Paradise Theatre (album)

Paradise Theatre is the tenth album by the rock band Styx, released in January 1981. It was the most successful album by Styx, peaking at #1 for 3 weeks on the Billboard Album Chart in April and May 1981 (non-consecutively).

Paradise Theatre
Studio album by
Styx
ReleasedJanuary 19, 1981
Recorded1980 at Pumpkin Studios, Oak Lawn, Illinois
Genre
Length40:37
LabelA&M
ProducerStyx
Styx chronology
Cornerstone
(1979)		 Paradise Theatre
(1981)		 Kilroy Was Here
(1983)
Singles from Paradise Theatre
  1. "The Best of Times"
    Released: January 1981
  2. "Too Much Time on My Hands"
    Released: March 1981
  3. "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned"
    Released: 1981
  4. "Rockin' the Paradise"
    Released: 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
The Daily VaultA (2003) [2]
C (2006) [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [4]

Four singles from the album charted on various charts, with two songs reaching the top 10 pop singles chart. The lead single "The Best of Times", written by Dennis DeYoung, went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Too Much Time on My Hands", written by Tommy Shaw, went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, Shaw's only top 10 hit for Styx. "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned", written by DeYoung, went to #54 on the US Pop Chart. "Rockin' the Paradise" — written by DeYoung, Shaw and James Young — went to #8 on the Top Rock Track Chart.

The song "The Best of Times" has been featured in multiple films. The song is in the 1999 film Big Daddy, in which Adam Sandler's character, like Sandler himself, is a Styx fan. It also appears in the 2005 film The Perfect Man.

Paradise Theatre became Styx's only US #1 album. It was the band's fourth consecutive triple-platinum album.

Background

A concept album, the album is a fictional account of Chicago's Paradise Theatre from its opening to closing (and eventual abandonment), used as a metaphor for America's changing times from the late 1970s into the 1980s. (Dennis DeYoung, who envisioned and developed the entire concept, confirmed this in an episode of In the Studio with Redbeard about the making of the album.)

Vinyl edition

Initial vinyl copies of the album have a design featuring the name of the band laser etched directly onto the vinyl on side 2 (some copies had a wax design of the cover art). The vinyl record sleeve was a gate-fold and was painted by the artist Chris Hopkins. On the back cover, label and spine, the title of the record is spelled "Paradise Theater", while on the front cover, the title is spelled "Paradise Theatre".

Vinyl releases and initial CD pressings of the album had the musical segue between "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" and "A.D. 1958" indexed as the intro to "A.D. 1958". Subsequent pressings of the CD had the segue indexed as the fade to "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" instead.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."A.D. 1928"DeYoungDeYoung1:08
2."Rockin' the Paradise"DeYoung, Young, ShawDeYoung3:35
3."Too Much Time on My Hands"ShawShaw4:31
4."Nothing Ever Goes as Planned"DeYoungDeYoung4:48
5."The Best of Times"DeYoungDeYoung4:19
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Lonely People"DeYoungDeYoung5:28
7."She Cares"ShawShaw4:17
8."Snowblind"Young, DeYoungYoung, Shaw5:00
9."Half-Penny, Two-Penny"Young, Ray BrandleYoung5:58
10."A.D. 1958"DeYoungDeYoung1:06
11."State Street Sadie"DeYoung(instrumental)0:28

Personnel

Styx

Additional personnel
  • Steve Eisen – saxophone
  • Dan Barber – horn
  • Mike Halpin – horn
  • John Haynor – horn
  • Mark Ohlson – horn
  • Billy Simpson – horn

Production
  • Producer - Styx (Dennis DeYoung)
  • Engineers - Rob Kingsland, Gary Loizzo
  • Arranger - Styx
  • Mastering - Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

Year Chart Position
1981 Pop Albums 1

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
1981 "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned" Pop Singles 54
"Rockin' the Paradise" Mainstream Rock 8
"Snowblind" 22
"Too Much Time on My Hands" 2
Pop Singles 9
"The Best of Times" Mainstream Rock 16
Pop Singles 3

The album has sold 4 million copies to date.

References
  1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. Styx: Paradise Theater at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  2. The Daily Vault album review #1 by Duke Egbert (2.12.2003): Styx - Paradise Theatre (1981)
  3. The Daily Vault album review #2 by Paul Hanson (27.6.2006): Styx - Paradise Theatre (1981)
  4. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 789. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone styx album guide.
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