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Pieces of Eight

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For other uses, see Pieces of Eight (disambiguation).
For the coin, see Spanish dollar.
Pieces of Eight
Cover by Hipgnosis
Studio album by
Styx
ReleasedSeptember 1978
Recorded1978
Studio
Genre
Length42:18
LabelA&M
ProducerStyx
Styx chronology
The Grand Illusion
(1977) 		Pieces of Eight
(1978) 		Cornerstone
(1979)
Singles from Pieces of Eight
  1. "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"
    Released: September 1978[1]
  2. "Sing for the Day"
    Released: October 1978 (EU)
  3. "Renegade"
    Released: March 1979 (US)[2]

Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Styx, 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 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[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".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [6]
Christgau's Record GuideC−[7]
Rolling Stone(mixed) [8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide [9]

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] Contemporary Rolling Stone reviewer Lester Bangs was more critical of the album, however, saying 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."[8]

The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart, and like its predecessor would go triple platinum.[10]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Great White Hope"YoungYoung, DeYoung (spoken intro)4:22
2."I'm O.K."DeYoung, YoungDeYoung5:41
3."Sing for the Day"ShawShaw4:57
4."The Message"DeYoung(instrumental)1:08
5."Lords of the Ring"DeYoungYoung4:33
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
6."Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"ShawShaw4:05
7."Queen of Spades"Young, DeYoungDeYoung5:38
8."Renegade"ShawShaw4:16
9."Pieces of Eight"DeYoungDeYoung4:44
10."Aku-Aku"ShawShaw (whisper chant)2:57

Personnel

Styx

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Pieces of Eight
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] 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

References

  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 798.
  2. ^ "Styx singles".
  3. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 798.
  4. ^ "How Styx Kept Getting Bigger with 'Pieces of Eight'".
  5. ^ "Styx and Their Long Fall from Grace". 3 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b DeGagne, Mike. Styx: Pieces of Eight at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Styx – Pieces Of Eight" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8 2021.
  13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Styx – Pieces Of Eight". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8 2021.
  14. ^ "Styx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  16. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Styx – Pieces of Eight". Music Canada. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  17. ^ "American album certifications – Styx – Pieces of Eight". Recording Industry Association of America. November 14, 1984. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
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