Kilroy Was Here

Performer: Styx
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: James Young , Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitar); Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards); John Panozzo (vocals, drums); Chuck Panozzo (vocals); Steve Eisen (saxophone); Mark Ohlson, Mike Halpin, Dan Barber, Michael Mossman (horns). KILROY WAS HERE marked the end of an era for Styx. Yet another concept album as visualized by Dennis DeYoung, it tackled the dichotomy between technology and humanity, with a subtext about the censorship of which Styx had recently been a victim. In keeping with the futuristic theme, synthesizers and sequencers are deployed in all their early '80s glory, adding a techno-pop sheen to such tunes as "Mr. Roboto," which became a huge hit (almost 20 years later it was still turning up in TV commercials). However, the bottom had fallen out of the group by this time, as the rift between the members had gotten wider. Tommy Shaw contributed two of his finest songs to KILROY, the poignant "Just Get Through This Night" and the frisky, anti-authoritarian "Cold War," but shortly after the KILROY tour, he would depart the band, effectively bringing to a close the most successful chapter in Styx history.

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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