The Grand Illusion

The Grand Illusion
Studio album by Styx
Released July 7, 1977
Recorded 1977 at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago
Genre
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
SourceRating
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, recorded at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago and released on July 7, 1977. It launched the band to stardom, spawned the hit singles "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling Yourself", and sold over three million copies in the US (Triple Platinum).

As with much of Styx's catalog, many of the songs have quasi-medieval/fantasy lyrics and themes. Some are allegories and commentaries on contemporary American life and the 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".[6]

Track listing

Side One

  1. "The Grand Illusion" (Dennis DeYoung) – 4:36
  2. "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" (Shaw) – 5:29
    • Lead vocals: Shaw
  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

Side Two

  1. "Miss America" (Young) – 5:02
    • Lead vocals and guitar solo: Young
  2. "Man in the Wilderness" (Shaw) – 5:51
    • Lead vocals and guitar solo: Shaw
  3. "Castle Walls" (DeYoung) – 5:59
    • Lead vocals: DeYoung
    • Lead guitar: Young
  4. "The Grand Finale" (DeYoung, Young, Shaw) – 1:57
    • Lead vocals: DeYoung
    • Lead guitar fills: Shaw
    • Melodic guitar lead: Young

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 at AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  2. ↑ Christopher Thelen (1998-08-08). "The Daily Vault Music Review: Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  3. ↑ Melanie Love (2006-06-13). "The Daily Vault Music Review: Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  4. ↑ Joe Fernbacher (1977-11-03). "Rolling Stone Music Reviews: Styx - The Grand Illusion". 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.
  6. ↑ "Le Blanc Seing, 1965 by Rene Magritte"
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