Styx Album: “Yesterday & Today”

This cd totally misrepresents itself. Tracks 1,2,9 and 10 are taken straight from the Brave New World cd (not live as stated). Tracks 3,4,7 and 8 are from the Arch Aliies cd as is the video included. Tracks 5 and 6 are 2 of the three studio tracks taken straight from the Return to Paradise cd. Track 10 is listed as What Have They Done to You however it is in fact Brave New World. I DON'T understand how this label gets away with this lying. A label put out a Cheap Trick cd similar to this and Cheap Trick warned fans on their website. Styx didn't but I wish they would have. The pic is kinda cool AND there is no JY/PMRC speech which earns it it's ONE star from me. If you work for the Feds please investigate BMG music.

The powers to be at this label, BMG, are trying to take your money, by fooling you again, into thinking that this is a "new" STYX cd. Just like they did before,on EXTENED VERSIONS, BMG has lied about this cd, saying recorded live. Some songs are, but they are taken form the STYX/REO live cd ARCH ALLIES, released a year earlier. Rest of the songs are studio versions, that all ready appear on RETURN TO PARADISE, and BRAVE NEW WORLD. So if already own these three cds, you are simply adding to you collection as a STYX fan, or wasting your money, thinking your getting something different.

But as far as the songs go, Glenn's Edge of the Century and Dennis' The Grand Illusion, as song by Lawarence, are the only non Tommy songs. JY has no songs on this cd. Hopefully, Tommy will remember that STYX is a group effort, not just one person, after all, wasn't that what he and Dennis were into it about?

It could've been a lot worse i'll tell you that right now they could've used a couple more songs but that's why I'm not in the band. These guys really are aloud to do whatever they want. They are he greatest band of all-time. 5 consecutive multi-platinum albums. Top Ten Hits in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000's. I think they were just trying to help promote Lawrence Gowan when they put this together. He does do a good job but he definetly isn't no Dennis DeYoung.

First of all, this cd has one glaring misrepresentation; saying that the songs were recorded live. Only "The Grand Illusion", "Edge of the Century", and "Fooling Yourself" are "live" tracks. The remaining songs are studio versions. Tommy Shaw sings all of the songs except for Lawrence Gowan's version of "The Grand Illusion", while Glenn Burtnik sings "Edge of the Century" (at least he actually wrote that song himself). James Young has no songs on the disc.

Styx has been in a state of steady decline since Dennis DeYoung left the group in 1999. Lawrence Gowan is no match for Dennis, as evidenced by is weak performance on "Grand Illusion". Tommy Shaw still manages to hold his own, and this disc even includes one of my favorite Shaw songs; "On My Way". "Fooling Yourself", a Shaw staple, is included as well, and it always sounds good with Shaw's melodic 12-string acoustic playing in the background.

The rest of the disc is mainly filler material from the "Brave New World" cd. This disc is ok, but be wary of the "recorded live" tag line on the cover.