The album represented a musical transition for Styx, as the band emphasized its pop sound more than the
progressive rock influences that dominated their first eight studio albums. Peaking at #2, the album was Styx's highest album chart peak until its successor, 1981's
Paradise Theatre, which hit #1. The track was first performed and recorded as a demo with just him and the Panozzo brothers but
A&M executives heard the track and insisted it go on the album. The division was strong enough that DeYoung was briefly fired from the band, although he was invited back before word reached the press or public. "First Time" did get released as a single in the Philippines. Shaw's major contribution to the album was the
folkish "
Boat on the River," which became the band's biggest European hit. Shaw's other contributions included the pop-rocker "Never Say Never," the Shaw/DeYoung album-opener "
Lights," the more progressively-flavored song "Love in the Midnight" and
"Borrowed Time," a DeYoung/Shaw collaboration. James Young only had one song on the album, the hard rocker "Eddie," which was aimed at
left-wing politician
Edward Kennedy, unsuccessfully pleading with him not to
make a run for the U.S. presidency. Young used a guitar-synthesizer for the solo. Instrumentally, the record demonstrated the shift to a more pop-oriented and organic sound. DeYoung predominantly used a
Fender Rhodes electric piano on over half of the tracks and the group used real horns and strings on the album on several tracks. While commercially successful,
Cornerstone brought to light the first fragmenting of the group's collective artistic vision (DeYoung wanted to move the band more into pop while Shaw and Young both favored a rock approach). These divisions would continue to deepen, ultimately leading to Styx's dissolution following the release of the 1983 album,
Kilroy Was Here. ==Track listing==