STYX Announces Two New Album Releases
STYX is giving their loyal fans a double whammy of new releases in June and July.
First up is the highly anticipated reissue of their critically acclaimed first new studio album in 14 years, THE MISSION, on July 27 via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. The two-disc package will include a CD of the original album, as well as a Blu-ray of THE MISSION mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound by singer/guitarist TOMMY SHAW and producer Will Evankovich accompanied by stunning visualizations for each of the albumโs 14 songs based on the album artwork. Other extras on the Blu-ray include: โThe Making of The Mission Documentaryโ of exclusive interviews of SHAW and Evankovich, four music videosโโGone Gone Goneโ (official video), โGone Gone Goneโ (video created by NASA), โRadio Silenceโ (lyric video) and โRadio Silenceโ (live video from Syracuse, NY)โand three hi-res audio playback modes. Pre-orders are available now here.
“THE MISSION, a concept album of all new music, is a trip,โ declares TOMMY SHAW. โNow itโs coming to you in 5.1 Surround and youโre cordially invited to strap yourselves in and take that trip with us, then take it again!โ
THE MISSION was released June 16, 2017 and debuted on various Billboard charts, including: #6 Top Rock Albums, #11 Physical Albums, #11 Vinyl Albums, #13 Current Albums, #14 Top Albums, #16 Retail, #17 Mass Merch/Non-Traditional, #29 Digital Albums, and #45 Top 200 Albums (includes catalog and streaming).
โThe planets truly aligned for THE MISSION, and I couldnโt be prouder,โ said vocalist/guitarist TOMMY SHAW upon its release, who co-wrote the albumโs storyline with longtime collaborator Will Evankovich (Shaw/Blades, The Guess Who). โItโs our boldest, most emblematic album since PIECES OF EIGHT.โ As founding guitarist JAMES โJYโ YOUNG continued, โIn the 40th anniversary year of our release of our biggest selling album of all time, GRAND ILLUSION, it just seemed truly appropriate to save our new studio album until this year. Needless to say, Iโm very excited.โ
Next, SING FOR THE DAY!, TOMMY SHAWโs solo 2016 concert performance with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra will be released on Blu-ray, CD, and Digital Audio / Video on June 29 via Eagle Rock Entertainment. Pre-orders are now available on Eagle Rockโs website.
Filmed before an enthusiastic audience at the intimate Waetjen Auditorium in Cleveland, SING FOR THE DAY! presented unique versions of such classics as โBlue Collar Man,โ โGirls With Guns,โ and โToo Much Time On My Hands.โ
Under the direction of principal conductor / founder Liza Grossman, with accompaniment by guitarist/musical director Will Evankovich, the Cleveland-based Contemporary Youth Orchestra blended seamlessly with Shaw to create a one-of-a-kind experience. The songs of STYX / TOMMY SHAW / Damn Yankees are infused with the energy of the finest high-school-aged musicians in Ohio, as evidenced by such performances as the epic duel between SHAWโs guitar licks and a prodigious young violinist / CYO alum Lavinia Pavlish on โRenegade.โ
Additionally, the set includes a special version of the STYX classic โCrystal Ballโ featuring the debut of a lost verse that was never recorded.
As TOMMY SHAW says, โSING FOR THE DAY!, a retrospective look at some of my favorite songs Iโve written and co-written, performed with Contemporary Youth Orchestra, now remixed in glorious 5.1, takes them all to a higher place Iโd never imagined.”
This show also marked the 10-year anniversary of STYXโs original 2006 performance with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra — One With Everything (previously released via Eagle Rock Entertainment on multiple formats).
It was truly a night to remember, as SHAW notes: “It was so much bigger and more everlasting than any of us imagined it would be.”
In addition to the full 13-song set, the SING FOR THE DAY! Blu-ray includes 96K stereo audio of four songs with TOMMY SHAW and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra not included in the program — โDown That Highway,โ โThe Great Divide,โ โIโll Be Coming Home,โ and โThe Night Goes Onโ — soundtracking a slideshow of photos from the show, rehearsals, and behind-the-scenes.
SING FOR THE DAY! Track Listing:
1. Overture
2. Girls With Guns
3. Too Much Time On My Hands
4. Fooling Yourself
5. Diamond
6. Crystal Ball
7. Boat On The River
8. Sing For The Day
9. Renegade
10. Man In The Wilderness
11. Come Again
12. High Enough
13. Blue Collar Man
Blu-ray Bonus songs:
Down That Highway
The Great Divide
Iโll Be Coming Home
The Night Goes On
And, on June 30, AXS TV presents a โSaturday STYXโ lineup headlined by insightful conversations and classic performances.
The day begins at 1pE, as TOMMY SHAW, JAMES โJYโ YOUNG, and LAWRENCE GOWAN sit down with Dan Rather to discuss their legendary career, the creative process behind some of their most enduring songs, and what drives them to keep performing in โThe Big Interview.โ Next, STYX joins The Red Rocker for an epic hangout session backstage at The Venetian in Las Vegas in โRock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagarโ at 2pE. Then, the band sails into Sin City for an unforgettable career-spanning set in โSTYX: Live At The Orleans Arena Las Vegasโ at 2:30pE; followed by TOMMY SHAWโs incredible performance with Clevelandโs renowned Contemporary Youth Orchestra in Sing For The Day! at 3:30pE. The block will re-air in its entirety immediately following at 5pE.
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