I spotted this UK shaped picture disc in a shop and how could I resist? I mean, a record shaped like Styx’s Mr. Roboto himself? Ironically, it’s not for the song “Mr. Roboto” itself, but the drippy follow-up single, “Don’t Let It End.” Perhaps a bigger mistake than not having the character’s own song on this was the choice of B-side: the classic rock staple, “Rockin’ The Paradise,” from earlier in Styx’s career. Not only is it a better song, serving to highlight how mundane the A-side is, but listening to it for the first time in decades, I discovered something I never realized before: It owes a MASSIVE debt to Queen. The phrase “heavily influenced” definitely comes to mind here. On the other hand, if you’re going to draw from other sources for inspiration, borrow from the best—and that’s what they did.
