Come Sail Away - Styx | Andy & Alex FIRST TIME REACTION! 

If you're going to hit a full album, "The Grand Illusion" is easily their best, IMO. Absolute classic.

it is criminal that styx is still not in the rock and roll hall of fame.

''Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)'' is phenomenal on multiple levels. Just a fantastic listen that never gets old. Guitarist Tommy Shaw shows off his stellar lead-singing chops.

This song has always been a constant favorite throughout my life. “Suite Madame Blue” is another great one to check out. It takes you on quite a musical journey.

No Auto-Tune or Pro Tools. Just a group in a studio using analog tape and mixing boards... making art.

God this whole "Grand Illusion" album is soooo good. As far as pure bangers go "Miss America" crushes "Renegade" Dudes on boats- hahahaha

You need to check out another Styx song, Lady. It's another song that starts slow, but kicks in with a driving beat and reaches an amazing crescendo at the end.👍

Doesn’t get any better classic rock than Styx Grand Illusion. Love this era.

The Grand Illusion album is a complete masterpiece.

This is an excellent album. The original LP was made from different colored vinyl. I had a green one and a yellow one, they also came in red. My favorite track is Man in the Wilderness, with honorable mention for Miss America, a banger

That song still gives me the chills after all these years ...

Styx are an awesome band. They played at my brother's prom in Chicago before they were even known.

this was a high school staple my junior and senior years in the late seventies. they always put on a great concert also. hope you enjoy.

Dennis is a theatrical genius, while Tommy is a guitar monster. Styx earned their place in history. Have a great day!

My local rock radio station used to, once a year around July 4th, play the 500 most requested songs of the year. 15 years after this song was released, it was still the 3rd most requested song behind Won't Get Fooled Again and Stairway To Heaven.

Suite Madame Blue is the one Styx song that still gives me goosebumps.

One of the greatest rock songs ever...for sure.

My very first Styx album. It was so cool hearing this for the first time in 1977. To think this was just everyday radio airplay when I was 19 still blows my mind.

Styx did a lot of great songs, but if you want to hear another S tier candidate, you should do "Suite Madame Blue."

And they're not in the sham that is the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame. Awesome song!

STYX puts on a fantastic show ❤...this particular song is a highlight ✨️

The quintessential Styx album is The Grand Illusion, which had Come Sail Away on it.

Takes me back to High School. What a fantastic time to be alive!! Man, I miss those days!!!

"Come Sail Away" is part of a specific sub-category of Styx songs; there are only three of them and they are far and away my favorite Styx recordings. In order: "Lady" (from Styx II/1973), "Lorelei" (from Equinox/1976) and "Come Sail Away" (Grand Illusion/1977). All were written and sung by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, all three start with a soft keyboard intro before exploding into a chugging rock rhythm, and all climax with a blazing guitar solo by Dennis' brother James. You need to hit the other two, or do a special video where you play all three back-to-back-to-back. I've seen them do all three live and they kick ass.

"I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had" hit me even when I was a kid.

The Drummer for this band has to be one of the best ,!

1977 This song, and Cold as Ice by Foreigner dominated the top 40 radio for rock tunes 😎 all the players rock, but John's Drumming is 'S' tier perfection 🥁🤘! John Ponozo and Myron Grombocher from Benetar are so overlooked by the masses and are truly awesome drummers!

So much good music from my teen years in the 70's. So much of Styx's songs never got airplay and are so good and deep. Their albums Equinox, The Grand Illusion, Pieces Of Eight, Cornerstone, Paradise Theater were all must haves.

The Grand Illusion album is totally killer!! Other songs like Castle Walls, Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man), Man In The Wilderness, Miss America, are all fire!

My first concert ever was Styx in 1981. The live performance of "Come Sail Away" was amazing and beyond description.

You guys GOTTA listen to Prelude 12/Suite Madame Blue next!

So happy you made this S tier. The entire album is a masterpiece. They were so on their game on this album! I was lucky enough to have this come out when I was in high school. Check out "Fooling Yourself" from the same album. Great example of using synthesizers to awesome effect.

Dennis DeYoung wrote the Styx standard song in this! Lady made me a fan, but CSA blew my mind. You should check out Suite Madame Blue, too.

Finally. One of my all-time favorite songs.

"You were the apple, of the public's eye" MISS AMERICA!

worthy of a full album review.

Tommie Shaw did a bunch of Styx songs with Daryl Hall on Live From Daryl's House!!! Great versions to check out on YT!! edit- Live From Daryl's House is coming back for a 7th season!

This has to be a playlist theme set with “After the Gold Rush” and “Children of the Sun.”

This was my high school graduating theme song.. Always brings back lots of memories! When I think of Styx, this is the song that comes to mind!

I love Eric Cartman's version of this. Once he starts singing it, he can't stop until it's done. :)

As overblown and silly as Styx sometimes get, I remember hearing this song at age 12 (1981 for me) and thinking this was indeed a perfect rock song. It does feel "dated" but hasn't lost any of it's magnificence. Really chuffed to see you guys enjoying it so much.

Great song! I’m a big fan of Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) from their Pieces of Eight album.

My personal favorites,, Styx "Suite Madame Blue" & "Lady"

About 20 years ago on WLS an AM station in Chicago Dennis was doing a live interview. A guy called in and told him he had bought a house that Dennis once owned. Dennis asked enough questions to know which house it was. He told the guy to go to the room in the back and to put a chair in the middle of the room looking out all the windows toward the woods and water. It was in that very place he had written "Come Sail Away".

When I was in college, at almost every party I attended someone would crank up this Styx song that had lyrics like “Light up, everybody. Join us in this celebration” and “I just need one hit to get me high. Because when I’m with you baby, I’m halfway high”. Does any Styx fans recognize this song? Pretty sure it was Styx.

Huge in junior high school. Staple at every school dance. If you’ve never seen the short lived awesome show Freaks and Geeks, this song is placed at the end of the pilot episode in a perfect scene capturing 1980 perfectly.

Styx is my mom's favorite band. My childhood was heavily formed around these songs, so i get massive wave of nostalgia every time i hear any Styx song. That intro specifically.

You two will love this song. With Styxx, you can never go wrong.

When I was a teenager, this was one of my favorite headphone songs...a lot going on here!

Great reaction A&A! Just wanted to say I really appreciate you reading the lyrics along with songs now - as with this tune, you may miss a lot of the content/enjoyment of a song without understanding the lyrics. Rock on, Gents!

Glad to see you two appreciate Styx. They are a great band that is somewhat underrated. "Crystal Ball", "Snowblind" and Half-Penny Two-Penny" are a few that should not be missed. "Paradise Theatre" is a good candidate for doing an entire album.

R.I.P. Styx..Truly Miss You My Brother & Friend.Gone But Definitely Not Forgotten🙏🏍

This is Styx’s signature song, much like “Carry On Wayward Son,” by Kansas. It’s amusing to look back to the 60’s and 70’s when we were listening to this, Zepplin, Yes, Moody Blues, etc while reading Tolkien because Peter Jackson made Tolkien cool and so many younger folks are rediscovering the music.

Dennis at his best. It sucks what has happened between Dennis and the rest of the band over the last 20 years. He was the driving force since "Lady." Tommy and JY and Dennis need to be locked in a room and not let out until they figure it out - and then maybe we will see them finally in the R&R HOF.

I saw Dennis on his last tour before the pandemic - his voice was amazing, still!!!

For me, this song is why the radio was so important. Just me, now, I might think of this song to play on Spotify or whatever, but I'd think "oh sure, I know that song" and never bother. On the radio a DJ played it for us, so we'd have to listen - and remember all over again how GOOD this was. That's the experience I got watching this video - gratitude for the reminder of how much I liked this song. Cheers guys

I had this on vinyl and used to listen to it all the time.

Hey guys, thanks for Styx. Styx was big in high school for me. Think new wave needs another minute. Check Romeo Void Never Say Never for a sick sax

The only thing better hearing than this song? Hearing it LIVE! Four times. And it never fails to blow your mind. Was standing up on the hill at Riverport Amphitheater, outside St Louis, at a Styx concert. The rain finally stopped. Tommy is tearing the guitar a new one. The guy next to me was like "man, does it get better than this?" Couldn't argue.

Fun Fact: Tommy Shaw has a famous daughter. You may have heard of her on RU-vid, FB, and other places on the interwebs... Hannah Shaw, AKA "Kitten Lady" 💖💖💖

YES!!! I suggested this to you all on your last Styx listen. GREAT song... GREAT!! Looking forward to seeing your reaction to the ending lyrics reveal! Grand Illusion, this one, as their record to hit entirely. Definitely their Magnum Opus/top of the curve!

"S"tyx. This song really encapsulates what made 70s era Styx so incredible....prog, hard rock, ballad, maybe even a bit psychedelic because of the middle instrumental section. Released on 7/7/77 The Grand Illusion album was released the same year as "Star Wars: A New Hope" so going from a ship to a starship made this song even cooler. Full album needs to be "The Grand Illusion" or "Pieces of Eight".

Great reminder of my high school days. Styx were my first rock concert. Had this album and wore the grooves off.

Now.....i have known this song pretty much my entire life. I guess from my mom playing it when i was like a toddler. lol BUT... ever since they used it in that closing scene on "Freaks and Geeks".... every time i hear it i remember that scene. Such a great moment. ❤ Super underrated

Their best albums are Paradise Theater, The Grand Illusion, and Pieces of Eight (which has Renegade). Other songs to hit from Styx are "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)", "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)", and "Suite Madame Blue", which is their epic closer to the Equinox album.

You gave both lead singers an S! Love it!

I saw Styx in concert doing this album and they sounded exactly like their recorded music. Great concert! Thank you for this reaction!

Haven’t heard it for a minute, and recalled the first time! A seductive, melancholy start building to full-on joy and wonder! Huge emotional range in one song. Loved your reaction.

Can't believe Styx is not in the R&R Hall of Fame.

Do a reaction to this entire album. There’s not a bad song on it. I saw Styx live again in June of this year and they still put on an amazing show!

This song set the tone for one of the greatest episodes of one of the greatest shows on TV - Freaks and Geeks.

Great reaction. I was fortunate enough to see Styx 5 or 6 times in he 70's and 80's. Always a great show.

Great analysis of the instrument mix. The bass and drum tone and mix have a finesse and sound that has not been replicated since. I recommend to listen to Grand Illusion from the same album, the mix is just as unique.

Styx had a hard line within the group between Dennis DeYoung’s ballads and Tommy Shaw’s hard rock songs. This is a perfect blend of them both. I wish they’d done more like this one.

Styx made a full concert video called Return to Paradise that was filmed at the Paradise Theater in Chicago before it closed. It’s a great live concert!

This is the kind of song you are grateful for having a good sound system or headphones.

Lots of airplay for this one back in the day.... hit Castle Walls for a special treat.

i still love this song to death. i have two specific memories of it: one, the sound of every girl in my 8th grade class going "AWWWWW!!!" when it came on during a dance, and two, the local news station in Denver used the music after the synthy break (when the guitars come ripping back in) on one of their commercials to highlight their new helicopter news team. I can't hear it without thinking of epic shots of this helicopter flying around Denver, lol.

I was 16yrs old when Grand Illusion came out. Driving & listening to it on 8-track over & over & over…

All STYX songs are perfect or damn close to it.... great reaction guys, thumbs up👍

Alex, that's what you give us all the time, a new appreciation for music we have always loved. Thanks guys

Can anyone explain why Styx isn’t in the Hall of Fame? They are masters at their craft and their induction is long overdue.

These guys BLASTED Live. Powerhouse live band! We really were of the ROCK PRIVILEGE era. Sooo many concerts! The live shows were where you found out just how strong a lot of these Classic Rock bands were. Even if you loved their music but had never seen them live, you’d be blown away by the concert power! The best bands prided themselves on their live performances. IT WAS A THING. A Very LOUD thing. Y’all really have no idea. No earplugs back then, not really much decibel level enforcement at all. It was common to be generally worthless the next day. That’s how it was done.

Love this! Styx was a favorite when I was in high school. I also loved the Paradise Theater album. We thought it was so cool because it had a hologram? design on it.

I'm gonna vote for doing "Snowblind". Not their biggest hit, but an immaculate song.

Their first version of Lady, their song Babe. Both will make you tear up. You’ll hear love songs like you’ve never heard before. Dennis DeYoung was a premier songwriter.

"So much cool." Yup! And I have a new appreciation for a CHANNEL I thought I already loved! Excellent reaction, guys. Starship-class.

Suite Madame Blue is easily my favorite Styx song. Need to hit it....another banger.

I would like "Miss America" next, because it hammers with a sledge. Hard to believe now that we all just had this stuff nonstop all over the radio back in the day, and seven dollar concert tickets to see any of it live, like that was normal. As far as albums, pick one at random: Crystal Ball, Cornerstone, Pieces of Eight, The Grand Illusion, Paradise Theater.

Styx was very different in this era then when they put out Mr Roboto in the mid 80’s. Some people like Roboto more, some people like this more and hate Roboto. But I think most Styx fans can agree that Paradise Theatre(it sounds theatrical, it’s really not that much) is a peak album of their’s. Boys, hit. That. Album.

Most Styx songs, are so well crafted it is sick. Their songs build up in various layers, into a crescendo of powerful emotional orchestral endings. Absolutely one of my favorite bands ever. Seen them live 8 times. As for the drummer…. John Panozzo, (R.I.P.)Sooooo underrated, sooooo under appreciated. He really should be ranked up with the likes of Danny Carey, Bonham, Peart, Bruford, Portnoy, Roger Taylor, and Ringo. The entire band during any one of their line ups, has been and is top of the class talent.

I think it’s easy to forget how good this song is. It had been a while since I just sat and listened to it like this. The ready of this album is pretty amazing too. I always liked the cover art too. Just brilliant. If you want to do a whole Styx album, this is the one to do.

You guys finally got back to my favorite band, and yes there's lots more. "Come Sail Away" has a lot of usual Styx elements in multiple movements: beautiful opening melody with Dennis' soaring voice and his piano that has a classical feel and pseudo-random high notes, tempo pickup with drums and guitars kicking in, keyboard or guitar solo(s), and then everything coming together in rockin' climax (you should see that in a live performance). Best album debate between "The Grand Illusion" and "Pieces Of Eight" has been around a while, and when the current lineup did some special shows playing the whole albums start to finish they did "The Grand Illusion" one night and "Pieces Of Eight" the next night (and plenty more songs afterwards). I'm with "The Grand Illusion" album being the best. It has all good songs, with maybe "Superstars" being the less appealing to me. It has the hit that shot them to rockstar status, "Come Sail Away", and the deep cuts that are loved (just never promoted as singles). Just take a look at my handle and you'll know how I feel about "CASTLE WALLS", which has deep meaning for Dennis DeYoung. The track before it, "Man In The Wilderness" is a meaningful song by Tommy Shaw - sort of a follow-on to his song "Crystal Ball"(which he wrote before joining Styx) in that he's questioning his path in life. "Fooling Yourself" is the second track, and the song that got me into Styx when I heard it on a friend's car 8-track tape player.

This is an incredible album. In my top 50 for the 1970s when Styx had a nice run.

I didn't sppreciate Styx when they were a thing but boy, howdy, I do now!!!! This song is genius and so so uplifting. The arrangement alone is so beautiful.

i was 17 years old when thsi came out, first car, 8 track, up loud, road music, singin at the top of my lungs, and many more hot songs on this album

Many thanks to Andy & Alex! 💎 Epic, right?

As others have said, this whole album is worth a review.

This came out during my senior high school year. Styx and The Babys were my first concert, so I have a soft spot for them. The Grand Illusion is easily their best album.

When I was in 9th grade in 1977/1978 my math teacher had a Grand Illusion poster on the wall in our classroom. He had actually gone to the concert and put it up and all of his students thought it was the coolest thing.