Track Listing

1. Great White Hope
2. I'm O.K.
3. Sing for the Day
4. Message
5. Lords of the Ring
6. Blue Collar Man
7. Queen of Spades
8. Renegade
9. Pieces of Eight
10. Aku Aku

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6536 in Music
• Brand: STYX
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Album Description
Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) paper sleeve pressing of this album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2009.

Amazon.com
In some ways, Styx was America's answer to Queen. The Chicago quintet never ascended to the ranks of rock-and-roll royalty, as did their English counterparts, nor are they held in as high a regard today. Nevertheless, Styx fulfilled a Midwestern American hunger for high-flown fantasy typified on Pieces of Eight with songs like Dennis DeYoung and James Young's "I'm Okay" and "Lords of the Rings," with their elaborate arrangements, soaring vocal harmonies, and lyrical pretensions. In quite another direction, guitarist Tommy Shaw writes about basic human needs and working-class values in "Blue Collar Man," while his song "Sing for the Day" is a pleasant air, and "Renegade" a hard-charging rocker. Styx may have seemed somewhat schizophrenic on Pieces of Eight but their legions of fans diminished not a whit, making the album the band's second multiplatinum effort in a row, following The Grand Illusion. --Daniel Durchholz

Customer Reviews

Styx' Finest Work
Most fans rate "The Grand Illusion" as Styx' best album. I would tend to disagree. From a purely musical standpoint, "Pieces of Eight" is the more complete work and shows the talents of the band at their prime. It is a complete work, one that lends itself to listening to it in its entirety, almost as if the individual songs were intended as movements in a symphony.

The album begins with the fast, hard-driving "Great White Hope". This song really gets your attention and gets the album going. This is contrasted with the slower, more majestic "I'm OK" which features a pipe organ solo performed by Dennis DeYoung recorded in a cathedral. If there is a weak link on the album, it is the third cut, "Sing for the Day", a lighter tune in 6/8. While a nice, sparsely textured and upbeat follow up to "I'm OK", it doesn't seem to demonstrate the same level of compositional talent as the rest of the album. The tour de force of the album is "The Message/Lord of the Rings". Here Styx continues its exploration of fantasy and storytelling, just as it had in earlier days with tracks such as "Jonas Psalter", and "Castle Walls". "The Message" demonstrates Dennis DeYoung's mastery of the synthesizer, both in technique and in creativity with timbres. "Lord of the Rings" is simply majestic and inspiring, and is probably the best example of all the voices within the band working together. If you aren't motivated by listening to this cut, you must not be a Styx fan. Incidentally, this first side consists entirely of songs in major keys. Side one is clearly uplifting both in musical mood, texture, and in lyrics.

Side 2 takes us on a journey into the minor keys. "Blue Collar Man" may be Tommy Shaw's finest work- one of those rare moments of inspired genius. Musically the song perfectly depicts the lyrical content of a desperate man fighting against all odds to make ends meet and the determination and will to get the job done. "Queen of Spades" is a minor-key soliloquy on the dangers of gambling addictions (or is it?). The vocal harmonies on this song (as throughout the album) really serve to bring home the message. "Renegade" is another song in a minor key and features blazing guitar work. I can remember being ten years old and hearing this song booming out of a chevy camaro going down the street- exciting! We end the album with the title track, which again starts out in a minor key as Dennis DeYoung recounts the events of a day with accoustic guitar accompaniment- we hear two stanzas of this, the second complimented with a bass countermelody, building anticipation. Psychologically, we've been in minor keys for an awfully long time, so when the chorus comes in in major, it is the perfect release of tension which has built up over eleven minutes. But they don't end there! We are treated to a developmental section where a melody is played by Dennis on the Piano, and each other voice enters sucessively with accompanying material including another bass countermelody. Dennis really out-does himself at the conclusion of this section with a rapid virtuosic passage. A majestic guitar solo (JY I believe?) ushers us back to the chorus, which repeats in all its glory until a cadence which ends on a suspension, resolves, and then Dennis plays a cadenza which ends leaving just one lone synthesizer note- this leads into the "Coda" of the album, a hauntingly relaxing Shaw composition entitled "Aku Aku". One is left with a feeling of completeness. "Pieces of Eight" is a true harmonic journey, THE masterwork of real musicians at the height of their compositional abilities.

Buying a Styx album? Buy this one! Here's why...
Styx's 1978 release of "Pieces Of Eight" is a masterpiece in the word of progressive pop/rock. Sure, nearly every Styx album has hits, but there are a select four or five that mix the glory of pop and progressive rock in such a way that it stands the test of time as a true album rock record, without any throw-away tracks. "Pieces Of Eight" presents Styx at their absolute best; constructing a tight album for progressive rockers and pop lovers alike.

People will remember this album for it's radio hits the most - "Blue Collar Man" and "Renegade". The hits are fantastic songs, but the album tracks are what makes this album such a gem. Songs like "Sing for the Day", "Lords of the Ring" and the epic "Queen of Spades" are just as good if not better than the hits.

I own about 9 Styx albums, and I feel this is their most seminal work. If your looking for a second album to buy, I would recommend "The Grand Illusion". I've seen them live twice; incredible both times; so I got to show love for Styx.

Catchy, unflinching art rock
Another great effort from one of rock's most underrated acts. Some may find the lyrics to a couple of the songs to be a little corny(I'm OK, Lords of the Ring), but the music is absolutely gorgeous throughout. One thing that's always puzzled me about Styx is how little notice Dennis DeYoung has gotten for his keyboard playing. I'm not a keyboard player, so I can't really speak as to the difficulty of his parts; all I know is, his arrangements were beautiful and his solos rocked, and to be perfectly honest, I've never heard anyone who sounds anything like him. Some of you keyboardists out there are probably sneering and thinking "Keith Emerson"(of ELP); but I would say that while he may have been an amazing player and a great showman, most of his music is just flat out boring. Anyway, Dennis is in top form on this album. The synth solo on "Sing for the Day" is so joyous it practically brings tears to my eyes. Lest I forget, let me add that the guitars of Tommy Shaw and James Young are also great as usual. The bottom line is this: Pieces of Eight is one of the best albums by a unique band at the height of their powers. No one else has sounded like this before or since.