Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.

The legendary Styx masterwork, The Grand Illusion is absolutely one of the most important albums of their long career and one of the finest examples of mega classic arena rock you could ever experience. Filled with hits like "Come Sail Away," this watershed multi-platinum album continues to be one of the most revered albums in rock history, remaining many weeks in the upper rungs of the charts. Friday Music is very honored now to present once again The Grand Illusion, which also begins our Styx 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl Series. Complete with gatefold LP cover. Mastered by Joe Reagoso & Kevin Gray

The legendary rock superstars Styx continued their arena rock assault in 1978 with their multi-platinum favorite Pieces Of Eight. Rockers like Tommy Shaw's "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man," plus Dennis DeYoung's "Pieces Of Eight" and "Lords Of The Ring" enhanced their prog-rock sounds to new heights as the rock and pop music buyers were thrilled to hear these epic sounding tunes. Friday Music is very proud once again to offer the audiophile dream releases of the Styx catalog with their 1978 mega-classic Pieces Of Eight. Mastered impeccably from the original A&M tapes by Joe Reagoso and Kevin Gray.

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2009.

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2009.

A sea of synths and the soaring vocals of Dennis DeYoung helped this 1975 LP and its single Lorelei become sizable hits. Also includes the rousing album opener Light Up ; the dramatic ballad Suite Madam Blue ; the fan favorite Lonely Child , and more!

Considered one of classic rock's greatest bands, Styx has continued to tour the world, introducing new fans to the songs that propelled them to the upper reaches of the charts in the mid to late 70s. Regeneration is a 2CD set featuring 15 classic songs re-recorded with the current lineup of James Young, Tommy Shaw, Chuck Panozzo, Lawrence Gowan, Ricky Phillips & Todd Sucherman, along with a new song "Difference In The World". Of the 15 re-recorded songs, 13 are Styx classics that still remain part of their live set, and the other 2 songs are Styx's interpretations of "High Enough" and "Coming Of Age" from Damn Yankees, a band which Tommy Shaw was a part of.

Regeneration has only been available at the merch stands during Styx concerts. This is the first time it is commercially available.

Styx may have had their musical roots in the UK's burgeoning late-'60s/early-'70s prog-rock bombast, but they were true pioneers in at least one sense: The Chicago-bred quintet virtually defined the hugely successful "corp rock" boom that followed a decade after prog's original fortunes tarnished. And if that label suggests a certain sense of the formulaic, in Styx it actually denoted a band with sharp ears and a shrewder sense of rock history, attested to immediately here by the Yes-inspired harmonies of "You Need Love" and the staccato rhythms of the Beatles' "Getting Better" on "Winner Take All." This 35-track double-disc anthology charts a course from sudden fame to its sometimes stormy aftermath, spanning the band's 1972 debut and its resilient 2003 comeback contender, Cyclorama. But after working their way up from the Grand Funk-worthy, meat 'n' instant potatoes of "Rock and Roll Feeling" and bald-faced melodramatics of "Lady" and "Come Sail Away" to the gutsier edge of "Blue Collar Man" and "Too Much Time on My Hands," rising tides of punk and new wave began to erode their younger demographic. And by the time "Babe" gave way to the faux techno of '83's "Mr. Roboto," even those sympathetic to the band's hook-rich, prog-lite sensibility seemed restless. Still, their Tommy Shaw-dominate output in the '90s and beyond showcased a band that had subtly matured from their arena-rock cliché salad days. --Jerry McCulley

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2009.