Styx-Return To Paradise (CMC International)

It's been at least a decade since I've spent a thought on Styx, THE arena rock group of my high school years. Music has moved on and so have I, and now the band is made up of a bunch of guys in their forties, so I didn't have high hopes for their comeback.

This two-disk live album snuck up on me and as much as it surprises me, I've gotta admit they're still a hell of a group.

The rock vibe of the quirky "Too Much Time On My Hands" and "Renegade" gave me a strong, familiar rush of air guitar thrill, and it wasn't all just nostalgic.

The three new studio songs are surprisingly strong, although Tommy Shaw's rocker "On The Way" blows the doors off Dennis DeYoung's power show tune "Paradise." Then again, Shaw always had the best knack for a rock lick in the band.

As live albums go, this one is even better than the Styx's 1984 breakup concert album Caught In The Act Live. Sometimes I guess you can go home again. (6/97)

Jay S. Jacobs