We haven’t talked about the band Styx yet, have we? That changes today.
The band released their seventh studio album on July 7, 1977. I hope that isn’t made up because that was a golden opportunity and I would be very sad if the band hadn’t taken it. Anyway, the album was called The Grand Illusion. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200, but it went triple Platinum in the U.S., the first of four consecutive multi-Platinum albums for the band. It sold so well that, in keeping the theme going, it was the seventh biggest album of 1978 in the U.S. This was thanks in large part to “Come Sail Away,” which became the band’s second top 10 hit on the Hot 100 and their first in four years. Sadly, it peaked at #8, not #7, but that was out of the band’s control. Let’s move on to talking about the album.
Styx started out as a progressive rock band, most notably on their first two albums. The first song on their self-titled 1972 debut was a thirteen-minute medley that included a cover of “Fanfare For The Common Man,” about five years before Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s cover. But at some point, Styx instead became an arena rock band that just happened to use prog rock synths. And that’s the version of the band you hear on The Grand Illusion. Personally, I really liked what I heard. The album reviewed well in addition to selling boatloads, so if you want some pretty good Seventies arena rock, I’d be willing to recommend The Grand Illusion. If you hate Dennis DeYoung, then at the very least you should listen to “Man In The Wilderness.” It was written and sung by guitarist Tommy Shaw, and it’s awesome.
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