades, Ted Nugent & Michael Cartellone). “High Enough” and “Coming Of Age” alwayssounded like Styx songs and work very well in the context of the current lineupof the band.
Yes, there was much complainingon-line and in fan enclaves when Styx started releasing the Regeneration projects. Fans who will never forgive the band for thedeparture of Dennis DeYoung scalded the remaining members for carrying onwithout him, but this is what bands do, like it or not. Regeneration:Volume I & II isn’t about excising a former band member, it’s aboutputting Styx in a position to make a living off their own work, rather thanhaving all of the licensing opportunities fall into the lap of a dying majorlabel architecture more interested in profiting off its catalogue than actuallybuilding up artists for the future. Regeneration: Volume I & II givesmore than fair value; classic songs with an updated sound that’s as fresh andvibrant today as ever.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
CD DownloadiTunes.
Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.