CAUGHT IN THE ACT: LIVE 1984

STYX the American QUEEN was mostly known for his long live shows, the use of a real grand piano, in short the gear to melt; long pieces at a time when prog metal didn't exist yet, yes but STYX was there.

1 Kilroy Was Here (Short Movie) with the cinematic intro, ah it already existed? like what, in short, sounds of revolt to introduce yes you know now this famous 2 Mr. Roboto with the drum roll, the borderline new-wave rhythm with this dancing keyboard, the voice that screams and gives the impulse of the radio title; in short we would think we were in 'Flash', funny when we know that STYX was nicknamed the American QUEEN 3 Guitar Solo/Rockin' The Paradise for the cheesy ballad on a piano background, the whistles of wonder, a bit like on the 'Beth' of KISS; the more the progressive start, the well-detached solos that were the buzz without knowing it, a bygone era but oh so enjoyable still today 4 Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) for the big drums and the guitar solo from the start and this chorus engraved in my head 5 Snowblind for the air making me think of a 'Reality' film with the hypnotic music of Philip GLASS; the title for the stadiums with the rhythm, the choirs, the solos, the gripping kitsch atmosphere and the return of the guitar solo to make you swoon, here's a track for the declaration! 6 Too Much Time On My Hands and the intro of a Mr Roboto bis, electro at full blast in this early 80s; hints of CARS, a crescendo that rises and lets the guitar speak; the final rise was a bluff with a delightful rapidus tempo 7 Don't Let It End for the bucolic piano ballad, for the marshmallow slow, ah it's been a long time; 8 Heavy Metal Poisoning for the sound of Kilroy with a rock opera space, the choirs, the very wavian synth solo that changed the musical direction of STYX; and this chorus and this riff, simple and effective 9 Cold War bis repetita, guitars galore, a seductive solo, juicy, danceable keyboard parts, to change your skin, the guitar solo that never ends, that was the goal just before launching the guitar heroes 10 The Best Of Times for the piano ballad to make your fiancée fall, the delicacy of the piano that took over the whole stage, the crystalline voice and the energetic rise of the chorus in an explosion; the finale with this chorus sung in chorus by the audience and a last solo...piano 11 Come Sail Away with the same pattern, delicate piano and little song... at the beginning before the explosion of the chorus that will never end; the place for the solos that come and go and made STYX a real beast on stage 12 Renegade not the one from THIN LIZZY, the one from STYX with a southern tone, boogie and tons of sounds poured out in spades that made the songs last live; also remember the live with the fake intervention of the security service on the drum solo, well before what METALLICA was going to put... on stage; how tender the audience was 13 Haven't We Been Here Before? with this voice-over like MEAT LOAF, this blah blah to explain, and this song with a Floyd sound that came to close the show; ah this precise moment needless to say that there was QUEEN in this title, well... I wrote it 14Don't Let It End (Reprise) came to close this DVD that I saw much later since it was missing Suite Madame Blue, Boat On The River, Miss America which was one of the group's odes for its performance on stage.