# Which one's your favourite? REO / Styx / Journey / Foreigner **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682 "2011-07-11T22:59:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/1 "2011-07-11T22:59:53Z")
POLL: Of these four rock bands which one is your favourite? REO Speedwagon Styx Journey Foreigner \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_- Styx is my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/2 "2011-07-11T23:08:59Z")
I’d have to go with Foreigner. They had, basically, the same line-up, they didn’t put out a slew of shitty albums, and didn’t turn into girls. Styx, comes in second, but, come on, “Lady”, “Babe”? What is this, Lilith Fare? And don’t get me started on Kilroy. Journey was ok, for about 10 minutes, but when it turned into tight jeans, polka dot tshirts and Steve Perry, I lost interest. REO would have been a great band if they stuck to their guns when they fired Cronin in the first place. That guy sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/3 "2011-07-11T23:13:51Z")
Journey, by far. I will say that Foreigner’s _Double Vision_ was the very first cassette tape I ever bought… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/4 "2011-07-11T23:14:05Z")
I musically came of age in the early 80s, and I was a mild fan of the first three (never really got into Foreigner, for some reason). And even though my tastes have gotten a bit more sophisticated, I still enjoy hearing them occasionally—maybe because I seldom listen to oldies radio and so haven’t had them ruined for me by overexposure. If I have to pick a favorite, while I’m tempted by REO, I guess I’d go with Styx, largely due to the fact that they had multiple vocalists & songwriters, which I like in a band. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/5 "2011-07-11T23:17:45Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I musically came of age in the early 80s, and I was a mild fan of the first three (never really got into Foreigner, for some reason). And even though my tastes have gotten a bit more sophisticated, I still enjoy hearing them occasionally—maybe because I seldom listen to oldies radio and so haven’t had them ruined for me by overexposure. > > If I have to pick a favorite, while I’m tempted by REO, I guess I’d go with Styx, **largely due to the fact that they had multiple vocalists & songwriters, which I like in a band**. (my bolding) Exactly. That’s always a big plus. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/6 "2011-07-11T23:30:10Z")
Not that it’s relevant to the poll, but I got curious: Record sales (according to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists)) Journey: 75 million The rest did not crack the list with a minimum of 50 million. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/7 "2011-07-11T23:33:55Z")
Looks like REO had about 40 million. Foreigner may have 70 million also according to Wikipedia, although they weren’t on the earlier list (shocking!) ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/8 "2011-07-11T23:45:20Z")
**Styx**. I was gonna go with **Journey** , because they have a few phenomenal songs, and Neal Schon is one of the best soloists from that genre/era (IMHO, of course). But, I think that Styx at its best can be a lot more fun and innovative than Journey. They’re quirkier, and more interesting. I’d pull out my Journey’s Greatest Hits and listen to three or four tracks off of it. I’d pull out _Grand Illusion_ and listen to the whole album. I never got Foreigner, and REO is more miss than hit for me. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/9 "2011-07-12T00:13:43Z")
I hate all of those bands except for Styx. One of the very first albums that I owned was a Styx album which I bought when I was 11 years old, on a vacation to Toronto with my parents. It was just a “Greatest Hits” collection but it had their best songs on it, like “Mr. Roboto” which totally blew my mind and “Grand Illusion.” They were no ELO, and certainly no Yes, but I definitely like them. The other bands listed in the OP, I really don’t like at all. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/10 "2011-07-12T00:25:18Z")
Styx isn’t really in the same category as the others. Journey attempted to be like them but failed so had to become more like REO Foreigner. Which isn’t to say I love Styx, it’s just that I’d like to say that the band they remind me of the most is Heart or maybe Supertramp, except I won’t actually say that because it makes Heart look bad. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/11 "2011-07-12T00:45:31Z")
Well, Journey, of course! They are a grandstand act at the state fair this year. They took pity on Foreigner and invited them along. (Foreigner played at the fair for free a couple years ago). I laugh when I hear Styx on the oldies station now, they sound hilariously dated, but I enjoyed them back in the day. I can’t remember anything REO Speedwagon did, would probably recognize one of their songs if I heard it. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/12 "2011-07-12T00:47:23Z")
Styx and Journey put out some catchy fun songs. I’m unfamiliar with their albums. As **Eonwe** mentioned, Neal Schon could play guitar. Went with Journey in the poll. REO was a dum band. They really didn’t seem to have anything going on upstairs, and I didn’t care for their hooks. The couple of Foreigner fans I know are very playing/arrangement oriented – rather than song or lyric oriented. _Hot Blooded_ and that Africa song had decent hooks, but (like REO) sounded like dumb guys singing… even with Nigel Tufnel style references to Kilamanjaro. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/13 "2011-07-12T00:55:10Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > The couple of Foreigner fans I know are very playing/arrangement oriented – rather than song or lyric oriented. _Hot Blooded_ and that Africa song had decent hooks, but (like REO) sounded like dumb guys singing… even with Nigel Tufnel style references to Kilamanjaro. “Africa” wasn’t by Foreigner. It was by Toto. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/14 "2011-07-12T01:03:37Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Styx isn’t really in the same category as the others. Journey attempted to be like them but failed so had to become more like REO Foreigner. > > Which isn’t to say I love Styx, it’s just that I’d like to say that the band they remind me of the most is Heart or maybe Supertramp, except I won’t actually say that because it makes Heart look bad. Supertramp, yes. I used to think many Supertramp songs were Styx when I was a kid. But I don’t see the comparison to Heart. I always thought Heart was basically a female Led Zeppelin. I don’t think they have anything in common with any of those other bands. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/15 "2011-07-12T01:16:48Z")
I guess it’s just because they both have prog-wannabe songs about sailing that are so pretentious they turn into awesome ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/16 "2011-07-12T01:25:15Z")
Styx. Grand Illusion and Equinox are my favorite albums of theirs, but I do like REO’s You Get What You Play For (live Ridin’ the Storm Out) and Journey’s Wheel in the Sky, but Styx’s Equinox is great with “Mother Dear”. Foreigner? Never liked 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/17 "2011-07-12T01:40:18Z")
Styx, hands down. Journey was a great band, but not _exactly_ my kind of music. REO had 2 or three songs I liked. But by the time ‘I can fight this feeling anymore’ came out I wanted to kill Kevin Whatshisname. Foreigner, meh. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/18 "2011-07-12T01:43:50Z")
I voted Styx, as I have a ‘thing’ for prog-rock. REO Speedwagon and Journey are hit-and-miss for me, and I just have a general distaste for Foreigner, for no particular reason. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/19 "2011-07-12T01:55:44Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > “Africa” wasn’t by Foreigner. It was by Toto. Yeah, that sounds right. Should they be in this poll too? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682/20 "2011-07-12T02:20:15Z")
I like them all. I pick Journey but it but closely followed by REO, Foreigner, Styx. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-ones-your-favourite-reo-styx-journey-foreigner/588682.md?page=2)