From the time Shaw joined Styx, up until the release of "Babe", Shaw had written and sung on six of the band's eight singles released in that period. Unfortunately none of his singles achieved the same level of success of those of Dennis DeYoung, and so starting with the Cornerstone album, there was a focused effort by both the band and record company to choose Dennis DeYoung songs as singles. This proved to be the correct decision as DeYoung would pen an additional 5 Top 10 singles for a total of 7 of the bands 8 top 10 successes. After "Babe", Shaw would only be responsible for one of the next nine singles until his departure in 1984, following the end of the "Kilroy Was Here" tour. Shaw released three solo albums in the 1980s: "Girls with Guns" (1984), "What If" (1985), and "Ambition" (1987), scoring a Top 30 hit with the title track and a minor hit with "Lonely School," both from the first album. Shaw's solo band opened concerts for The Kinks in 1984 and for Rush in 1987–88.