Well folks, this is the big one—at least for yours truly. Not that I ever owned it, mind you. But the 11th Styx album is so weird that it should have a place in the heart of any fan of ’80s kitsch.
The main reason is “Mr. Roboto,” the memorably goofy single/video and ostensible title track. Although the band has bigger hits, this one coincided with MTV and the birth of the video age. Thanks to Dennis DeYoung, Styx was better positioned to take advantage of this new era than many of its compatriots. The keyboardist liked whack-a-doodle concepts and theatrical flourishes,
One of the perks of doing this retrospective of a band I never much cared for is the research. For example, I was surprised to learn that Styx had some run-ins with the Moral Majority. This was a pre-Tipper Gore political force that objected to what it suspected was Satanic messages recorded backwards onto rock albums.
I was also excited to find out about a film that the band screened before their 1983 Kilroy concert tour. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to access the 10-minute short on the internet (due to being Canadian I guess). But my research into the film led me down a rabbithole that went from its director to the movie Breaking Glass to Princess Diana. You can read all about that in Fun Facts, at the end of the review.
Side One, Kilroy Was here
“Mr Roboto”—I think this song holds up surprisingly well. “Surprisingly” because I feel like it has had a few lives: video hit, ’80s laughing-stock, and fear-of-tech meme (“Thank you very much-o Mr. Roboto”). Now I can just appreciate the five-minute-thirty-second song’s bonkers qualities, while also enjoying it as a roof-raising rocker. Speaking of memes, one of the more bizarre aspects of the song is the reference to Kilroy. This is a character whose origins are in WWII-era graffiti.
“Cold War”—This Tommy Shaw song has a good chorus and so-so verse melody. Lyrically, it seems like the guitarist/singer is trying to fit in with whatever DeYoung’s concept is. But it’s a bit square-peg-round-hole-ish. One of the lines is “Don’t look now ‘cos the skinny boy’s a street-fighting man.” Maybe it’s mean to salute ’80s action movies? Too long by a minute, at least.
“Don’t Let it End”—Even as the band struck out into new(-ish) territory, Styx—well, DeYoung—kept returning to soft-rock balladry. “Don’t Let it End” is decidedly “Babe”-ish in its (lack of) inspiration/aspiration. This one gets a groove on, though.
“High Time”—We’re back on track with this one. Lyrically at least it’s cut from the same cloth as the humanist techno-politics of “Mr. Roboto.” The song goes off in interesting directions, including some spoken-word stuff in the middle. Maybe the closest thing the album has to an underappreciated almost-gem. Some horns come in at the end, almost justifying the track’s four-minute-plus run-time.
Side Two, Kilroy Was Here
“Heavy Metal Poisoning”—What starts out sounding like a contractually-obligated favour to James Young has a little bit more bite than the guitarist’s usual efforts. The song is also Exhibit B in my charge that Styx was one of the inspirations behind Spinal Tap. Check out these lyrics: “Everything is black and white/We are wrong and you are right/First we’ll spank your big behinds/Then we’ll twist your little minds.” At the end, a children’s chorus chants “Dr. Righteous.” This is the name of the evil entity trying to stop rock music or whatever.
“Just Get Through the Night”—Another Shaw song, this one about insomnia. It’s almost touching, even if it should be filed under “bellyaching rock star problems.” No strong hook though.
“Double Life”—One of those buried-on-Side-Two songs that could go either way—underplayed gem or filler? More the latter, despite some nice harmonies on the chorus. The lyrics mention something about “the other side of the Berlin Wall,” so maybe it’s a sequel to “Cold War”? Not sure how Cold War and robots replacing humans go together. But good for the band for trying to look outside of their rock ‘n’ roll bubble.
“Haven’t We Been Here Before?”—Probably the best Shaw song on the album. This one starts as a non-soppy ballad and builds to an arena-filling crescendo.
“Don’t Let it End”—An album-ending pastiche of “Mr. Roboto” and “Don’t Let It End,” with a Motor City rock ‘n’ roll outro. The outro name-checks Elvis, the Platters and Little Richard. Fun but unnecessary.
Fun facts about Kilroy Was Here
• The 10-minute short film mentioned earlier was written and directed by Brian Gibson. He also made four Styx music videos (“Mr. Roboto” and “Heavy Metal Poisoning” among them). Prior to his association with Styx, he wrote and directed Breaking Glass. The 1980 British film stars singer Hazel O’Connor and Quadrophenia actor Phil Daniels. Billionaire scion Dodi Fayed, who died in the 1997 car accident with Princess Diana, co-produced the movie. The NYT‘s Janet Maslin called it “slick” and “entertaining.” She also noted the disconnect between O’Connor’s black-mascara’d punk singer and her macrame-friendly digs. In 2015, horrornews.net called the movie a “cult classic.”
• In the film, guitarist Young plays Dr. Everett Righteous. A 1983 NYT story describes him as “a demagogue who turns his own cable network into a potent political base.” The story encapsulates the short film’s plot thus: “Blaming society’s ills on rock music, Dr. Righteous and his organization, the Majority for Musical Morality (MMM) gain enough power to have rock music banned in America.” DeYoung plays Robert Kilroy, a famous rock star who is falsely accused of murdering a protester at an MMM rally and sent to prison. Shaw is Jonathan Chance, the underground leader who contacts Kilroy and helps him escape. Chuck and John Panozzo, the twin brothers who make up Styx’s rhythm section, play characters named Lieut. Vanish and Col. Hyde.
• The story also mentions the flack Styx was receiving from the Moral Majority. The political movement accused the band of “backward masking” messages on its records. Specifically, they accused the song “Snowblind,” from 1981’s Paradise Theatre, as containing the message ”Oh satan, move in our voices.” In response, the band did place a backwards message on the beginning of “Heavy Metal Poisoning.” The message is the Latin words “annuit cœptis, novus ordo seclorum,” or “[he/she/it] has favored our undertakings, a new order of the ages.” These are the two mottoes from the Great Seal of the United States on the reverse side of the United States one-dollar bill.
• Also in the article, “Serious Issues Underlie a New Album by Styx,” writer Stephen Holden can’t resist a then-popular pastime: taking shots at Styx (not that I would be above such things). “‘Mr. Roboto’ offers glib paradoxes about technology in a hackneyed techno-pop style that borrows science fiction sound effects from the Alan Parsons Project. ‘Heavy Metal Poisoning,’ Dr. Righteous’s sermon against the sins of the rock culture imitates the sarcastic modal art-rock style of Frank Zappa, but the lyrics are witless cliches that lack the excoriating humor and comic detail that animate Mr. Zappa’s observations.” You get the idea.
• Due to increasing rifts over musical direction, this would be the last album by the band with DeYoung. It is also the last platinum Styx record.
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