Performed by Styx Rated 4.5/5.0, based on 47 reviews. Buy from Amazon: New price: $12.00 Used price: $12.13

Styx fans will appreciate this thoughtful packaging of the early years
Rating: 3/5
The Amazon customer-review average of 5 stars, across nearly 50 reviewers, ludicrously overstates the merits of this music, effectively proclaiming it a must-have masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, though, there is some good rock n' roll here.

A third of the tunes could be compiled to comprise a highly recommended, great work of 70s AOR, with plenty of guitar crunch, pounding keyboards, amped up vocals and soaring harmonies. Add to that some proggish tendencies in composition and lyrics and some of the over-the-top style of arrangment and production they'd become well known for.

Half the tunes make for extremely satisfying listening for Styx fans and a solid listen for most fans of 70s-style, straight-ahead, AOR. The other half consists of weak-to-middling stuff that comes from a band in its formative years working out kinks and discovering strengths. Styx fans will find most of that "other half" a decent, intriguing listening experience.

Many will make it a habit to skip "As Bad as This" by John Curlewski and his "Krakatoa" as well. "Bad" seems intended to be an interlude in the "Serpent" album, providing a jarring shift from a meditative mood to a presumedly humorous take on Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat" (?!). This tune will only annoy the listener who is already in the groove of this album.

Curlewski, while offering the highly enjoyable, moody and mellow "A Day," has a thin voice and a delivery that pales in comparsion to the vocal powers of Dennis DeYoung and James Young. After hearing these recordings, I feel his soon-to-be departure from the band is not much of a loss, particularly given the future addition of Tommy Shaw. This is not a commentary on Curlewski's guitar chops, which are strong, but Shaw and James Young will have no problem in this area.

These early albums are definitely a highly entertaining and interesting look at a landmark group's formative years, particularly in it's ventures into proggish and hard-rock territory. There is already a strong tendency towards the lush, dramatic arrangments and lyrics they'd be known and loved (and hated by self-righteous critics) for. The vocal harmonies are in place but the tunesmithing isn't quite as refined as it would become.

The project-like care and remastering that went into this album of music, makes for a handsome, enjoyable and, for huge fans of Styx only, essential package. Whatever you do, though, do not purchase this with 5-star expectations.

If you like Styx, you need this
Rating: 5/5
There's not a lot to say; if you like Styx and don't have the first four albums, this re-release is well-engineered, well-packaged and a real trip down memory lane. The liner notes are particularly interesting reading, adding a great deal of insight into the band's early days. Of course, it's fun to hear Plexiglass Toilet hidden in there, too.

Yes Virginia, Styx DID rock at one time...
Rating: 5/5
I first discovered these albums(on cassette, even) back when "Mr. Roboto" was polluting the airwaves. I didn't even think it was the same band back then(hey, I was 10), I just knew it was some of the coolest music I'd ever heard. For years the Wooden Nickel-era Styx releases along with pre-Perry Journey, have held revered status in my music collection and I've recommended them every chance I get. FINALLY! They're all in one nice neat two disc package! Forget "Babe", "The Best Of Times" or "Too Much Time On My Hands". Check these out! Symphonic, Lush, Metallic, Progressive and at times, just plain weird, these are the ones with everything. Personal favourite would be "The Serpent Is Rising" which mixes flat-out hard rockers like "Witch Wolf", "Jonas Psalter", and "Young Man" with progressive majesty like "The Grove Of Eglantine" and the title track. Just to make things even cooler, check out the spoken word "Krakatoa" which segues into "The Hallelujah Chorus", and the album's hidden track is something right out of Dr. Demento's radio show.
The "Man Of Miracles" album is more of a standard 70's rock album until the heavier-than-lead title track. The first two albums fall squarely into the Yes/Genesis prog mode. Any fan of music that pushes the envelope or even any Styx fan eager to hear the band's roots would be wise to pick this double cd up.

The journey begins on the river.....
Rating: 5/5
This is a great collection, and an absolute must for Styx fans. When these albums were originally released (between 1972-1975), they were on the Wooden Nickel label, which folded relatively quickly. They were then reissued (on vinyl) by RCA, but with different, garish covers (and different titles, for example, Styx II was called Styx-Lady). Then they were CD editions of each of them, but their release pattern was questionable as well. Now you have them all here in a superb remastering job.

Styx actually started out as a progressive rock group, which is exemplified by their first album. It begins with a 13 1/2 minute track, Movement for the Common Man (the longest song in Styx's career), and one of their best songs. It has a few great covers, like Right Away and What Has Come Between Us. James Young handles most of the lead vocals, and I always felt he was an intregal part of Styx, even though he never really got the credit. The 2nd album still had a prog vibe to it (especially John Curulewski's A Day, an 8 1/2 minute song), but it also had Lady, Styx's first hit and still a radio staple to this day. The 3rd and 4th albums, The Serpent is Rising and Man of Miracles, are good but a bit uneven. Serpent is more experimental than Miracles, and has some great songs on it, most notably Witch Wolf and As Bad As This. There's even the Hallejulah chorus from Handel on it. Eventually, Styx toned down the prog influences and became mega superstars. In later albums, the prog influence was gone and they succumbed to sappy ballads (Don't Let It End, Babe) and overblown theatrics (Kilroy Was Here, their worst album). But here we see the makings of a great band, and the music is damn good too, especially the first two albums.