Pieces of Eight

Pieces of Eight
Pieces of Eight
	Cover by Hipgnosis
Studio album by Styx
Released	September 1978
Recorded	1978
Studio	Paragon, Chicago; St. James Cathedral, Chicago;
Genre	Progressive rock; hard rock;
Length	42:18
Label	A&M
Producer	Styx
Styx chronology
Singles from Pieces of Eight
	"Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"; Released: September 1978; "Sing for the Day"; Released: October 1978 (EU); "Renegade"; Released: March 1979 (US);

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".

Reception

Professional ratings
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

Side one
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

Side two
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

Styx

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

Producer: Styx
Engineers: Rob Kingsland, Barry Mraz
Assistant engineer: Harry Andronis
Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC
Cover by Hipgnosis

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)^[12]	70
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[13]	3
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[14]	24
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[15]	30
US Billboard 200^[16]	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)	Position
US Billboard 200^[17]	7

Certifications

Certifications for *Pieces of Eight*
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

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1978	"Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"	US Pop Singles	21
1979	"Sing for the Day"		41
1979	"Renegade"		16

References

^ "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.

External links

[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.

[allmusic-6] DeGagne, Mike. Styx: Pieces of Eight at AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[CG-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] 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.

[RS-9] 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.

[10] Gilday, Katherine (25 Oct 1978). "Styx". The Globe and Mail. p. F9.

[11] 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.

[aus-12] 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.

[group=-13] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0043a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

[ac_Netherlands_Styx-14] "Dutchcharts.nl – Styx – Pieces Of Eight" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

[ac_Sweden_Styx-15] "Swedishcharts.com – Styx – Pieces Of Eight". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

[ac_Billboard200_Styx-16] "Styx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.

[17] "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2021.

[CanadaStyxPieces_of_EightalbumCertRef-18] "Canadian album certifications – Styx – Pieces of Eight". Music Canada. Retrieved September 1, 2022.

[United_StatesStyxPieces_of_EightalbumCertRef-19] "American album certifications – Styx – Pieces of Eight". Recording Industry Association of America. November 14, 1984. Retrieved September 1, 2022.

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v t e Styx
Chuck Panozzo James "J.Y." Young Tommy Shaw Todd Sucherman Lawrence Gowan Will Evankovich Terry Gowan John "J.C." Curulewski Dennis DeYoung John Panozzo Glen Burtnik Ricky Phillips
Studio albums	Styx Styx II The Serpent Is Rising Man of Miracles Equinox Crystal Ball The Grand Illusion Pieces of Eight Cornerstone Paradise Theatre Kilroy Was Here Edge of the Century Brave New World Cyclorama Big Bang Theory The Mission Crash of the Crown
Extended plays	Regeneration: Volume I Regeneration: Volume II
Live albums	Caught in the Act Return to Paradise Arch Allies: Live at Riverport Styx World: Live 2001 At the River's Edge: Live in St. Louis 21st Century Live One with Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Compilations	Best of Styx Lady Styx - Classics, Volume 15 Styx Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Part 2 Extended Versions Styx Yesterday & Today Rockers Come Sail Away – The Styx Anthology The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings
Songs	"Best Thing" "Lies" "Lady" "You Need Love" "Lorelei" "Mademoiselle" "Crystal Ball" "The Grand Illusion" "Come Sail Away" "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" "Sing for the Day" "Renegade" "Babe" "Why Me" "Boat on the River" "Borrowed Time" "The Best of Times" "Too Much Time on My Hands" "Nothing Ever Goes as Planned" "Rockin' the Paradise" "Snowblind" "Mr. Roboto" "Don't Let It End" "High Time" "Music Time" / "Heavy Metal Poisoning" "Love Is the Ritual" "Show Me the Way" "Love at First Sight" "Paradise" "I Am the Walrus"
Related articles	Discography Kilroy Was Here
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