Pieces of Eight
1978 studio album by Styx
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Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album by the American progressive rock band Styx, released in September 1978.[1]
| 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 | ||||
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| Singles from Pieces of Eight | ||||
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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
The record is considered by some[3][4] 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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C−[6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [7] |
| Sputnikmusic | [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 DeYoung 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."[5]
Classic Rock included Pieces of Eight on their list of the 20 best rock albums from 1978.[11]
The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard album chart, and like its predecessor would go triple platinum.[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Great White Hope" | James "J.Y." Young | Young, Dennis DeYoung (spoken intro) | 4:22 |
| 2. | "I'm O.K." | DeYoung, Young | DeYoung | 5:41 |
| 3. | "Sing for the Day" | Tommy 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 | 2:57 |
Personnel
Styx
- Dennis DeYoung – vocals, keyboards
- James "JY" Young – vocals, guitars
- Tommy Shaw – vocals, guitars, mandolin, autoharp
- Chuck Panozzo – bass
- John Panozzo – drums, percussion
Production
- Producer: Styx
- Engineers: Rob Kingsland, Barry Mraz
- Assistant engineer: Harry Andronis, Gary Geppert
- Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
- Cover by Hipgnosis
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[22] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" | US Pop Singles | 21 |
| 1979 | "Sing for the Day" | 41 | |
| "Renegade" | 16 |