Styx Album: “The Grand Illusion”

Description :

Styx: Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Tommy Shaw <p>(acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); James Young (guitar, background vocals); Chuck Panozzo (bass, background vocals); John Panozzo (drums, percussion, background vocals). <p>Recorded at Paragon Studios, Chicago, Illinois. <p>THE GRAND ILLUSION was the album that rocketed Styx to superstardom after all their years of hard work. That time spent in the trenches was clearly not wasted, as the group displays an unprecedented level of tightness here in their writing, arrangements, and performance. This is something of a concept album, the theme being the hypocrisy and self-deception inherent in modern American society. The songs that tackle this concept most directly are James Young's bristling rocker "Miss America," Dennis DeYoung's appropriately grandiose-sounding title tune, and "Superstars," Tommy Shaw's evisceration of the rock star life. <p>Some of the most effective songs here are Shaw's inspirational "Fooling Yourself," the more obscure, moody tunes "Castle Walls" and "Man in the Wilderness," and DeYoung's epic tale of interstellar experiences "Come Sail Away," which would become one of the most loved songs in the band's catalog. Achieving the perfect balance between pop appeal, rock muscle, and prog-influenced flavoring, GRAND ILLUSION is Styx at the top of its collective game.

There are a number of artists who seem to suffer from the unfortunate fate of their creativity not aging well. Styx is such a band. Often ridiculed for their slickly produced *corporate* rock, as well as supposedly coming off as an anemic version of some notable British progressive rock artists, the guys had to feel some tremendous hurt from the constant harsh criticism - which still exists more than 25 years after their major success THE GRAND ILLUSION was released. To many, most of Styx's material is simply no more than a dated joke.

Under my assumption, the responses to Styx's material seem to fall into two major categories: (1). Music fans listen to it, and dismiss it as a cheesy, watered-down, pretentious mess. They would want nothing more to do with this. (2). Music fans listen to this, and love the catchy melodies, but will try their hardest to refrain from admitting so, for fear of losing their *hipness* credibility.

But other than everything listed in the above paragraph, the biggest fans of this music are the ones who grew up with it when it was released. The adults around that time knew the negative reputation bands like Styx were receiving, but some youngsters around that time period were more than likely oblivious to the artist-bashing, and nevertheless, enjoyed the music just fine. I consider the latter to be the most blessed, as the saying goes, "what they don't know won't hurt them."

But, all historical insights aside, I've always enjoyed Styx's music, and I was never bothered by the slick productions of their music, or anything else for that matter. I found it to be highly enjoyable, quality music created by talented musicians, and still do.

THE GRAND ILLUSION exhibits accessible hard rock with progressive rock flourishes integrated into the mix to create a highly compelling brand of rock. There seems to be a theme that runs throughout the entire album - a theme that states no matter how successful, or unsuccessful one is, no matter what kind of career one has, no matter what lifestyle one lives, no matter what one does or does not have, it doesn't make you any better, or worse than any other individual. Believing so is simply a "grand illusion."

I've seen and heard for the longest time Styx being knocked as a band trying *too* hard to be like Queen. I honestly never understood that, as Styx never seemed to exhibit enough *Britishness* in their sound to even come close to imitating Queen (even if those supposed accusations were true.) However, small traces of British progressive rock bands (e.g. Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull) do come to mind when I listen to this music. Queen comes to mind as well, but - like the aforementioned Brtish progressive bands - in small traces. On the whole, I find Styx's music to be - more or less - unique.

The bombastic, anthemic, theatrical opening of the title track (which I absolutely love) brings resemblance to Genesis and Jethro Tull, and is possibly the closest thing to resemble *Britishness* on this disc. Meanwhile, the megalomaniacalesque, grand vocals on some of the verses resemble Yes and Queen to an extent. But overall, Styx's music seems so Americanized, it refrains from sounding like a largely derivative thing. Thematically speaking, this track features lead singer Dennis DeYoung stating the negative aspects that come with the package of being a "rock star." The lyrics seem to state that the lifestyle many ordinary blokes dream of living is not all it's cracked up to be. This is exemplified in the aforementioned title track the most. However, fame - the pros and (mostly) cons of it -- plays a big part of the thematic element that runs throughout the disc.

"Angry Young Man" seems like a message to the punks of the day. When reading these lyrics, it's easy to see that Styx were trying to send out a positive, optimistic message. Cynics (especially of this generation) will read these lyrics and scoff until they run out of breath. I'll be the first to admit that they do seem a little dated in their naivete, but the natural creativity, and the sincere, heartfelt optimism is hard not to be moved by, and, let's be honest - it's nice to be able to take a break from cynicism, as it gets old really fast.

"Superstars" is one of my favorite tracks. A mid-tempo rocker with some lovely, touching vocal harmonies which happen to share more in common with R&B/Soul than they do with rock. "Come Sail Away" has aged well to me. The haunting and achingly moving chorus has not left me one bit, and those lyrics I find to be absolutely poetic and beautiful. An all-around beautiful and moving track. Guitarist James Young writes and sings lead vocal for the sneering "Miss America," the edgiest, crunchiest tune on the album. James' snarling vocal burns with a white-hot passion ( and cracks me up hysterically.) A track which may please many cynics. Who would have thought? "Castle Walls" is the most *proggish* on the album - a track which starts off fairly low-key and melodic, before showcasing some lovely vocal harmonies. Then we are treated to a brief instrumental section of over-the-top theatrics which recall the many progressive rock giants of the early and mid-70s.

I love this music, regardless of the negative criticism surrounding it. Just try to enjoy the music for what it is - great music made by talented musicians - and forget about the *hipness* or lack of it. Enjoy.