Desert Moon

One time Styx keyboard player/singer/songwriter Dennis DeYoung released his first solo album Desert Moon in September of 1984.The album came to be after Dennis' Styx bandmate guitarist/singer/songwriter Tommy Shaw walked from the band during the mixing sessions of the band's Caught in the Act double live album. After Tommy resigned, guitarist James "JY" Young and The Panozzo brothers (John on drums and Chuck on bass guitar) wanted to push Styx forward but Dennis said no. Until Tommy was ready to come back, Dennis went in the studio in the spring of 1984 to record his first solo album producing, playing keyboards, singing and writing all of the tracks (except as noted). Helping Dennis was guitarist Tom Dziallo (who is still Dennis' guitarist in his solo band), drummer Tom Radtke and sax-man Steve Eisen (who appeared on the final three Styx albums of the classic lineup).I was first exposed to the album thanks to (partially being a Styx fan by this point at age 8) and also the title cut's exposure on MTV and I got the 45 with Desert Moon and Gravity. A week later, I got the album on cassette tape in December, 1984 and managed to wear this album out. For years tried to replace but only could get cassettes and then A&M Records re-released the album with remastered sound in 2001 on CD and what an album.We open with the rocker "Don't Wait For Heroes" which is inspirational and fun and the second single from the album. The video for this said what the lyrics stated the real winners "are losers who get up and give it one more try" and a message that rings true to those who had to overcome being told no. Next is another up-tempo rocker in "Please" which features Rosemary Butler (famed for her duet vocal on Jackson Browne's "Stay" on his Running on Empty album in 1977 and her work with Linda Ronstadt) duetting with Dennis and the song rocks. Next is the 80s New Wave rock style meets 50s style singing Broadway number "Boys Will Be Boys" which is a fun and uplifting number and a guilty pleasure of mine. The first side ends with "Fire" which is a bluesy remake of the 1967 Jimi Hendrix original (and yes, it does indeed hold its own) and Tommy Dziallo did the bluesy arrangement of this track.The second side starts with Desert Moon's title track which reached #10 on the Billboard singles chart which speaks of the things one lost from childhood and gained from adulthood though memories from the past don't leave. Next is "Suspicious" which is a nice mid-tempo number and features great guitar work from Dziallo and a superb synthesizer solo at the end from DeYoung. Next is "Gravity" which is another great rocker and an awesome song. We close the album with the ballad "Dear Darling (I'll Be There)".Desert Moon was Dennis' first, and to date only, successful project outside of Styx. The album hit #29 on the Billboard album charts and sold over 500,000 copies going Gold in the process. For those who want Dennis DeYoung solo works outside of Styx go with this album and the upcoming One Hundred Years From Now (which is his best solo work since this album).Highly recommended!

Ya gotta give Dennis credit. He has the talent to come up with some pretty good material and this album proves just that. Some good tracks here make it very listenable. He certainly can produce material that is original, and still have that Styx-like flavor added in. If you're a Styx fan, it's kind of hard to imagine you not enjoying this album as well.

I am a Styx fan before I am a Dennis DeYoung fan, but I to this day love Dennis' voice. I especially enjoy this first solo album of his as a fantastic slice of pop/rock. After having it on cassette for years, I was very pleased to see it finally available on CD.Now obviously, I love the top 10 hit title track. For sure, that beautiful song showcases Dennis' emotional, melodic, soulful vocals at their best. However, I also love the catchy opener "Don't Wait For Heros", one of only a handful of rocking DDY solo songs. "Fire" is a bluesy delight, while "Gravity" is a mystical slice of pop. Even the ridiculously goofy "Boys Will Be Boys", which is kind of a rocker of sorts, is a lot of fun to listen to. The closing track "Dear Darling" is a very sweet ballad to close the album.Don't expect a hard rock album with this effort, because it's not that at all. What you have here is a melodic pop/rock delight that is already well outside of the Styx realm. While later DDY solo efforts probably mellow out too much overall, this one still has some kick in places. Call my overall grade 4 1/2 stars, as it falls a bit short of most of the best Styx efforts. Still well worth a listen for fans of that golden voice.

Desert Moon is one of the best albums ever made! Every song on it is cleverly written and has a wonderful sound! Don't Wait for Heroes gives a great message and is definately the best song (musically) that Dennis ever wrote! Please is a striking upbeat duet. The girls voice matches well with Dennis DeYoungs. Boys will be boys is a fun song that might be considered cheesy but i think it's wonderful! Fire is a song that pumps you up and the guitars are fabulous on it! Desert Moon is the hit from this album. It's a more slow song but not boring. Suspicious and gravity have clever lyrics and are exciting to listen to. Dear Darling (I'll be there) is a gorgeous slow song! This cd will knock you to the floor when you first hear it. This cd is a lot more pop sounding than Styx. I'm very glad that Dennis made this cd. It will make your life worth living if you buy it!

Dennis De Young is a very talented composer and artist. Thoroughly enjoy his music.

I have to admit, I'll buy almost anything tied to Styx. After buying this a few weeks back and listening to it, I now kinda understand the relationship that consumed Styx and how they went their separate ways. The only good track on this CD is Desert Moon. The others are filler at best. When you listen to some of the lyrics, it takes you back to when you were young, and Styx was ruling the airwaves, and what they sang made sense. Then this CD happened. Some of the lyrics are just plain silly at best. I always wondered what happened within the band that made them split. If Dennis DeYoung was insisting on writing lyrics like this, I now understand why they said no, and let him move on. I love Styx and always will. I will take another plug here and beg...no plead...please Styx, your management, your record company--ANYONE, please put the whole catelog either on SHM single-layer SACD, DTS 5.1, or K2 CD, I want to rock at high levels!!!!!! One last pitch towareds Dennis...please make up with Styx and record some new music, we NEED you!

Awesome

This arrived in a very timely manner and I had been wanting to hear the song "Desert Moon" for so long and now I can hear it whenever I want.

I am very pleased with this purchase! This is my favorite album that sounds amazing. The Audio Master Plus series improved sound to compare with a 1984 first press of this album. I recommend this CD to any Styx fan and good music lovers overall.

a wonderful trip back to the 80s. I bought this album just for the song Desert Moon. All tracks on the album are good and transport you back to a time when music was music.

bought it for the song desert moon.

This is a good cd from the guy from STYX but when he was in STYX he was so mure more than this cd as its just a git to smooth to me .

Très bien merci