The Grand Illusion - Styx | College Students' FIRST TIME REACTION! 

That was a pretty intense poll we had a couple weeks ago...and we decided to dive into the runner up as an extra Thursday video for you guys!! Cheers all thanks for being awesome! 🙌🏻🔥

"Don't be fooled by the radio, TV, or the magazines. They'll show you photographs of how your life should be. But they're just someone else's fantasy." Those lyrics are even more relevant today, more than 40 years later, in the age of Instagram, Tic Toc, and "reality" television, and myriad other social media.

The 8 track that my girlfriend insisted we listen to EVERY time she got in my car until it finally disintegrated. We’ve been married for 42 years now...

Some other good tracks from this album are Come Sail Away (which got a LOT of radio play) and Fooling Yourself.

"Very Rush" yes, I see that but to my American 60 year old ears I hear more Kansas.

Suite Madame Blue is a MUST! Styx's masterpiece.

Most of the Dennis DeYoung vocal-led songs will have that twinge of broadway-esque vibrato...I like most Styx stuff, but I really prefer the Tommy Shaw vocals. "Crystal Ball" should be on your list, gents!

"Too theatrical". You nailed the very heart of the division in the band that eventually tore them apart. With Dennis DeYoung (singing here) wanting them to do more theatrical bombastic, almost "show tune" type, music, and Tommy Shaw and James Young wanting them to be more traditional rock-n-roll oriented. I always enjoyed both sides of Styx, though I favor Shaw and Young's songs more so than DeYoung's. This was also the very first album I ever bought as a teen.

Snowblind and Crystal Ball.

Dennis DeYoung sings this one - he's the more theatrical singer, and his songs get a bit more proggy and "big." Tommy Shaw sings most of the other songs you've responded to ("Too Much Time . . .", "Renegade," etc.). He tends to bring the rock and the grittier voice. I like Shaw overall better, but whole album listens really bring out DeYoung's contributions cuz the songs tend to be sequenced really well.

Grand Illusion is LOADED with hits. You need to hear the whole album.

"Sailin' Shoes-Hey Julia-Sneaking Salley through the Alley" by Robert Palmer. 9 minutes of funky goodness.

Styx, Rush and Queen came from the same era and were influenced by each other and bands that came before them.

"Someday soon we'll stop to ponder what on earth is this spell we under, we made the grade and still we wonder who the hell we are...."

Equinox, Crystal Ball and The Grand Illusion were their musical peak. They may gotten more popular after these, but purely in my opinion, this is where they peaked.

Saw them live at the late great Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, late 70s. We held lighters over our heads in those days, not iPhones. Good lord I'm old.

Suite Madam Blue has to happen soon.....

Try Miss America. A James Young tune.

"Lights", "Lorelei" and "Sweet Madam Blue"....

Midnight Ride, Miss America, Crystal Ball also good.

Dennis DeYoung is like the David Lee Roth, of Styx. He’s theatrical and over the top. Tommy Shaw is the cool guy. The Blue Collar Man, if you will. 😎

Guys, this is Prog Rock, but sometimes back in the day called Symphonic Rock. The whole album is meant to be an entire symphonic suite in the classical tradition using the Rock form. Sometimes individual songs are meant to serve a purpose within the suite rather than stand individually. From this album, Fooling Yourself and especially Come Sail Away work much better as stand alone songs. That said, the whole album is an exquisite example of Symphonic Rock and a terrifically realized blend of classical form and Rock styling. Styx, Kansas, ELP, and others were big in this genre back in the 70's. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody is a great one-off example. Not off this album, Styx's Suite Madame Blue is another one-off example with different "movements within the song itself. For the most part, Symphonic Rock songs were not meant to be individual "bangers", but that said, many became that anyway. As a form, Symphonic Rock has to be appreciated on its own terms. I would HIGHLY, HIGHLY suggest you try out Styx's Come Sail Away from this same album as a much better and more successful one song example of the form. Other Styx songs to try out are Fooling Yourself, Miss America, and Suite Madame Blue. You guys do great coming into these songs with no context and without being immersed in the zeitgeist of the time, and your intuition serves you well. Just open yourself a little more to other possibilities. Take a Yes or Pink Floyd Prog Rock sensibility, a Hard Rock style, and then put that into a Classical Music form and you almost have it! Thanks for your channel. I really enjoy listening to music with you.

As a 12 year old back in the late 70's, I bought 11 albums for a penny thru a record club. This was the Styx album that I picked because I thought their name was cool. Been a fan ever since. :)

You gotta do "fooling yourself"! It's a better multi-part song. This was a Dennis DeYoung song, whereas Fooling Yourself is a Tommy Shaw song. You can hear the different styles. Which is exactly the issue they had as a band over time.

This was a good song off a real good album. Would recommend Crystal Ball by them. It's a great song but not really the banger type, it's a thinker type of tune with great music and lyrics.

Listening to The Grand Illusion reminds me why I liked Styx when I was 18, then was bored by Styx before I turned 21.

They were a very good live band. Styx was my first concert in 1975. They opened for Mott the Hoople and headliners Kiss. Some good tracks when you dig deep in the catalog. I like Tommy Shaw as the leader singer better also.

For me, that was your best analysis of a song yet. Both of you. And I’ve heard them all. You’re getting good boys!

Got to see this done live waaay back in 1978 on their "Pieces of Eight" tour.

Thank you A&A for another great, detailed reaction....although honestly I did hope you'd enjoy this song more than you did. It's obvious that you have a lot of Styx fans who enjoy your channel so thanks for honoring your recent poll. There is such a tremendous amount of great music on The Grand Illusion album, their first concept album. Hopefully their biggest and most enduring hit from this album, "Come Sail Away" , is still on your radar. Always look forward to your reactions and congratulations on almost reaching 100,000 subscribers, and for good reason, best reaction channel on YT. Cheers.

From the same “Grand Illusion” album you should really try “Fooling Yourself” which Tommy Shaw sings. It was Dennis DeYoung on Grand Illusion and yes he does over do it sometimes with the precision and misses the “rock isn’t perfect vocals” thing.

The "theatrical" stuff is Dennis DeYoung, whereas the more mainstream stuff is Tommy Shaw. Knowing this, you can really tell whose "project" it is.

Suite Madam Blue is 🔥

I love you guys! Styx was my first ever concert with Paradise Theater. Grand Illusion is my favorite Styx album but the song is just a set up for the rest of the album. Fooling Yourself, Man in the Wilderness. Castle Walls, Miss America and of course Come Sail Away are all better songs. Please continue to dig deeper into that album as well as Pieces of Eight LP. Also the theatrics of Dennis is a major reason he no longer with band so its was contentious between them as well.

This wasn't meant to be listened to on it's own. It was an introduction, a 'Welcome', if you will, to the rest of the album. I remember playing this in the background while I did math homework.

Dennis DeYoung is a showman, more inclined to theatrical showmanship. Thus the precise vocals. JY and Tommy Shaw are the rockers.

Some Styx Bangers: Babe, Lady, The Best of Times, Crystal Ball, Suite Madame Blues, Mr. Roboto

Buffalo Springfield, For what it's worth, Five man electrical band, Signs

Been waiting for Styx! “Boat On the River” please?! 🎸❤️ eta: Liked your comments on this one. You guys always find things I’ve never noticed, really cool!

Suite Madam Blue, Come Sail Away, Crystal Ball, Miss America, Queen of Spades.

Gotta prepare for a presentation this morning...Oh look, A&A got extra candy!

My first concert, many many years ago!

Steve Miller Band - Swingtown brings back a lot of fond memories for me

Their live version of Lady and Mr Roboto are amazing as well.

Dennis DeYoung is a masterful singer & songwriter... He really was the main ingredient to the recipe that was STYX.

Love the lyrics of this one

Thanks for the bonus! Styx has some fun stuff... Suite Madame Blue is excellent too!

Styx Rocks !!

'Lady'is my favorite among their many great songs. Their 1st big hit. Killer harmonies. Beautifully done.

Poll idea- songs with ROCK in the title. 1. Rock On, David Essex. 2. Rock This Town, Stray Cats. 3. Heart of Rock N Roll, Huey Lewis & The News. 4. Theme from The Rockford Files, Mike Post.

Try a Styx song sung by Tommy Shaw. I suggest Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) from the same album.

The best part of this song are the lyrics. I've seen Styx 11 times. They are like an old friend in our house. Seen them in stadiums down to tiny little clubs. Never ever disappointed. Took my 6 year old son to his first Styx concert and he was singing the songs all the way home. Instant fan. That's just how good they are.

In college, there was a bar called “Grand Illusion”, right downstairs from my apartment which was above a store. Late 80s

It was nicknamed Pomp Rock for a reason. A lot of Styx stuff is a bit pompous or overblown/overdramatic. But they can rock it out on a lot of songs.

I would move towards REO Speedwagon and their hit Roll With the Changes.

Tommy Shaw rarely gets credit for being a great guitar player, but dude is a master at his art.

A great song with a great message . It got me through some dark days. This perfectly goes with the song Fooling Yourself.

Miss America is the best song on this album IMHO. I'm not a fan of Tommy Shaw's singing voice. I think he's a fine vocalist and musician, but there something shrill that bothers me. Personal taste I guess.

The Solos were two different guys, James did the first one and Tommy did the second.

RENEGADE is a total Banger

Glad you didn’t miss out on the Steely Dan track. And ... thanks for the extra reaction, Guys! The same message is found in a band you haven’t done yet - Little Feat’s “Keepin’ Up With the Joneses.”

As you pointed out the song make a little more sense in context of the whole album. This was definately an era where a lot of effort was placed on created thematic album rather just a collection of songs. The Album has some great cuts. "Come Sail Away with Me" is probably my favorite from the album. That song together with Billy Thorpe's "Children of the Sun", which I think you guys should check out, were two of favorite songs.

yeah, Dennis DeYoung has a very theatrical voice. Tommy Shaw & James Young weren't always in love with that direction...

More prog genesis ELP YES

In this deep bowl of high-octane sauce, they sound a LOT like Uriah Heep in the vocals, an English band from the 70's you guys really, really, really need to check out. The songs "Stealing" and "The Wizard." If you haven't already. They are a must to begin with. Thanks guys again for bringing back memories of my youth and the classic Rock of the 70's.

Didn’t care for Styx until Tommy Shaw came aboard. Perfect vocals

Love this song. Reminds me of the sentiment in Rush's Limelight and Spirit of the Radio.

Another great great great great song, Man in the Wilderness is phenomenal. Or Fooling Yourself. Tommy Shaw writes such an awesome songs

You guys would absolutely will love Castle Walls.... Thanks for bonus banger

Thanks for throwing us some extra candy! Great tune.❤

Hit the not as popular songs on this album, like Miss America and Man In The Wilderness. Of course, it's hard to argue against the radio hits Foolin' Yourself (Angry Young Man) and Come Sail Away. This was one of my first albums. Even before Rush and I LOVE Rush.

I saw Styx many years ago when they did "Paradise Theater Revisited" and it was probably the most theatrical rock show I ever saw. It was a rock opera with the songs flowing as a story. One of the best rock shows I ever saw.

Ok.. nice and early. The Tragically Hip for AnA. Lets go Canada. Vote up and like. Voices must be heard !

Saw them live for this album tour in the 70's. GREAT show.....always a favorite. Have seen them 3 or 4 times over 40 yrs.

"Come Sail Away" and "Lady" next, please

Think you have to keep in mind that Styx has 3 singers, songwriters, and 2 lead guitar players. The singer and writter of the song is not the one who wrote and sang "too much time on my hand". Dennis Deyoung has that theatrical element and has moved even more into that arena since leaving Styx. Also, the 1st guitar solo is Tommy Shaw and the 2nd is James Young that is why they sound so different

Fooling Yourself is the banger. Come Sail Away or Light Up are nice too.

I was a huge Styx fan as a 13 year old, around the time of Paradise Theater. I think I just outgrew this stuff around college and never went back to it.

I remember this tour. Good times.

been both a Rush fan and Styx fan since the 1970's, this is EXACTLY why I love watching these reaction videos, the music heard through fresh ears, I never picked up on the similarity between Rush and Styx....great observation

First album I ever bought. Miss America, Come Sail Away, Fooling Yourself, and Castle Walls are all from this album and are worth a listen. I put them al ahead of Grand Illusion.

Styx, along with Journey, Foreigner and Reo Speedwagon ruled the airwaves in the late 70's to early 80's.

I've always loved this album cover.

This Is Too Funny I just repurchased the remaster CD I remember Being 17 Years Young When I Album Came Out It Blew Me Away , Need To Hear A Up Dated Version , Sounds Better Then Before

Thanks for reacting to both Steely Dan and this! Love this tune. Please guys, react to Styx, Suite Madame Blue if you haven't heard it before. It's EPIC! Word of warning, it starts out a bit slow, but boy howdy does it pick up later in the song. And I feel it's a good song for EVERYONE in America to listen to in these troubling political times. Linkage - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CkkQPxoxJJY.html

I remember seeing them in a high school gymnasium concert with Atlanta Rhythm Section. All of Styx was awesome

Man in the wilderness is a great track off this album, great vocals and guitar work. It’s a masterpiece

It's always fascinating to watch Mr. Gowan play the keyboard behind his back. It's on a rotating stand and he's constantly spinning it. And then Tommy Shaw is absolutely fantastic!

Tommy's solo is great. And JYs playing (fills toward the end is so majestic as his playing always is) akin to Brian May's playing but definitely not trying to copy him.

Loved the ‘reminds me of ELP’ comment. Your breadth of musical history is so much wider now, I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt like a proud papa 👴 when they heard that! 😄

It’s probably just me but most of my favorite Styx songs are sung by Tommy Shaw , did he sing the song Snowblind? Cause I love that song too

Love waking up on a Thursday with nothing to look forward to, then getting a bonus A&A reaction. Made my day. Thanks guys. Still waiting on you to chk out some Savoy Brown. Try "Tell Mama" 1st then you'll be ready for "Hellbound Train" & "Street Corner Talking". You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Awesome concert song! Please do Renegade by them.

One of the guys from Styx used to live the down the street from me when I was growing up. He was nice. He had a sister that was quadriplegic; and he built a big ramp for her to use that ran up one side of his house.

Love Styx... You have to listen to A Day from the album Styx II

It's always a pleasant surprise when you gents post a video on a day I didn't expect one. Yay! 😻

Dennis DeYoung was the lead singer on this one. He considered himself the "leader" of the band, and they would've been singing Broadway showtunes if he had his way. He was kicked out of the band in 1999.

Also, Styx isn't Styx without Dennis DeYoung. He wrote a big part of their catalog and their biggest hits. Even when he wasn't taking the lead his backing vocals and keyboards added so much.

I loved Styx back in the day. Listen to this song a million times back then. Now it just sucks.

"Show you photographs of how your life should be." Great lyric in this era.