Styx's first really great album
I already had Crystal Ball on LP, but have been "re-collecting" my LPs into a CD collection.
This is the first Styx album to feature Tommy Shaw.
Styx was a decent group before Shaw. I only have one other Styx album prior to Shaw's entrance to the band, and that's Equinox.
Equinox has several good tracks ("Light Up", "Lorelei" and "Suite Madam Blue").
But they don't compare to the improvement made simply by trading out guitarist/vocalist John Cerwlewski (I may have spelled that last name wrong) with Tommy Shaw.
Apparently, the band was so confident in Shaw's abilities at the time that they titled the album after a song Tommy wrote and sang lead on...obviously, "Crystal Ball", which is probably the jem of this entire album, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other great songs as well. The opening track "Put Me On" is a really great and rockin' track. It features J.Y. on lead vocals. "Mademoiselle" is another Tommy Shaw track. "Jennifer" is the typical Dennis De Young love anthem (in the same vein as prior "Lady" and future songs like "Babe" and "First Time").
"Shooz" is a Shaw/J.Y. co-write and a rockin' number (as almost always is the case when J.Y. has a hand in the writing). And the last two tracks are "This Old Man" and a medley of "Clair de Lune/Ballerina", with Clair de Lune being De Young's take on the Debussy standard and Ballerina being an original De Young composition...as is This Old Man.
Although, this is by far Styx's best album, it's in their top 3 easily.
Nothing will ever top The Grand Illusion and it's runner-up Pieces Of Eight.
Most bands have a golden "triad" (or in some cases 4 or 5) albums.
Crystal Ball, Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight are Styx's golden Triad.
Must haves for ANY Styx fan!
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