Styx: Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Tommy Shaw (acoustic & electric guitars, background vocals); James Young (guitar, background vocals); Chuck Panozzo (bass, background vocals); John Panozzo (drums, percussion, background vocals). Recorded at Paragon Studios, Chicago, Illinois. 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. 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.

Styx – The Grand Illusion

Label: A&M Records – B0022045-01, UMe – B0022045-01

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 180 gram

Country: US

Released: 2015

Genre: Rock

Style: Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Prog Rock

A1                                The Grand Illusion

Lead Guitar [First], Guitar [Fills] – Tommy Shaw

Lead Guitar [Second] – James Young (3)

Lead Vocals – Dennis De Young*

Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*

4:36

A2                                Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)

Lead Vocals – Tommy Shaw

Lyrics By, Music By – Tommy Shaw

5:29

A3                                Superstars

Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar – Tommy Shaw

Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*, James Young (3), Tommy Shaw

Other [Soliloquy] – Dennis De Young

3:59

A4                                Come Sail Away

Lead Guitar – Tommy Shaw

Lead Vocals – Dennis De Young*

Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*

Synthesizer [Arp Odyssey] – James Young (3)

6:07

B1                                Miss America

Lead Guitar – Tommy Shaw

Lead Vocals – James Young (3)

Lyrics By, Music By – James Young (3)

5:01

B2                                Man In The Wilderness

Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar – Tommy Shaw

Lyrics By, Music By – Tommy Shaw

5:49

B3                                Castle Walls

Guitar [Mellow Octave Guitar Leads] – Tommy Shaw

Lead Guitar – James Young (3)

Lead Vocals – Dennis De Young*

Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*

6:00

B4                                The Grand Finale

Guitar [Melodic Guitar Lead] – James Young (3)

Lead Guitar [Fills] – Tommy Shaw

Lead Vocals – Dennis De Young*

Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*, James Young (3), Tommy Shaw

1:58

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – A&M Records

Copyright © – A&M Records

Recorded At – Paragon Recording Studios

Remixed At – Paragon Recording Studios

Mastered At – The Mastering Lab

Distributed By – Universal Music Distribution

Pressed By – United Record Pressing

Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Vocals – Tommy Shaw

Art Direction – Roland Young (3)

Bass Guitar, Vocals – Chuck Panozzo

Design [Album] – Chuck Beeson

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – John Panozzo

Engineer – Barry Mraz, Rob Kingsland

Guitar, Vocals – James Young (3)

Keyboards, Vocals, Synthesizer – Dennis DeYoung

Lacquer Cut By – RM*

Lighting [Designer] – Jeff Ravitz

Management [Tour] – Jim Vose*

Mastered By – Mike Reese

Other [Equipment And Motorcycle Stunts] – Bob "Yaz" Jastrzembski

Photography By – Jim McCrary

Producer – Styx

Producer [Assistance] – Barry Mraz

Remix – Barry Mraz, Rob Kingsland, Styx

Stage Manager – John "Tarkus" Schaefer*

Technician [Monitors] – Judson Terry Phelps

℗ © 2015 A&M Records

Contains a poster of the band

Barcode (Scanned): 602547040916

Barcode (Text): 6 02547 04091 6

• Media Condition: Mint (M)
• Sleeve Condition: Mint (M)
• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: ROCK
• Format Type: 12"
• Released: 07/17/2015