Cornerstone (album)

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Cornerstone
Cornerstone cover
Studio album by Styx
Released October 1979
Recorded 1979 at Pumpkin Studios, Oak Lawn, IL
Genre Rock
Length 38:17
Label A&M
Producer(s) Styx
Professional reviews
Styx chronology
Pieces of Eight
(1978)
Cornerstone
(1979)
Paradise Theater
(1981)


Cornerstone is the ninth album by Styx, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music).

Cornerstone was Styx's follow-up to the Top 10 selling Triple Platinum album, 1978's Pieces of Eight.

Like the four previous Styx effort, the band produced the album themselves. However, the band started using a new recording studio Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois and shied away from the art-rock/prog-rock influences that dominated their first eight studio albums.

The album was the band's first move towards pop/rock direction.

Dennis DeYoung had two ballads on the album. The first was the album's first single and Styx's only US #1 single "Babe" which Dennis wrote for his wife Suzanne. The track performed as demo with just him and the Panozzo brothers but then James Young and Tommy Shaw heard the track and loved it and decided to put it on Cornerstone with Shaw overdubbing a guitar solo in the song's middle section. Another ballad was "First Time" which was intended to be Cornerstone's second single until Shaw complained and threated to leave the band. DeYoung also wrote the Top 30 hit, the poppish "Why Me?".

DeYoung and Shaw co-wrote two tracks. The opening "Lights" was music by DeYoung and lyrics by Shaw (who sang the track). The rocking "Borrowed Time" had music by Shaw with lyrics from DeYoung (who sang this track). "Borrowed Time" would open concerts on the group's tour in support of Cornerstone nicknamed The Grand Decathlon tour.

Shaw's famous song on the album was the folkish sounding "Boat on the River" which became the band's biggest European hit. He also penned the poppish "Never Say Never" and the epic closer "Love in the Midnight".

JY contributed the rocker "Eddie" which was a homage to Edward Kennedy.

Cornerstone became Styx's first US Top 5 album peaking at #2 on the Billboard album chart and is currently sitting at Double Platinum according to the R.I.A.A. although A&M said it went Triple Platinum (3 million copies sold in the US).

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Lights" (DeYoung, Shaw) – 4:38
  2. "Why Me" (DeYoung) – 3:54
  3. "Babe" (DeYoung) – 4:25
    • Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: Tommy Shaw
  4. "Never Say Never" (Shaw) – 3:08
    • Lead vocals: Tommy Shaw
  5. "Boat on the River" (Shaw) – 3:10
    • Lead vocals and mandolin: Tommy Shaw, accordion and backing vocals: Dennis DeYoung, string bass: Chuck Panozzo, bass drum and tambourine: John Panozzo and acoustic guitar: James Young
  6. "Borrowed Time" (DeYoung, Shaw) – 4:58
    • Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: Tommy Shaw
  7. "First Time" (DeYoung) – 4:24
    • Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: James Young
  8. "Eddie" (Young) – 4:15
    • Lead vocals and lead guitar: James Young
  9. "Love in the Midnight" (Shaw) – 5:25
    • Lead vocals: Tommy Shaw, synthesizer solo: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: James Young

[edit] Personnel

Styx

Additional personnel

  • Steve Eisen - saxophone
  • Arnie Roth - strings on "First Time" and "Love in the Midnight"
  • Ed Tossing - horn

[edit] Production

  • Producer: Styx
  • Engineers: Rob Kingsland, Gary Loizzo
  • Arrangers: Arnie Roth, Ed Tossing
  • Design: Mick Haggerty
  • Photography: Aaron Rapoport

[edit] Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1979 Pop Albums 2

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1979 "Babe" Pop Singles 1
1980 "Borrowed Time" Pop Singles 63
1980 "Why Me" Pop Singles 26

Singles - Germany

Year Single Chart Position
1980 "Boat on the River" Singles 5
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