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| Pieces of Eight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover byHipgnosis | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1978 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:18 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Styx | |||
| Styx chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Pieces of Eight | ||||
| ||||
Pieces of Eight is the eighthstudio album by Americanprogressive rock bandStyx, released in September 1978.[3]
Like the band's previous album,The Grand Illusion (1977), it managed to achieve triple platinum certification, thanks to the hit singles "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" and "Renegade".
The band members produced and recorded the album (like their previous three efforts) at Paragon Studios inChicago with recording engineer Barry Mraz and mixing engineer Rob Kingsland. "I'm O.K." was recorded at Paragon andSt. James Cathedral. This would be the last Styx album to be produced at Paragon Studios.
The album's cover was done byHipgnosis. Dennis DeYoung stated in the 1991 interview with Redbeard on theIn the Studio with Redbeard episode that he initially hated the cover but grew to like it as he got older.
The record is considered by some[4][5] to be Styx's most obviousconcept album, as well as the last Styx album with significant progressive rock leanings. The theme of the album, asDennis DeYoung explained onIn the Studio with Redbeard which devoted an entire episode toPieces of Eight, was about "not giving up your dreams just for the pursuit of money and material possessions".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C−[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
Rolling Stone reviewerLester Bangs was critical of the album, writing that "what's really interesting is not that suchnarcissistic slop should get recorded, but what must be going on in the minds of the people who support it in such amazing numbers. Gall, nerve and ego have never been far from great rock & roll. Yet there's a thin but crucial line between those qualities and what it takes to fill arenas today: sheer self-aggrandizement on the most puerile level. If these are the champions, gimme the cripples."[9]The Globe and Mail noted that "when Styx strays too far from its rock and roll foundations ... as on the Gothic-pretentious numbers by Dennis De Young like 'Lords of the Ring', it starts getting less credible."[10]
Mike DeGagne ofAllMusic has retrospectively praised the album, saying that the songs on the album "rekindle some of Styx's early progressive rock sound, only cleaner."[6]
The album peaked at No. 6 on theBillboard album chart, and like its predecessor would go triple platinum.[11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Great White Hope" | Young | Young, DeYoung (spoken intro) | 4:22 |
| 2. | "I'm O.K." | DeYoung, Young | DeYoung | 5:41 |
| 3. | "Sing for the Day" | Shaw | Shaw | 4:57 |
| 4. | "The Message" | DeYoung | (instrumental) | 1:08 |
| 5. | "Lords of the Ring" | DeYoung | Young | 4:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" | Shaw | Shaw | 4:05 |
| 7. | "Queen of Spades" | Young, DeYoung | DeYoung | 5:38 |
| 8. | "Renegade" | Shaw | Shaw | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Pieces of Eight" | DeYoung | DeYoung | 4:44 |
| 10. | "Aku-Aku" | Shaw | Shaw (whisper chant) | 2:57 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[20] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[21] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" | US Pop Singles | 21 |
| 1979 | "Sing for the Day" | 41 | |
| "Renegade" | 16 |
rolling stone styx album guide.
Moreover, the choice of 1977's The Grand Illusion and 1978's Pieces of Eight probably didn't come as any surprise, either—those two releases were STYX's first Triple Platinum albums.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Extended plays | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Songs |
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| Related articles | |
