Earlier Styx CD’s fell pretty firmly in the realm of progressive rock. This disc comes close. I nearly put it there, but there are enough tracks that don’t qualify to get this into the “non prog” classification. That said this is still an incredible disc. It was the last one before Tommy Shaw joined and it’s so strong that even the weak material is pretty incredible. The closing epic “Suite Madame Blue” is one of the quintessential rock tracks of the 1970’s. If that were the only great song here this would be a worthy acquisition. Fortunately it’s not, making this even more desirable.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.

And here we have the masterpiece! This song by itself would be worth the price of admission. This is an epic piece in the classic 1970’s style. It follows the pattern of tracks like “Stairway to Heaven” by alternating mellower, ballad-like sections with harder rocking jams in an ever increasing intensity. Musically it has a lot in common with Judas Priest’s “Beyond The Realms of Death.” Lyrically it is close to The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” It transcends both of those, though and is seriously one of the classic songs of the 1970’s. This is a must have for every classic rock fan’s collection. While many think of this as a love song and others as a tribute to the United States, it is both of those and neither. It showcases a person who loves his country but saw that the nation was in trouble and needed new direction to find its way. Deep love of country isn’t blind patriotism but feeling the need to express dissatisfaction and the need for change. Such is the lyrical theme of this. It is such an incredible piece of music and a wonderful way to end the disc.