Styx - Paradise Theater (1981)

After reviewing Emerson, Lake & Powell immediately prior to writing this review I have to confess that almost any album would be a welcome relief however, American AOR/melodic rock masters Styx’s 1981 Paradise Theater is something of a gem in its own right. A concept album chronicling the rise and fall of a theatre – albeit allegedly a metaphor for wider US society – is not the most immediately inspiring of notions but Styx undertake the task with great aplomb.

The songwriting is very strong with guitarist James Young and the compositional and vocal abilities of Dennis de Young and Tommy Shaw really firing on all cylinders providing a melodic rock album with a commercial tinge and no filler: this is one of those rare albums of the genre that really demands to be listened to in its entirety. Whilst the album went triple-platinum in the US it also spawned several hit singles and was the band’s commercial highpoint.

AD 1928 opens the album, and the theater, with a great hook and tight vocal harmonies followed by Too Much Time On My Hands which is an archetype late-70s/early-80s AOR track with catchy hook and some nice soloing from JY. Nothing Ever Goes As Planned continues the theme in an Eagles meets Supertramp style and even throws-in a skanking riff for good measure and a great hook.

One of the real standout tracks, and also a single release, is The Best Of Times which opens with a melancholic vocal/piano segment leading into a rather upbeat main section: the vocals are a real standout here. Lonely People follows which is more of a straightforward rocker and then She Cares provides possibly the low point of the album . . . although it’s far from a bad track.

Next-up is THE track of the album, Snowblind. An eerie vocal intro leads into a solid rock number eschewing the detrimental nature of cocaine addiction: “you Devil in white, you stole my will without a fight, you filled me with confidence . . . “. A great attacking guitar break from James Young is also a highlight.

We are then taken into Half-Penny, Two-Penny which is a little too close to The Eagle’s Life In The Fast Lane for comfort but with a typically-Styx bridge. Then its AD 1958 – a mellow instrumental featuring sax which returns us to the opening melody of AD 1928 and signalling the closure of Paradise Theater. The final track of the album, State Street Sadie, is a 30 second fade-out of a honky tonk piano piece.

Possibly outside of the US, Styx never achieved the popularity and recognition of other bands in their genre such as Journey, Toto or Boston, for example, but that doesn’t diminish their abilities and undoubted qualities that are on display throughout Paradise Theater. If you like your rock melodic, this is a must-have album.

• Dennis DeYoung – Keyboards/Vocals
• Chuck Panozzo – Bass
• John Panozzo – Drums
• Tommy Shaw – Guitar/Vocals
• James Young – Guitars/Vocals