Styx Albums - Question

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Okay, someone on here must have this information somewhere. Styx has "concept albums", right? Does anyone know what each album represents?

[sadie65]

Okay, someone on here must have this information somewhere. Styx has "concept albums", right? Does anyone know what each album represents?

The only concept albums I'm aware of are Grand Illusion (how people delude themselves into thinking someone else's life is better...grass is greener. Much of what we know to be truth really isn't)

Pieces of Eight (how once you've achieved success people view you differently and where do you go from here...keeping up with the Joneses so to speak)

Paradise Theater...America resting on her laurels without maintaining them. Living in excess and squandering what you have)

Kilroy Was Here...censorship and relying too much on technology. Not recognizing that history left unobserved is doomed to repeat itself. Man giving away too many of his own controls...

Brave New World...to be honest, I've never really gotten the full concept on this one.

Mind you, I gave extremely abbreviated/condensed versions of those concepts. Looking forward to other answers as well.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

I thought "Pieces of Eight" was all about gambling. Someone explained the lyrics of a couple of songs off the album. Actually I think Dennis explained to me - LOL

These are just a few examples, I'm too tired to go through every song - LOL

"Pieces of Eight"
Pieces of eight
The search for the money tree
Don’t cash your freedoms in for gold
Pieces of eight
Can’t buy you everything
Don’t let it turn your heart to stone

Queen of Spades

Luck is a lady whose smile is as cold as a stone
She'll bring you things, many things you might never have known
But when your die is cast she'll have the final laugh at you
She'll lock you in a duel, where you come out the fool
CHORUS
Beware of the Queen of Spades
Her black widow's curse might find you yet
Beware of a love that you will regret
Her love means only your death
Day into night she's with me
Turn of a card, she's there
The first time is free, you know
But from now on, pay me, me, me, me, me...


"Great White Hope"

Like the great white hope
Now you've paid your money you're sitting in your ringside seat
And I know that some of you out there, might wanna see the champ
get beat


"I'm Okay"

Hey, hey, hey, hey, eight, skate, seven on the rotate!

(This is a craps term)

[sadie65]

I took my synopsis from Dennis' comments on In the Studio...about Pieces of Eight. He also mentioned that back then, he didn't like the album cover...now he thinks the ladies look better. LOL

I'll have to listen again. Perhaps it is both...

after all...life is a gamble, especially once you have hit it big

[bugsymalone]

I would go with what Sadie says here.

I also take away from Pieces of Eight how money and success can get you into trouble in many ways and the downfall it can bring in one form or another -- gambling addictions, people wanting you to fall, trouble with the law, and having so much but wanting more and feeling empty for it.

I listened to this one this evening, as a matter of fact, and think it is one of the strongest efforts from Styx. It was a very powerful album, start to finish.

Bugsy