The Grand Illusion

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, 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

"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 – vocals, keyboards
Tommy Shaw – vocals, guitars
James Young – vocals, guitars, keyboards
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)"	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	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. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Melanie Love (2006-06-13). "The Daily Vault Music Review: Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ Joe Fernbacher (1977-11-03). "Rolling Stone Music Reviews: Styx - The Grand Illusion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-08-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
^ 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.
^ "Le Blanc Seing, 1965 by Rene Magritte"

External links

[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. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[3] Melanie Love (2006-06-13). "The Daily Vault Music Review: Styx - The Grand Illusion (1977)". The Daily Vault. Retrieved 2013-02-09. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[4] Joe Fernbacher (1977-11-03). "Rolling Stone Music Reviews: Styx - The Grand Illusion". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-08-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

[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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v t e Styx
Chuck Panozzo James "J.Y." Young Tommy Shaw Todd Sucherman Lawrence Gowan Will Evankovich Terry Gowan John "J.C." Curulewski Dennis DeYoung John Panozzo Glen Burtnik Ricky Phillips
Studio albums	Styx Styx II The Serpent Is Rising Man of Miracles Equinox Crystal Ball The Grand Illusion Pieces of Eight Cornerstone Paradise Theatre Kilroy Was Here Edge of the Century Brave New World Cyclorama Big Bang Theory The Mission Crash of the Crown
Extended plays	Regeneration: Volume I Regeneration: Volume II
Live albums	Caught in the Act Return to Paradise Arch Allies: Live at Riverport Styx World: Live 2001 At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis 21st Century Live One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Compilations	Best of Styx Lady Styx - Classics, Volume 15 Styx Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Part 2 Extended Versions Styx Yesterday & Today Rockers Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings
Songs	"Best Thing" "Lies" "Lady" "You Need Love" "Lorelei" "Mademoiselle" "Crystal Ball" "The Grand Illusion" "Come Sail Away" "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" "Sing for the Day" "Renegade" "Babe" "Why Me" "Boat on the River" "Borrowed Time" "The Best of Times" "Too Much Time on My Hands" "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned" "Rockin' the Paradise" "Snowblind" "Mr. Roboto" "Don't Let It End" "High Time" "Music Time" / "Heavy Metal Poisoning" "Love Is the Ritual" "Show Me the Way" "Love at First Sight" "Paradise" "I Am the Walrus"
Related articles	Discography Kilroy Was Here
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