Styx - Equinox

Release Year - 1975

Track Listing:
1 - Light Up (4:23)
2 - Lorelei (3:26)
3 - Mother Dear (5:32)
4 - Lonely Child (3:54)
5 - Midnight Ride (4:23)
6 - Born for Adventure (5:19)
7 - Prelude 12 (1:23)
8 - Suite Madam Blue (6:32)

Is it possible that one album can have such an effect on a young teenager's mind that it will influence her taste in music for the rest of her life? As teenagers, we seek a connection with something or someone that will define us and give us meaning. For me, it was music, and the album was Equinox by Styx!

I was already a Styx fan by the spring of 1975, having heard their song “Lady” on the radio and collecting their first four albums, Styx, Styx II, The Serpent is Rising, and Man of Miracles. I found them to be a fun, quirky band. By the age of 13, I had developed a love for Blues-based rock, mainly Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, and Bad Company, but I had heard music by other bands that would eventually be labeled as "Progressive Rock" and found it to be fascinating! I was starting to develop a love for keyboard and synthesizer sounds, thanks to Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, etc. So, when Equinox appeared later that year, I was curious and excited to hear what else Styx had come up with. What I found was an album that changed everything I loved about music!

Starting with “Light Up”, the keyboards dominate the entire sound of this album. They soar, they plummet, they waver and warble. I instantly fell in love with Dennis DeYoung! “Light Up” is a very likeable and popular song about a very popular subject. It is interesting to note that I attended a Metallica concert in Portland, Oregon in 1998, and “Light Up” was played over the PA system right before the opening act took the stage! Even people who hate Styx seem to love this song!

“Lorelei” comes next, another fun, keyboard-based song that was released as the album's only single. While it is not my favorite, it's a sweet love song that continues to be part of their set list even decades later. “Mother Dear” is perhaps John Curulewski's best song! The music is a blend of synths (which John also plays) and great guitars. One thing is clear, Curulewski and James Young made a tight guitar team for Styx back in those early days. I also enjoy the vocal harmonies of Curulewski and DeYoung on this song.

Of all the Styx songs I had heard up to and through this album, it was “Lonely Child” that turned them into my favorite band! Track four on Equinox was the clincher. The lyrics stunned me and then comforted me. As a social outcast at my school with few friends otherwise, I had turned to music for my salvation. “Lonely Child” was an invitation to love something tangible... a band and its music. "Come spend your life with me!" The music to this song is also phenomenal. Once again, that magical blend of keys and guitars set the tone for what I love best about Styx. Somehow, it just takes me to another place.

“Midnight Ride” is a change of pace, concentrating on James Young's excellent guitar skills and bold lyrics, describing an encounter with a groupie. Less magical than the previous love songs, but somehow, it still fit into the overall vibe of the album. “Born for Adventure” comes next, and wow! Looking back now, I can see it was DeYoung's tribute, more or less, to the pomposity of British Progressive Rock. At the time however, it was just an incredibly fun story, Three Musketeers-style, set to great music. How could I not love Styx after hearing this song?

The last two songs on Equinox blend into a tribute, or rather a warning, to American politics. The subject matter contrasts with the light-heartedness of all the previous songs, but it's a beautifully arranged piece of music, dominated by Curulewki's blissful guitar intro in “Prelude 12” and DeYoung's sweet and strong vocals during the main song. The synth interlude is worth mentioning, too. “Suite Madame Blue” continues to be a fan favorite decades later. Personally, I am a bit ambivalent about the theme, but that's just me. It's a haunting song in any case.

So, what makes Equinox my favorite album of all time? Not just the amazing keyboards, blazing guitars, lush vocal harmonies, and fun (and sometimes serious) lyrics, but a combination of all of these. It was the overall sound that Styx put forth that caught me up and took me to a place where I could escape the painful reality of my early teens and become a princess in my own dream world.

Sadly, this was the last album with John Curulewski, whom I believe contributed much to the "progginess" of Styx's early sound. When he left, the band started drifting from the quirkiness that first attracted me and steered toward their Art Rock sound when Tommy Shaw came on board. That's okay, because the band continued to put out great albums with great songs. However, to me personally, their first five albums were their best, and thanks to that sound, I am a better music fan in my all around taste for Progressive and Classic Rock. I continue to be a Styx fan today, even with the frequent changes to their line-up and their musical vibe, but my memories of Equinox still dominate my love for this band.