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The Best of STYX - 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

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Have you ever seen something in a store that seems like it was made just for you? I found one of those items today that seemed to have been made especially for me. I've been wanting to own Styx's Greatest Hits for a long time, and I was going to purchase it today, BUT I found something that was even better (for me).

A lot of classic artists are coming out with their own 20th Century Masters collections as of late, but I didn't know that Styx even had one. Like most Greatest Hits compilations, Styx's Greatest Hits had a few songs that I was dying to have, and, of course, some that I'd consider to be a nice addition, but that I could ultimately live without. Interestingly enough, this one, 20th Century Masters, has every single one of those that I couldn't bear to live without, and it was a good deal cheaper.

"Too Much Time On My Hands" is a fun, catchy song to listen to anytime you're bored or in a hurry; "Come Sail Away" features some of Styx's best vocals ever, and it also shows their hard rocking side with an excellent musical solo near the end; "Mr. Roboto" is a strange sort of song, but strangeness doesn't prevent greatness (love the robot voice!); "Babe" is what I would consider one of the best and perhaps underrated ballads of its era; "Show Me The Way" is an inspirational song that has a way of showing me the way out of depression and worry when bad times are prevailing over the good.

So there they are: my favorites. The rest of the album is full of hits that any Styx fan will know by heart, and they're great to listen to as well, especially when you're taking a long road trip that lasts several hours. For those wanting to know, the CD booklet includes a list of the songs and tells the year and album that each originally premiered on, pictures of the band, and a nice, short biography of Styx that covers both the troubles and triumphs that the band has seen through the years. If I have any criticism of this album, it's that "Renegage" and Styx's breakout hit, "Lady," are surprisingly missing from the collection.

If you're looking for a cheaper solution to Styx's Greatest Hits and you see all of your must-haves on this one, why not save a few bucks and purchase this one instead? In both the worst and best of times, you can come sail away with Mr. Roboto and Styx in a boat on the river or anywhere else! Quit fooling yourself, you don't have to have too much time on your hands to enjoy The Best of Styx - 20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection.

Styx's installment in UMG's '20th Century Masters' series was released in 2002. Now, I do ask, 'Why was this released when we already have 'Greatest Hits' and 'Greatest Hits Part 2'? But A&M records cashed in on the opportunity, and the result was this fairly-priced 11-song collection.

Here is the album by album, track by track review. There is nothing from the Wooden Nickel years, so the record picks up when Styx signed to A&M Records in 1975.

Tracks from Equinox (1975)
'Lorelei'
Review: A great song, and the major hit from the record. Still, I ask, why don't we have a song like 'Suite Madame Blue' or 'Light Up' here? A little frustrating.

Tracks from Crystal Ball (1976)
'Mademoiselle'
Review: My favorite song from Tommy Shaw's debut with Styx, but why stop there? The title track and 'Jennifer' should definitely be here, especially the first because that was the chart hit. But my hats off to A&M because they included the album track as opposed to the hit. But aren't greatest hits albums supposed to contain hits AND album tracks?

Tracks from The Grand Illusion (1977)
'Come Sail Away,' 'Fooling Yourself'
Review: Great selection, but WHY STOP THERE? NO 'GRAND ILLUSION' OR 'SUPERSTARS'? That's just annoying. This was arguably Styx's finest record, and yet, we only get TWO songs represented? ARGH!

Tracks from Pieces of Eight (1978)
'Blue Collar Man'
Review: One word: 'Renegade'? NO! IT'S NOT HERE! One of Styx's best songs and it's not here? That's unacceptable. And not even an album track like 'Queen of Spades' or 'Sing for the Day'? 'Blue Collar Man' is a great song, one of their most rocking songs, but, again, WHY STOP THERE?

Tracks from Cornerstone (1979)
'Babe,' 'Boat On The River'
Review: The band's only #1 hit was 'Babe,' so obviously it's on here. And Tommy Shaw's 'Boat On The River' also appears here, and rightfully so. This album track was always left out in the dust, and I never understood why. I wouldn't mind seeing a song like 'Lights' or 'Borrowed Time' here, but that's a minor complaint.

Tracks from Paradise Theater (1981)
'Too Much Time On My Hands,' 'The Best of Times'
Review: The two big hits from the band's concept album appear here. Shaw sings lead on 'Too Much Time On My Hands,' and it's one of his best songs too. And 'The Best of Times' is one of their best pop rock tunes. But, why no 'A.D. 1928,' 'Rockin' The Paradise' or 'Snowblind'?

Tracks from Kilroy Was Here (1983)
'Mr. Roboto'
Review: This was one of Styx's worst records, in my opinion. 'Mr. Roboto' was a cool track and very creative and original, but I wouldn't mind seeing a song like 'Haven't We Been Here Before' or 'Heavy Metal Poisoning' or perhaps the other chart hit here, 'Don't Let It End.' But A&M did alright here.

Tracks from Edge of the Century (1990)
'Show Me The Way'
Review: Here is Styx's weakest record. 'Show Me The Way' was a solid pop song, but it wasn't really my type of music. 'Love Is The Ritual' and 'Love At First Sight' should be here as well if 'Show Me The Way' is here.

Overall, this is a nice, cheap overview of Styx, but there are many key omissions here. My advice is buy 'Greatest Hits,' 'Greatest Hits Part 2' or if you want a two CD retrospective, 'Come Sail Away: The Styx Anthology.'

But unless you are a new or casual Styx fan, I would just ignore this one. Every song on here is great, but there are just so many that are better.

Recommended, but only for the new or casual Styx fan.

Excellent CD, BUT how could they have a best of Styx CD and Not include Renegade, Lady, or Suite Madame Blue. great music, worth the money, but it could of been better.

Styx has come out of the woodwork with a great collection of their best songs and has been making a great comeback while touring again. They are bringing back all their great songs to the new milleneum and introducing them to the younger generation.

This is a "must have" cd for those collector buffs out there.

Dennis Deyoung is back, even if is as Ex. Producer on this cd. A good collection of songs, not really a greatest hits, because several good song are missing, that are well know as STYX songs. Worth picking up, but your better off with their Greatest Hits 1 & 2.
Would be nice if Dennis, Styx, and A&M records, would release the 3 disk box set that Dennis had planned. Has the songs from the follow up cd to EDGE OF THE CENTURY. Maybe one day they all will play nice and remember that it's not just about them, but their fans, the ones who buy their music, and goes and sees them in concert.

This is a decent compilation if a bit short in number of songs. Also, while Mademoiselle is a good song, I probably wouldn't put it on any of their best of's. And while Fooling Yourself did get airplay, it's really just a bunch of keyboards sections slapped together with a couple of vocal parts, it's really not a proper song, more of an experiment. At any rate, I put together a `real' Best of on my iPod with a tracklisting of the following tracks / track order:

1. AD 1928 / Rockin' the Paradise 2. Snowblind 3. Nothing Ever Goes As Planned
4. Too Much Time On My Hands 5. Half-Penny, Two-Penny 6. Come Sail Away
7. All in a Day's Work 8. Eddie 9. The Best of Times 10. Renegade 11. Mr. Roboto 12. Boat on the River 13. Midnight Ride 14. Suite Madame Blue 15. Lights 16. Miss America 17. Babe 18. Crystal Ball 19. Love is the Ritual 20. AD 1958 21. Blue Collar Man 22. Music Time

While I was at it, I also put together a further compilation built around the Kilroy Was Here story with the following tracks which works really well:

1. Mr. Roboto 2. Cold War 3. Double Life 4. High Time 5. Love in the Midnight
6. Into the Fire 7. Why Me 8. Just Get Through This Night 9. Show Me the Way
10. City of Holy Faith 11. Haven't We Been Here Before 12. Not Dead Yet
13. Still Feel Your Love 14. Girls with Guns 15. Don't Let It End
16. Man in the Wilderness 17. Heavy Metal Poisoning 18. Castle Walls
19. Little Girl World 20. Don't Let It End - reprise 21. Back to Chicago

This really isn't the Styx CD you want to buy. It is missing so many great songs.