"Deep inside, we're all the same." Styx has never really gotten the respect they deserve for great lyrics and the hard rocking lead guitar work that is a part of almost every song. Anyone with a brain can hear STYX rocks!
I've never stopped getting life's philosophy from rock lyrics!!! I'm 61 and believe just about every human emotion or thought has been captured in a lyric somewhere!!! Rock on
Dennis DeYoung wrote theatrical lyrics, but I wouldn't consider them all that deep. The words are okay, but they're written for the way they sound, not what they mean. "Get yourself a brand new motor car"? He's an american, we don't even talk like that. But it sounds cool in a song.
"The Grand Illusion", the 7th studio album by Styx released on 7/7/77. It's the album that took them into the stratosphere and generally considered their best album (along with "Pieces of Eight"). "Miss America", "Man In The Wilderness" and "Castle Walls" are all EPIC songs from "The Grand Illusion" that would be great songs to react to. Great, meaningful music with a great message that will continue to be enjoyed for many decades to come.
@@neilmccomsey9550 "Fooling Yourself" has had a decent amount of reactions on YT compared to the three I mentioned....but yes, I'd love to hear Brad & Lex react to "Fooling Yourself" as well! 👍
Another song from this album, “Fooling Yourself,” is my favorite Styx song. “Come Sail Away” is on this album as well (I know you liked that one!) Styx, ELO, Kansas, Alan Parsons, Yes and Moody Blues. They will never steer you wrong!
You forgot Super Tramp, but we can forgive the oversight. There were SO many great bands in this time period. Rush, Kansas, Seger, The Eagles, man... the list just goes on and on. We all were so fortunate to have been young and alive during the heyday of rock n roll. Eh?
This is the centerpiece and title track to the album and shows Dennis DeYoung's interest in affirmative "songs of hope" (as he puts it in "Come Sail Away"). Another such song, from the next album ("Pieces of Eight") is "I'm Okay". Beware though; if Brad still can't take too much of Dennis banging on that organ, he does an entire organ solo in that one. And not a little commercial organ, either; he went to a church and used one of those giant pipe jobs. (I love the song, though. I guess I'm more organ-ic than Brad?) By then, Dennis is even bringing the organ to the songs guitarist Tommy Shaw writes and sings, besides Dennis's own work. You've done "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" from that same album, so you've heard that already. (I do agree with those who'd like to see you do "Miss America", though, because you haven't done any of guitarist James Young's work yet [just Dennis and Tommy Shaw's] and there are three voices in the group. Let JY have his acerbic say as well.)
Back in '77 I believe, outside Rapid City SD, I went to an open air concert and playing was Styx, Steppenwolf and Babys. It was held at a dirt race track.
Great band. Great album. Great song. One of my favorite albums. Miss America is another great one from the same album. I was just entering high school when this came out. My friends and I listened to these guys exclusively for a while. Many of their songs from this time period had moral lessons to them as did this song.Hope you can check out more of the album. Peace!
1978 and I'm an 18 year old freshman and my college roommate talked me into seeing Styx, a band I never heard of before. They opened with this and I was completely blown away after the show! They were simply excellent.
Hey Brad & Lex!! You two have so many great qualities and such a positive attitude and a genuine appreciation of what you have and where you came from. Always be yourselves, love each other and stay humble!! ✌️ ☮️ ❤️🇱🇷🎵🎶🎸
Awww yes- Grand Illusion 1977, I remember sitting on an old mattress on the floor in my apartment, nothing else. I would have my old boombox and jam out to this song while munching on buttery pasta after blazing a jay and washing it down with a cold brew- Styx are awesome. Good times- good times. Listen to Styx quite often.
I finally saw/understood Brad for the first time when they were talking about the lyrics afterwards - good stuff !!! You guys should also check out " Man in the Wilderness " on this same album as well !!!
Absolutely LOVE The Styx!!!!! Been listening for over 40yrs!!! You definitely need to listen to more of Styx. Their music is absolutely great!! Grew up on it & my parents also loved them!!
Wife here..This is one of my favorites songs by them..Saw these guys in the early 2000's SIMPLY AMAZING MUSCICIAN'S!!..Hey Lex.. This absolutely sounds like a track from a Movie!!!...And Brad.., Alot to take in for sure..Thanks for the insightful reaction!!
I grew up about 2 blocks away from Tommy Shaw. I believe this was his first album after joining Styx. While all the other kids in the area were playing street football, He was playing guitar. He played in a band in the local bowling Alley 's bar. Kegler's Kove was the club. Also, a local talk show host that has been here now for 18 years, was the publicist and sometimes road manager for Styx. When they come to Alabama to play we always go to see them. They are a classic rock band with great musical talent and writing great songs.
I remember your first Styx reaction to Mr. Roboto and it is so good you are getting into some of the real sound of his band. They were great in concert!
Money can buy "stuff" that makes fun times, but it always fades away fast. I feel like the most satisfying things in life are the simple things you share with those around you and those you love. I would take sitting around a campfire and having a beer with friends and loved ones any night over going out partying
You said it perfectly! Happiness doesn't come from money. Happiness comes from inside you. Now, it's true that money can buy away some things that cause unhappiness, such as financial stress, but this song is plainly saying that even though they are big stars, they are just like us. They have money, but they or loaded down with other kinds of stress. How often do they get to go home and enjoy their fortune? They are always on a plane, a bus, or in a hotel room. They can't go out in public because they are swamped by fans. We make our happiness, finding the right companion that loves us enough to stick with us through the thick and thin, and building our lives from the ground up, one brick at a time. Then when you step back and look at all you've accomplished, it's something to be very proud of, and share with that companion. Be thankful for what you have and remember that there are lots of other folks who would love to be as high as you on that ladder of life. You are their GRAND ILLUSION. Whoe! I'm glad I got that off my chest! LOL
Having not listened to the lyrics very closely for years it really relates closely to social media and how everyone pretends how great their life is but it’s all really just a Grand Illusion.
Saw them the first time in a small auditorium in Chicago around 1972 the song Lady just came out Tommy Shaw wasnt in the band yet. Great old classic song.
Saw this tour in January of 78 and this was the opening song. This was my first concert, I was still 12 by one month. Legs Diamond was the opening band. You should check out Legs Diamond's song Woman. Its a good song.
The grand illusion is the lie we've all been sold through TV, radio, magazines, school and churches..... The curtain is definitely being pulled back more and more every day. I LOVE STYX and have since the first song I heard.... there's no band like them.
I had wanted to see Styx for several years. Finally got to, when they came to my tiny city (45k population), in 1983, during the Kilroy Was Here tour. Although I wasn't really a fan of that album...I cannot deny...That tour was an amazing show!! Part movie. Part theater. Part pure high energy rock concert. I recall that Shaw performed a long solo during one of the songs (don't recall which song)... and as he did, he walked throughout the crowd on the floor. My girlfriend about lost it when he walked down the aisle past us, close enough that she could have touched him, if she had reached out her arm.😁
This sounds exactly like my story. My first concert, Kilroy 1983. Saw them in the BSU Pavillion (Boise, ID) and Shaw went right down into the audience and delighted the crowd. One blond girl went up to him and gave him a big kiss--crowd went wild! Turns out the girl who kissed him was the sister of the guy who drove me to the concert! Definitely high energy. My ticket price was...$12.00. Boy, gone are those days...
@@pacard33 😎😎👍👍 Yep, we will never see those type of days again. Dang I sound old, saying that!! But then, come to think of it...I AM getting old!🤣🤣 I had forgotten about the ticket prices back then!!🤯 It's now been close to 30 years since I attended a concert (Country legend Merle Haggard). I wouldn't be surprised if $12 wouldn't buy a beer at a concert nowadays.😂
Great flashback. I saw Styx in 1977 in Halifax. Show was in a high school gym but still sounded great. It was on the Grand Illusion Tour. No money for a t-shirt though
I had this song, Fooling Yourself and Come Sail Away completely memorized when I was in Junior High, playing the album daily. The lyrics are pretty meaningful.
Hi Brad & Lex, I played as a backup band in 1976 when they were a newer band and we played to 5000 plus concert goers and I got goose bumps when they clapped for us😁
one of my all time favorite bands growing up in the late 70's and early 80's. they have so many great songs and Tommy Show is very underrated on guitar
My freshman year in high school. I wore the album, eight track and cassette out listening to the masterpiece. It’s rare to buy an album back in the day and drop the needle on side A until it’s finished then flip it over to do the same to side B. Their live show is always stellar.
This was the first album I purchased when Wal-Mart opened in the suburb where we lived. It had to be between 1978 and 1980. Prior to that I had to go into the city to a Peaches Record Store to purchase music. And being before I was able to drive that wasn't very often.
I saw Styx perform back in the 70's...Styx and REO Speedwagon were music scene staples here in Central Illinois. They were never my cup of tea but I could always appreciate their abilities. I saw them this past April for the first time in over 40 years. My friend had an extra ticket so..Why Not. They're a different band without DeYoung which some diehard fans can't seem to move past. And they're still not my cup of tea but their drummer, Todd Sucherman, is an absolute beast....one of the very best in the business. He is the main reason I wanted to see them. And to be honest, their newest album 'Crash of The Crown' is actually pretty darned good in spots.Definitely worth a listen if you're a Styx fan.
