I had it but sold it. I have all the originals, plus a lot of Japanese pressings. There was no reason for keeping the boxset and I wasn't much impressed by the sound, as I remember it.
Crystal Ball (song) Just wanted to chime in that this song is in my top 5 of all Styx songs. It's phenomenal. The acoustic start, the buildup, the heavy release of the chorus, and two of the best solo's that Tommy has recorded that just fit the sound of the record perfectly. I've always found interesting is that after the verses, it just never goes back to the verse. It's like AABC(solo)BC(solo outro). I had never heard that original version he did for Harvest. It's such a strong song, that it easily works in a couple different styles. I'm glad they "Styxified" it though, and had a single lead vocal. It's a very personal song and should be sung that way. It's incredible that he wrote this song at what, age 22 or so?
Your command of English is fine on this thread. I've enjoyed all your contributions. Don't worry too much about the lyrics. Even most native English speakers were somewhat perplexed by the plexiglass toilet.
I always thought Crystal Ball was a great live track when extended out with the extra verse. If you should see me walking Through your dreams at night Would you please direct me Where I ought to be I've been looking for a crystal ball To shed the light To find a future in me To find a future in me Also surprised that it wasn't a bigger hit at time of original release. Mademoiselle was likely a more obvious attempt at a hit but not as good of a track.
Going back a bit, just found this version of "After You Leave Me". I had no idea MGM had a record label.
I was about to respond immediately after your post but didn't want to spam the thread. Chrystal Ball is a catchy tune indeed. After hearing (or even talking about it) it, it really sticks (or springs) into my mind for days, if not for weeks. When I read your post I had it pooped up several times that day. Crystahal Baaa-haaaal - love it, but it's almost a bit painful, as I can't really get it out of my head, once it started.... Thank you very much for the compliment, that is very kind! Although it now reads, that I was fishing for it (which I wasn't, honestly). l get some help from Grammarly, to be honest - otherwise, I would be completely lost in prepositions. But overall it improved a lot since I overcame the hesitation to post, without overthinking it. Anyway, I gladly take your advice and leave the toilet to the young kid and move on!
If setlists are to be believed Styx have added "A Man Like Me" to the current set list. If true it is kind of an odd choice. If I were to pick a WN era song for JY to sing today it would not be "A Man Like Me". Styx Setlist at Sweetwater Performance Pavilion, Fort Wayne
Didn't think you were fishing at all! I'm useless at languages. Before covid, I used to holiday in Germany regularly but after more than a dozen visits, I can barely order a beer in German.!
Beer is probably the best reason to come here (and you need only a couple of fingers to order it!!) - at least if you're a purist like me. For me, the art of beer is to produce something great with 3 ingredients only (not much of a craft beer fan). Although I love a good stout and that's rather your domain... But that's going totally off-topic - sry!
I found a gem this morning, not even really looking for it. Rock & Roll Feeling from 1976 live! Had no idea they every played this tune in the A&M days. You can check out the whole show or FF to 32:56
Ok, I heard from someone who attended the show in Ft Wayne last night and they did NOT play "A Man Like Me" so the setlist site is wrong. It should be "Man In The Wilderness".
Apologies if this has already been discussed on here, but for those who have the BGO reissue/remaster of The Grand Illusion, has anyone else notice the audio glitch at the beginning of "Man in the Wilderness"?
I got Crystal Ball from a dollar bin around ten years ago out of curiosity (as back in the day I never owned a Styx album earlier than Pieces Of Eight). I remember thinking that the individual bios on the inner sleeve were cool, and that Tommy Shaw's title track outdid the rest of the album by far.
Are you referring to the match striking? On the remasters it is louder and many people think it's a glitch. I bet that's what you hear. Listen closely and it is a match being lit.
I have my original gold vinyl version. It's really more yellow but sounds great. The poster has four pin holes from being on my teenage room wall.
Crystal Ball. Not one of my favorite Styx albums at all....but at least it is somewhat short! Put Me On (5/10) - Decent opener. Quite some time back I took what I thought were the best tracks from Equinox and Crystal Ball, and this started the cd off and went right into Mother Dear. I still can't hear Put Me On without anticipating the sped-up tape to transition into MD. Mademoiselle (4/10) - I guess it made a good choice for a single, but I just never really understood its appeal. Seems pretty generic, but notable for being Tommy's first lead vocal. Jennifer (3.5/10) - Nauseating lyrics, but good harmonies. Truthfully, the ending is the best part....it gets skipped more often than not. Crystal Ball (7/10) - One of my favorites. The lyrics have stood the test of time, and are still relatable today. The harmony vocals give me goosebumps. Just checking on chart peaks, and this gem reached a whopping #109?? Unbelievable. Shooz (3.5/10) - Why, Tommy??? A masterpiece followed by this goofy rocker? I see that this is a co-write with JY......let's just blame him for this. This Old Man (5/10) - For years I avoided this song based on its name alone....I thought maybe it was a version of the nursery rhyme. Not all that bad, seems to contain melodic elements of "Suite Madame Blue" and what would become "Pieces of Eight". Clair de Lune / Ballerina (4/10) - The only word that comes to mind? Flaccid. Okay, maybe predictable as well. Much like Jennifer, the outro is by far the best part of this song....nice solos. This album as a whole really doesn't do anything for me...I wouldn't be surprised if tonight was the first time I heard the whole record start-to-finish since I first bought it many moons ago. All in all, it is a momentary dip in quality following the addition of Tommy Shaw, but as we know, it's about to get a WHOLE lot better.
Crystal Ball (Album): Tommy joins and the classic line-up is born. The stage is set.... ...Well almost anyway. So Crystal Ball is not as good as Equinox; It's still listenable in my book and is miles better than the WN era. Put Me On:A solid opener to kick off the album. The music great here and just off the wall in its execution. I love it. It reminds me of a silly version Chicago's Introduction. Mademoiselle: It's a decent pop-rock tune. Not my cup of tea, but it features Tommy and with that, I like it enough not to skip it. Jennifer: Like Lonely Child from the previous album, never cared for the lyrics. Musically, it's a great and I just get caught up in it to forget about the words. Crystal Ball: A Classic! Everything is great here:Tommy's voice, The harmonies, the acoustic intro building up into this melodic rocker and I love the synth in the middle section; It just adds a mystical feel to the song. Like I said, a classic and a memorable track. Shooz: A bluesy rocker that would make ZZ Top proud. It's a fun song even with the silly lyrics. This Old Man: ..and now some prog from DDY. I like this track. Great guitar work here and of course the hard hitting percussion is pretty memorable. Clair de Lune / Ballerina: Always loved this combo from the first time I heard it. The intro, as simple as it is, paints an image of the ballerina from the following song, dancing along to it. I do love the build up during Ballerina; It's powerful with its strong guitar work, Dennis's vocal delivery and the Panozzo's tight rhythm section all come together nicely. Like I said, I find it enjoyable.
The Grand Illusion – 7/7/77 1. The Grand Illusion 4:36 2. Fooling Yourself 5:29 3. Superstars 3:59 4. Come Sail Away 6:07 5. Miss America 5:01 6. Man In The Wilderness 5:49 7. Castle Walls 6:00 8. The Grand Finale 1:58 Considered by most to be the best Styx album, they were truly at their peak. The title track: Dennis had the title of the song for a couple of years. “It’s funny, I had that title during Equinox. A friend of mine brought it up to me while we were recording. He asked ‘Whatever happened to that title The Grand Illusion?’. I said that was a good title and it really fits how I feel about the whole atmosphere in America. You see things in advertisements and TV, radio. They present lifestyles, they present images that are by and large false. It sets up disappointment. When you see all these images you feel yourself a failure. You feel like you’ve missed out on something, that somebody else has the answers and somebody else really is living the life that you’re missing out on and you feel less because of it. So the song was my way of saying don’t be fooled by all the things you see because it’s not reality”. Tommy came up with the intro of the song. Fooling Yourself was also a group arrangement. Dennis heard JY play a keyboard lick and used it for the intro of the song. Tommy: “In a way that song was from me to Dennis. The rest of us were happy at the time but Dennis wasn’t getting the same joy. I was trying to tell him there was all this great stuff going on, and to enjoy it more”. Superstars was also about the falsehood of fame. JY: “We were starting to realize stardom wasn’t all it was cut out to be. Although you’re still the same guy as before, other see you differently”. Come Sail Away. The song’s guitar riff came from an MS Funk song called “Ain’t Gettin’ Down For You". JY wrote the middle section. Dennis: “I was pretty depressed when I wrote Come Sail Away, and that’s why I wrote it. A lot of times I write songs to remind myself what I should be thinking rather than what I am thinking. Come Sail Away was about escaping”. Side 2 starts with Miss America but it is not the first song he presented for the album. He originally submitted a song called “Chain Me Down” and the band recorded it (lost song folks!!). However Dennis encouraged him to come up with something better and he wrote Miss America. JY: Miss America was inspired by Jethro Tull’s Minstrel in The Gallery & Locomotive Breath”. (As a side note JY would re-record “Chain Me Down” with Jan Hammer for his City Slicker album). Man In The Wilderness – Tommy: "That was me saying wait a minute. I’ve got everything that I thought I wanted, people are making a big fuss over me and some things personally aren’t so great but they are looking at me like they are great. It was confusing for me. It wasn’t that bad but it was worthy of writing a song”. Castle Walls, inspired by The Exorcist. Dennis: “Here we are, tough guys in a rock band. It wasn’t gonna scare us because it’s just a movie. I was rooming with Chuck and he asked if we could sleep with the lights on after we saw it". Dennis modified Tubular Bells to make the haunting midsection. The album ends with The Grand Finale covering the themes in earlier songs on the album. Chuck Panozzo designed the album cover (drawn/painted by Alton Kelley & Stanley Mouse) adapted from a print by Belgian artist Rene Magritte. “I was very proud of the end product. I felt strongly about the album. And I think it was the right choice”. The Grand Illusion went on to sell 3 million copies peaking at #6 on the Billboard charts and stayed on the charts for 2 years. Critics panned the album. Rolling Stone reviewed the album as “a parking lot full of whale vomit”. JY: “Maybe a little whale vomit but a whole parking lot?!” And here begins STYX STYNX! Derek Sutton: “I was so tired of reading the Styx Stynx comments that I instructed A&M to not send out copies of the album to the printed press. Any requests for albums had to come through me”.
The Grand Illusion is my favourite Styx Album. I think every track is good with the exception of the The Grand Finale. Rolling Stone critics tended to have huge biases against this type of music. Styx was a band destined to be pulled over the coals by them. I think the important thing is 3 million people bought it and likely most loved it. As I mentioned before I have my gold vinyl version still. I pull it out at least once a year for a spin. Holds up very well. Sounds as good now as it did in the late 70s when I bought it.
My vinyl copy is from Friday Music. It is a gatefold cover but nothing spectacular. The gatefold just has the lyrics that were printed on the inner sleeve. It sounds good as far as I can tell. It did not come with the poster but a friend sent me a mint condition poster and I have it with the record.
I remember hearing this song when I was young. I knew it was Styx but did not know the name of the song or what album. I thought they were singing "It's A Miracle"! So I would search albums for a song called "It's A Miracle". There were some older teens that would sometimes give us a ride to church on Sundays and they would crank up this 8-track tape on the way there (I did not know the name of the album). When I discovered The Grand Illusion I was 9 years old (1980). It was in the collection at home and I listened to it for Come Sail Away. I never even played Side 2, only Side 1 over and over and loved every song. I still searched for "It's A Miracle" with no luck. Finally one day I decided to put on Side 2. Opening track - Miss America! Then began my Styx obsession at the young age of 9. While not my personal favorite album it is definitely one of the best. Lucky 7's. 7th album. Released 7/7/77/ 7 full length songs. The 3 founding members had 7 letters in the their last names.