Released in 1976, Crystal Ball introduced Tommy Shaw to Styx and established a song that would remain part of the band’s live identity for decades.
by Paul Cashmere
Styx’s Crystal Ball turns 50 in 2026, marking the anniversary of the album that brought Tommy Shaw into the band and introduced two songs that would become important parts of Styx’s catalogue, “Mademoiselle” and the enduring title track.
Released in October 1976 on A&M Records, Crystal Ball was the sixth studio album from the Chicago rock band. At the time, it sat between the relative commercial success of Equinox and the breakthrough that would follow with The Grand Illusion in 1977, but its significance to the band’s future would prove considerably greater than its initial chart position suggested.
The album was Shaw’s recording debut with Styx. He had joined the group as a guitarist and vocalist, replacing John Curulewski, and his arrival changed the musical balance of the band. Crystal Ball gave listeners their first opportunity to hear Shaw as a songwriter and lead vocalist within Styx.
That introduction came immediately with “Mademoiselle”, written by Shaw and Dennis DeYoung. Shaw sang lead on the track, which became a Top 40 hit in the United States, reaching No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1976. It also reached No. 25 in Canada.
The album’s title track provided an even more significant indication of Shaw’s future role. Written and sung by Shaw, “Crystal Ball” became one of Styx’s enduring concert songs. The song was subsequently performed on every Styx tour involving Shaw, giving it a place in the band’s live repertoire far beyond its original album release.
“Crystal Ball” was also released as a single in 1977. A live recording from 1979 later appeared on the soundtrack to the 1980 film Roadie, extending the song’s life beyond the original studio album.
The album itself was recorded in Chicago during 1976 and produced by Styx, with Barry Mraz and Rob Kingsland serving as engineers. Shaw joined DeYoung, James “JY” Young, Chuck Panozzo and John Panozzo for the sessions.
Crystal Ball contains seven principal songs across its two sides, opening with “Put Me On” and moving through “Mademoiselle”, “Jennifer” and “Crystal Ball”. The second side begins with Shaw’s “Shooz”, followed by DeYoung’s “This Old Man” and the closing pairing of “Clair de Lune” and “Ballerina”.
The final sequence contains one of the album’s more unusual musical details. DeYoung performs Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” alone on piano as the introduction to “Ballerina”. The Debussy piece is played in C rather than its original key of D-flat, allowing the transition into “Ballerina”, which begins in C minor.
Commercially, Crystal Ball was modest by the standards Styx would soon establish. It peaked at No. 66 on the Billboard 200, lower than both Equinox and the following year’s The Grand Illusion. It reached No. 21 in Canada.
Its commercial story continued after its initial release. Crystal Ball was eventually certified Gold in the United States in 1984, eight years after the album first appeared. It was also certified Gold in Canada.
The timing of the album is important to understanding Styx’s subsequent trajectory. Crystal Ball was not the record that transformed Styx into one of America’s major album-rock acts. That distinction belongs to The Grand Illusion, released in 1977. But Crystal Ball captured the lineup that would make that transformation possible and, crucially, introduced Tommy Shaw’s songwriting and voice to the band’s audience.
Shaw’s contribution was more than the addition of another guitarist. “Mademoiselle” demonstrated his ability to contribute a concise rock song capable of reaching the singles chart, while “Crystal Ball” established a more expansive piece that would remain central to Styx’s stage repertoire.
The album also documents the band’s developing balance between hard rock, progressive elements, melodic songwriting and theatrical arrangements. That combination would become increasingly prominent as Styx moved into the late 1970s.
Fifty years later, Crystal Ball therefore occupies a distinctive position in the Styx catalogue. Its original chart performance tells only part of the story. The album introduced a new member who would become central to the band’s identity, delivered a Top 40 single and created a title song that continued to live on in concert.
For Styx, the significance of Crystal Ball was ultimately less about where the album peaked in 1976 and more about what it set in motion. Within a year, The Grand Illusion would take the band into a different commercial league. Crystal Ball remains the record that came immediately before that breakthrough, and the first Styx album to feature Tommy Shaw.
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