Label: Universal Music (Japan), UICY-77887
Style: Soft Rock, Rock
Country: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Time: 38:40
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 248 Mb
Charts: US #1, AUS #27, NZ #30, NOR #5, SWE #6, UK #8. UK: Silver; CAN: Platinum; US: 3x Platinum.
Lights
The
album starts off with a classic piece of Styx pomp. It has all of the
classic Styx elements; pomp keyboards, harmony vocals, uplifting melody,
etc. It is a nice way to open this record and would have worked as a
set opener on the Cornerstone tour.
Why Me
Keeping the pomp
sound going, this little number flies under the radar without ever
being a song that people think of when the name Styx comes up. Like the
previous track, it has all the classic elements but somehow, this one
is forgotten. There is even a nice little sax solo thrown in that gives
it a bit of a Foreigner sound (circa 4).
Babe
This is the
track that has divided Styx fans and rightly so. It is so cheesy and
schmaltzy that it turned away many fans. Sure, the tune went to number 1
but artistic integrity was abandoned. Avoid this at all costs.
Never Say Never
Here
we get more of a straight ahead rock tune with those soaring Styx
harmonies. It is Tommy Shaw sung tune so it has more of a rock edge.
He was a good foil between the rocker (James Young) and show tune writer
(Dennis DeYoung). He managed to write rock tunes that had melody but
still had a crunchier edge to them (as crunchy as you could get in the
slick early 80’s) and this is a good example of that.
Boat On The River
Whenever
I hear this track, I always think of being somewhere in Italy. It must
be the mandolin and it has a very Italian flavor to the playing. I
like this song a lot and this is what made Styx a great band. They took
these weird influences and put them in their music. It is songs like
this that really make Cornerstone a worthwhile release.
Borrowed Time
Some
dated keyboards sounds start this cut. The lyrics date this song also
with an opening line of “Don’t look now but here come the 80s”. This is
a bit of a rocker and would have fit nicely on something like Grand
Illusion. The opening part would also make a great opening number in
concert. The tune does go on a bit towards the end but it is one of the
heavier tunes on Cornerstone.
First Time
If “Babe” wasn’t
enough, DeYoung gives us another ballad. This is pretty cheesy also but
it’s not as bad as “Babe”. If you listen closely, the band rocks out
and the guitar solo is quite good.
Eddie
James Young rocks
out on this cut and he always seemed to write the hardest tunes for
Styx. Sure, there are the vocal harmonies that give it the Styx sound
but like “Miss America”, his writing sometimes goes against the typical
sound. I always liked his tracks best but I appreciate all of the
writers in the band.
Love In The Midnight
This Tommy Shaw
tune ends the record in fine fashion. I think this is one of the
winners on the record and it deserves more accolades than it receives.
It is a Styx rocker that ebbs and flows from softer ballad to a bit of a
rocker. There is a great mid section that contains a cool keyboard
solo and guitar solo. I think it’s a great way to finish off the record
and if I were to choose the best track on the record, this would be it.
(musicstreetjournal.com/cdreviews_display.cfm?id=102353)
01. Lights (04:41)
02. Why Me (03:56)
03. Babe (04:28)
04. Never Say Never (03:10)
05. Boat On The River (03:12)
06. Borrowed Time (05:01)
07. First Time (04:26)
08. Eddie (04:18)
09. Love In The Midnight (05:23)
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