Styx - Pieces of Eight
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CD Details
Artist: StyxBrand: STYX
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1990-10-25
Music Label: A&M
Soundtracks:
- Great White Hope
- I'm Okay
- Sing For The Day
- The Message
- Lord Of The Rings
- Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
- Queen Of Spades
- Renegede
- Pieces Of Eight
- Aku-Aku
Music reviews of Pieces of Eight
Music Review: Styx at the top of their game
Rating: 5 Stars
This is it, the absolute best of all of the Styx studio albums. Better even than THE GRAND ILLUSION, CORNERSTONE, CRYSTAL BALL, or PARADISE THEATER...brilliant works all. Normally, I try to be a little reserved, or a little bit objective in my reviews. I might even say, "In my humble opinion." Not now. Not here. This is the best single Styx studio record, and if you disagree with me, well...you are wrong. (Insert big grin here!)
Most bands attempting to follow-up a masterpiece (and commercial blockbuster) like THE GRAND ILLUSION would probably quiver with fear, but Styx sends the mighty James "JY" Young into the breach with the towering, glowering lead-off track, "Great White Hope," where he talks about being "against the ropes" where it's "hard to cope," but he sounds like a man getting ready to deliver a knockout punch...and he does. This track has all of the Styx trademarks: propulsive rhythm from the Panozzo Brothers, harmonic growling and shouting, manic keyboards, and a blistering guitar blitzkrieg. Nice one, straight out of the box. Timid these guys are not.
Styx remains in a fighting mood, albeit in a more cerebral way, with the Dennis DeYoung helmed "I'm OK." Granted, the lyrics are a bit "greeting card-esque" but DeYoung sings with conviction and his keyboard work is masterful. Highlighting it all is a magnificent pipe organ solo and a boisterous sing-along at the song's finale. The vibe becomes even more bouyant with Tommy Shaw's lovely "Sing for the Day," which sounds a bit like a whirling merry-go-round calliope on speed.
Styx moves in a more progressive rock direction with "The Message," an all-too-brief keyboard prelude to the epic, stately "Lords of the Ring," which features JY as the teller of tales who spins his own richly told take on the beloved Tolkein trilogy. It's totally righteous, boldly mighty, and beautifully strong. By now, a theme has developed on this album: perseverance, loyalty, fighting against the tides of conformity and materialism, and hope.
Tommy Shaw certainly nails it with the sizzling, defiant "Blue Collar Man," a gritty, heartfelt, fist-pumping, butt-kicking salvo of keyboard bombs, bass bullets, guitar volleys, and drumming cassions rolling along. After the fantasy world of "Lords of the Ring," this one could seem a bit jarring, but it shares the same sonic bombast--and in this case, bombast is a GOOD thing. This one sounds like a runaway freight train, and if you get in its way, you're gonna have tracks running right up your back. Simply put, "Blue Collar Man" *may be* the best rocker Styx has ever done.
"Queen of Spades" offers a chilling warning couched in some mighty hot playing. This thing starts off eerily icy, before suddenly bolting and galloping along like a mad horse bearing a headless rider; scary, but spellbinding. When DeYoung unleashes his otherworldly cackle, it will make the hairs on your neck wiggle. After the pyrotechnics of "Queen of Spades" fade out, Tommy Shaw steps to the fore again with the moody, gut-wrenching, bluesy "Renegade," which paints a dark picture of a young buck gone bad..."the renegade who had it made, retrieved for a bounty." The gorgeous harmonies that open the song are shattered by a yelp and the gavel-pounding percussive attack. And those guitars! Like a tornado! Like "Queen of Spades," this song is a cautionary tale about the consequences of excess.
DeYoung cools it all down with the gentle, almost lilting piano opening to "Pieces of Eight." He's singing from the perspective of one who has conquered the world, but finds that "this emptiness haunts me every day/we seek the lion's share never knowing why" before the epiphany hits: "Come alive, spread your wings and fly." It's a sequel of sorts to "The Grand Illusion," with an inspiring and hopeful message. The harmonies and arranging are spine-tingling in their beauty and complexity; DeYoung's piano is magnificent, and it all explodes in a majestic guitar solo from Tommy Shaw...this all melts into the beautiful Pacific Island balladry of "Aku-Aku," a dreamy coda that sets like a warm sun over a sea that has been tempest-tossed but now lays out like glass as night approaches.
As with THE GRAND ILLUSION, this CD would be considered an absolute milestone in North American progressive rock history. If you haven't heard it, you are in for a huge treat. Get it now and thank me later.
Description of Pieces of Eight
The legendary rock superstars Styx continued their arena rock assault in 1978 with their multi-platinum favorite Pieces Of Eight. Rockers like Tommy Shaw's "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man," plus Dennis DeYoung's "Pieces Of Eight" and "Lords Of The Ring" enhanced their prog-rock sounds to new heights as the rock and pop music buyers were thrilled to hear these epic sounding tunes. Friday Music is very proud once again to offer the audiophile dream releases of the Styx catalog with their 1978 mega-classic Pieces Of Eight. Mastered impeccably from the original A&M tapes by Joe Reagoso and Kevin Gray.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
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