Episode 92 - Styx "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" Rhythm Guitar Cover

(Headphones or Stereo Speakers Recommended 🎧)
In Episode 90, I cover one of my favorite Styx songs "Blue Collar Man". The song was released as the first single from their eighth studio album, Pieces of Eight in 1978.
Tommy Shaw who wrote the song, stated he wrote the song about a friend going through some tough times. Shaw recalled when his friend was laid off from the railroad. "He was having to go stand in line at the unemployment office. It just drove him nuts, because he’s like, ‘I wanna work! I don’t wanna be standing around here, asking for a handout…’ It really bugged him, and that was the inspiration for that song. As read in a Circus magazine (or the like) of the time, the music was composed by Shaw after hearing the sound of his motorboat engine when it failed to start. He said it sounded like a good riff to a song.
Classic Rock critic Malcolm Dome rated it as Styx's 5th greatest song, saying that it is very Bruce Springsteen in philosophy, but very Styx in execution. The song reached #21 in the United States in November 1978 and spent two weeks at No. 9 on the Canada RPM Top 100 Singles chart.
The music of 1975 to 1980 was the best in my life's soundtrack and Styx was tight in the middle of it.
Gear used in the video:
I used my Epiphone Les Paul Muse guitar with a Seymour Duncan JB pickup in the bridge. My guitar parts were played through my Eleven Rack which was recorded, mixed, and arranged through Logic. The video was edited with Final Cut Pro.
I use Ernie Ball Strings because I want the best like many of my idols like Paul Stanley, Jimmy Page, Billie Joe Armstrong, Angus Young, Joe Bonamassa, and Paul McCartney to name a few.
Thank you for your support of the channel and for keeping the music that created the soundtrack of our lives alive and well.
#styx #tommyshaw #dennisdeyoung #classicrock #aqmusic10

[@classicsongsplayedontrumpe7951]

Great performance as always! Cool shirt! interesting background info. A motorboat engine as inspiration. I've heard of other songs with engine noises inspiring rhythm or riffs. I forgot who that said the hum of an airplane engine where he was a passenger inspired his song writing.

[@AQMusic10]

Thanks! I’m always interested in how artists were inspired to write what they wrote. I recently seen Heart on Howard Stern show, and they were talking about the song Magic Man and how the lyrics were taken from a real event from Ann Wilson and her mother. I had never payed that close attention to the meaning of that song throughout my entire life but absolutely loved that song. There is always a story behind every song and I’m glad that we have access to find out that information today. Thanks for the comment and look forward to your next cover. 👍🏼🎺

[@mooseing22]

I was one of the first people to get this album in the UK. Even my hard core Hendrix fans loved it! Renegade is also an awesome track.

[@AQMusic10]

@@mooseing22Awesome. They started as one of our local bands to make it big. Styx, REO and Cheap Trick are from my neck of the woods. 🎸👍🏼