Pieces of Eight-Better than I remember, same for you?

[Abitaman]

I was listening to this cd the other day on the and it is better than I remember. I always like this cd, but I really thought it paled compared to the other big 4. Maybe that was because it followed the Grand Illusion. But this cd is awesome. If I had to give it a grade (which I love to do, should have been a teacher), A-. Before a strong B. Why the difference......
The only weak songs are Lord of the Rings (JY's voice is awful), and the dreaded Aku-Aku. But these songs are really weak, when compare to the other big 4 (Cornerstone, PT, and GI) they may have a weak song on it (GI is strong all through), but the weakness is awful! So that is what I dislike about the cd.
What I like is the rest. JY's Great White Hope is a great way for the cd to start. Lyrics fit the group to a tee, coming of The Grand Illusion, it asked the right question, for sure. If you can get your hands on the Japan 81 boot, check out this song on it, with it's James Bond intro. It rocks.
I'm OK, which has been debated alot on this site about the beginning of the song, the intro is still unclear to me on what DDY is saying, but who cares. John lays down a mean beat to kick the song off. The whole song takes on a beat of its own that goes on and on. Organ solo in middle is pretty cool too. Okay, EVER BODY SING NOW .
Sing For the Day, to be honest I use to dislike this song, why, I do not know. To laid back? To plain? To boring? Whatever it was, I do not know anymore. Took, what over 25 years to start liking it, but I do now. Why? I don't know, Way cool? Good singing? Like the way the music is blended and mixed? I do not know, but I like it!!!
The Message, Great Keyboards. Great intro to a horrible song. Big Let down.
Blue Collar Man, rocks. First time it ever appeared anywhere. First of many appearances. Styx most recorded song? Most recorded song in history? Like the bass line running thru it. The louder the better. Chuck did great. Always loved the lyrics on this song too. Can't get more direct about the state of a man in an unemployment line than this. Been there Done that.
Queen of Spades. This baby is great. DDY's vocals is prefect. Song ends on a haunting note, prefect for it.
Renegade-YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Oh Mama, you got that right. Spoken vocal, then group, then rock!! Solo's in middle work well in this song.
Pieces of Eight, is nothing short of a masterpiece., from vocal, to playing, to arrangement of the song. Highlight of the cd, shame Aku had to put a damper on the ending.
Where the Grand Illusion was a masterpiece of prog metal, Pieces is a great example of a rock cd. Very well done. As good as GI, No, but very good.-ERIC

[swwskj]

Eric,

I have always said that it is a toss up for me between Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight for best album. If you want to discuss the soliliquy, PM me.

[styxfanNH]

Great White Hope - nice way to start the album, the intro is a little long, but it works.

Queen of Spades is probably John's best song a clear feel of reckless abandon, but you can tell he's still in control. Most straight ahead rock n roll song onthe album

Blue Collar Man - Simply the best version of this song. It is what they wanted it to be before they (Tommy and JY) tried to make it the signature song of Styx.

Renegade - Totally showed the vocal abilities of the band. First with Tommy's vocal, then the group and the all out rock run to the end of the song. A funny note for me personally on this song. I had always thought of this song as a guitar oriented song, but 6 months or so ago I actually paid mor attentention to Dennis' funky little blues run throughout the song, and would have to say that his keyboard work on this, while a simple little progression, really is what holds this song together.

[BlackWall]

I really do like this one.. it's in my top 5, probably coming in at around 3rd, after "Paradise Theatre" and "Grand Illusion".

My favorites are "Blue Collar Man", "Queen Of Spades", "Sing For The Day, and "Renegade". Even after all of this time, I'm not tired of "Blue Collar Man", and I agree that this is the best version. I like "Renegade", but I have come to feel that it's a little overrated.

"Queen Of Spades" is just an awesome song, even though it starts out sounding a little too close to "Suite Madame Blue".

"Sing For The Day" took some time to grow on me as well. I remember really thinking it was a horrible song at first. I have come to enjoy the mood of the song, and it really is some poetic writing on Tommy's part. Tommy, however, has no right to ever rag on Dennis for writing material that could be considered something other than cool.

"I'm Okay" is just that, okay. It's not a bad song, but I have to be in the right mood, not the strongest lyrics from Dennis, but a good message.

"Pieces Of Eight": I really want to just totally dig this one, since it seems like everyone else does, but it just doesn't really do a whole lot for me. It's another nice message, and a fine song, but it's not one that I usually feel the need to listen to that often. I just find some of the vocals to be a little too dramatic, and the pitch on the chorus has just always annoyed me a little. I think Styx could have some of the finest harmony on a chrous("Crystal Ball" comes to mind), but sometimes they just went a little too high for my personal taste.

"Great White Hope": Not a bad song, but I find the direction of the chorus to be a bit of a letdown, I wish it rocked out a little more..

"Lord Of The Rings": I've never really given this one too much of a chance, but there's a reason for that, just not really my thing.

[jimmy19029]

According to most Styx lyric postings for I'm Okay he says at the beginning:
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Eight, Skate, Seven on the Rotate!

I've always liked this album alot and find myself coming back to it alot. I still think GI is better but I like Pieces better than Cornerstone. Lord of the Rings wasn't my favorite when the album first came out but I loike it alot better now.
Love the pipe organ and upbeat message on I'm Okay but the chorus at the end gets a bit repetitive.
I've always liked Sing For the Day alot and was glad it was finally put in their setlist in 1999.
Renegade got so PLAYED OUT when it was a hit back in 1979. It's better now that we don't hear it every few minutes on the radio.
Blue Collar Man is classic Tommy!
The wailing synths on The Message are great. Just takes me back to 1978 every time!
Queen of Spades I agree is the best Dennis one on here. The title track is also good.
Great White Hope hits ya like a one two punch! Great job by JY!

[yogi]

Abitaman

You cant call AKU AKU a song. If you do that does Paradise Theatre take a nose dive because of State Street Sadie?

Pieces Of Eight ROCKS!!! Its not quite Equinox, but it is one AWESOME album!!!

As for a parking lot full of whale vomit, these are the same critics that labled Bruce 'The Boss'.

How about a "Tunnel' full of whale vomit!!

[Abitaman]

Abitaman

You cant call AKU AKU a song. If you do that does Paradise Theatre take a nose dive because of State Street Sadie?

Pieces Of Eight ROCKS!!! Its not quite Equinox, but it is one AWESOME album!!!

As for a parking lot full of whale vomit, these are the same critics that labled Bruce 'The Boss'.

How about a "Tunnel' full of whale vomit!!

Then what is Aku Aku? I think it is a song. But it does differ from PT's Sadie. Sadie is an old song used in old movies, back in the silent days (I believe), so it is a soundbite to close the cd.
You lost me on the whale vomit, but I think I'll pass on it anyway -ERIC

[SuiteMadameBlue]

"Pieces of Eight" album/cd

I listen to this album at LEAST twice a week for years - LOL Obviously one of my favorite albums!!

"Great White Hope" I think this is a great opener on this cd too. Rocks just perfect.

"I'm Okay" love the beginning now that I know what it means -LOL Just found that out in 2003. This is one of my favorite songs lyrically, because hey, I am Okay!! I'm so glad that Dennis added this song to his shows and it's going to stay in the set list.

"Sing For The Day" love this song!! We're all Hannah, like Tommy explained what this song means. Love the harmonies

"The Message"/"Lords of The Ring" / "Lord of the Rings" same thing!! LOL I actually like JY singing creepy on this song. I'm lookin forward to when Dennis adds this one to his set list, should be great with an orchestra.

"Blue Collar Man", well what can I say, I actually love singing this song cranked in my car. I know I make fun of how it's over played and every version known to man, it's still a great song.

"Queen of Spades", OMG, one of the best songs!! Love the lyrics and the music. All around GREAT song. One of Dennis' best songs. Great guitars on this one. I'm so happy that Dennis added this one to his shows.

"Renegade", one of my favorite childhood songs that I played over and over. I still have old cassette tapes of me singing. Love the guitar in here too.

"Pieces of Eight" one of my favorite songs especially hearing is live with the orchestra and what Dennis added to the middle. Love this song, love everything about it, love the harmonies. Damn them for breaking up!!

"Aku Aku", this is a song, an instrumental type song, but still a song.

[DarrenUK]

Nearly everyone classes GI as the best release.....I disagree PO8 is by far the bands best release in my opinion.

[bugsymalone]

I am one who ranks POE as my second favorite Styx recording behind Equinox.

Most of you have posted what is great about this album. I find it more sophisticated, musically, than even Grand Illusion.

Two of my all-time DDY faves are here -- "I'm OK" and the masterpiece "Pieces of Eight." I think the latter ranks as one of the best Styx songs, ever.

"Queen of Spades" -- one of the great Styx rockers of all time. (And, of course, left off "Rockers" )

I have always loved "Sing for the Day". Love the melody and the fun little madrigal-sounding keyboard break in the middle.

I also like the way "Aku Aku" ends the album on a calm note, a end note that says after the wild and crazy life of fame and fortune and all the negatives it can bring, there is a way to escape it all.

I like everything else on it as well and I cannot say the same of TGI, to which this album is often unfavorably compared.

Eric: Yogi's reference to whale vomit was what one critic called this album. JY referenced it on Behind the Music.

"Eight, skate, seven on the rotate" has been discussed here before. It is a dice rolling call.

Bugsy

[gr8dane]

It's my favorite of the platinums.

[AnnieOprah]

Here is where I am on Pieces of Eight. I will give you two points of views.

Historically, I have tended to dismiss the album as a harder edged clone of the Grand Illusion. I always felt like Styx did very little to advance their sound much and that there was little that was "innovative" on this album. Even the songs matched up in an eery sort of way - CSA-PO8, FY-SFTD, MissAm-GWH, GI - I'm OK, CW-QofS, Superstars - Renegade, Man In The Wilderness - Blue Collar Man... So, my historic opinion was that it was an inferior rehash of the Grand Illusion with a lot less meaning and a lack of an overall theme...meaning that if they had put out another clone of TGI in 1980 then it would have been a disaster. For all of Cornerstone's controversy, you have to admit it was a change in direction for a band whose sound could have easily gotten stale by then

Fast forward to the last few years. The album has grown on me both artistically and thematically. As I have said before some of the best songs on the album are the non-hits! Of course Renegade is a classic, but Pieces of Eight, Great White Hope, and Queen of Spades are under-rated classics. I am really just tired of Blue Collar Man - how a song that didn't even crack the top 20 has become pushed so much by the band, I just don't get. Sing For The Day is solid and still is a peppy, classic combination of synth and acoustic guitar (in the same vein as Foolin Yourself and Lights). I like it. Lords of the Rings would have been better had Dennis sung it, and I'm okay is...well....good, but not Dennis's strongest song ever. This was really the album that Tommy made his presence known, and he really is the lead on this one. One could argue that his success on this album planted the jealousy and ego seeds of the two front men that would rule this band for decades. All of a sudden, Dennis has a formidable competitor for head honcho of the band and ironically Tommy would never again be able to replicate his success on Pieces of Eight on any other Styx album.