Drawn from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1)
An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!
A few years back, writer S. W. Lauden (alias musician Steve Coulter of Tsar and the Brothers Steve) posted an excellent piece called "Let's Argue About Power Pop!," wherein our Steve ably took on the endless battles among power pop fans to agree on...anything. ANYthing. Roses are red. Water is wet. The sky is above, not below. Bounty is the quicker picker-upper. Anything! Steve gets it. And I can say that even though I (predictably) disagree with some aspects of his power pop description. Those are just details. Steve gets the essence exactly right.
One of the things that drives power pop traditionalists batty is suggesting that some popular mainstream rock band is a power pop act. Styx comes up as an occasional example, and trust me, Styx is not and has never been power pop.
I mean, except for the time that Styx was power pop.
Listen, man: I hated Styx. Hated 'em. In the late '70s, when I was a bourgeoning young punk rocker and power pop fan in college, proudly sporting a chip on my shoulder and the Ramones in my heart, Styx was the freakin' enemy, THE enemy, more than disco, more than prog, more than Southern Rock, more than Eagles, even: Pompous and bloated, anti-punk, anti-pop. The music of Styx represented everything I despised. One night out drinking, I used my jackknife to carve STYX STYNX into the tabletop at a local nightspot. It is safe to say that I was not a fan of Styx.
For all that, I usually declared a ceasefire in my war on Styx when their song "Lorelei" came on. Unabashedly pop, loaded with harmonies, the group's prerequisite bombast largely held in check, a bit too slick but still energetic, "Lorelei" is almost power pop. Its path to true 'n' everlasting janglebuzz is blocked only by lead singer Dennis DeYoung sounding annoyingly and whiningly like Dennis DeYoung. And it's still a great track anyway. I wished it had been by the Hollies instead of...these guys.
There's no such qualifier for "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye." This track from the 2003 Styx album Cyclorama is certified 100% DeYoung-free. Glen Burtnik (now a member of the Weeklings) was the main songwriter, sharing a co-write with the other members of Styx at the time. Burtnik sings lead, and the result is as power pop as the Raspberries or the Rubinoos. Hell, Burtnik even sounds a bit like noted pop fan Robbie Rist, and that is a compliment for damned sure. Perfect pop. Perfect power pop. By Styx. As hell freezes over and the power pop curmudgeons rail in protest, this track invites naysayers to pucker up already.
I came to the song via an online friend named Kathryn Francis. I haven't heard from Fran in a very, very long time, and I hope she's doing well. She was a fan of both Styx AND This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, and she was determined to break down my aversion to this band she loved. She pointed out a few lesser-known Styx tracks for subsequent airplay on TIRnRR, and our pop worlds co-existed in peace.
BUT! In 2003, Fran told me there was this new Styx song that would demolish my antipathy, no matter how hard I resisted. Man, when Kathyrn's right, she's right! "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" remains an incredible track, a power pop tune--I said, A POWER POP TUNE!!--that has carved out a permanent berth in my ongoing All-Time Top 200. I haven't changed my mind about the familiar stuff, and I hear that many actual Styx fans disdain "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye," so I guess that dynamic remains in place between us.
I say this a lot: An act you actively despise may still be capable of creating one or more tracks you flat-out adore. And make no mistake: I loathed Styx. Still, an open mind can reap benefits. "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" is now an all-time Fave Rave, and there are a handful of other Styx tracks that I don't mind: "Lorelei" as noted, plus "Too Much Time On My Hands" and a 2005 track called "Everybody Raise A Glass," the latter introduced to me via The Spoon, the essential podcast hosted by the above-mentioned Robbie Rist with Chris Jackson and Thom Bowers. I don't think the day will come when I have any use whatsoever for "Babe" or "Renegade" or goddamned "Mr. Roboto," but I concede that the Styx brand name doesn't necessarily have to prompt an immediate revulsion.
Yeah, y'know...not necessarily.
Even with the bands we don't like as much as some of our friends do, that damned, cheery open mind can unlock the doors of discovery. Raise a glass! Seize a little of that too much time on our hands! Tell Lorelei we oughta live together! In the ending you can bet everyone's an equal. Here's to the Men of The Spoon, and also to our old correspondent Kathryn Francis, wherever she is. Thank you, friends. Domo arigato. It's Styx, babe.
And, of course, this one Styx song is fully, resolutely power pop. Don't argue with me.
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