Paradise Theatre (Remastered) Styx

• 1A.D. 1928 (2024 Remaster)01:07
• 2Rockin' The Paradise (2024 Remaster)03:34
• 3Too Much Time On My Hands (2024 Remaster)04:31
• 4Nothing Ever Goes As Planned (2024 Remaster)04:46
• 5The Best Of Times (2024 Remaster)04:18
• 6Lonely People (2024 Remaster)05:25
• 7She Cares (2024 Remaster)04:18
• 8Snowblind (2024 Remaster)04:58
• 9Half Penny Two Penny (2024 Remaster)05:58
• 10A.D. 1958 (2024 Remaster)01:06
• 11State Street Sadie (2024 Remaster)00:27
• Total Runtime40:28

Info for Paradise Theatre (Remastered)

"Paradise Theater" (1981) is a concept album — the band's only No. 1 album — a fictional account of the Chicago theater of the same name, described by DeYoung as a metaphor for America's changes in the '70s and early '80s. The album contains four chart singles: DeYoung's "The Best of Times" (No. 3 on Billboard 100), Shaw's "Too Much Time on My Hands" (No. 9), "Nothing Ever Goes As Planned" (No. 54) and "Rockin' the Paradise" (No. 10 on Top Rock Tracks chart). It turned into the band's fourth consecutive triple-platinum album.

"After successfully establishing themselves as one of America's best commercial progressive rock bands of the late '70s with albums like The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight, Chicago's Styx had taken a dubious step towards pop overkill with singer Dennis DeYoung's ballad "Babe." The centerpiece of 1979's uneven Cornerstone album, the number one single sowed the seeds of disaster for the group by pitching DeYoung's increasingly mainstream ambitions against the group's more conservative songwriters, Tommy Shaw and James "JY" Young. Hence, what had once been a healthy competitive spirit within the band quickly deteriorated into bitter co-existence during the sessions for 1980's Paradise Theater -- and all-out warfare by the time of 1983's infamous Kilroy Was Here. For the time being, however, Paradise Theater seemed to represent the best of both worlds, since its loose concept about the roaring '20s heyday and eventual decline of an imaginary theater (used as a metaphor for the American experience in general, etc., etc.) seemed to satisfy both of the band's camps with its return to complex hard rock (purists Shaw and JY) while sparing no amount of pomp and grandeur (DeYoung). The stage is set by the first track, "A.D. 1928," which features a lonely DeYoung on piano and vocals introducing the album's recurring musical theme before launching into "Rockin' the Paradise" -- a total team effort of wonderfully stripped down hard rock. From this point forward, DeYoung's compositions ("Nothing Ever Goes as Planned," "The Best of Times") continue to stick close to the overall storyline, while Shaw's ("Too Much Time on My Hands," "She Cares") try to resist thematic restrictions as best they can. Among these, "The Best of Times" -- with its deliberate, marching rhythm -- remains one of the more improbable Top Ten hits of the decade (somehow it just works), while "Too Much Time on My Hands" figures among Shaw's finest singles ever. As for JY, the band's third songwriter (and resident peacekeeper) is only slightly more cooperative with the Paradise Theater concept. His edgier compositions include the desolate tale of drug addiction, "Snowblind," and the rollicking opus "Half-Penny, Two-Penny," which infuses a graphic depiction of inner city decadence with a final, small glimmer of hope and redemption. The song also leads straight into the album's beautiful saxophone-led epilogue, "A.D. 1958," which once again reveals MC DeYoung alone at his piano. A resounding success, Paradise Theater would become Styx's greatest commercial triumph; and in retrospect, it remains one of the best examples of the convergence between progressive rock and AOR which typified the sound of the era's top groups (Journey, Kansas, etc.). For Styx, its success would spell both their temporary saving grace and ultimate doom, as the creative forces which had already been tearing at the band's core finally reached unbearable levels three years later. It is no wonder that when the band reunited after over a decade of bad blood, all the music released post-1980 was left on the cutting room floor -- further proof that Paradise Theater was truly the best of times." (Eduardo Rivadavia, AMG)

Dennis DeYoung, vocals, keyboards
James "JY" Young, vocals, electric guitars
Tommy Shaw, vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, vocoder
Chuck Panozzo, bass, bass pedals
John Panozzo, drums, percussion
Additional musicians:
Steve Eisen, saxophone solos
Bill Simpson, saxophones
Mike Halpin, trombone
John Haynor, trombone
Dan Barber, trumpet
Mark Ohlsen, trumpet, flugelhorn
Ed Tossing, horn arrangements

Recorded 1980 at Pumpkin Studios, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Produced by Styx

Digitally remastered

Styx
This Chicago, Illinois, USA-based quintet is widely believed to be responsible for the development of the term pomp-rock (pompous, overblown arrangements, with perfect-pitch harmonies and a very full production).

Styx evolved from the bands Tradewinds and TW4, but renamed themselves after the fabled river from Greek mythology, when they signed to Wooden Nickel, a subsidiary of RCA Records, in 1972. The initial line-up comprised Dennis DeYoung (18 February 1947, Chicago, Illinois, USA; vocals/keyboards), James Young (b. 14 November 1949, Chicago, Illinois, USA; guitar/vocals), Chuck Panozzo (b. Charles Salvatore Panozzo, 20 September 1948, Chicago, Illinois, USA; bass), John Panozzo (b. 20 September 1948, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 16 July 1996, Chicago, Illinois, USA; drums) and John Curulewski (b. 3 October 1950, USA, d. February 1988; guitar). Combining symphonic and progressive influences they released a series of varied and highly melodic albums during the early 70s. Success was slow to catch up with them; Styx II, originally released in 1973, spawned the Top 10 Billboard hit "Lady" in 1975. The album then made similar progress, eventually peaking at number 20.

After signing to A&M Records in 1975, John Curulewski departed with the release of Equinox, to be replaced by Tommy Shaw (b. 11 September 1953, Montgomery, Alabama, USA). This was a real turning point in the band's career as Shaw took over lead vocals and contributed significantly on the writing side. From here on Styx albums had an added degree of accessibility and moved towards a more commercial approach. The Grand Illusion, released in 1977, was Shaw's first major success, peaking at number 6 during its nine-month stay on the Billboard album chart. It also featured the number 8-peaking single, "Come Sail Away". Pieces Of Eight (1978) and Cornerstone (1979) consolidated their success, with the latter containing "Babe", the band's first number 1 single in the USA. Paradise Theatre (1981) was Styx's tour de force, a complex, laser-etched concept album, complete with elaborate and expensive packaging. It generated two further US Top 10 hits in "The Best Of Times" and "Too Much Time On My Hands". The album became their most successful ever, and also stayed at number 1 for three weeks on the US album chart. With DeYoung pushing for a more theatrical approach, Kilroy Was Here (1983) followed, yet another concept album that brought them close to repetition. A watered-down pop rock album with a big-budget production, its success came on the back of their previous album rather than on its own merits. Caught In The Act (1984) was an uninspired live offering and they disbanded shortly after its release. DeYoung and Shaw both recorded solo albums, with the former enjoying a US Top 10 hit in 1984 with "Desert Moon".

Styx re-formed in 1990 with the classic line-up, except for pop rock funkster Glenn Burtnick aka Glen Burtnik (b. USA), who replaced Tommy Shaw (who had joined Damn Yankees). Edge Of The Century indicated that the band still had something to offer, with a diverse and classy selection of contemporary AOR, including the Top 3 hit "Show Me The Way". As one of the tracks on the album stated, the band was self-evidently "Not Dead Yet". Following a US tour to promote the album, the band members once again went their separate ways. They reunited in 1995 to promote a compilation album, with Shaw back on board but without the ill John Panozzo (he passed away in 1996 due to alchohol related problems). Todd Sucherman (b. 2 May 1969, USA) became a full-time member on the Return To Paradise tour. Chuck Panozzo and Dennis DeYoung both left following the recording of Brave New World (1999), with the former announcing he was HIV positive and inter-band tension making the latter's presence no longer sustainable. DeYoung has continued to play Styx music as a solo artist. Lawrence Gowan (b. 22 November 1956, Glasgow, Scotland; keyboards/vocals) was brought in to replace DeYoung, and Burtnick returned to cover for Panozzo.

Styx has continued on the nostalgia circuit into the new millennium and continues to sell large numbers of albums, as demonstrated by the high-charting covers set Big Bang Theory in 2005. The album featured new bass player Ricky Phillips. (Source: bettyloumusic.com)

This album contains no booklet.