This year, Every Sunday Evening, Album Rock WXYG, The GOAT will be featuring a full album at 8:00 PM from the halcyon musical days of 1976. 1976 was one of the top Years in Album Rock history. Another year of tough choices every week. So many great ones to choose from. After 52 Weeks of featuring so many of the great albums that debuted in 1975, next Sunday we will be moving on to another amazing year of ALBUM ROCK EXCELLENCE, 1976.
Tune in at 8:00 PM, next Sunday Evening, September 13th for “Crystal Ball”, the sixth studio album by Styx. It was released in 1976, and it marked the recording debut of new guitarist Tommy Shaw.
Shaw's vocal debut with the band was the song “Mademoiselle”, a good choice, as it turned out to be a long lasting hit track and concert favorite for the band, and has been performed on every Styx tour with which Shaw was involved.
With the appearance of Tommy Shaw, Styx reached their next level and earned much more success. Now the the band had two really good songwriters who complemented one another. The band's harmony singing got even better then it was already before. The whole record feels very complete from the beginning to the end.
Crystal Ball is an excellent showcase for Styx's prog-rock, melodic instincts, harmonies, and excellent songwriting. New guitarist Tommy Shaw provides yin to Dennis DeYoung's yang, and both are at the peak of their powers. Catchy "Put me on" opens the album promising to entertain, and is co-written by the bands three songwriters: Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, and James Young. De Young and Shaw also co-write Mademoiselle, the album's first single. DeYoung's outstanding Jennifer follows and is as good as the title track and second single "Crystal Ball, written by Tommy Shaw, which closes the first side. This first album side alone could have garnered four stars on its own. Shaw and Young co-wrote "Shooz" a blues rocker that opens the second side. Dennis DeYoung's melodic "This Old Man" follows, with prog-rock "Cair de Lune/Ballerina" bringing the album to a close.
This may be Styx's most overlooked and under appreciated album. Possibly because, Crystal Ball was sandwiched in between arguably two of the best albums of its era, Equinox and Grand Illusion. This album is fun rock and roll, and drop dead terrific.
Tune In and Turn On this evening, September 13th at 8:00 PM for The GOAT'S "The Long Play with Al Neff”.
