Kansas vs Styx
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Polls
Forum Description: Create polls on topics related to progressive music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=122142
Printed Date: November 26 2024 at 07:31
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Kansas vs Styx
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Subject: Kansas vs Styx
Date Posted: February 04 2020 at 22:01
| Battle of the US prog/ art rock titans. Put aside your "Styx aren't prog" beliefs and just vote for the band you prefer. |
Replies:
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 04 2020 at 23:45
Kansas by far, better vocals, better songwriting  |
Posted By: ScorchedFirth
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 00:51
|
Kansas is more proggy, but listening to Styx I find way more fun so I'll vote for them. ------------- breathing, eating, defecating, screwing, drinking, spewing, sleeping... 
|
Posted By: Mortte
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 00:58
| Not a big fan of either, but it´s really Kansas for me! |
Posted By: Frenetic Zetetic
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 01:43
|
Kansas. ------------- "I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 02:18
I have always respected Styx and really love their music and their vocals are perfect but I can't vote for them up against Kansas, I just love kansas that little bit more probably because they lean more towards prog ... so Kansas it is ! 
|
Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 02:37
|
ScorchedFirth wrote:Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 02:45
|
Big pass on both. Kansas if forced to choose. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: gr8dane
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 04:34
|
Love both bands.These days Kansas more.When Equinox came out ,Styx became my favourite band. Both bands last output ,are great albums, with a return to form, though of those 2 ,I prefer Styx. ------------- Shake & bake. |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 05:58
| Never liked Styx, another Kansas vote. |
Posted By: Neu!mann
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 06:52
|
Thank you, for allowing me the "neither" option... ------------- "we can change the world without anyone noticing the difference" - Franco Falsini |
Posted By: Mormegil
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:07
|
Kansas . . . ------------- Welcome to the middle of the film. |
Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:09
| Kansas but there are many Styx songs that I like |
Posted By: Braka1
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:13
|
Kansas, but it's hardly a ringing endorsement: I stopped listening to them in about 1982. ------------- Believe me Pope Paul, my toes are clean |
Posted By: Argo2112
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:15
| Kansas for me but the guy playing drums for Styx now (Todd Sucherman) is off the charts good. |
Posted By: digdug
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:43
|
Styx has some really good songs... but Kansas is on another level Kansas all the way ------------- Prog On! |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:44
|
Styx recently released an album. is it any good? |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 07:59
| I love Styx but Kansas is a beast. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 08:06
|
Not a fan of either but Kansas is much more proggy than Styx. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 09:23
| I'm just waiting for someone to say "why do you have two aor arena rock bands on here?" :P That might be the case to some degree. Kansas were full blown prog though. Styx had prog tracks here and there but were more art rock or pomp rock(if that term is still used). Anyway, I like both but Kansas is more special to me so I voted for them. |
Posted By: TerLJack
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 09:30
Well, if you're going to put it like that, Styx.
|
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 10:41
I think Styx have enough progginess in their music where I shouldn't even have to mention it but you know how some people on here are about things like that(ie it has to be prog to be good or I'll vote for the one that that's the most prog, etc).
|
Posted By: TheH
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 11:02
|
Simple Kansas are full blown Prog, Styx are AOR, Arena Rock etc. with some Prog Elements. Kansas would Always win the Duell, I really like Styx though.
|
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 11:24
Yes, and it’s very proggy! Check out the track red storm! ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 11:25
|
Like both, love me some pieces of eight, but love me some Kansas debut a little bit more. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Libor10
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 11:40
|
I like both in a way but as Styx are going to loose, my vote goes to Styx. ------------- 
|
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 12:15
|
Supertramp ------------- |
Posted By: DarkTower
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 13:32
Exactly. I prefer listening To Styx
|
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 13:47
You probably only know the radio hits for both bands.
 |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 13:48
|
Not the biggest Kansas fan in the world but they definitely have some great moments. For me, not so with Styx. To me they've always been way to cheesy and poppy. They make Supertramp sound as serious as King Crimson. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 13:53
|
KANSAS, BY FAR. Styx has never made an album I like from start to end (*maybe* The Grand Illusion, but that's it), while Kansas didn't have any issues until Monolith. And the musicianship in Kansas is superior, though Styx did boast the great Dennis DeYoung (no Dennis, and Styx is another Yes). ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 15:07
| Kansas, no contest. |
Posted By: Psychedelic Paul
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 15:31
I have six Kansas albums and only one Styx album, so it has to be Kansas for me. 
|
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 20:40
same---American "prog" sucks---but American jazz and R and B is legendary .
|
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 21:13
|
Kansas. I wouldn’t call Styx Prog. ------------- A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now) |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 21:17
|
Congratulations to the band Missouri for leading this poll. -- POTUS ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 22:20
Hahahaha ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: HackettFan
Date Posted: February 05 2020 at 22:39
^ Well, Styx and Missouri are both rivers.  ------------- A curse upon the heads of those who seek their fortunes in a lie. The truth is always waiting when there's nothing left to try. - Colin Henson, Jade Warrior (Now) |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 06:47
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
|
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 16:57
|
Styx had a great name for a band...if that band sounded like Black Sabbath. Unfortunately, they should have called themselves Bland River. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 17:13
|
Kansas latest, 'The Prelude Implicit,' kicks ass! And me not a big Kansas fanboy. Best thing since 'Song For America.' ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 18:46
|
Ok but we all known Kansas’s debut is their best. Those last two tracks kick ass ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 20:54
| Kansas is infinitely superior in every way by any possible measure. |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 21:00
Pretty much, yeah. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: February 06 2020 at 23:35
|
KS ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 00:40
|
Kansas but the only Styx song I know is You Babe (or whatever it was called)
|
Posted By: Hercules
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 04:08
|
Neither. I have several albums by both, and I don't think I've played any of them for at least 5 years. Why? I've just gone off them because more interesting new prog has emerged. ------------- A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 04:38
|
Kansas all the way, though Styx may have some good albums in their catalog. ------------- 
|
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 04:41
|
41-5 what a crushing victory!
 |
Posted By: gr8dane
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:00
Do we ? is it ? That's funny,I just checked a poll we had about the first 5 Kansas albums, and the first came in forth. By the way, you made the poll, and you voted Song for America.  ------------- Shake & bake. |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:05
|
Bada-boom! ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:07
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:09
|
Hmm...Dust In The Wind vs. Babe? Which one. Which one.. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:10
Dust in the wind is (still) awesome, Babe has never been.
|
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:14
|
^ Not a deep song, despite it's title, but I do love that fiddle! ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 07:18
Opinions change, SFA has their strongest track in the title track, but side two has a couple so so songs ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 11:58
|
I will also always say, pieces of eight is a great, proggy album ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 14:12
Dust in the wind not deep? Seriously? You can't get much deeper than DitW.
|
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 14:14
|
Kansas.......not close for me, though Styx did write one or two decent songs. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 14:19
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: gr8dane
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 15:00
SFA is indeed a good one.Styx had their own song for America,in Suite Made Blue,which is probably one Styx' best songs. You heard it ?? ------------- Shake & bake. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 16:08
Yeah I don’t think it’s that good. I think some of their best tracks are crystal ball, this old man, pieces of eight, castle walls, queen of spades, red storm and a day. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 16:27
Well, in that case nothing is deep. It's not about the subject so much but the philosophical way they go about it. Maybe compared to other prog it's not that deep but for a pop song(or a song that was a hit anyway) it definitely is(imo).
|
Posted By: gr8dane
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 17:32
Fair enough.The ones you mention are great tracks, and you did mention A Day,which happens to be my favourite Styx track.  ------------- Shake & bake. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 20:21
|
^ a day is really cool, reminds me of take a pebble and sailors tale. But it’s the most blatantly progressive thing Styx’s has ever done. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 07 2020 at 21:00
| THe most prog rock oriented Styx track I know is "castle walls." After that maybe "Suite madam Blue." |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 01:34
| Dust In The Wind is probably the deepest song ever written to the point that it actually sounds ironic. However Kerry Livgren was very serious about it . It could be paired with ELP's Lucky man both on general theme (the naive view that material wealth is totally unimportant in the grand scheme of things) but also they were songs that were included on their respective albums almost as an afterthought because there was a space to fill. |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 01:40
|
Styx and Kansas cd's I have will just gather dust...both bands I will not be revisiting due to better options in the other myriad cds...I will have to build some more shelves soon... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 01:50
|
This Kansas backlash seems a bit strange to me. I saw them play live around 2002 and they were absolutely brilliant. I will still happily give the debut a spin if only just for Death of Mother Nature Suite if nothing else. Song For America is also a classic and highly original prog track. Masque is a decent album and worth a bit of attention not to mention great tracks such as The Spider and Magnum Opus. Yeah they did go a bit AOR from about 1978 onwards but they didn't suddenly turn into Foreigner or Boston overnight
|
Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 02:22
|
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 04:02
This sums up exactly my feelings on Kansas. Loved their first three albums and their most recent, others ventured into AOR but almost always had some good stuff. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: gr8dane
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 04:30
In the case, why not just get rid of them. Give them to a charity shop Unless you got a big house and like building more shelves of course ------------- Shake & bake. |
Posted By: gr8dane
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 04:33
Saw them last year and put on one hell of a show. Livgren Walsh not there is a shame, but these guys are road warriors and perform full tilt. ------------- Shake & bake. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 08 2020 at 09:12
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 09 2020 at 20:05
 Great band....love all the early lp's...the first 5 are all excellent...Song For America - the track, is simply one of the best prog tracks I have ever heard and I have a pretty large collection at age 68. But then some wouldn't know good music if it bit them in the ass. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 09 2020 at 20:09
Steve... Just curious ,but what do you consider a 'deep prog song'...? We're all ears.  ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 10 2020 at 04:41
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: February 10 2020 at 23:38
|
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 06:07
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 07:22
|
The question is, which band has the lowest lows? Edge of the century and Kilroy by Styx are pretty bad, but Kansas wasn’t doing much of note in the 80s either. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 07:29
I disagree, even Drastic Measures, the band's most commercial release is superior to anything Styx did beyond Pieces of Eight. I love 80s Kansas so I may be biased.
|
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 07:29
|
At Kansas' lowest, it got pretty bad. But nowhere near as bad as Styx at its worst. At its best, Kansas steamrolls over Styx's finest moments and squishes them into the cheesy ground on which they stand. Kansas may have gone totally commercial (always a bad move for prog bands who are never accepted by "new' fans and are rejected by old ones for selling out) but they never ventured into the saccharine sweetened waters of the Styx. IMHO. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 07:43
|
^ "You know it's you Babe!" ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 07:46
Aaaaarggghhhhhhh! Just for that, "Babe, I love you." and "I'm saaaiillllinnnggg ...." ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 07:47
|
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: miamiscot
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 08:14
|
This was easy. Kansas albums that I love (and my ratings): Kansas 10 Song For America 8.5 Masque 8 Leftoverture 10 Point Of Know Return 9 Monolith 7.5 Styx albums I love (and my ratings): Equinox 8 Crystal Ball 7.5 The Grand Illusion 10 Pieces Of Eight 9 Kansas for the win. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 09:21
|
You think babe is bad? Try the song first love off that same album! ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 09:42
|
That's ok, what you don't know sometimes can't hurt you. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 10:55
|
Styx is not prog rock. Neither is Kansas. Case closed m'lud... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 10:57
Nobody says Styx is prog, they are prog-related. But Kansas is prog, at least their 70s work.
|
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:00
|
To be fair. I have leftoverture...but I reckon that I must have been underwhelmed...dont remember thinkin wow, this is worth a second spin. I have more styx...its awful... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:10
|
If Kansas is not prog rock , and they are listed here as symphonic, then many bands here aren't prog either..... m'lud... ;) ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: M27Barney
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:19
Prog related? Definately a mistake? What is the longest track? Leftoverture is definately pop prog..well in my classification, I have far more interesting music to lend my ears to bother with Kansas....case closed...lock em up and throw away the key... ------------- Play me my song.....Here it comes again....... |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:29
I might agree about symphonic prog being the wrong category.....prog related or even crossover....Supertramp is in there and they could easily fit into the same grouping. And only a true prog snob would ask the length of the songs...since there are many bands on this site that don't do 'long ones' but are still in some genre here. Yes...let's lock them all up...those bands with short songs, and throw away the key. ;)
------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:35
|
I personally am not as fond of "Leftoverture" or "Point of Know Return" as many are. But you really should listen to "Song For America" or their s/t first album before dismissing Kansas as non-prog. I saw Kansas in 1977 in the old Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland and Genesis a few weeks before. I wasn't a Kansas fan and got dragged along. I swear to God Kansas matched them prog-for-prog. Nothing on their albums comes near what I heard that day, except "Song For America" and a good chunk of the live album. Their first album is just furious full-out high-energy rock with great jams and is worth hearing as well. By the time of "Leftoverture" they were tailoring their sound to the radio, unfortunately. Their biggest hits are far from their best songs. Their most recent album, "The Prelude Implicit," is really good too. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:44
|
^ 'Song For America', the title track, is one of my favorite prog tracks....and it's almost 10 minutes long....plenty long to satisfy most. ;) ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 11:59
| I believe Styx are on here under crossover not prog related. I think they are at least as prog as Supertramp or the Moody Blues(not that that's saying much). |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 12:00
Nope. I was wrong. Styx are on here as prog related. Maybe Styx should go up against Triumph. I have heard people say Styx are prog though. I have also heard people say the following bands are prog or have prog albums.* The Fixx Muse Deep Purple Smashing Pumpkins* (this I agree with but not all their stuff) Styx (someone said they were prog at a prog festival) Incubus * Alice in Chains Flaming Lips ELO (ok, maybe the first two or three qualify as prog but the rest?.......) Several others as well. There are also many bands who have had prog albums but despite only putting out a few in their career get labelled as prog. The one who comes to mind for me the most is Rush. After Moving Pictures I don't think they did any full blown prog albums. The few that came after it in the 80's were very proggish at tiems but I wouldn'tcall those prog rock albums over all. Signals maybe comes the closest though and even that has a rather different element to it.
|
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 12:03
|
Kansas is definitely prog! (Except for that "Dust In The Wind" song.) ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: February 11 2020 at 12:34
My man, listen to song for America, lamplight symphony, apercu and tell me they aren’t prog. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |