Description

The early 21st century saw an overabundance of classic rock bands continue to hit the road, but without the presence of their original lead singers who sang all their hits of yesteryear. Styx, who have had Lawrence Gowan handling keyboard/vocal duties in place of Dennis DeYoung since 1999, are a case in point. With Styx touring on a regular basis ever since DeYoung's departure, they decided to re-record some of their biggest hits with the modern-day line-up of the band, featuring longtime members Tommy Shaw (guitar and vocals), James Young (guitar and vocals), Ricky Phillips (bass), and Todd Sucherman (drums) in addition to Gowan. By and large, you get faithful renditions of Styx's classics — which remain rock radio standards to this day — including "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," and "Too Much Time on My Hands," among others. Also, you'll find an all-new tune, "Difference in the World," an appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo on "Fooling Yourself," plus renditions of a pair of songs that Shaw originally performed with the supergroup Damn Yankees ("Coming of Age" and "High Enough"). What i was hoping for from this album when I heard it was going to be released was that it would be a similar offering to Journeys ‘Revelations’ (disc 2) which, without offering anything groundbreakingly new, brought the story right up to date with the current lead singer, and in my view, added a fresh energy to the old songs. ‘Regenerations’ makes good use of the most up to date recording techniques, adds in a couple of great new tracks albeit with some Damn Yankees material, introduces the manifest talents of Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, and Rickie Philips, who i think help to rejuvenate the bands style, energy, and drive, and presents here a selection of the classic tracks from the bands rich back catalogue, which are technically as good, and in most cases, make for a preferable listen to the originals. Track listing: 1. The Grand Illusion 2. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) 3. Lorelei 4. Sing For The Day 5. Crystal Ball 6. Come Sail Away 7. Difference In The World 8. Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) 9. Miss America 10. Renegade 11. Queen Of Spades 12. Boat On The River 13. Too Much Time On My Hands 14. Snowblind 15. Coming Of Age 16. High Enough