The Grand Illusion (album)

For the Nocturnal Rites album, see Grand Illusion (album).
The Grand Illusion
Studio album by Styx
Released July 7, 1977
Recorded 1977 at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago
Genre Progressive rock, art rock, hard rock
Length 38:59
Label A&M
Producer Styx
Styx chronology

Crystal Ball
(1976)		 The Grand Illusion
(1977)		 Pieces of Eight
(1978)
Singles from The Grand Illusion
  1. "Come Sail Away"
    Released: 1977
  2. "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)"
    Released: 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [1]
The Daily Vault (B-) (1998)[2]
B (2006)[3]
Rolling Stone (favorable)[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [5]

The Grand Illusion is the seventh studio album by Styx, released on July 7, 1977. It launched the band to stardom, spawning the hit singles "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling Yourself", and selling over three million copies in the US.

According to keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, the album's theme was the struggle to overcome self-deluding superficiality in order to affirm one's genuine value. This theme was reflected in the lyrics of the album's title track:

So if you think your life is complete confusion
'cause your neighbor's got it made
just remember that it's a grand illusion
and deep inside we're all the same

The title of The Grand Illusion had been considered dating back to the 1975 album Equinox.

Recording

The album was recorded at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago.

Track listing

  1. "The Grand Illusion" (Dennis DeYoung) – 4:36
  2. "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" (Shaw) – 5:29
    • Lead vocals and guitar: Shaw
    • Synthesizer solos: DeYoung
  3. "Superstars" (Young, DeYoung, Shaw) – 3:59
    • Lead vocals and lead guitar: Shaw
    • Soliloquy: DeYoung
  4. "Come Sail Away" (DeYoung) – 6:07
    • Lead vocals and synthesizer solo: DeYoung
    • ARP Odyssey: Young
    • Lead guitar: Shaw
  5. "Miss America" (Young) – 5:01
    • Lead vocals and lead guitar: Young
  6. "Man in the Wilderness" (Shaw) – 5:49
    • Lead vocals and lead guitar: Shaw
  7. "Castle Walls" (DeYoung) – 6:00
    • Lead vocals: DeYoung
    • Guitar fills and harmony fills: Shaw
    • Guitar solo: Young
  8. "The Grand Finale" (DeYoung, Shaw, Young) – 1:58
    • Lead vocals: DeYoung
    • Guitar fills and first guitar solo: Shaw
    • Melodic guitar lead: Young

Album cover

The album cover art, created by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, is an homage to a painting by René Magritte entitled "Le Blanc-Seing". It is also similar to the even earlier avant garde painting "L'Incantation ou Le Bois Sacré" by Paul Sérusier.

Personnel

Styx

Production

Charts

Album

Chart (1977) Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200 6

Singles

Name Chart (1977) Peak position
"Come Sail Away" U.S. Billboard Hot 100 8
"Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" 29

References

  1. ↑ DeGagne, Mike. The Grand Illusion (album) at AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  2. ↑ Christopher Thelen (1998-08-08). "The Daily Vault Music Review : The Grand Illusion". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  3. ↑ Melanie Love (2006-06-13). "The Daily Vault Music Review : The Grand Illusion". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  4. ↑ Joe Fernbacher (1977-11-03). "The Grand Illusion by Styx | Rolling Stone Music | Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  5. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 789. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.