The Grand Illusion
The Grand Illusion | ||||
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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 | ||||
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Singles from The Grand Illusion | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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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 (Triple Platinum).
The album was recorded at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago.
As with much of Styx's catalog, lyrically and thematically many of the songs have a quasi-medieval, fantasy feel, while serving as allegories and commentaries on contemporary American life, as well as the individual members' experiences in an American rock band in the mid-to-late 1970s.
The album cover art, created by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, is an homage to a painting by René Magritte entitled "Le Blanc-Seing".
Track listing
Side One
- "The Grand Illusion" (Dennis DeYoung) – 4:36
- Lead vocals: DeYoung
- First guitar solo and guitar fills: Tommy Shaw
- Second guitar solo: James Young
- "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" (Shaw) – 5:29
- Lead vocals: Shaw
- "Superstars" (Young, DeYoung, Shaw) – 3:59
- Lead vocals and lead guitar: Shaw
- Soliloquy: DeYoung
- "Come Sail Away" (DeYoung) – 6:07
- Lead vocals and synthesizer solo: DeYoung
- ARP Odyssey: Young
- Lead guitar: Shaw
Side Two
- "Miss America" (Young) – 5:02
- Lead vocals and guitar solo: Young
- "Man in the Wilderness" (Shaw) – 5:51
- Lead vocals and guitar solo: Shaw
- "Castle Walls" (DeYoung) – 5:59
- Lead vocals: DeYoung
- Lead guitar: Young
- "The Grand Finale" (DeYoung, Young, Shaw) – 1:57
- Lead vocals: DeYoung
- Lead guitar fills: Shaw
- Melodic guitar lead: Young
Personnel
Styx
- Dennis DeYoung – keyboards, vocals
- Tommy Shaw – guitar, vocals
- James Young – guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Chuck Panozzo – bass
- John Panozzo – drums
Production
- Barry Mraz – production assistance, engineer
- Rob Kingsland – engineer
- Mastered by Mike Reese at the Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, California
- Derek Sutton – management, direction
- Jim Vose – tour manager
- Jeff Ravitz – lighting designer
- John "Tarkus" Schaefer – stage manager
- Bob "Yaz" Jastrzembski – equipment, motorcycle stunts
- Judson Terry Phelps – monitors
- Roland Young – art direction
- Jim McCrary – photography
- Chuck Beeson – album design
- Kelly and Mouse – album cover painting
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
- ↑ DeGagne, Mike. The Grand Illusion at AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
- ↑ Christopher Thelen (1998-08-08). "The Daily Vault Music Review: Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ Melanie Love (2006-06-13). "The Daily Vault Music Review: Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
- ↑ Joe Fernbacher (1977-11-03). "Rolling Stone Music Reviews: Styx - The Grand Illusion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ↑ 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.
External links
- Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977) album review by Mike DeGagne, credits & releases at AllMusic.com
- Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977) album releases & credits at Discogs.com
- Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
- Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977) album to be listened as stream at Spotify.com
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