MR

I have often felt that Tommy Shaw tried to copy his personal success on the Pieces Of Eight Album to Paradise Theatre.

I would compare Snowblind to Renegade, Too Much Time On My Hands to Blue Collar Man & She Cares to Sing For The Day.

On She Cares & Sing For The Day it seemed to me that Tommy was trying to tell a story ala Jackson Brown, Jim Croce, etc. Anyhow I never liked the song She Cares. The being treated like a HUMAN line I ALWAYS felt sucked.

Maybe if the lyric would of been treated like a HERO it would of been better.

If only Castle Walls was around back then to write for Tommy????????

yogi wrote:I have often felt that Tommy Shaw tried to copy his personal success on the Pieces Of Eight Album to Paradise Theatre.

I would compare Snowblind to Renegade, Too Much Time On My Hands to Blue Collar Man & She Cares to Sing For The Day.

On She Cares & Sing For The Day it seemed to me that Tommy was trying to tell a story ala Jackson Brown, Jim Croce, etc. Anyhow I never liked the song She Cares. The being treated like a HUMAN line I ALWAYS felt sucked.

Maybe if the lyric would of been treated like a HERO it would of been better.

If only Castle Walls was around back then to write for Tommy????????

Snowblind is nothing like Renegade, and Tommy really had nothing to do with the music on that. I believe he wrote some of the lyrics, but my understanding is that JY wrote the eery beginning verse part (Mirror, mirror..) and Dennis wrote the music for the more upbeat part "I'm Snowblind...Ooh ooh ooh oooooooh").

It's hard for me to also compare TMTOMH and BCM - TMTOMH much more poppy, techno sound. The closest songs to me for Tommy are FY and SFTD, She Cares with some of the Cornerstone stuff (Lights, NSN).. I do think with Cold War he was trying to do a TMTOMH knock off, except that it isn't close to being as good.

cant think of a lyric I'd change off the top of my head.......BUT I can think of at least one that could be removed without any detriment to the song...

In I'm OK on POE, I could completely do without the lyric at the beginning of the song, the "eight skate spin around and rotate" ( or whatever the hell they are saying ) it adds NOTHING to the song !

classicstyxfan wrote:cant think of a lyric I'd change off the top of my head.......BUT I can think of at least one that could be removed without any detriment to the song...

In I'm OK on POE, I could completely do without the lyric at the beginning of the song, the "eight skate spin around and rotate" ( or whatever the hell they are saying ) it adds NOTHING to the song !

That would be "eight, skate, seven on the rotate"...which is a term used when shooting craps. I believe the line was included to keep with the overall theme of POE.

I could do without the "yes, no, yes, no" in Borrowed Time. To me that does nothing for the song as a whole.

the chorus of "sing for the day" always bothered me. i can really get into the lyrics of the song's verses, but once they go to the chorus, they completely lose me. i think if the chorus was re-worded, and the melody or instrumentation changed slightly, it might have worked better.

and i agree on losing the "Yes...NO" part of borrowed time. :::cringe:::

Ever notice that POE borrows heavily from the Alan Parson's Project - gambling theme, eerie woman cover, instrumentals on both sides. That would be a good tour - but bring back Eric Wolfson and Dennis Deyoung.

of the two, which came out 1st and by how much ??? AP's Turn of a friendly card is a very cool CD !

ABSOLUTELY LOVED the 'Turn Of A Friendly Card' album.

"The whole world depends on the turn..............................................................


GREAT analogy comparing Pieces Of Eight to Alan Parsons.

NEVER thought of it!!!

classicstyxfan wrote:of the two, which came out 1st and by how much ??? AP's Turn of a friendly card is a very cool CD !

I believe Po8 came out two years earlier.

Agreed, Turn Of A Friendly Card is fab.

stabbim wrote:

classicstyxfan wrote:of the two, which came out 1st and by how much ??? AP's Turn of a friendly card is a very cool CD !

I believe Po8 came out two years earlier.

Agreed, Turn Of A Friendly Card is fab.

I see where these albums share a bit of similarity of themes, but I don't see that much comparison, particularly since APP's music is so different from that of Styx. I always felt Turn was really about gambling (with a secondary theme of the price of fame) while POE was about the price of fame.

And I so agree. I love Turn of a Friendly Card! What a great album from them.

POE still places second on my all-time fave Styx albums list. Right behind Equinox and right in front of The Grand Illlusion.


Bugsy

bugsymalone wrote: I always felt Turn was really about gambling (with a secondary theme of the price of fame) while POE was about the price of fame.

Right. The "Turn" suite and "Queen Of Spades" are kinda simpatico lyrically, but otherwise I don't see much of a connection either.

...and look at the Hipignosis covers of POE and Eve.

Damn Bugsy my EXACT order of favorite Styx albums

3. The Grand Illusion
2. Pieces Of Eight
1. Equinox

P.S. Night Ranger, Styx & Boston are playing at The Woodlands this summer(June 22). It must be The Arrows big summer bash. Sounds like a GREAT show!! Tommy & Jack will be at the same venue at the same time. Possibilities everywhere. Anyway, we(my family) may HAVE to attend that show. Have you heard who else is on the venue?? Will you go??

yogi wrote:Damn Bugsy my EXACT order of favorite Styx albums

3. The Grand Illusion
2. Pieces Of Eight
1. Equinox

P.S. Night Ranger, Styx & Boston are playing at The Woodlands this summer(June 22). It must be The Arrows big summer bash. Sounds like a GREAT show!! Tommy & Jack will be at the same venue at the same time. Possibilities everywhere. Anyway, we(my family) may HAVE to attend that show. Have you heard who else is on the venue?? Will you go??

While I would probably enjoy Tommy and Jack doing some of their stuff, this does not interest me. Current Styx is on my Zero Interest List.

The Woodlands is such a great place for a concert, though. I have seen several there I have really enjoyed. Beautiful place.

Gosh I wish Tommy and Jack would come play The Bugle Boy in LaGrange, Texas, a wonderful, small music theater between Austin and Houston. I would SO be there!!

Bugs

I was never too much into the lyrics. It was mostly the overall sound of the song that made me like it or not.
I never even knew "Pieces Of Eight" was about gambling! How embarrassing! I guess I'm not a REAL fan...

Barbara wrote:I was never too much into the lyrics. It was mostly the overall sound of the song that made me like it or not.
I never even knew "Pieces Of Eight" was about gambling! How embarrassing! I guess I'm not a REAL fan...

Actually 'Pieces of Eight' as an overall album, and the individual track as well are about the pursuit of money, and what a hollow exercise it is. Only one track, "Queen of Spades", is really about gambling, in keeping with the overall theme of the downside of the pursuit of money. And of course, there are songs on the record that don't really have anything to do with that theme, like "Sing for the Day" and "Renegade". It's only loosely conceptual, I guess you could say.


Sterling

Rockwriter wrote:

Barbara wrote:I was never too much into the lyrics. It was mostly the overall sound of the song that made me like it or not.
I never even knew "Pieces Of Eight" was about gambling! How embarrassing! I guess I'm not a REAL fan...

Actually 'Pieces of Eight' as an overall album, and the individual track as well are about the pursuit of money, and what a hollow exercise it is. Only one track, "Queen of Spades", is really about gambling, in keeping with the overall theme of the downside of the pursuit of money. And of course, there are songs on the record that don't really have anything to do with that theme, like "Sing for the Day" and "Renegade". It's only loosely conceptual, I guess you could say.


Sterling

Tommy Shaw songs having nothing to do with the concept? Imagine that!

Toph wrote:

Rockwriter wrote:

Barbara wrote:I was never too much into the lyrics. It was mostly the overall sound of the song that made me like it or not.
I never even knew "Pieces Of Eight" was about gambling! How embarrassing! I guess I'm not a REAL fan...

Actually 'Pieces of Eight' as an overall album, and the individual track as well are about the pursuit of money, and what a hollow exercise it is. Only one track, "Queen of Spades", is really about gambling, in keeping with the overall theme of the downside of the pursuit of money. And of course, there are songs on the record that don't really have anything to do with that theme, like "Sing for the Day" and "Renegade". It's only loosely conceptual, I guess you could say.


Sterling

Tommy Shaw songs having nothing to do with the concept? Imagine that!

LOL, I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right. What's interesting is what a strong contribution JY made to PO8. "Great White Hope" and "Queen of Spades" as a writer, plus singing "Lords of the Ring" and providing the solo for "Renegade". He was on fire at that time, plus his songs fit right into the theme. Dennis' "I'm OK", I think also did not particularly fit the "concept" of the album, when you look at it. Not one of his better songs either, though the record of it is great, Great production of a fairly weak song, in my opinion.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

Rockwriter wrote: Actually 'Pieces of Eight' as an overall album, and the individual track as well are about the pursuit of money, ...

Hmm, and to think, I thought it was sooo great because I belong to a family of Eight children....
Well, just goes to show how much I pay attention to detail.

Oh! but, I LOVED the music!!!!!!!