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.
"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!
"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?
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!
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.)
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.
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.
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!! ✌️ ☮️ ❤️🇱🇷🎵🎶🎸
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
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 !!!
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!!
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!!
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!
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.
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.😂
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.
A solid album through and through. In addition to the great title song, it has Fooling Yourself, Miss America, Man in the Wilderness, Castle Walls, and the legendary Come Sail Away.
@@randallphobia8698 There are some definite thematic similarities to the part of CW that starts a little after 2:30 into the song... and Grand Illusion came out a year before Halloween did....
One of their best. Pieces of eight, is awesome. Aku, Aku, is a little weak. Compared to the high standard of the rest of the album. It,s not bad. Though. The Grand Illusion and Pieces of eight, are their best albums.
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
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.
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.
You're right Brad, it was in your face. You should have saw them live I did when I was 12 1977 the Grand illusion tour. The show was life altering, for myself anyway. the best presentation I had ever seen, because it was the first I have ever seen, it was my first concert , boy did it blow me away. I was hooked, instant STYX fan. It was my indoctrination into rock and roll. Played this album constantly in through my teen years. It tells the most amazing story from beginning to end. STYX , is one of those bands you got to listen to their album from beginning to end , instead of picking out individual songs from their playlist. Like Pink Floyd did. Anyway new subscriber. Enjoy you and lex reaction videos. They've been right up my alley, as to say. Cheers. 🦂
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.
YAY! Thank you! I have been asking you to play this for a year now. So glad you caught the gist of the lyrics and enjoyed the song. And yes, all of the instruments together ARE a bit much, but it definitely grabs your attention
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
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.
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’ve been listening to a lot of Styx (and many other big name bands and vocalists from back in the day…I’m 66 so there’s a lot,) w/Dennis DeYoung and his band & during his years with Styx and Tommy Shaw and now TS with the “official” Styx band. (You have to go back & read the break-up history.) Anyway, I’m sort of rediscovering the great bands of my youth and Dennis DeYoung was exceptionally gifted and wrote most of the big Styx hits. Tommy Shaw is also incredibly talented and, wow, they’re both still working. 😅I only listened to the biggest hits on the radio bc that was pre-internet and that was all I had.I was never too big on MTV lip syncing vids…they were too fakey for me. Thanks!
Actually this was the second album with Tommy. They released an album a year earlier called Crystal Ball that was Tommy's debut with the band. Agreed Man in the Wilderness is a good one to check out.
Styx had such a great sound then, with Dennis DeYoung (singing here and playing all kinds of keyboards, so well.) singing and playing keyboards like a monster. Giving the drums and guitars some fantastic soundscapes to really rock to. Lots more Styx: "Fooling Yourself"(the Angry Young Man) "Suite Madame Blue" "Babe" "Rockin' the Paradise" "Why Me?" "Too Much Time On My Hands" "Show Me the Way" "Nothing Ever Goes As Planned" "Light Up" "Great White Hope" "Don't Let It End" "Lorelei" "Pieces Of Eight" "Crystal Ball" "Lonely People" "Sing For the Day" "Snowblind" "Never Say Never" (more)
I see them everytime they're near. Great guys. Watch renegade and too much time on my hands with them and with cyo (Cleveland youth orchestra) they're at the place I've seen them most - blossom music center. So much fun
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😁
Like The Great Gatsby, this song is a classsic examination of the American Dream and our ability to reinvent ourselves while asking us to consider just what is real and just who we are trying to impress and how we should be authentic to ourselves. Underappreciated classic.
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.
Styx had some good theme albums (Grand Illusion being one) where the songs not only told their individual story but an overall story. I mostly listen to songs on random play now because technology but some albums I like listening to the entire album for the story.
Through the Seventy’s into the Eighties we saw them every time they toured in LA. A special show was when Cars jumped into the scene & opened for them !😀
My teenage years, I absorbed all my philosophy of life from rock lyrics. This was an important song to me.
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.
Now we know why you are amazing.
Ditto, the entire album. Castle walls one of my favorite
@@silverscorpion6487 Yes, that song speaks to me too.
"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!
But what about,,,,,,The Chosenites??? 🤔🤔🤔
For sure. Miss America is openly sarchastic, which I love. One of my Styx faves.
@@LordEagle i was thinking jeff dahmer😂
FACTS
@@LordEagle what the heck are The Chosenites?
"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.
Fooling Yourself is a good one too. Castle Walls is so underrated!
@@neilmccomsey9550 oh Castle Walls is freaking great. My fave on that album. Along with Man in the Wilderness.
@@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! 👍
also "Cornerstone"....I think they took a wrong turn after that
@@raymo6795 Cornerstone has some great songs on it though.
Blue Collar Man is another one of those in-your-face musical numbers that has a very deep, introspective lyric.
They've already reacted to it. Check it out 👍
yes
Miss America is another good one by them. When they toured with this album, I think the majority of my junior high school was at the show.
Paradise Theater was the big one for us when i was in HS
@@brianlamb7937 1981 was another great year for music. That album was great too.
1 of the best live shows , saw them at the Cow Palace for the Grand Illusion tour
Rest In Peace, Loretta Lynn.
Another legend!
☮️
Yes, just heard that news myself.😢
She was my late mother's favorite singer.
OMG didn't know. RIP Loretta...coal miners daughter done awesome 🙏🕊️💗
@@bethshadid2087 and You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man, one of my favorites of Miss Lynn's.
May she RIP.😢😢🙏🙏
I enjoyed her collaborations with Conway Twitty.
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!
well said
agree with "fooling yourself".
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?
Seeing them live was such a treat, they sound better live, than in their studio albums.....not many groups can do that
They were my first rock concert, circa 1977/78. Just fabulous.
@@sourisvoleur4854 Me too! But mine was for the Paradise Theater album in '81. Live is much better.
Rush
I saw them live and they sucked,sorry.
@@smithmark2773 Rush is/was much better!
I haven't heard this song in a couple of decades. I had forgotten how heavy that first solo is.
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!
Such a great song and album. Almost theatrical. Really cemented their career and spot in rock history.
And this song has a definite 70’s sound to it !!
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.)
Suite Madame Blue would be a good one, along with Lorelei.
Saw them do this live at a small concert venue in Asbury Park, NJ in 1978.
Brad & Lex, you'll love their "Too Much Time On My Hands" !!
This whole album was sooo freaking great. Positive messages, progressive rock sound, with his amazing vocals!
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.
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.
One of my favorite albums
Styx always had a great vibe
Styx were huge but still IMO underrated. Love The operatic and theatrical in their music
Yes, I have been waiting and asking for this reaction! Great song and group!
One of their best songs ever and I was super excited to see y'all react to this. Awesome!
Another great one by Styx is "Crystal Ball" huge amount of meaning in it
"Boat on the River" and "Sing For The Day" are also great. Tommy Shaw sings lea on those.
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!! ✌️ ☮️ ❤️🇱🇷🎵🎶🎸
Styx Greatest Hits album is a must have for any decent music library. So many great songs.
Poignant lyrics. Whole album is genius
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
Styx has been huge part of music even influencing South Park. Eric Cartman does hilarious rendition 😆😝😅😂
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 !!!
This whole album was Styx' crowning achievement, Every track bangs.
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!!
Three words: Queen. Of. Spades. ❤
Amen! Perhaps their best song!
Beware!
I've heard this a thousand times, but never read the lyrics. Some pretty good poetry.
Loved the comment about Rush.🥁. This whole Album Is EPIC. 😁❤🤘
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!!
Everybody that had this album back in the day wore them out! It was a way better time to be a teen than these days FR! Music used to be so good!
I recall they opened their concert with this song. Very appropriate. They put on a great show in 1977.
This might have been the first Styx song I heard back in 77/78. I went to their concerts and they were awesome!
Yeah,my favorite Styx 😁❤️🤗 thanks 👍
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 saw Styx on the “Grand Illusion” tour in Jacksonville, Florida, 1977-1978 when I was stationed at Ft Stewart GA. Great live show.
Great voice and musicianship❤🎶🙌👍
I’m 52 love that Styx and Foreigner never stop touring never saw them in their prime but have seen each 5 times since 2006
Tommy Shaw and James Young play so well together.
I believe you got the meaning of the song exactly right. Stay safe you two.
Their sound was always just huge.
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!
Such a good song, and so many songs to choose from with this band! Popping the myth about keeping up with your neighbors.
Enjoy how Lex gets so into these songs. Enjoy it, I grew up with all this music.
More STYX !
Another great album (was a really good concert tour) is Paradise Theater .. they had a phenomenal stage act for their tour show.
They have a good amount of uplifting songs.
Happy is not your possessions, happy is in your heart. You two are VERY happy!
Man In The Wilderness is another good song from this album.
I use to have this album wen it came out
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.
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.😂
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.
This is an old time favorite of mine. Listened to this way back in my Jr. High days .. back in the late 70's
Styx were a very unique band!! In the 70’s we absolutely related to them!!❤
A solid album through and through. In addition to the great title song, it has Fooling Yourself, Miss America, Man in the Wilderness, Castle Walls, and the legendary Come Sail Away.
Castle Walls & Man in the Wilderness are overlooked gems.
@@randallphobia8698 Castle Walls is a personal favorite of mine, and I've never heard it outside of the album.
@@GruffyddFO4 I’ve always thought that it was the inspiration for the music from Halloween,but I could be mistaken.
@@randallphobia8698 There are some definite thematic similarities to the part of CW that starts a little after 2:30 into the song... and Grand Illusion came out a year before Halloween did....
A cool deep cut track from Styx to check out would be "Queen Of Spades".
One of their best. Pieces of eight, is awesome. Aku, Aku, is a little weak. Compared to the high standard of the rest of the album. It,s not bad. Though. The Grand Illusion and Pieces of eight, are their best albums.
@@ssRocker-nn3tp I totally agree.
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
The lead singer sang all his hits with a local high school orchestra. Breathtaking.
Boat on the River is a great song by them, different, but great
The music has a grandiose sound because it is representing the "grand" illusion that most people buy into in life.
Foolin yourself is a good option. When I was seven years old, I watched my moms friends band in the studio play that song. And this song very killer.
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.
I agree with several comments, Man in the wilderness is a must listen. you won't be disappointed. Even has great Guitars, and Lyrics for Brad.
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.
You're right Brad, it was in your face. You should have saw them live I did when I was 12 1977 the Grand illusion tour. The show was life altering, for myself anyway. the best presentation I had ever seen, because it was the first I have ever seen, it was my first concert , boy did it blow me away. I was hooked, instant STYX fan. It was my indoctrination into rock and roll. Played this album constantly in through my teen years. It tells the most amazing story from beginning to end. STYX , is one of those bands you got to listen to their album from beginning to end , instead of picking out individual songs from their playlist. Like Pink Floyd did. Anyway new subscriber. Enjoy you and lex reaction videos. They've been right up my alley, as to say. Cheers. 🦂
To Much Time on My Hands is a great song by STYX!
Aloha guys, saw this tour 1978, very underrated band...Spot on reaction... Mahalo for this one...a hui hou
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.
YAY! Thank you! I have been asking you to play this for a year now. So glad you caught the gist of the lyrics and enjoyed the song. And yes, all of the instruments together ARE a bit much, but it definitely grabs your attention
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
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.
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
Happy.
Great song. Styx best. Love it dearly.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Styx (and many other big name bands and vocalists from back in the day…I’m 66 so there’s a lot,) w/Dennis DeYoung and his band & during his years with Styx and Tommy Shaw and now TS with the “official” Styx band. (You have to go back & read the break-up history.) Anyway, I’m sort of rediscovering the great bands of my youth and Dennis DeYoung was exceptionally gifted and wrote most of the big Styx hits. Tommy Shaw is also incredibly talented and, wow, they’re both still working. 😅I only listened to the biggest hits on the radio bc that was pre-internet and that was all I had.I was never too big on MTV lip syncing vids…they were too fakey for me. Thanks!
The first album with Tommy Shaw. 1977. Check out man in the wilderness.
Actually this was the second album with Tommy. They released an album a year earlier called Crystal Ball that was Tommy's debut with the band. Agreed Man in the Wilderness is a good one to check out.
@@danr4137 this is true. I forgot about that. Thank you.
I was thinking the same thing, man in the wilderness and castle walls
@@danr4137 Yep. Tommy came in for the "Equinox" Tour, after the guitarist quit, but Crystal ball was the first album he was on.
Styx had such a great sound then, with Dennis DeYoung (singing here and playing all kinds of keyboards, so well.) singing and playing keyboards like a monster. Giving the drums and guitars some fantastic soundscapes to really rock to. Lots more Styx: "Fooling Yourself"(the Angry Young Man) "Suite Madame Blue" "Babe" "Rockin' the Paradise" "Why Me?" "Too Much Time On My Hands" "Show Me the Way" "Nothing Ever Goes As Planned" "Light Up" "Great White Hope" "Don't Let It End" "Lorelei" "Pieces Of Eight" "Crystal Ball" "Lonely People" "Sing For the Day" "Snowblind" "Never Say Never" (more)
I see them everytime they're near. Great guys. Watch renegade and too much time on my hands with them and with cyo (Cleveland youth orchestra) they're at the place I've seen them most - blossom music center. So much fun
Lex reaction makes me want to both laugh and cry at
The same time 😂
Arena rocks! Smiling and grooven are in abundance, for sure with these well mastered musicians!
Thanks for STYX ...AMAZING this band is a GRAND ILLUSION....LITERALLY RNJOY THEIR MUSIC
The first two Styx songs should always be Suite Madame Blue and Crystal Ball .
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😁
I saw their "Paradise Theatre" and "Grand Illusion" tours back in the day. They have a lot of great songs to react to...
R.I.P. Loretta Lynn age 90, thank you for all your great music and stories over the years, condolences to her family and friends
Like The Great Gatsby, this song is a classsic examination of the American Dream and our ability to reinvent ourselves while asking us to consider just what is real and just who we are trying to impress and how we should be authentic to ourselves. Underappreciated classic.
Dedication and representation to this country, and world
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.
The triumphant musical tone you seem to be puzzling over represents the grand illusion, the triumphant face of success.
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.
One of my favorite albums. Good songs throughout. Individually and as a compilation.
Styx had some good theme albums (Grand Illusion being one) where the songs not only told their individual story but an overall story. I mostly listen to songs on random play now because technology but some albums I like listening to the entire album for the story.
It's interesting watching people who didn't grow up with this music talk about what they think. You guys are very thoughtful.
Through the Seventy’s into the Eighties we saw them every time they toured in LA. A special show was when Cars jumped into the scene & opened for them !😀
"Success walks hand in hand with failure along Hollywood Boulevard." --R.Davies