Disco de Styx: “Caught in the Act”

I've seen Styx twice in concert,and they were even better live then on there studio recordings.This CD is fantastic.My favorite Styx song is Tommy Shaws, "Crystal Ball."Styx plays all of there hits over the years,from "Babe," to "Rockin the Paradise." The difference between Shaw and DeYoung made Styx one of the greatest bands from the 70's and 80's.The rest of the band hated "Babe,"and "Lady," two of Dennis DeYoung songs, but these ballads brought Styx high on the record charts.Its ashame there touring without him.I would never see this concert without Dennis.It would be like "Wings" going on tour without Paul McCartney.

Most people want to compare this album to RTP. In my opinion this one has more energy, probably because Styx was still an active touring band and had been so for 15 years. My major complaint is the same one that others have voiced, they seem to have trimmed a number of songs from their show and considering that this is a double CD, this seems a bit "short". The album leads off with a studio track (Music Time) which even though it was a chart hit(#40) doesn't appear on greatest hits 1 or 2, so you will have to get it here. The actual concert kicks off with Mr Roboto which features Dennis "acting" out the song. You can hear his grunts as he "struggles" to remove the Roboto mask. Roboto has been given new life with the VW commercial but to me when it is taken out of context outside of the Kilroy concept it just doesn't work. Within Kilroy the song has meaning, on this cd it leads into Too Much time. That makes a lot of sense. I hear they are playing it on the current tour so I'm sure that it still has the same problem. Highlights of the cd include Rockin' the Paradise and Don't Let it End(with Babe ending). Unless someone digs deep in the vault and pulls out some more tapes this is the only live recording of Dennis, Tommy, JY, Chuck and John that you can legitimately purcahse.

Styx are generally thought of as an album band with such "concept" efforts like Paradise Theater & Kilroy Was Here. While their albums are solid, all contain songs that you just assume not listen to more than once. Styx had the great sense to release their best songs as singles and Caught In The Act is a live greatest hits record. All the Styx anthems like "Come Sail Away", "Blue Collar Man", "Too Much Time On My Hands" and "The Best Of Times" are included. You would've have like to seen "Lady" and "Renegade" here, but you can't really complain with the overall selection. One great bonus is that this album is the only place where you get "Music Time" on cd. It is the only studio track on the album and is one of Styx's best songs. Some people may quibble that the performances are not the band's best, but to me, they sound pretty strong and the songs still stand up. The album is a must for any Styx fan as it captures the band in their commercial prime.

This is Styx's only live album with all of the 5 classic members of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young, Chuck Panozzo, and John Panozzo. It is a very well done 2-disc album. With 7 songs on each disc this is a must have for every hard-core Styx fan. This is better than Return To Paradise and all the other live albums Styx has made with Lawrence Gowan. This was when Styx was at their peak and on the edge of their hiatus from 84 to 90. So seriously buy this album. My personal favorite on this album has to be Blue Collar Man (Long Nights). That song alone is worth the price of admission I mean the price of this album. This is really good music that you won't be able to find on today's music this style of talent + creativity = great music is most definetly gone. So buy this CD because you'll never hear music like this on an album or live ever again.

Hey, Jose, sorry about your credit card problem, but what do you think about this CD?