Before they became your wine-sipping mother’s favorite princes of the power ballad, Styx were a completely different band. Having initially formed on Chicago’s southside in 1961 as The Tradewinds, and rebranding as TW4 in 1965, they’d adopt the hellish moniker that shot them to superstardom in 1972. Granted, it would be quite a few years before their Midwestern-bred sound caught on with the rest of the nation, and in their infancy, Styx didn’t even really sound like, well, Styx! Instead, they fused what could best be described as a cross between Deep Purple’s instrumental heroics and Uriah Heep’s esoteric atmosphere, with a healthy dose of euro prog worship to boot. Don’t believe us? Here’s 10 examples of exactly this, back when Styx were signed to their original label, Wooden Nickel.
10. “Movement for the Common Man” (Styx, 1972)
One of the most important decisions a band can make is deciding which song will serve as leadoff for an album. Even more important? Which song will serve as leadoff for a debut album! Most bands want something short and sweet: A rocker that’ll stick in the heads of listeners for generations to come. Not Styx. These guys threw the rulebook out the window with a 13+ minute suite entitled “Movement for the Common Man”. Admittedly, it is a mish-mash of musical ideas, combining prog, hard rock, jazz rock, and pop through the band’s signature Illinoisian filter, and they’d become much better at penning such ambitious pieces as time went on. That said, “Movement” belongs on this list, if only for what it would foreshadow for these greats.
9. “Earl of Roseland” (Styx II, 1973)
It can be argued that Dennis DeYoung was one of those guys like Bob Seger who was old when he was young. Maybe it’s a midwestern thing? Here’s this man in his mid ’20s, a few years younger than I am right now, reminiscing about yesteryear at his old haunt of Roseland: The far southside neighborhood that he and the brothers Panozzo grew up in. In DeYoung’s defense, A LOT happened from those innocent days of the ’50s to the post-hippie ’70s. That generation really lived multiple lifetimes in one, and it shows in this punchy Who-inspired hard rocker. The guitars rip, similar to fellow Illinoisians REO Speedwagon pre-adult contemporary-ficiation, and those harmonies are sweet enough to induce a diabetic coma.
8. “Evil Eyes” (Man of Miracles, 1974)
Although not morose or bleak enough to be described as pure doom, there certainly is something doomy about the delivery of “Evil Eyes” off 1974’s Man of Miracles, even if not in the traditional Sabbathian sense. Forget, if you well, doom metal. Doom AOR? Sure. Delicate, dramatic verses contrast bombastic pre-choruses and choruses, both of which are accentuated by the powerhouse vocals of Dennis DeYoung and brooding guitars of James “JY” Young and the unsung John Curulewski. The riffs do evoke dread in their own right, and the soloing isn’t far removed from what one would expect from an Uli Jon Roth era Scorpions affair. Again, not what you’d expect from the band who gave us “Mr. Roboto”!
7. “Jonas Psalter” (The Serpent Is Rising, 1973)
Pirates: More than just the muse of Running Wild! As a youngster who’d spin 1973’s The Serpent Is Rising regularly (It was a dollar bin staple), I was convinced “Jonas Psalter” was some real-life figure who Styx were giving me a history lesson on in the vein of Iron Maiden with “Alexander the Great”. I mean, think about it. Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass…was it THAT far off to believe that at one point in time, a “Jonas Psalter” walked the earth? While this tale of swashbucklery is purely fictitious, its proto-prog metal disposition is real as can be, with JY’s vocals and guitarwork sounding like the missing link between Purple and Priest.
6. “Quick Is the Beat of My Heart” (Styx, 1972)
The mish-mash that is “Movement” is an overarching theme of Styx’s eponymous 1972 debut. With each song coming from a different sector of the early ’70s rock spectrum, Styx is certainly the sound of a band trying to find their way, and this naivety does give it a certain charm. For my money, the most focused song on the affair also happens to be the heaviest. Sung by JY (the metal part of the Styx equation, or so he’d tell you), “Quick Is the Beat of My Heart” is a clinic in unadulterated ’70s metal. The guitars are tough, with those Jon Lord-flavored organs adding equal grit. There is nothing remotely slick or AOR about this song, and gives a glimpse at this band at arguably their most metallic by early ’70s standards.
5. “Southern Woman” (Man of Miracles, 1974)
Ever wonder what Uriah Heep would sound like if they came from the mean streets of the Windy City instead of regal old London? Look no further than “Southern Woman”. Everything from the brash guitar tone, the grinding organs, the goosebump-inducing vocal harmonies, and thrashing drums sound lifted straight off Look at Yourself, albeit with a Midwest boogie twist. It’s easy to envision a young Styx tearing through this rager at an outlaw biker bar, a bloody brawl breaking out in one corner while an inebriated couple sloppily make out in the other. Again, not one would expect when it comes to Styx, but one should never judge a book by its cover!
4. “Lady” (Styx II, 1973)
If any song of Styx’s Wooden Nickel era foreshadowed what was to come for the band later in the decade, it was “Lady”. Many fans falsely remember it being on one of said later albums, but that’s only because it was rereleased as a single in late ’74 upon their signing with A&M records. Even still, to say “Lady” was ahead of its time would be an understatement. The amount of bands who owe their careers to Dennis DeYoung for singlehandedly establishing the power ballad formula with this 3 minutes slab of perfection is an understatement. Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger…sorry boys, but none of you would be doing arenas if you didn’t have this template to build upon. And yes, while it is a hit and “sappy” and “lovey dovey” or whatever the hell else you wanna call it, it also struck gold, no, platinum for a reason, and belongs on this list.
3. “Witch Wolf” (The Serpent Is Rising, 1973)
While “Lady” may be all those descriptors I listed above, you know what song isn’t? “Witch Wolf”. Yes, Styx released a song entitled “Witch Wolf” in 1973, and I know exactly what you’re thinking: “That sounds like the title of a Venom or Witchfynde song!” Indeed, it does. Musically, however, “Witch Wolf” follows in the vein of “Quick” off the band’s debut. It’s an unrelenting slab of Purple metal, with JY yet again at the helm. The difference in the year that passed from the debut to Serpent? There is a tighter unison between the band, and the production is heftier. Even the solos are sharper, and the acoustic passage towards the song’s back half unintentionally inspired many a prog metal act.
2. “Man of Miracles” (Man of Miracles, 1974)
Remember how I said Styx would get better at writing epic songs? Consider “Man of Miracles” to be exhibit A. Admittedly, similar to “Southern Woman” and, well, most of Man of Miracles, there is a STRONG Heep influence all over the ’74 album’s title track. However, consider where Heep is in ’74. While Wonderworld certainly has its moments, tension is rising between band members, largely thanks to frontman David Byron’s copious drug use. Not only this, but off the heels of “Easy Livin'” and “Stealin'”, there’s pressure to churn out another AM radio hit, and it shows. In this regard, Man of Miracles is an example of a band doing Heep better than Heep was at the time, with the closing title track being the absolute pinnacle of such. Well, almost…
- “The Serpent Is Rising” (The Serpent Is Rising, 1973)
Behold: The magnum opus of Styx’s salad days. Much like “Man of Miracles”, Uriah Heep walked so Styx could run, and it shows. A cheap knockoff, however, this is not. Handling the vocals and lead guitars on this one? Not DeYoung, not JY, and certainly not Tommy Shaw, who wouldn’t join for another 3 years. No, the man responsible for this masterpiece is John Curulewski, who co-wrote the title track of Styx’s third album alongside band associate and fellow south-sider, Chuck Lofrano. Curulewski’s vocals are NOT typical of the era. They’re raw, jagged, and untrained, at times reminiscent of Quorthon’s on Bathory’s Hammerheart. “The Serpent Is Rising” too is a crown jewel of epic metal, ’70s style. It’s dark, dramatic, ethereal, and otherworldly, sounding light years ahead of its time. For these reasons and more, it is the greatest Styx song of the Wooden Nickel years.
Very cool deep dive into an overlooked era of the band.