Man of Miracles

1974 studio album by Styx

Man of Miracles

Studio album by

Styx

Released

October 1974

Recorded

1974

Studio

Golden Voice Studios, South Pekin, IL

Genre

Progressive rock
hard rock

Length

37:20

Label

Wooden Nickel

Producer

John Ryan, Bill Traut

Styx chronology

The Serpent Is Rising
(1973)

Man of Miracles
(1974)

Equinox
(1975)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[2]

Man of Miracles is the fourth album by Styx, released in October 1974. It entered the Billboad Album charts on November 9, where it reached No. 154.^[3]

This would be the band's last original album on the independent Chicago-based label Wooden Nickel Records before moving to the major label A&M.

Background

The album had a diverse sound, it showcased the style of two band members and a pre-commercial sound: James "JY" Young songs were more straight ahead hard rockers, while Dennis DeYoung songs were more mellow ballads, classical, and prog rock songs.

The original issue contained the catchy upbeat cover of "Lies" by The Knickerbockers in 1965. A second release of Man of Miracles substituted this with "Best Thing", a song also contained on the first Styx album from 1972, as the opening track on side two. The album was again reissued in 1980 with new artwork and a newly abbreviated title, Miracles. This version started the second side with the ballad "Unfinished Song", which is sung by Dennis DeYoung.^[4]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Rock & Roll Feeling"	James Young, John Curulewski	Young	3:02
2.	"Havin' a Ball"	Curulewski, Young	Young	3:53
3.	"Golden Lark"	Dennis DeYoung	DeYoung	3:23
4.	"A Song for Suzanne"	DeYoung	DeYoung	5:15
5.	"A Man Like Me"	Young	Young	2:57

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
6.	"Lies"	Buddy Randell, Beau Charles	DeYoung	2:41
7.	"Evil Eyes"	DeYoung	DeYoung	4:02
8.	"Southern Woman"	Young, Ray Brandle	Young	3:10
9.	"Christopher, Mr. Christopher"	DeYoung	DeYoung	4:02
10.	"Man of Miracles"	Young, DeYoung, Brandle	Young	4:55

Personnel

Styx

Dennis DeYoung – vocals, keyboards
James "JY" Young – vocals, electric guitars
John Curulewski – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers
Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar
John Panozzo – drums, percussion

Production

Producer: John Ryan for Chicago Kid Productions
Engineer: Gary Loizzo

Artwork

The cover art was designed by Leon Rosenblatt, whose name is printed on the back credits as "Lee Rosenblatt."^[5]

Miscellaneous

The initials "LJR" are plainly visible in the wizard's beard, and were likely hidden there by the album's artist, Leon J. Rosenblatt.

Charts

Chart (1974)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[6]	154

References

^ Planer, Lindsay. Styx: Man of Miracles at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ 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.
^ "Styx chart history". Billboard.
^ "Man of Miracles Turns 42 Today! - Styx". Archived from the original on 2019-04-08.
^ Personal interview.
^ "Styx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

External links

Styx - Man of Miracles (1974) album review by Lindsay Planer, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
Styx - Man of Miracles (1974) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
Styx - Man of Miracles (1974) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
Styx - Man of Miracles (1974) album to be listened as stream at Spotify.com