Styx
Cornerstone

THE REVIEW

The intent was to manufacture a product that would have commercial success: and the result did not disappoint expectations, perfectly achieving the set goal. But since hit parade almost never rhymes, as history teaches, with quality, in all honesty, this "Cornerstone" is lacking in many aspects to make the leap into the category of must-own records without hesitation. Even though the initial "Lights" and the following "Why Me" unmistakably bear the trademark of the "Styx" sound (for reference see "The Grand Illusion"), "Babe" is a love song of the tear-jerking kind that has the major flaw of being off-theme compared to the context it is part of: it is cloyingly pop and thanks to its success in the sales charts, it undeservingly becomes the piece for which the group is remembered up to this day.

Another questionable choice, but without falling again into the sensational, is the inconsequential "Never Say Never": with its impalpable presence it wins the prize for reaching the lowest point of the entire work on par with the previous one. Fortunately, there isn’t anything worse than one might expect. The last groove of side A, indeed, surprises us by giving us "Boat On The River," a simple melody that enchants with the melancholy of the mandolin: a leap of thousands of kilometers for a dive into Greek/Tzigane folk in a poignant vocal interpretation.

With "Borrowed Time" we return to the classic late '70s AOR lines and schemes to continue in the soft and slow rock of "First Time": with the guitar solo, we raise the flames of our Bic lighters high up to the furious hard rock of "Eddie," a choral test where there is room for everyone. The rule that the best is always at the end is also respected here: thus "Love In The Midnight" overall turns out to be the most complete and well-structured piece, with its epic pace supported by choruses in abundance in an atmosphere that surely makes an impact.

My judgment, in any case, is not negative because it is not a bad album. Excellently arranged, it wobbles and risks appearing at times predictable, perhaps because there’s no daring, slipping away without risks and without "malice," accompanied by slightly uninteresting and somewhat sappy lyrics for my taste.

Yet another lesson on how success changes people and things.