Shop

SUGAR BEAR VOID63 NOW AVAILABLE RURAL PSYCH FROM FLORIDA
June 18, 2022
STYX “PIECES OF EIGHT” SEALED ORIGINAL W HYPE STICKERS!
June 18, 2022
Show all

STYX “PIECES OF EIGHT” W BLUE COLLAR MAN and RENEGADE

$17.00

1 in stock

Categories: , , ,
Description

styx1

STYX “PIECES OF EIGHT” (U.S.A&M) 1978 NICE VG++/VG++ COPY LIGHT WEAR ON CVR, SCUFFS FEW HAIRLINES ON DISC..The band’s eighth studio album, “Pieces of Eight”s concept is the illusions of modern day living. The previous album, 1977’s “The Grand Illusion”, also touched on this topic, but did not carry it through on every single song. (“Come Sail Away” and “Castle Walls” are seemingly just fantasy pieces, without any underlying theme.)

Take a look at the songs of Pieces of Eight:
“Great White Hope”: the illusion of America as the fastest gun in the west, or the undefeated champ.
“I’m Okay”: the illusions behind the late 1970s self-esteem movement.
“Sing for the Day”: the illusion of eternal youth.
“The Message/Lords of the Ring”: nothing to do with Tolkein, but rather with the illusion of celebrity and “making it”. The “ring” is the “brass ring” of success. The last verse intones: “And though the legend was pure fantasy – we still need the hope it brings.”
“Blue Collar Man”: the illusion of “job security”.
“Queen of Spades”: not about gambling (as many people suppose), but the illusion of luck and good fortune. “Luck is a lady whose smile is as cold as a stone.”
“Renegade”: the illusion of escape and the so-called glamour of life on the lam.
“Pieces of Eight”: the illusion of wealth, and the alleged power and happiness it brings. This song also brings home the overall theme of not trading reality for unreachable fantasy.

In many ways “Pieces of Eight” is one of the best Styx albums. Tommy Shaw tears it up on both “Blue Collar Man” as well as “Renegade” and Dennis Deyoung has two of his most underrated tracks on the album in “Queen of Spades” and “Pieces of Eight.” 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.This album has a great mix of melody and crackling guitar. From a purely musical standpoint, “Pieces of Eight” 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.

Track listing
A1
Great White Hope4:23
A2
I’m O.K.5:42
A3
Sing for the Day4:56
A4
The Message1:08
A5
Lords of the Ring4:31
B1
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)4:03
B2
Queen of Spades5:38
B3
Renegade4:13
B4
Pieces of Eight4:45
B5
Aku-Aku3:00
Total length: 42:19