Comments on: Death by Power Ballad: Tommy Shaw, “Lonely School” http://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/ your daily dose of pop culture Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:45:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: My hmphshttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-51078 My hmphs Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:47:30 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-51078 Asia should have sued him for ripping off "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes." C'mon, Tommy. Copying ASIA?? If I weren't so lazy I'd do a mashup on YouTube. Asia should have sued him for ripping off “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.” C'mon, Tommy. Copying ASIA?? If I weren't so lazy I'd do a mashup on YouTube.

]]> By: My hmphshttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-39689 My hmphs Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:47:30 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-39689 Asia should have sued him for ripping off "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes." C'mon, Tommy. Copying ASIA?? If I weren't so lazy I'd do a mashup on YouTube. Asia should have sued him for ripping off “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.” C'mon, Tommy. Copying ASIA?? If I weren't so lazy I'd do a mashup on YouTube.

]]> By: My hmphshttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25717 My hmphs Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:47:30 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25717 Asia should have sued him for ripping off "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes." C'mon, Tommy. Copying ASIA?? If I weren't so lazy I'd do a mashup on YouTube. Asia should have sued him for ripping off “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.” C'mon, Tommy. Copying ASIA?? If I weren't so lazy I'd do a mashup on YouTube.

]]> By: David_Ehttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25667 David_E Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:19:46 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25667 ... Google-mapping Hagen now ...<br><br>(Actually, I'm too busy laughing to care much.) … Google-mapping Hagen now …

(Actually, I'm too busy laughing to care much.)

]]> By: hagenhttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25661 hagen Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:12:34 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25661 Oh, this bloody album. My best friend in high school (and, admittedly, still is to this day) was (is) a Styx fanatic. Those two words are an unfortunate phrase when ordered together, and yet he still managed to snag enough nookie to make one think the gals he was renovating were all deaf-ish. He would listen to Styx in his '64 Ford Fairlane on a Mitsubishi micro-boombox at levels so midrangily-high that a speaker burst and made angry killer bee noises for a month before he bought another box. He had a Styx velcro wallet (yes, I wrote that, and yes, you read that). And he never saw them live, not even to this day. Although he did see Tommy Shaw perform a live solo acoustic thing, and after the show he asked Tommy for his autograph. The signature, which Tommy inscribed upon my old friend's left arm (just above the bicep), was immortalized into a tattoo that night (he's saving the other arm for Dennis, and if DeYoung is reading this, please don't sign anyone's right arm. Not ever). My friend, he's that kind of madman about his Styx. And Girls With Guns was his everlasting joy. I heard that album too many times to ever appreciate its anything, whether it is an unheralded pop masterpiece or the missing link to the school of orthodontia that passes for Styx these days. Objectivity is lost when such an album is thrust upon you like a clumsy date rape from the front seat of a dull yellow clunker whose windows are permanently rolled down because the air conditioner doesn't work and whose back seat is cluttered with empty cassette cases and the tapes of Equinox, Cornerstone, The Best of Styx (bullshit on you, Wooden Nickel) to the point of send-rescue-immediately for any passengers who might ruefully clamber into this llama of a vehicle. Tommy Shaw might be a good guitarist, and his pipes might still be climbing into Maria Carey territory, but the memory of the cartoony beginning to the title track of this perma-summer makes me want to force-feed Tommy Shaw a kitten roasted on the ashes of the Styx legacy. Oh, this bloody album. My best friend in high school (and, admittedly, still is to this day) was (is) a Styx fanatic. Those two words are an unfortunate phrase when ordered together, and yet he still managed to snag enough nookie to make one think the gals he was renovating were all deaf-ish. He would listen to Styx in his '64 Ford Fairlane on a Mitsubishi micro-boombox at levels so midrangily-high that a speaker burst and made angry killer bee noises for a month before he bought another box. He had a Styx velcro wallet (yes, I wrote that, and yes, you read that). And he never saw them live, not even to this day. Although he did see Tommy Shaw perform a live solo acoustic thing, and after the show he asked Tommy for his autograph. The signature, which Tommy inscribed upon my old friend's left arm (just above the bicep), was immortalized into a tattoo that night (he's saving the other arm for Dennis, and if DeYoung is reading this, please don't sign anyone's right arm. Not ever). My friend, he's that kind of madman about his Styx. And Girls With Guns was his everlasting joy. I heard that album too many times to ever appreciate its anything, whether it is an unheralded pop masterpiece or the missing link to the school of orthodontia that passes for Styx these days. Objectivity is lost when such an album is thrust upon you like a clumsy date rape from the front seat of a dull yellow clunker whose windows are permanently rolled down because the air conditioner doesn't work and whose back seat is cluttered with empty cassette cases and the tapes of Equinox, Cornerstone, The Best of Styx (bullshit on you, Wooden Nickel) to the point of send-rescue-immediately for any passengers who might ruefully clamber into this llama of a vehicle. Tommy Shaw might be a good guitarist, and his pipes might still be climbing into Maria Carey territory, but the memory of the cartoony beginning to the title track of this perma-summer makes me want to force-feed Tommy Shaw a kitten roasted on the ashes of the Styx legacy.

]]> By: Tommy Shaw (From Styx) “Lonely School” « Rock God Credhttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25627 Tommy Shaw (From Styx) “Lonely School” « Rock God Cred Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:52:52 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25627 [...] Click here to go to Popdose to check Tommy Shaw (From Styx) “Lonely School”.  Tommy goes solo… [...] [...] Click here to go to Popdose to check Tommy Shaw (From Styx) “Lonely School”.  Tommy goes solo… [...]

]]> By: mojohttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25598 mojo Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:23:03 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25598 I will say that although I have little respect for Shaw's post-Styx work (I am not trashing him here, but I am always ready for a good comments deathmatch), the title cut to this album was something else. When it came out, it just burst out on pop and album rock radio everywhere, played constantly. Anyone with half an ear for a good pop hook couldn't help but scream along.<br><br>I also think this record proved he was the creative engine that drove Styx. It proves that without him, they would have stunk. Sometimes, with him they stunk too, but without Tommy Shaw, that band would have had no spark whatsoever. <br><br>This record (sort of like The Power Station showcased just how much of a rocker Andy Taylor was, and made me rethink how significant a role he played in the Durans) was Tommy Shaw's proof of relevance and I am glad he did it. I will say that although I have little respect for Shaw's post-Styx work (I am not trashing him here, but I am always ready for a good comments deathmatch), the title cut to this album was something else. When it came out, it just burst out on pop and album rock radio everywhere, played constantly. Anyone with half an ear for a good pop hook couldn't help but scream along.

I also think this record proved he was the creative engine that drove Styx. It proves that without him, they would have stunk. Sometimes, with him they stunk too, but without Tommy Shaw, that band would have had no spark whatsoever.

This record (sort of like The Power Station showcased just how much of a rocker Andy Taylor was, and made me rethink how significant a role he played in the Durans) was Tommy Shaw's proof of relevance and I am glad he did it.

]]> By: David_Ehttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25578 David_E Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:30:19 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25578 The hair on the LP's inner sleeve looks infinitely cooler, though the head it is attached to appears, at most, 11 years old.<br><br>Dunno why I've been a fan of Tommy's since '79. But I've followed him since I first heard "Too Much Time On My Hands" at the tender age of 9. (My age. Tommy was likely younger.) He's a great singer, though I know that's subjective. He's a terrific guitarist, though admittedly I can't say he's got a singular style. And while he's a catchy songwriter, damned if I can tell you why his work connects with me more than, say, Kevin Cronin's.<br><br>... In other words, yeah. It must be the hair. The hair on the LP's inner sleeve looks infinitely cooler, though the head it is attached to appears, at most, 11 years old.

Dunno why I've been a fan of Tommy's since '79. But I've followed him since I first heard “Too Much Time On My Hands” at the tender age of 9. (My age. Tommy was likely younger.) He's a great singer, though I know that's subjective. He's a terrific guitarist, though admittedly I can't say he's got a singular style. And while he's a catchy songwriter, damned if I can tell you why his work connects with me more than, say, Kevin Cronin's.

… In other words, yeah. It must be the hair.

]]> By: DwDunphyhttp://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25576 DwDunphy Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:20:02 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25576 You mean the hairstyle on the cover? Shades of There's Something About Mary? You mean the hairstyle on the cover? Shades of There's Something About Mary?

]]> By: EightE1http://popdose.com/death-by-power-ballad-tommy-shaw-lonely-school/comment-page-1/#comment-25573 EightE1 Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:31:06 +0000 http://popdose.com/?p=10837#comment-25573 Relax, David. We're all friends here. Anyway, Jeff apparently saves his special bottle of single-malt snark for Kevin Cronin.<br><br>So -- what is it about Mr. Shaw that leads you to throw down the gauntlet in his honor? It's the hair, isn't it? It's GOTTA be the hair.<br><br>Rob<br>EightE1 Relax, David. We're all friends here. Anyway, Jeff apparently saves his special bottle of single-malt snark for Kevin Cronin.

So — what is it about Mr. Shaw that leads you to throw down the gauntlet in his honor? It's the hair, isn't it? It's GOTTA be the hair.

Rob
EightE1

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