3/24/2023 0 Comments Styx.boat on the riveCanadian Press critic Michael Lawson said it has a "Russian folksong flavor" and called it a "showcase for Shaw's balalaika-like mandolin work" The Pittsburgh Press critic Pete Bishop called it a "zippy Mediterranean-style dance on which Tommy Shaw stars on mandolin" and "a fine novelty number." Eric Hegedus of The Morning Call said that the song "charts a new course for Styx" and that "the mandolin and autoharp, both played by Shaw, lend a tranquil Venetian air to the song you can actually picture yourself floating down a canal in a gondola." On the other hand, Wichita Beacon reviewer Terre Johnson felt that Styx should not have tried a folk song, saying that "it muddles about with a folksy sound without building into anything close to the magnitude, intensity or emotion in the other songs. But I just did it for myself, thinking, "There’s no way the band’s going to do this." īut Shaw decided to demonstrate the composition to the band and, according to Shaw, "Dennis liked it enough and said, 'Let’s put it on the album.' That’s one thing I like about being a band that’s been so daring over the years: you get to try stuff like that!" Reception Īllmusic reviewer Mike DeGagne praised both "Boat on the River" and fellow Cornerstone single "Lights" for their "silky harmonies and welcoming choruses". I had a four-channel, reel-to-reel tape deck, so I recorded the mandolin part, then added guitar, bass and a vocal, which was enough to make it sound like a little group. I thought to myself, "Well, I can play this." But when I got home, it was like, "Oh… no I can’t!" So, if you can’t really play something, you have to make something up… which is what I did.I made up the little progression. Young does not play on the original recording). Young play bowed double bass, tambourine/ bass drum and acoustic guitar respectively (even though James J.Y. In the video for the song, Chuck Panozzo, John Panozzo, and James J.Y. The song features Tommy Shaw on lead vocals and mandolin, with Dennis DeYoung accompanying on accordion and harmony vocals. It was popular in several European countries, becoming a top-five hit on the German, Austrian and Swiss charts (reaching number one on the latter). It was released as a single in 1980 in various countries, but not in the band's native United States, where " Borrowed Time" was released instead. From its playful atmosphere to its smooth harmonies to its misty, Medieval-esque imagery, it’s a brilliant testament to how even something as simple as starting on a different instrument can inspire an entirely unique composition." Boat on the River" is a 1979 song by Styx, from their album Cornerstone. “That’s one thing I like about being a band that’s been so daring over the years: you get to try stuff like that!”Ĥ1 years removed from the single’s initial release, “Boat On The River” remains one of Styx most-beloved tunes. “Dennis liked it enough and said, ‘Let’s put it on the album,’” Shaw remembered. Nonetheless, Shaw got the gumption to at least show his new experiment to his bandmates for fun… and they instantly saw the potential. But I just did it for myself, thinking, ‘There’s no way the band’s going to do this.’” “I had a four-channel, reel-to-reel tape deck, so I recorded the mandolin part, then added guitar, bass and a vocal, which was enough to make it sound like a little group. “I made up the little progression,” he said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |