EQUINOX

I was a late-comer to this album, mostly due to the fact that I had fallen into the miasma of true progressive rock and left the proto-, pseudo-, fringe-, and "-related" prog pretenders behind in favor of the likes of the real deal (Yes, Genesis, Nektar, Focus, Supertramp, Jean-Luc Ponty, Return to Forever, etc.) But then when Grand Illusion hit the scene, I had to look back. When I did deign to revisit the Styx albums that had appeared between Styx II and Grand Illusion, two albums, in particular, stuck out--primarily due the fact that both presented to the world each with two undeniably "classic" prog-rocky songs: from Equinox, "Lorelei" and "Light Up" and then "jennifer" and the title song from Crystal Ball (and, probably, "Mademoiselle"). Plus, both contained another one of the band's trademark pseudo- prog "epics": here "Prelude 12" and "Suite Madame Blue." Again, not truly prog, they are definitely on the fringes, with many of the trademark sounds and flourishes that make for some of the best progressive rock music--including great arrangements, great instrumental playing, great vocal harmonies, and great production. They just had too many melodic hooks (which made their stuff radio- and teenie-friendly) and compact, concise recordings (though some of their five-minute songs sure packed a ton of tension and dynamics into them!) And, again, I can't really claim this 3.5 star album to be "an excellent acquisition for all prog music lovers" but it is, to me, a sign of a band at the peak of its strengths--of which Styx had many (which might be why so many of us use them as a comparative reference when trying to assess, define, and describe modern bands). The bottom line is that this is a very solid album that has all of its songs deserving of attention and criticism.