Man of Miracles

Man of Miracles is the fourth album by Styx, released on November 8, 1974.

For other uses, see Man of Miracles (disambiguation).
Man of Miracles
Studio album by
Styx
ReleasedNovember 8, 1974
Recorded1974 at Golden Voice Studios, South Pekin, IL
Genre
Length37:20
LabelWooden Nickel
ProducerJohn Ryan, Bill Traut
Styx chronology
The Serpent Is Rising
(1973)		 Man of Miracles
(1974)		 Equinox
(1975)
Singles from Man of Miracles
  1. "Best Thing"
    Released: 1975 (re-issue)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [2]

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.[3]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Rock & Roll Feeling"James Young, John CurulewskiYoung3:02
2."Havin' a Ball"Curulewski, YoungYoung3:53
3."Golden Lark"Dennis DeYoungDeYoung3:23
4."A Song for Suzanne"DeYoungDeYoung5:15
5."A Man Like Me"YoungYoung2:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Lies"Buddy Randell, Beau CharlesDeYoung2:41
7."Evil Eyes"DeYoungDeYoung4:02
8."Southern Woman"Young, Ray BrandleYoung3:10
9."Christopher, Mr. Christopher"DeYoungDeYoung4:02
10."Man of Miracles"Young, DeYoung, BrandleYoung4:55

Personnel

Styx

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

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)

Year Chart Position
1974 Pop Albums 154

Artwork

The cover art was designed by Leon Rosenblatt, whose name is printed on the back credits as "Lee Rosenblatt."[4]

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.

References
  1. Planer, Lindsay. Styx: Man of Miracles at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  2. 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.
  3. http://styxworld.com/news/news/435735/man-of-miracles-turns-42-today
  4. Personal interview.
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