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Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Styx, released in September 1978.[3]
| Pieces of Eight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover by Hipgnosis | ||||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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 in Chicago with recording engineer Barry Mraz and mixing engineer Rob Kingsland. "I'm O.K." was recorded at Paragon and St. James Cathedral. This would be the last Styx album to be produced at Paragon Studios.
The album's cover was done by Hipgnosis. Dennis DeYoung stated in the 1991 interview with Redbeard on the In the Studio with Redbeard episode that he initially hated the cover but grew to like it as he got older.
Background
editThe record is considered by some[4][5] to be Styx's most obvious concept album, as well as the last Styx album with significant progressive rock leanings. The theme of the album, as Dennis DeYoung explained on In the Studio with Redbeard which devoted an entire episode to Pieces of Eight, was about "not giving up your dreams just for the pursuit of money and material possessions".
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C−[7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [8] |
Rolling Stone reviewer Lester Bangs was critical of the album, writing that "what's really interesting is not that such narcissistic 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 of AllMusic 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 the Billboard album chart, and like its predecessor would go triple platinum.[11]
Track listing
edit| 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 |
Personnel
editStyx
edit- Dennis DeYoung – vocals, keyboards
- James "JY" Young – vocals, electric guitars
- Tommy Shaw – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, autoharp
- Chuck Panozzo – bass guitar
- John Panozzo – drums, percussion
Production
edit- Producer: Styx
- Engineers: Rob Kingsland, Barry Mraz
- Assistant engineer: Harry Andronis
- Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
- Cover by Hipgnosis
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" | US Pop Singles | 21 |
| 1979 | "Sing for the Day" | 41 | |
| "Renegade" | 16 |
References
edit- ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 798.
- ^ "Styx singles".
- ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 798.
- ^ "How Styx Kept Getting Bigger with 'Pieces of Eight'".
- ^ "Styx and Their Long Fall from Grace". 3 December 2015.
- ^ a b DeGagne, Mike. Styx: Pieces of Eight at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 789. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
rolling stone styx album guide.
- ^ Bangs, Lester (December 28, 1978). "Styx - Pieces of Eight (1978) album review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ Gilday, Katherine (25 Oct 1978). "Styx". The Globe and Mail. p. F9.
- ^ Moseley, Willey (November 13, 2010). "Concert Review: The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Tour - Atlanta, GA". Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
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.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 299. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0043a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Styx – Pieces Of Eight" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Styx – Pieces Of Eight". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Styx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Styx – Pieces of Eight". Music Canada. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Styx – Pieces of Eight". Recording Industry Association of America. November 14, 1984. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
