Sold Date: September 24, 2018
Start Date: August 26, 2018
Final Price: $32.99 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 34418
Buyer Feedback: 50

Styx ‎– The Grand Illusion Label: A&M Records ‎– SP-4637 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Goldisc pressing  Country: US Released: 1977 Genre: Rock Style: Classic Rock Tracklist Hide Credits A1The Grand Illusion Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young* 4:36 A2Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) Lyrics By, Music By – Tommy Shaw 5:29 A3Superstars Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*, James Young (3), Tommy Shaw 3:59 A4Come Sail Away Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young* 6:07 B1Miss America Lyrics By, Music By – James Young (3) 5:01 B2Man In The Wilderness Lyrics By, Music By – Tommy Shaw 5:49 B3Castle Walls Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young* 6:00 B4The Grand Finale Lyrics By, Music By – Dennis De Young*, James Young (3), Tommy Shaw 1:58 Companies, etc. Pressed By – Goldisc Recording Products, Inc. Recorded At – Paragon Studios Remixed At – Paragon Studios Mastered At – The Mastering Lab Published By – Almo Music Corp. Published By – Stygian Songs Phonographic Copyright (p) – A&M Records, Inc. Credits Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Twelve-String Guitar – Tommy Shaw Art Direction – Roland Young (3) Bass, Vocals – Chuck Panozzo Design [Album] – Chuck Beeson Drums, Percussion, Vocals – John Panozzo Engineer, Producer [Assistance], Remix – Barry Mraz Engineer, Remix – Rob Kingsland Guitar, Vocals – James Young (3) Keyboards, Synthesizer, Vocals – Dennis DeYoung Lead Vocals – Dennis De Young* (tracks: A1, A4. B3, B4), James Young (3) (tracks: B1), Tommy Shaw(tracks: A2, A3, B2)  Management – Derek Sutton Mastered By – Mike Reese Photography By – Jim McCrary Producer, Remix – Styx Notes Pressed by Goldisc Recording Products, Inc., Holbrook, NY. Copies came with a folded poster Recorded and Remixed at Paragon Recording Studios, Chicago, Illinois Mastered at the Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, California All selections published by Almo Music Corp. and Stygian Songs (ASCAP)

USA FIRST PRESSING VINYL ALBUM WITH FRONT HYPE STICKER, POSTER AND ORIGINAL PRINTED INNER SLEEVE.

MATRIX:  SIDE A: SP-5011-M5 TML-M ◁22399 I GOL /  SIDE B: SP-5012-M4 TML-M ◁ 22399-x I GOL.

SLEEVE: EXCELLENT MINUS, STILL IN OPENED SHRINK WRAP WITH ORIGINAL HYPE STICKER.  POSTER EXCELLENT,  INNER SLEEVE NO SEAM SPLITS.

DISC[S]: EXCELLENT MINUS. NO SCRATCHES, JUST A FEW LIGHT HAIRLINES. CLEAN LABELS.

Why buy a first or early pressing and not a re-issue or a ‘re-mastered’ vinyl album?

First and early pressings are pressed from the first generation lacquers and stampers. They usually sound vastly superior to later issues/re-issues (which, in recent times, are often pressed from whatever 'best' tapes or digital sources are currently available) - many so-called 'audiophile' new 180g pressings are cut from hi-res digital sources…essentially an expensive CD pressed on vinyl.  Why  experience the worse elements of both formats?  These are just High Maintenance CDs, with mid-ranges so cloaked with a veil as to sound smeared.  They are nearly always compressed with murky transients and a general lifelessness in the overall sound.  There are exceptions where re-masters/re-presses outshine the original issues, but they are exceptions and not the norm.

First or early pressings nearly always have more immediacy, presence and dynamics. The sound staging is wider.  Subtle instrument nuances are better placed with more spacious textures. Balances are firmer in the bottom end with a far-tighter bass. Upper-mid ranges shine without harshness, and the overall depth is more immersive.  Inner details are  clearer.

On first and early pressings, the music tends to sound more ‘alive’ and vibrant.  The physics of sound energy is hard to clarify and write about from a listening perspective, but the best we can describe it is to say that you can 'hear' what the mixing and mastering engineers wanted you to hear when they first recorded the music.