The Grand Illusion (album)
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| The Grand Illusion | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Styx | ||
| Released | July 7, 1977 | |
| Recorded | 1977 at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 38:59 | |
| Label | A&M | |
| Producer(s) | Styx | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Styx chronology | ||
| Crystal Ball (1976) |
The Grand Illusion (1977) |
Pieces of Eight (1978) |
The Grand Illusion is the seventh album by Styx, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music).
The album's theme is the struggle to overcome self-deluding superficiality in order to affirm one's genuine value which Dennis DeYoung confirmed on the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard, which devoted an entire episode to The Grand Illusion. DeYoung on this same interview revealed he had the title of The Grand Illusion dating back to the 1975 album Equinox.
The track "Miss America" was guitarist James Young's scathing attack on the Miss America pageants. JY on The Grand Illusion episode of In the Studio with Redbeard said the track came to him in the middle of the night and its riff was inspired by the Jethro Tull song "Minstrel in the Gallery".
The Grand Illusion was the band's first Triple Platinum album, and spawned the Top 10 hit "Come Sail Away" and the Top 30 hit "Fooling Yourself".
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "The Grand Illusion" (Dennis DeYoung) – 4:36
- Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung
- Guitar fills and first guitar solo: Tommy Shaw
- Second guitar solo: James Young
- "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" (Tommy Shaw) – 5:29
- Lead vocals and guitar: Tommy Shaw
- Synthesizer solos: Dennis DeYoung
- "Superstars" (DeYoung, Shaw, James Young) – 3:59
- Lead vocals and lead guitar: Tommy Shaw
- Soliloquy: Dennis DeYoung
- "Come Sail Away" (DeYoung) – 6:07
- Lead vocals and synthesizer solo: Dennis DeYoung
- ARP Odyssey: James Young
- Lead Guitar: Tommy Shaw
- "Miss America" (Young) – 5:01
- Lead vocals and lead guitar: James Young
- "Man in the Wilderness" (Shaw) – 5:49
- Lead vocals and lead guitar: Tommy Shaw
- "Castle Walls" (DeYoung) – 6:00
- Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung
- Guitar fills and harmony fills: Tommy Shaw
- Guitar solo: James Young
- "The Grand Finale" (DeYoung, Shaw, Young) – 1:58
- Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung
- Guitar fills and first guitar solo: Tommy Shaw
- Melodic Guitar Lead: James Young
[edit] Personnel
- Dennis DeYoung - keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
- Chuck Panozzo - bass, vocals
- John Panozzo - drums, percussion, vocals
- Tommy Shaw - acoustic and electric guitars, vocals
- James Young - guitars, vocals
- Barry Mraz - Production Assistance, Engineer
- Rob Kingsland - Engineer
- Mastered by Mike Reese at the Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, California
- Derek Sutton - Management and Direction
- Jim Vose - Tour Manager
- Jeff Ravitz - Lighting Designer
- John "Tarkus" Schaefer - Stage Manager
- Bob "Yaz" Jastrzembski - Equipment and Motorcycle Stunts
- Judson Terry Phelps - Monitors
- Roland Young - Art Direction
- Jim McCrary - Photography
- Chuck Beeson - Album Design
[edit] Miscellanea
The album cover art is an homage to a painting by Rene Magritte entitled "Carte Blanche."
Released on 7/7/77, "The Grand Illusion" was Styx' 7th album release. This numbering trend continued with the release of their 8th album, "Pieces of Eight."
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Pop Albums | 6 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Come Sail Away" | Pop Singles | 8 |
| 1978 | "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" | Pop Singles | 29 |
[edit] See also
- Top 100 Selling Albums of the 1970s
