RETURN TO PARADISE (DVD)

In the Seventies I bought all the Styx albums but despite some delicate symphonic prog tendencies, no album can be found in my current progrock collection. So I never would have bought this DVD for the full price but for five bugs price I was prepared to have a look on the sound of my favorite Styx compositions like Suite Madame Blue, Grand Illusion and Miss America. On this DVD you can enjoy the very professional performance of a reunion Styx formation who turn out to be a kind of musical chameleon: polished rock in Rockin' The Paradise, romantic ballads in Lady, Show Me The Way, of course the huge hit Babe and the final song Come Sail Away, hardrock in Lorelei, an unplugged session during Boat On The River (featuring Tommy Shaw on the mandoline) and symphonic prog in the compelling Suite Madame Blue (lots of tension, Tommy Shaw on a twin-neck guitar, fat Oberheim synthesizer flights and a biting guitar solo in the exciting bombastic eruption), Grand Illusion (bombastic with fat synthesizer runs and propulsive guitar riffs) and Miss America (wah-wah guitar, biting guitar play, again fat Oberheim sounds and raw vocals). A surprising piece is Crystal Ball with Tommy Shaw solo on a 12-string acoustic guitar, he looks like the more handsome but less skillfull younger brother of Steve Howe! The music on this DVD is not always my cup of tea but I am impressed by the enthousiastic (especially James Young as a versatile frontman, from singer to keyboards and guitar), professional and tasteful performance of Styx, including the great sound and plaesant visuals. Personally I go for 3 stars but from an objective point of view this is a solid 4 star DVD!