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The Grand Illusion |
Product Guide |
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The Grand Illusion  Rating: Rating:  - Grand IlusionThis album was shipped extremely well packaged and in exccellent condition. I am very pleased with my purchase. An excellent seller. Thank you so much.***** Rating: - Styx - The Band's Best"The Grand Illusion" is probably Styx's best all around album. Although they had already had quite a bit of success and become staples of the Midwest arena circuit, this would be the album that would catapult the band to multi-platinum superstar status. The album produced two huge hits with "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling yourself" both of which can be regularly heard on classic rock radio today on a regular basis. Several other tracks received album rock airplay as well. The album contains all of the varied elements that made Styx what they were. You have Pomp Rock with "The Grand Illusion", and "Superstars", progressive rock with "Man In The Wilderness" and one of Dennis Deyoung's best compositions "Castle Walls", and Hard Rock / Metal with the James Young staple "Miss America". Sure there is an air of pretension about the whole thing, but hey this was the 70's. All in all this is one of Styx best albums and a must own for fans of the band. Rating: - A must have for your collection!If you don't have Styx's 1977 'The Grand Illusion' in your collection, than you are really missing out. While Styx were somewhat famous before, 'The Grand Illusion' was their breakthrough record. Songs like 'The Grand Illusion' and 'Come Sail Away' are played on classic rock radio stations all the time. And it's not hard to see why. Styx rocked. They were a perfect blend of soft ballads (many were dedicated to Dennis DeYoung's wife, Suzanne) and hard rock tunes. I know, so far, this isn't much of a review. But that's going to change right now. So, here it is. The album by album, track by track review. 1. The Grand Illusion And so begins Styx's masterpiece. This song is probably my favorite song they did. As a huge prog rock fan, I couldn't be more satisfied. Dennis' vocals are superb here, better than ever. Tommy and J.Y. do a great job backing him up. A MUST LISTEN!! 2. Fooling Yourself One of Tommy's best songs. 'Why must you be such an angry young man?' is the opening lyric, and the rest is history. Another must listen. It sounds just as good as it did 31 years ago, in 1977 today! 3. Superstars A classic, but very underrated tune. I never understood why. 'Superstars' is a great rock tune; Dennis' keyboards are at their best, and this is a classic Tommy Shaw vocal piece. A MUST LISTEN INDEED! 4. Come Sail Away Probably the centerpiece of the entire Styx catalog. Definitely their biggest hit. The heaviest song Dennis sang on, no doubt; it starts off as a dreamy, sort of fantasy-in-music type of song, and than it gets really heavy. If you haven't heard this, than you probably aren't a classic rock listener. 'Come Sail Away' is, again, a must listen! 5. Miss America James Young takes the vocals for this song. 'Miss America' is another rocker; for those of you that think Styx plays nothing but fluffy pop rock, your wrong! And 'Miss America' proves it. Heavy vocals, great guitar lines and bass lines throughout, this is a must listen for any Styx fan and classic heavy metal fan! 6. Man In The Wilderness Don't let the title fool you. This is a rock tune indeed. Tommy's vocals are superb, and the guitar riffs are incredible! A great rock and roll tune from Styx! Another must listen! 7. Castle Walls Probably the weakest track on the album, but still great! Dennis whispers, but proves he can sing perfectly--even while whispering! A very dreamy tune, but great keyboard lines throughout. Don't take what I said the wrong way, about this being weak. It's not! It's just it's weak compared to the other songs here. 8. The Grand Finale And what a way to close out the record! This is only 2 minutes, but it's quite a way to end a masterpiece. This is very underrated, but it's superb, as is the rest of the record. A great way to close out a masterpiece! Styx's 'The Grand Illusion' is a must have for any serious record collector. 1977 was a great year for music, and 'The Grand Illusion' is definitely one of the best records of '77. You must listen to this. Overall, this is highly recommended for any Styx or classic rock fan. A prog rock masterpiece. A must listen indeed. Highly recommended. A masterpiece, plain and simple. ENJOY!!! Rating:  - Good but over ratedI bought this album when it first came out due to "Come sail Away" and I played the first side over and over and became a Styx fan. Then I subsequently purchased their other albums throughout the years and later on their CDs. I now have every album/CD of their's since the Grand Illusion. I know many Styx fans and "experts" think this is their best work but I just don't get it. It is good but I still like Cornerstone, Paradise Theatre, Edge of the century and Cyclorama better. First of all there are really only 7 songs on the disc. The first four are very good and Come Sail Away and Fooling Yourself I consider great songs but Castle Walls, Man in the Wilderness and Miss America (Okay, I am not a JY fan) just don't do it for me. This would be in top for best "half albums" but not for full albums. All in all though they were and still are a great band and I love their music and can't wait for another new disc. |
