Return To Paradise (1997)
Disc One
1.On My Way
2.Paradise
3.Rockin' The Paradise
4.Blue Collar Man
5.Lady
6.Too Much Time On My Hands
7.Snowblind
8.Suite Madame Blue
9.Crystal Ball
Disc Two
1.The Grand Illusion
2.Fooling Yourself
3.Show Me The Way
4.Boat On The River
5.Lorelei
6.Babe
7.Miss America
8.Come Sail Away
9.Renegade
10.The Best Of Times
11.Dear John
 
Like the Greatest Hits release that
vastly improved the previous "best of" collection of hits, Classics, this double live
compact disc improves the first Styx live release Caught In The
Act released thirteen years prior. When the band reunited in the summer of 1996 for a summer tour,
the response was phenomenal. Classic rock acts of yesteryear were popping up everywhere giving fans
a badly needed dose of old favorites. The Styx reunion was one of the most successful. Ironically
there was no new release, only a tour featuring the favorites the fans adored. This collection of material
pulls no punches and almost the entire show is featured in the same running order (to get technical, they
played about one minute of Lights and Light Up during an acoustic set that are not here, nor is
the one new song they played Little Suzie
It was not uncommon during the tour for the band to play in front of well over 15,000 fans and the band
wisely chose the closing show in their hometown of Chicago to be featured here (a companion video was also
released). The band hadn't lost anything in thirteen years, if anything they improved - possibly due to
the less hectic stress schedule as to the first live release where the pressures and tensions were
insurmountable. The only thing keeping this from being an "ultimate" collection was that the two hit songs
from the Kilroy Was Here album were not featured on the tour (Mr. Roboto
and Don't Let It End) probably since the songs brought back too many bad memories. One annoying aspect
of this release is that the songs fade after the end of each piece - not the song itself, but the crowd
noise, making it seem less like one real show.
The band had wanted to release a complete studio album, but individual commitments limited them to only
composing three new songs, and as an added bonus, these songs are featured here. Dennis DeYoung contributes
Paradise that was also featured in his full length musical he was working on at the time. The song
is typical Dennis DeYoung (which is good and not so good), it's pleasant, pretty, and a "good song to play at
a wedding" but features the same electric piano ballad like sound that tended to be synonymous with the later
work of DeYoung. The opening cut on the disc is Tommy Shaw's On My Way, that is a nice rock
tune. It's not as good as Little Suzie from Greatest Hits Part 2 but it's
a nice continuation of the style of Styx that hardcore fans had been missing for so long. The biggest treat of the
new material is Shaw's Dear John. What is not a treat is the circumstance surrounding the writing of
the song. John Panozzo, the drummer and founding member had passed away during the middle of the tour due to a
brain hemorrhage related to alcoholism. Panozzo was the only member that was not on the tour since the band was
hoping he would recover from his illness. The sudden death was a blow to an otherwise perfect summer for the band
and the fans alike. Tommy Shaw's homage is a somber tribute that brings tears to the eye of the most
casual fans as well. Nowhere else has such a beautiful reflection been recorded by those who were so close
to a lost loved friend. Whether or not it was intended, this song tended to serve as an epilogue to a great history
of success the band enjoyed in the studio - and more importantly, on the road.
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