Customer Reviews

Big Bang Theory

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(41)

 

 

Which is a quick, thrown-together album the record company wanted when they didn't have enough new material ready. As "I Am the Walrus" was hitting airwaves in the midwest, they decided to put this package together to ride the momentum. And consider that portions of this album sale go to charity (WD's Blue Heaven Foundation) you can understand why the guys wanted to have a little fun.

So how does a Styx cover album work? For one thing, it's full of riff-laden big arena-rock guitar hooks last heard on "The Grand Illusion". It's like listening to a closet classics show on the radio. Sure, there are some misses (Summer in the City rocks hard, but Tommy sings it and his vocals are just too pretty for it, and Manic Depression never quite cuts it for me), but the hits are great:
- I Am the Walrus is a great rendition, I Can See For Miles almost thrashes, Can't Find My Way Home features great acoustic guitar work over a passable Tommy Shaw vocal, I Don't Need No Doctor gets the heads banging, One Way Out channels the Allmans in this take of Willie Dixon (with great slide guitar work) and A Salty Dog is a great rendition with stunning Lawrence Gowan vocals. The best cover, though? An almost-acoustic, stripped-down, slowed-down version of Blue Collar Man. A great reinterpretation.

So it's a pleasant listen biding the time between the great Cyclorama and whatever comes next. Oh, by the way, I liked Dennis DeYoung too, up through Kilroy, and felt the conflict between him and the band as far as styles led to some great work. But on Brave New World his work was definitely the low point, and I think Mr. Gowan has creatively fired up these guys. Just my $0.02.

Okay...first things first. All the WHINING about Dennis being gone from the band is probably coming from the people who JUST heard Steve Perry isn't in Journey any longer. Wake up folks...
Steve said on Behind the Music he didn't feel like part of the band (and after I broke my jaw on the ground after that statement I went and saw Journey with the guy that's singing for them now and it was FANTASTIC)...Dennis felt he was in charge of Styx and couldn't handle it when they decided to carry on without him. They aren't doing stuff like Babe anymore, and I couldn't be happier. I like Dennis and a lot of his songs are excellent...but Styx is what they always wanted to be now...a ROCK band (or as JY said onstage the last time I saw them "a CLASSIC rock band")...and this album is classic rock done Styx style...and I could tell right away, they had a BLAST doing this. I am the Walrus is no easy song to carry off...they do it. And the rest of the covers here are done remarkably well, as one other reviewer put it very nicely, they make the songs sound like they could've been written last week and not last millenium!
There isn't a dud here...and the reworking of Blue Collar Man is tastefully done and shows they can reinvent themselves without any problem. I have no problem with a band like this doing a covers album...they didn't miss a thing here, and for those of you complaining that these guys must have run out of creative juices to not do anything new for this album, haven't you got something more important to complain about? These guys are out on the road this summer with 38 Special...and their new CD is incredible too. This promises to be a great summer tour! For the whiners that think Styx isn't Styx or Journey isn't Journey without the people who deserted the bands close to a decade ago...remember the words of Don Henley: get over it!

First off, as a long time Styx fan, I want to say how much I enjoyed Cyclorama. I couldn't wait until the next CD came out with new material. Cyclorama had quite a few good songs I enjoyed on it. One problem I had then was trying to get Rock/ Classic Rock radio stations to play their new music. A couple of station program directors told me, while they play older Styx music, they liked Styx's new music but the corporate bosses didn't want the new stuff played. It was frustrating but the band has been out of the mainstream for awhile.

With that being said, I can almost understand why this CD of cover songs came out. The band had messed around with playing the Beatles tune "I am the Walrus" live. A program director asked the band to record the cover. Styx's version of "I am the Walrus" was a hit and getting decent airplay on classic rock radio. If they won't play your new music, create a CD full of cover songs that could get some airplay, get your name back out there, and help build momentum for your next new CD. It makes good sense if that was their intention.

While I feel doing a whole CD full of covers is going overboard, the strategy seems to being paying off. Last week, 10 of the 14 songs on this CD debuted on Mediabase's Top 75 Classic Rock Airplay Chart with "I Don't Need No Doctor" debuting at #4. Meanwhile, the "Big Bang Theory" CD debuts this week at #46 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. I'm not a big fan of cover songs but I can't argue with that. With some success, I hope this CD can help to re-establish Styx as a true rock band and that it inspires some great new music in the near future.

When I heard Styx was doing a CD full of cover songs I wasn't exactly thrilled. Especially since I liked the direction the band was headed with Cyclorama. I waited a week to buy "Big Bang Theory" and gave it a good listen before I made any judgments about it. I'm finding that I like this CD. The songs are done very well and some songs have that distinct Styx harmonies flavor. Having seen them in concert many times, I would expect no less from this band. There is a nice collection of older classic rock songs for a new generation to hear. I had never heard "A Salty Dog" before myself but it is one of my favorites on this CD. What a great song! My other favorite song from this CD is "Can't Find My Way Home". The original Blind Faith version is awesome and I wasn't sure if Styx was going to be able to pull it off. Tommy Shaw does a great job with the vocals on this one. Nice acoustical guitar work too. The other songs I consider good listening are "I am the Walrus", "I Can See for Miles", "I Don't Need No Doctor", "One Way Out", "Manic Depression", "Talkin' About the Good Times", "Locomotive Breath", & "Wishing Well". The slower bluesy "Blue Collar Man @2120" is ok but it will never replace the original for this long-time Styx fan.

I'm glad I waited to listen to the CD a few times before I made a judgment. In haste, I would have given this album 1 star for being full of cover songs. After listening to "Big Bang Theory" I've learned to enjoy it for what it is and give it 3 ½ stars.

Just saw STYX in concert at the Rosemont Theatre, (just outside of Chicago, IL) last night.
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They featured a hand full of songs from this new CD. The release features covers of classic rock songs. Like many of you, I had gotten off the STYX wagon 20 years ago today. On this night STYX first brought the house down with their rendition of "I AM THE WALRUS", coo-coo-ca-cho. TOMMY SHAW followed up next by leading an acoustic guitar driven medley of CSN's "FIND THE COST OF FREEDOM" / "CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME" (Blind Faith), which garnered a second standing ovation from the pro-Chicago home crowd. Less successful was "SUMMER IN THE CITY", which did not quite transcend on stage, for me at least. For the encore, which led off with blues legend Koko Taylor, the band paid homage to their Chi-Town roots. Once Koko bid good night to Sweet Home Chicago, the band railed full force into Humble Pie's "I DON"T NEED NO DOCTOR", as if they were Rockin' the Fillmore. Keyboardist / vocalist LAWRENCE GOWEN, who supplanted Dennis DeYoung in the late '90s, handled Steve Marriott vocal chores effortlessly and bounced about the stage with much vim and vigor.
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The BIG BANG THEORY compact disc has gone Top 50 -something that hasn't happened to STYX in two decades- and covers such as "I AM THE WALRUS" have gotten air play on some 200 rock stations across the country.
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The show surprised me, I was expecting Spinal Tap, and I got a new STYX. Yeah, it is always hard to see a band past their glory days, and with new members unknown to us, but this reincarnation of STYX seemed sparked with fresh energy and ideas by the current players. TODD SUCHERMAN ripped the drums up all night long with boundless energy. Former Babies and Bad English (John Waite) bassist RICKY PHILLIPS was steady and fit in with the band, as the newest member. The Canadian GOWEN was very theatrical and his showmanship helped ease the absence of Dennis. GOWEN spun his keyboard on a revolving pedestal, he pranced around the stage with the confidence that his voice projected. All of the parts added to the whole and it worked. They rocked harder and left the syrup in the cupboard as we feasted on uptempo favorites and left tired ballads like "Babe" in the rear view mirror. We went out and ordered this CD immediately today. Change is good and the band seemed more vital and vitalized than I'd ever remembered them before. TOMMY, J.Y. & GOWEN shared vocal chores and instrumental solos and most everything worked. Recovering STYX co-founder and bandmate CHUCK PANOZZO joined the band on stage for the end of the regular set and part of the encore and was welcomed on stage by the raucous crowd. I thought STYX were for kids, but as a 45 years old, I found this show and new album a fun record to want to own. Sure we are Chicago and we root, root, root for the home team.
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This was not an oldies act sailing away into rock and roll Babylon. It looked more like a revitalized band that appeared ready to take on the world stage again.

If you're favorite Styx song of all time is "Babe", don't buy this CD

This is rock! So what if it's all cover songs? they rock!

I agree there are 1 or 2 that aren't to my taste, but the musicianship is killer! And the sound is right on target.

The original recordings of these songs sound muddy, because of the poor recording techniques back in the 60's and 70's. It's awesome to hear "I can see for miles" with crystal clear pounding drums.

I didn't buy this CD expecting "Dark Side of the Moon", I bought it to hear a revamping of some great classic tunes.

I too can't wait for Styx's next CD of originals, but this disc stands on it's own as quality stuff.
I saw them do I Am The Walrus in concert and it brought the house down. Listen to this version of Manic Depression , then listen to Hendrix's. The sound quality difference is staggering, and Styx has done these songs justice

I was going to write a review when I bought the CD on the first day it was released. I then decided to give it some time and listen longer before making a decision. I have been a Styx fan since 1975 when I first heard my older sister playing 'Equinox'. This is not a pro or con Dennis DeYoung thing a lot of the reviewers are trying to make this out to be, this is a Styx thing. Food for thought: Styx originally broke up in 1983, Dennis, Tommy, and JY all went on to do solo albums. Styx reformed with Glen Burtnik instead of Tommy and recorded 'Edge Of The Century', the album was ok (all of the good songs were Glen's,) but the band did not have much success. Mean while Tommy was rocking with the Damn Yankees and recorded two great albums. We now jump ahead to 'Brave New World' with the original Styx line up (minus John), I though the album was again ok, but Dennis was clearly not on the same page as the rest of the band. 'Cyclorama' was next with the addition of Lawrence Gowan who replaced Dennis, and the result was a great album, which is why 'Big Bang Theory' is the disappointment it is. I understand the band wanted to do a tribute to the musicians that influenced them, but why now? 'Cyclorama' set the pace for the new Styx, and this album should have picked up where 'Cyclorama' left off. This was the perfect time for Styx to show that they still have what it takes to be a top band and write great songs. Instead we got an album of cover songs which greatly disapointed me. They play the songs great, but the choice of songs is half best. There are so many classic rock songs out there that I dont undertand why they chose what they did, I would say half the songs are good picks.The remake of 'Blue Collar Man' could have been much better, I like the idea but they just didn't hit it. My last comments are regarding the guest musicians. I understand they want to pay respect to those they admire, but the backing vocals on 'Blue Collar Man' and 'Wishing Well" added nothing to the songs and the songs would have been better without. I would love to give this album 5 stars, but because of it being a cover album and the song selection I have to give it a three.

If you like 60's and 70's rock and roll, you may or may not like the way Styx freshened up some of the classic and not-so-classic songs found on this CD.

As is par for the course for Styx for the last 30 years, the strongest selections come from the Tommy Shaw inspired cuts, especially Steve Winwood's "Can't Find My Way Home" and the Allman Bros.' "One Way Out". And the slower blues-inspired updated version of Styx' own (and the only original Styx-penned song on the CD) "Blue Collar Man" actually improves upon the original-quite a feat. These three songs make the CD worth getting to real Styx fans, but be prepared for some disappointment in some of the other selections.

The slightly weaker songs come from Styx other lead guitarist, James Young (JY) and the keyboardist, Larry Gowan, who does a pretty good Beatles imitation on "I Am The Walrus". JY takes a credible stab at Willie Dixons' "It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)", but hasn't learned that musical audiences are getting a little sick of "politics" shoved down their throat (right and left) with its obvious anti-war sentiments and the not-so-obvious swipe at the Bush administration. I would've picked another of the very many great Willie Dixon songs myself. JY has been spouting his left-wing politics (Ted Kennedy's "Eddie" and the horrible "Heavy Metal Poisoning", among others) for as long as I can remember. Geez JY, just shut up and sing, to quote Laura Ingraham's book title.

Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath" kicks butt, but The Who's "I Can See For Miles" is just OK. "Summer In The City" has been done ad-nauseum, so this version is nothing to write home about. Jimi Hendrix' "Manic Depression" is lame, but then again, I have never been a big Hendrix fan. Paul Rodgers/Bad Co.'s "Wishing Well" is a little flat, ditto for Stephen Stills' "Find the Cost of Freedom".

I have been a Styx fans since the release of their breakthrough album, "Grand Illusion". I think this current line-up of Styx sounds as good, if not better, as that semi-original 1977 version with the addition of the strong drumming of Todd Sucherman and their newest member, the very capable Ricky Phillips on bass. This makes their previous studio CD, "Cyclorama" a must-have for Styx fans and the closest to the pinnacle of Styx best work since "Pieces of Eight" and "Grand Illusion".

It seems everyone wants to throw in their two cents about the Dennis DeYoung-Tommy Shaw-JY leadership thing, so here's mine. Styx probably could have achieved a higher level of fame had underrated guitarist Tommy Shaw been given more control of the bands musical direction than the ever present 3-way tug-of-war. Don't get me wrong, I like Dennis, I just think he should've bowed to Tommy's obvious better musical tastes. Not an easy thing to do when you are the bands originating member. But Tommy knows how to rock without turning every song into a glorified Broadway version of a rock and roll song (sorry Dennis). New keyboardist Larry Gowan is growing on me, but I hope he remains in the background like Dennis should have.

I agree with another reviewer here that I would've preferred that the new CD have original material as a follow-up to the great Cyclorama. This band can rock with the best of them now, it just doesn't do it as well as it could on this batch of cover songs. Bad timing, if you know what I mean. Real Styx fans like myself will like it, but anyone just discovering the band should do themselves a favor and look elsewhere.

Wanna hear Styx' best? Get "Anthology" or go for their best individual CD's: "Cyclorama", "Grand Illusion", "Pieces of Eight", "Equinox" and "Crystal Ball". Avoid "Kilroy Was Here" at all costs!

I am looking forward to the next studio album-hope it's soon!

You would think that by reading some of these reviews, the unforgiving scathing ones, that some of these people surf the net just to give bad reviews to the bands they hate. Even the ones that purport to love the band. Some of these people just wish for the days of old when Dennis was in the band. He's gone. Long gone. If he still were around, this band would not be touring or making much music at all. He's comfy at home playing to the local crowd. Good for him. This new guy, GOWAN, brings much to the table. Is he Dennis? Of course not. Nor would I, or should you expect him to be. But I've seen them live 2 or 3 times with this guy and he does not fail to entertain. He's a good fit for the irreplacable Dennis DeYoung. The group seems pretty happy and energetic on stage and they do not disappoint. If you expect to hear all the Dennis DeYoung ballads, I'm sorry to say you'll be disappointed. If you wan't to hear some good classic rock, you've come to the right place. I agree, this CD is not for everyone, especially if you don't like covers of old songs. For me personally, I found quite a few gems here of songs that I would not have heard otherwise. I thought the cover of THE PRETTY THINGS 'Talking about the good times' was cool. 'A Salty Dog' sounded like a classic STYX song to me. There's a diverse mix of styles here. Production is O.K. But this is meant to be a quick release to go along with the success of Gowans' cover of THE BEATLES 'The Walrus'. They'll be recording new stuff soon. Geez, can't the guys have a little fun once in a while? As far as some of the reviewers saying that "it sounds like stuff they were doing when they were 15 years old", I'm sure these guys have successful music careers of their own no doubt. NOT. If you're going to take the time to write a review, try to play both sides a bit, then come up with a conclusion. Most are a little too biased IMHO. Listen to the songs individually first, off of AMAZON or some other site, then decide if you want to buy the CD. There's some good stuff here.

No, this is not the latest studio attempt of new material from Styx. It's an old rock and roll band having some fun with some of their favorite old numbers from some of their favorite old artists. I used to find Gowan's voice a bit irksome, but I like it more and more as I find myself comparing it to Deyoung's less and less. I am the Walrus is a gem, as is, It Don't Make Sense(You Can't Make Peace). A few of the other songs are good, and a couple are stinkers, but all in all I think this CD makes for a nice listen.

I highly recommend this album, not just to Styx fans but to music fans. They definitely add their own flare, but keep the versions close enough to the orgininals that they show they are paying homage to those artists. What a fun record.