Equinox (Styx album)
| Equinox | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Styx | ||||
| Released | December 1, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 34:32 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Styx | |||
| Styx chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| The Daily Vault | B[2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Equinox is the fifth album by Styx, released in December 1975.
The album was the band's first release for A&M Records (with whom they signed earlier in 1975, after the unexpected success of the single "Lady").
The album also marked the final appearance of original Styx guitarist John Curulewski who was fired [4]abruptly following the release of Equinox. The band went into a frantic search to find a replacement for their upcoming tour to support Equinox. Soon after, they found Tommy Shaw.
The album's biggest hit was the track "Lorelei", which was Styx's second US Top 30 hit. Another well-known song in the album was "Suite Madame Blue" (the title of which has a play on the word "sweet" to refer to the musical term of "suites", i.e. unrelated instrumental successions) which was written about the upcoming Bicentennial of the US. The track became a staple for all Styx tours with Dennis DeYoung. It's a rare example of a Styx song that (briefly) requires four voice parts; during the Return to Paradise tour, the "America" bridge would be sung by DeYoung, Shaw, James Young and the usually silent Chuck Panozzo.
Although Equinox stalled at #58, it went Gold in 1977 shortly before the release of The Grand Illusion.
Track listing
- "Light Up" (D. DeYoung) – 4:17
- "Lorelei" (D. DeYoung, J. Young) – 3:19
- "Mother Dear" (J. Curulewski, D. DeYoung) – 5:25
- Lead vocals: John Curulewski/Dennis DeYoung
- "Lonely Child" (D. DeYoung) – 3:47
- "Midnight Ride" (J. Young) – 4:17
- Lead vocals: James Young
- "Born for Adventure" (D. DeYoung, J. Curulewski, J. Young) – 5:12
- "Prelude 12" (J. Curulewski) – 1:21
- Instrumental
- "Suite Madame Blue" (D. DeYoung) – 6:30
- All lead vocals by Dennis DeYoung except as noted
Personnel
- Styx
- John Curulewski - Synthesizer, Guitar, Vocals
- Dennis DeYoung - Synthesizer, Keyboards, Vocals
- Chuck Panozzo - Bass, Vocals
- John Panozzo - Percussion, Drums, Vocals
- James Young - Guitar, Vocals
- Production
- Producer: Styx
- Engineer: Barry Mraz
- Assistant engineer: Rob Kingsland
- Remixing: Barry Mraz, Styx
- Mastering: Doug Sax
- Production assistant: Barry Mraz
- Design: Chuck Beeson, Junie Osaki
- Art direction: Roland Young
- Photography: Chris Micoine
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Pop Albums | 58 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Lorelei" | Pop Singles | 27 |
References
- ↑ DeGagne, Mike. Equinox (Styx album) at AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
- ↑ Ray, Benjamin (2005-03-17). "The Daily Vault Music Review : Equinox". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 789. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ VH1's: Styx Behind The Music
