Styx/Gold- Come Sail Away

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A top-notch collection
Formerly known as "Come Sail Away:The Styx Anthology", this is the definitive collection of Styx's best known hits and selected album cuts. It also includes material from their Wooden Nickel days (pre-Tommy Shaw) so you get the original version of their first Top Ten hit "Lady". The set ends with a track from the '03 album "Cyclorama", their first album after Dennis DeYoung's departure. Since there's no boxed set from them (yet),this is the place to go for the ultimate Styx collection. (because the hits "Why Me" and "Don't Let It End" were left off, my rating is actually 4.75 stars)

An Interesting Picture of One of the Arena Kings
So, we have here a collection of Styx music, ranging from their early, prog-rcok influenced early days to the diasterous end of the "Kilroy Was Here" tour. The collection feels balanced enough, going through the entirety of their discography, but happens to leave out the excellent ballad "Don't Let it End", and a couple of other noteworthy songs. While it is dangerous to leave such good songs off an "anthology", the track list is still well done, and I am still listening to it, learning more about the band, and enjoying their music, even if it is "Corporate Rock".

Excellent compilation for an underrated band
Love this collection...especially the early stuff! Very cool to share the highlights with my sons...they love it too!

Top Marks from a New Styx Fan
Okay, I'll admit it. I'm in my late 20's and I was likely conceived to the tune of "Babe," but I think I can offer a unique opinion. I started to appreciate Styx a few years ago, probably less from a desire to dig up old rock, and more out of repulsion for today's garbage (sorry Hoobastank fans). For whatever reason, I love Styx. Yeah, many of their songs are corny, sappy, programatic, or all of the above, but it's good music. No offense to Hilary Duff, but if music is going to be on the sappy side, I'd prefer it at least be listenable. That said, I'll offer my favorite tracks of this anthology (in order of preference), a window, if you will, into the mind of a recent Styx aficionado: 1. "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" I'm a sucker for rocking keyboards, so you can't beat this track. DeYoung approaches virtuosity in this track, not bad for an accordion player. Although I lean slightly to the DeYoung side of the DeYoung/Shaw debate, I like Shaw on this track. This is just quintessential Styx in my opinion, rocking, showy, and a little experimental (mixed tempos, mixed meter). 2. "Come Sail Away" Much of what I said about "Fooling Yourself" I could say about this one, with the notable exception of DeYoung's vocals. It rocks, it's fun, it's catchy. Great tune. 3. "The Best Of Times" Again, I prefer the Deyoung vocals. This track is a classic example of the Styx formula: Solo melodic verses followed by a harder-rocking ensemble chorus. 4. "Babe" As corny as can be, but you have to include a DeYoung ballad in the top 5, and this is the best one. 5. "Lights" Like "Fooling Yourself," this one is a great combination of DeYoung keyboards and Tommy Shaw vocals. I don't care much for the saxaphone-heavy interlude, but the song eventually regains it's strength and then some in the end. 6. "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" Rocks about as hard as any Styx song, and the opening keyboard riff is catchy as hell. Again, one of Shaw's better vocal efforts. 7. "Pieces Of Eight" Maybe I like this one because I can actually sing along with most of it. But it's a good song with nice guitar stuff. 8. "Show Me The Way" While I don't care much for the song's religious overtones, it's a great piece of music. The instrumental passage in the middle, punctuated by the guitar solo is very nice. In the realm of Gulf War Ballads, I'd choose this one over "Proud to Be an American" any day. 9. "You Need Love" I really like the pace of this one as well as DeYoung's more soaring vocals. It's also one of the better solo guitar efforts in the anthology, which makes up for the somewhat lame lyrics. 10. "Borrowed Time" Kind of a "throwback" classic rock song. It's a bit reminiscent of Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty." And a few more... 11. "Lady"- I like the song a lot, but's been overplayed 12. "Winner Take All"- Good rocker at a good pace 13. "Boat on the River"- Good change of pace. Like the accordion 14. "Sing for the Day"- Great song but Shaw's vocals sound strained 15. "Lorelei"- good song but lyrics are corny 16. "Too Much Time On My Hands"- sounds like the 80's just slapped you in the face 17. "Light Up"- Did DeYoung really write a song about reefer? 18. "Renegade"- Not a bad song, and aptly named. Sounds like Shaw musically rebelling against DeYoung. Doesn't sound like quintessential Styx. 19. "The Grand Illusion"- Has its moments, but overall too programmatic and not melodic enough 20. "Mr. Roboto"- Whenever anyone says anything negative about Styx, it's usually because of this song. A good rock song shouldn't make you laugh every time you hear it. I'm with Tommy on this one. Dennis, what were you thinking?

Philosophical Breakthrough
This CD finally proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that there is no God. No benevolent ruler would sit idly by while music this bad was being unleashed on innocent people. A plague of locusts would be much easier to take than this CD. Styx featured the kind of song writing that only developmentally delayed junior high kids would pen. Then, they performed their songs over a barrage of generic guitars and cheesy synthesizers. The result is the most synthetic, formulated music ever to come out of the corporate music industry.