Equinox

Performer: Styx
Engineer: Barry Mraz
Producer: Styx
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: John Curulewski (vocals, guitar, synthesizer); James Young (vocals, guitar); Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Chuck Panozzo (vocals, bass guitar); John Panozzo (vocals, drums, percussion). Audio Remixers: Styx; Barry Mraz. Photographer: Chris Micoine. 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."

Part of a rising tide of American "pomp-rock" groups of the 1970s, Styx combined prog-rock characteristics with hard-rock hooks and pop accessibility. Their high three-part vocal harmonies and radio-friendly tunes made them wildly successful into the early '80s, until AOR was eclipsed by new wave.

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