Customer Reviews

Edge of the Century

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I love Tommy Shaw, and Damn Yankees to this day is still one of my favorite rock bands of all time despite their short run. Nonetheless, while Tommy was doing his thing with Ted Nugent and the boys, Styx was also creating one very fine pop/rock album. While this might not quite stand up to their classic stuff, it was still a very refreshing, enjoyable listen around 1990-91 when it came out.

Glen Burtnik was Tommy Shaw's replacement, and he brought a great energy to the band for this effort. To this day, I love the leadoff track on this album with Glen on lead vocals, "Love Is The Ritual". While some might say that this sounds nothing like Styx, I counter with this: what does Styx really sound like? Their sound has never stayed the same, and for sure this catchy, rocking song is a great start to the album. Next comes another famous Dennis DeYoung ballad, and it stands up in quality to the rest of them. "Show Me The Way" is the one song that "strictly radio people" may still remember from this album. Truly another fine hit ballad.

Next comes another upbeat Burtnik track--the title track. Also a fun, exciting sounding song. Then comes "Love At First Sight", another quality DeYoung ballad that did make a dent in the to 40 charts. The fifth track on the album is a beautiful and to me unique song--"All In A Day's Work". Here is the one time on the album you hear the softer side of Glen as he teams with Dennis on a very sweet, sad song.

Everyone who has followed this band talks about how Dennis doesn't rock anymore. For sure, that is true. But for one track at least we get to hear Dennis sing a rocker one more time. "Not Dead Yet" is a very whimsical song in which Dennis shows a rocking side which certainly hasn't been seen since. Then comes "World Tonite", another rocking Burtnik anthem. "Carrie Ann" is another sweet DeYoung ballad, and while I appreciate the sentiment of the song it is what I refer to as the "one too many ballad syndrome" on the album. Still a nice song, though.

Finally, James Young gets to sing on track nine, and he puts forth a typical rocking effort on "Homewrecker", nicely offsetting the previous Dennis ballad. Then Dennis sings again on the closing track "Back To Chicago", which is a bit more uptempo than the other ballads and includes a nice brass section.

I rate Styx albums like "The Grand Illusion" and "Pieces Of Eight" as true five-star albums. This one isn't to the level of those classics, but it still is great fun. Call it 4 3/4 stars for an album that truly was a worthy comeback by an all-time legendary rock outfit. Surely the later comeback album in 1999 "Brave New World", even with Tommy Shaw again involved, doesn't measure up to this one. Definitely still an enjoyable listen after all these years.

This album was released about six years after "Kilroy Was Here," which turned out to be a swan song for the original group. A number of reviewers in various places have called this album Styx's "comeback" album. What I find interesting is that there seems to be a nearly continuous spectrum of ratings from one star to five stars. The album peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200, which also indicates a mixed reaction from fans, though one song from this album was a significant hit for Styx.

When Styx became successful, the group consisted of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young, Chuck Panozzo and John Panozzo. When the group reformed to produce this album Tommy Shaw was replaced by Glen Burtnik. I find it difficult to attribute differences in Styx between "Kilroy Was Here" and this album to the replacement of Tommy Shaw. It is just as possible that the group was trying to keep their sound fresh and updated, and the differences are more in the era than in the artistry.

This album opens with "Love Is a Ritual." Many fans think this is one of the better songs on this album. I disagree. This song is very derivative of 80s rock, containing elements from a number of artists including Queen and Glen Frey. The song is contemporary rock cool, but in a crowd of songs from the mid to late 80s would not have been considered anything special. The song did well on Mainstream Rock Tracks, peaking at #9, but only reached #80 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The second song on this album is in the classic Styx' style and is probably the standout song on this CD. "Show Me the Way" is reminiscent of Styx's peak years. Apparently fans agreed because this nicely crafted ballad reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the best performer of the three singles released from this album. This song also appears on Styx's "Greatest Hits" album; deservedly so.

"Edge of the Century" is the second "big hair band" song on this CD. The problem I have is that after a decade of hearing this style it just got old. There is nothing wrong with this song; it is just too much like dozens of other similar songs. Styx has been and can be better than this song.

Another good song on this CD is "Love at First Sight." This pop ballad is mellow and also suffers from being derivative, but likable. The hooks are catchy and the lyrics are emotional and creative. This song reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it deserved better.

The fifth song is unusual and another standout song on this CD. "All in a Day's Work" is mellow, harmonious and acoustic, and is the most unique song on this CD. This song is carefully crafted and pretty, and shows that Styx could still be experimental and creative. The whistling near the end of the song is rare in pop and rock music, and fits nicely with this song. The primary instruments are an acoustic guitar and strings.

The following song, "Not Dead Yet," clashes with the previous song too much. I like this song because it, like the previous song, is also unusual compared to the other music on this CD. The song is also playful and fast, and shows yet another side of Styx. However, I would have placed this song away from the previous song rather than have such a dramatic difference in styles juxtaposed.

"World Tonite" adds a blues element to create a song with a different flavor from the others on this CD. There is a harmonica portion on this song that is really good. There are also vocal portions that I think are good. I like a number of the individual elements of this song, and yet the song overall is just a bit better than average for this CD, the reason being that the more interesting portions of the song are wrapped in a derivative cloak that takes focus away from the better elements. This song could have been much better.

I think "Carrie Ann" is another good track. The mellower pop tracks on this CD tend to be the better tracks, and such is the case here. The song was apparently a tribute to Dennis De Young's daughter. The style is very Styx, and dates back to their first albums. Just short of being great, this song is very good, and another of the better songs on this CD.

I have mixed feelings about "Homewrecker." This song is very cookie cutter. On the other hand, it has catchy licks and hooks and I find myself caught up in the music. Similar to "World Tonite," this song had the potential for being much better had the better portions been exploited more fully.

The final song on the CD, "Back to Chicago," was surprising to me. The style actually has some elements of the group Chicago, including a good brass section. This peppy up tempo song seems to be a tribute to Styx's home town. This song was reasonably well done and I consider it above average for this CD.

I believe that every group writes its music in the belief that their music is artistic and hopefully good. Further, I have rarely been the fan of the term "filler." However, in the case of this CD it seems as though there are some wonderful songs, such as "Show Me the Way," "All in a Day's Work," and "Back to Chicago" mixed with a few songs, "filler," that drag the overall quality of this CD down. If a couple of songs could have been eliminated from this CD its quality would have improved significantly. Had a couple more songs been revised the album could have approached a level of quality near that of Styx's best. However, the album is what it is, a fair attempt at a come back that misses the mark, but not by much.

I think this is a great album with Styx. It has some of the typical Styx style of stuff, and there's some different things. All In a Day's Work is a great song by the new guy (of the time)Glen Burtnick, along with Love is the Ritual and Edge of the Century (along with his others). There's some great ballades and soft rock songs(such as Carrie Ann and Love at First Site) from original Dennis DeYoung, and Homewrecker has the usual rock feel of original JY, though probably not one of his stronger songs (but still good). If you like original drummer John Panazzo, definately buy this album, becaus it's his last full album. I personally love this album and strongly recommend it for Styx fans, hard core or just like their music. It has the old Styx feel with a new modern feel (for the time period). Hope you enjoy it!

I'm an old time Styx fan so it's hard for me to get excited about this one. It's listenable though. An overall better effort than the 1983 Kilroy Was Here, but nothing that really stands out. Love is the Ritual and Edge of the Century are the best songs which are written/sang by new guitartist Glen Burtnik. Show Me The Way and Love At First Sight are the best of what Dennis has to offer. They are decent but almost predictable. Not Dead Yet has a Bruce Springteen "Pink Cadillac" feel at the beginning but unfortunately was written by Ralph Covert and not Dennis. The rest of Dennis' songs are fine in general but really belong on another release. Seems like too many ballad types these days from him. JY's only song, Homewrecker, co-written with Dennis (and it shows) is almost an afterthought comparing it to classic JY fare. It's apparent he has no ambition whatsoever any longer. Neither does Dennis. Oh well.

When Styx stopped getting along toward the end of the 70's and into the 80's it was obvious something had to give, and Tommy Shaw left the band. In my opinion, "Edge of the Century" proves that they could get along fine without him. Part of my point is THEY GOT ALONG! Don't get me wrong. Tommy Shaw added as lot to the band, but they made it work before he came along, and did just fine after he was gone. Glen Burtnik wrote some very good songs on this CD and his voice and style are similar to Tommy Shaw's thus keeping the Styx "sound" intact. "Love is the Ritual" is his best. I think "Homewrecker" is one of JY's best. Dennis' keyboards and synthesizers are awesome on this song. (Bad blood kept Tommy and JY from including his work on much of Brave New World. They screwed up "Everything is Cool" by almost muting Dennis...what a shame, it could have so much better) Dennis DeYoung wrote some really good songs on "Edge". "Show me the Way" is classic. Nothing like that on BNW. "Love at First Sight" is really a great ballad... I can't believe that anyone who is a true Styx fan from WAY BACK can trash "Carrie Ann". Dennis wrote this song to express his love for his daughter. I'm guessing that the people who trash this song never had a daughter. Styx has lasted so long because they were able to gel three distinctive styles together and make it work. I think they were once again able to do that on "Edge".

This album, originally released in 1990, was the first Styx studio release in seven years. Glen Burtnik was brought on board to replace the departed Tommy Shaw, and he quickly established himself as a worthy replacement. Two songs, "Love At First Sight", and "Show Me The Way", are the signature songs from this CD. "Show Me The Way" rocketed up the charts during the Gulf War and became the unofficial anthem for the War. Many versions had words from president Bush intermingled with the lyrics of the song. "Love At First Sight", another Dennis DeYoung classic, also received ample airplay. Glen Burtnik's title track is more up-tempo and is very good as well.

Overall, this is a very good CD, although some of their earlier works are a little better. I did miss Tommy Shaw's guitar and vocals, but Burtnik does an ample job. Styx fans should enjoy this comeback album.

Styx released their first studio album of new material since 1983's Multi-Platinum selling album Kilroy Was Here entitled Edge of the Century in October of 1990.
I first bought this album in December of 1993 on cassette on a whim and Edge of the Century proved to me that Styx could survive without Tommy Shaw (they did five albums before Shaw joined from 1972-75 including their A&M debut Equinox and Styx II). Part of my point is THEY GOT ALONG during this period! Don't get me wrong, Tommy added a lot to the band, but they made it work before he came along and did well without him. New member guitarist/singer/songwriter Glen Burtnik wrote great songs on this album and his voice was reminiscent to Tommy's thus keeping the Styx "sound" intact.
The opening first single "Love is the Ritual" is Glen's best song on the album but the song flopped as a single on the pop charts although it did hit #9 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart meaning rock radio gave this track a good spin. I think "Homewrecker" was one of James "JY" Young's best rockers. It was co-written by keyboard player/singer/songwriter Dennis DeYoung (whose keyboards and synthesizers rocked on this song (it's a damn shame that bad blood kept Tommy and JY from including his work on much of Brave New World. They screwed up Everything is Cool by almost muting Dennis whilst Dennis was ill and what a shame, it could have so much better)).
Dennis wrote some some of his best tracks since his Desert Moon solo effort from 1984 on Edge of the Century and his voice got better with age. Dennis wrote the massive #3 hit from the spring of 1991 "Show Me The Way" for his son Matthew while Matthew was experiencing the trials and tribulations of being an adolescent transitioning from child to adolescent to teen. At that time, he needed encouragement, love and support from his parents. As all parents know there's no book or rules on parenting. Occasionally we need to ask for guidance from a higher power. Dennis put those feelings to a song, and Show Me The Way was born out of those feelings. Nothing like that on BNW. The Top 30 hit "Love at First Sight" is a great mid-tempo track. I can't believe that anyone who is a true Styx fan from WAY BACK can trash "Carrie Ann". Dennis wrote this song to express his love for his daughter of the same name. I'm guessing that the people who trash this song never had a daughter.
The rocking title track, Glen and Dennis' acoustic masterpiece "All in a Day's Work", "World Tonight" and the closing jazzy-meets-bluesy "Back to Chicago" are stellar tracks as is the re-make of "Not Dead Yet" proving Styx could rock when counted.
Edge of the Century almost went Gold when released but A&M were then owned by PolyGram when the album was released and were more interested in people like Janet Jackson and Extreme on their roster and stopped promoting the album when sales were close to Gold. It would eventually hit the plateau (the last studio album to date to do so folks).
Unfortunately, this was original drummer John Panozzo's swan song with the band as he would pass away in 1996. His brother, bass player Chuck did well on this album as well.
Highly recommended!

I'm a huge Styx fan, and also a longtime fan. My expectations were very high for 1990's 'Edge of the Century.' Styx had been gone since 1983, their last record being 'Kilroy Was Here.' I had set the standards really high, maybe too high.

But I was disappointed with this. Instead of the hard rock, pop rock and progressive rock that made Styx, well, Styx, this was just pop. It did have several moments; I do like 'Love Is The Ritual,' 'Show Me The Way' and 'Carrie Ann' a little bit.

But overall, this was disappointing. It's bubblegum pop, not at all rock. Tommy Shaw had left the band (I can understand why) and was replaced by top session musician Glen Burtnik.

But this isn't a terrible record, it's just not very good under Styx's standards. It is one of their more inspirational-themed albums.

Recommended for the Styx die-hard or collector.

After a short-lived concept-album phase with PARADISE THEATRE (1981) and KILROY WAS HERE (1983), Styx returned at the start of the 1990s for what should have been a really great comeback album, replacing Tommy Shaw with Glen Burtnik.

"Where to begin?" many a fan will wonder after getting ahold of this. For starters, there is no doubting "Show Me the Way" and "Love at First Sight" as moderate radio hits--but try adding the triumphant finale, "Back to Chicago", to your list of faves from the band.

Unfortunantely (I cringe writing this in--don't get me wrong, I like them too), the rest of the selection is far derivative of up-and-coming artists (at this album's release) and already-established giants. Examples include "Homewrecker" (Pat Benetar's "Heartbreaker" should come to mind--get it?) and "All in a Day's Work" (Mr. Big); a few tunes regretfully set back Styx devotees into the age of '50s rock and doo-wop. Tell me if you agree on the title track as a mild half-sequel to a certain one-hit smash by Timbuk 3.

As for the hourglass on the album cover, it serves as a prophetic reminder of the band's eventual decline. (Audiences had to wait several more years before Styx limped on with RETURN TO PARADISE [1996] and BRAVE NEW WORLD [1999], neither of which did any better than their Shaw-era efforts.)

Worth only a library's loan for only half of the songs, but it will never compare with their great trifecta of albums: THE GRAND ILLUSION (1977), PIECES OF EIGHT (1978) and, of course, PARADISE THEATRE.

(***/5)

(Pardon if I haven't written for Amazon or anywhere else in long, long months...I shall return eventually.)

I wouldn't even refer to this as being a STYX album....I have been a big fan since day one....and remember them in their heyday...the early 1970's...when they were still a local southside chicago band fighting for recognition on the bar scene.....they were a super tight act and writing excellent material that had some depth....and lasting appeal....What you have here is zip....Whatever happened to that other band....??? The "real" STYX??? I think they burned out after PARADISE THEATER and should have called it quits then and saved their reputation. PIECES OF EIGHT was truly their last great album....

I bought this cd for $1.99 ...just out of curiousity...and should have saved my money....I didn't care for KILROY IS HERE either....just more radio garbage...Some bands can fare well into new eras of music...others dont...Their styles are too set in stone and dont allow for much updating..these guys had it right the first time...they dont have to stick around and keep proving themselves...They should take a lesson from The Beatles...Sometimes it's best to bow out gracefully and savor your fame. and stardom..

The bottom line here is: If you remember STYX as I do...when they played excellent concerts to sold out audiences back in the 1970's.....forget this CD.....this doesn't even come close to that bands energy.....Why 2 stars you ask???? Because they're STYX and you just might like a couple of the songs....because they were on the radio.