Tommy Shaw, a 22 year young man joined the band, wrote, sang an played the acoustic and electric guitar for this great song and others in his debut album. Simply amazing.
I had a Styx poster on my wall for YEARS. Totally wore out my Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight cassettes. Tommy Shaw was a huge talent injection for the band. Dude is still kicking ass today.
This is why Styx is still selling out concerts even today. I saw them at the Arkansas Music Pavilion just a month or so ago and they're still this good.
Once Shaw joined the band they really took off. All of their subsequent 70's albums were classics. If you like these guys there is a LOT of material for you to explore.
Styx had eight songs that hit the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Seven of their eight top 10 singles were written and sung by founding member and lead singer Dennis DeYoung. Just saying.
I was at this concert on my very first date. I was 15, and my mind was blown! In October this year, I'm going back to see them live again! Beyond excited. Great review, thanks!
I love Styx and saw them in concert for the first time in 1983. This is my favorite Styx song but they have a great catalog of music. Dennis DeYoung is one of the best lead singers in all rock music. Hit Come Sail Away and Lady.
Lordy! Kansas is a SalvoG shaped rabbit hole if ever there was one -- more so than any reactor I've ever encountered. Seriously. "Point of Know Return," "Miracles out of Nowhere," "Dust in the Wind," "Icarus -- Bourne on Wings of Steel" are EPIC. Just choose your portal. Infinity awaits. ...The Emissary has spoken. That'll be $20. (-;
I really enjoy watching these because it reminds me of how lucky I was to be young when these were new. And Tommy was just a kid when he was playing this
Thanks for reacting to this classic. This song is neglected. More people should be into Styx. They were one of the titans of 70s arena rock for sure. Also, Metal Guru Messiah has some dope videos for classic rock songs. And he uses really high quality audio in his videos.
Shaw's outro guitar piece here is still so fresh; love it. Their subsequent album sports "Fooling Yourself" and the title track "The Grand Illusion," but following that they really did ply the commercially-popular tides. So much talent, though.
I was lucky enough to get all of their albums when they came out ...I was born in 65 and I believe that I am so lucky to be alive when I was all this great music from the 50s 60s thanks to my mom ..70s from my older brother... 80s I discovered on my own and the 90s music came from my kids
One of my favorite songs by them, along with "Man in the Wilderness". Seen them in concert back in the mid 70's, along with Foghat, it was such a great concert, but I was so stoned I couldn't even tell you what they played, I just remember it was kick ass
Tommy was the lead on Renegade. And you really have to hear Come Sail Away. I saw them live recently and they have so many great songs they actually didn’t play all of them.
Man in the Wilderness, Queen of Spades, Miss America, Half Penny Two Penny, Blue Collar Man, Snowblind, Renegade, Castle Walls, The Grand Illusion, Lorelei, Boat on the River, Midnight Ride. All amazing Styx songs you need to check out!
Also Tommy shaw was teamed up with Jack blades from night ranger( another group you would like) and ted Nugent in a group named Damn Yankees. Lots of great singing and guitar work.
This is my favorite Styx song. I actually wore the LP, cassette AND CD out. I've lost count of how many times I've seen them live. I have a Styx playlist on Spotify and I still listen to it occasionally. Also you should check out Pieces of Eight, Man In The Wilderness and Boat on the River.
I have to say how much I enjoy watching you kids discover these things that I have listened too hundreds of times over my lifetime - I am blessed to have graduated high school in 1981 and to have experienced that period of culture and music
So, now, that you have had the appetizers, do the whole Grand Illusion. All the songs are good, but all together there is a powerful concept being conveyed. The Grand Illusion helped me through High school with its words of wisdom and 30 years later I finally got to see them live. I have been lucky to have seen them 3 times now and " Man in the Wilderness" and "Grand Illusion" and "Fooling yourself" brings tears to my happy soul.
I believe the trivia on Tommy Shaw is that he used to be a roadie who used to be in charge of taking care of the guitars for the road shows. Tuning safety cleaning Etc. But then when the availability came in for a second guitarist behind Mr Young, he took it or he got it, and then after that he was stellar
I'm 54 years old, own several Styx albums, and have honestly never heard this song until just now. Skimming through the record store bins in the 80's, I can't recall ever seeing this album, and never heard it played on the radio. Can anyone help me out? Was I living in an alternate universe where this album didn't exist?
1976 was such a great year for music that this album sort of got lost in the shuffle. Limited airplay on radio but it was competing with some classic releases that year. Eagles-Hotel California, KANSAS-Leftoverture, Heart-Dreamboat Annie, Steely Dan-The Royal Scam, Bob Seger-Nightmoves, Rush-2112, Aerosmith-Rocks,Boston-Debut, Thin Lizzy-Jailbreak. Boz Skaggs-Silk Degrees, Al Stewart-Year of the Cat, Jackson Browne-The Pretender, Lynyrd Skynyrd- Gimme Back My Bullets and Rory Gallagher-Calling Card (just to name a few) and this was the year of Frampton Comes Alive! The next year, 1977, Styx broke out with Grand Illusion and much more national exposure but there was as many great albums released that year also.
I keep meaning to give you props for how consistently you come up with fresh and fitting phrases for how this or that song makes you feel. You do so many tunes, it must be hard not to repeat yourself, and I haven't noticed that you have, so kudos to you! Obviously it has the desired effect of attracting eyeballs to your reaction vids, but stuff like "It.Gets.Better." and "I Just Can't Believe This!" is intriguing, helps lure us in, especially if we know the song you're raving about!
Love Styx. But years later he also joined a band called Damn Yankees. Super group. Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades from Night Ranger, Ted Nugent , and the drummer from newer lynard skyward. So g is Come Again.. you will like this one. Please give it a try.
Really like your reactions! Your voice is easy to listen to and your background music for your investigating before the song. Not loud and crazy with explosions like a lot of them. Thank you so much!!
I saw these guys twice. Back in '78 in Convention Hall on the boardwalk in Asbury Park. It's a little arena of about 1,500 seats. Then again in '83, in a larger arena for the "Kilroy Was Here" tour.
Put Me On is the opening song of this album. When I was a teenager I had four speakers in my room and many Styx fans don't know that if you listen to it in quadraphonic sound the sound will come from different corners of the room. Really cool. Great album and band.
I would love to see your reaction to Tommy Shaw with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra Blue Collar Man. It's listed like this on YT, "Tommy Shaw - Blue Collar Man (Sing For The Day!)". It's out of this world!
You sort of have to place Styx in their time to fully grasp the poetry behind their lyrics.. The 70s, and into the 80s, were trying times for the youth trying to find their way. The "hopeful 60s" with their societal change and protest counter culture were over. The children of the 60s were caught in the economic turmoil of the 70s and 80s oil crisis, the crush of stagflation, high unemployment and decline of manufacturing in North America. Two Styx songs really brought that angst to the forefront; Blue Collar Man and Crystal Ball. Blue Collar man was a lament that those blue collar jobs were rapidly disappearing leaving many young people stranded in the unemployment crunch. Crystal Ball asked the poignant question, where the hell were going and how to we get there; with "there" simply being able to work and live our lives in the midst of a world that seemed to not care if there were no jobs, sky high interest rates and no opportunity, no matter how hard you worked.
Live after Tommy does an extended wandering guitar solo, no fade-out but another chorus. Also, a few times Tommy has added his original last verse from when it was just an acoustic ballad(as he wrote before joining Styx).
46 years ago and they never found it - or they might have told us to turn back! Speaking of the words, "turn back", you will like "Fire On High" by ELO, and "Starrider" by Foreigner, which both have the same 'boss' factor that only songs in the '70s could sometimes have. Styx has 2 other hit slow tunes in this thoughtful vein - "Castle Walls", and "Man In the Wilderness". The other 'boss' instrumental I lump in with these is Alan Parsons title track "I Robot"... and here's one more tune for you, Queen " '39".
Shout out to Howard!! 👊🏽😁 He finds my weakness!! Had such a crush on Tommy Shaw. He mystically and musically weaved his way thru my life and gave me some of my most cherished moments and memories as a teen!! 😝 I believe it was a synth Dennis was playing, guy was always surrounded by keys. Saw them every year and twice-2 times same year, diff cites. STYX was my band until Dennis detoured. "Renegade" and "Man in the Wilderness" are my picks, but I'll take what you give me, until... I'll let you discover that bit. You've made my weekend. Thank you Howard!! 🤩 Thanks SalvoG!! ❤🥳
This song explodes in concert, they jam it out a bit more (t least they did when I saw them 40 years ago)My favourite song from this album is Ballerina due to the duelling guitar solos
