This Day in Music History: Styx/Man of Miracles (11/08)

On this date in 1974, Styx released their 4th album Man of Miracles. This album is sort of special for me, because it took a long exhausted search to actually find it.

Music Monday: Styx/The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings

After allowing some of the early Styx songs to be on the Come Sail Away anthology, Wooden Nickel then remastered all of the old albums and released them as a set together in 2005. This was The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings.

Music Monday: Styx/Come Sail Away Anthology

In 2004, Styx released yet another "greatest hits" album. This one was called Come Sail Away - The Styx Anthology. Now the main difference between this and the 1995 Greatest Hits is that it actually contains songs from the Wooden Nickel albums.

You get "Best Thing" (their first released single) from Styx I, "You Need Love" and "Lady" (the original, not the Lady '95 version) from Styx II, "Winner Take All" from The Serpent is Rising, and "Rock and Roll Feeling" from Man of Miracles.

It contains most of the hits in between and songs as recent as "One with Everything" off Cyclorama. The most interesting nugget in the whole thing though is a never before released extended version of "Man in the Wilderness" from The Grand Illusion.

I could not find a version of this one YouTube, so like before I just made one. Enjoy.

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My Top 10 Favorite Styx Album Covers

10) Man of Miracles (1980 Re-Issue)

Music Monday (Styx/Crystal Ball, Side Two)

The first side of Crystal Ball was covered previously here. It had all three singles released from the album, but the flip side has some great music on it as well.

Music Monday (Styx/Man of Miracles, Side Two)

After covering the first side here, it is time to take a look a the flip side of Styx's Man of Miracles. This was the last of the Wooden Nickel albums, so it was also the last to have an alternate cover from a re-issue. The 1980 cover looks like this:

As with the other re-issues, there was a minor name change and this album was shortened down to just Miracles.

Music Monday (Styx/Man of Miracles, Side One)

So, if you read my post last week you know that this album was my great white whale. That I hunted for this album for quite a long time and it's kind of funny that even though it is Styx's fourth oldest album, it is the one I am least familiar with. But first, the cover:

Music Monday (The Best of Styx)

Now this may seem out of place, but the next Styx album I am going to cover is not the next one in their discography. It is a compilation album from the Wooden Nickle years called Best of Styx.

My Top 10 Favorite Styx Album Covers

10) Brave New World

9) Man of Miracles

8) Crystal Ball

7) Styx II (1980 "Lady" Re-issue)

6) Best of Styx (1980 Re-issue)

5) Paradise Theater (front/back)

Inside (unfolded)

4) Pieces of Eight

3) Styx I (1980 Re-issue)

2) Equinox

1) The Grand Illusion