There are plenty of Styx singles that I really liked: “Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” “Fooling Yourself,” and “Blue Collar Man” still get cranked when they come on. I’ll even cop to enjoying “Mr. Roboto” and “Don’t Let It End.” Other stuff, such as “The Best of Times” and particularly “Babe,” leaves me much cooler. My sister bought Paradise Theater while we were in high school, but overall I’m not familiar with their album cuts. I know they didn’t get much critical love (perhaps deservedly so), but on balance I’m okay with them, based on what got airplay.
When they split in 84, Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw quickly put together solo albums and each scored a Top 40 single with the respective title tracks that fall. DeYoung won Round 1: “Desert Moon” was the bigger hit (making #10), but I definitely preferred Shaw’s, which is at its peak of #33 here. TS had the better post-Styx career, though, due to his work with the supergroup Damn Yankees.
The Music of My Life 
This is one of those instances where even though you’ve mentioned half a dozen songs I was either unfamiliar with or not as big a fan of as you (?), you reestablish the bond that initially drew me into your writing.
“Girls With Guns” and “Lonely School” made a lot of appearances on my mixtapes back then.
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