Styx EQUINOX (LP) - Vinyl

By 1975, Styx had persevered long enough, and had enough success via their sleeper hit "Lady," to graduate to a major label. Superstardom was still a couple of years off, but they were clearly on their way, having consolidated their sound effectively. EQUINOX was the last Styx album to feature original guitarist John Curulewski, one of the more progressive forces in the band. In a way, the album represents the last stand of prog-rock as a major element of the band's sound (though traces of it would crop up over the next few albums).
Curulewski's "Mother Dear," though an obscurity, is a highlight here, with its sophisticated, introspective lyricism and complex, synthesizer-laden arrangement. Dennis DeYoung picks up on that ambitious thread with "Suite Madam Blue," an epic-length tune that moves through several moods and is sort of an elegy for America. On the poppier side, there's the celebratory "Light Up," and the infectious, synth-dotted "Lorelei."

• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Rock