Artist: STYX
Album: PIECES OF EIGHT (CD US-IMPORT)

Release date: 1978
Media type: CD

Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album and second concept album by Styx, released September 1, 1978. The album was the band's follow-up to their Triple Platinum selling The Grand Illusion album. The band members produced the album and recorded it (like their previous three efforts) at Paragon Studios in Chicago with recording engineer Barry Mraz and mixing engineer Rob Kingsland.

The theme of the album, as Dennis DeYoung explained on In the Studio with Redbeard which devoted an entire episode to Pieces of Eight, was about "not giving up your dreams just for the pursuit of money and material possessions".

Eight of the album's ten tracks have vocals, and it features two instrumentals, the DeYoung synthesizer showcase "The Message" and Tommy Shaw's closing "Aku-Aku" (although for the latter, there was one lyric spoken, the title of the song).

The album's cover was done by Hipgnosis. DeYoung stated in the same 1991 interview with Redbeard on the In the Studio episode that he initially hated the cover but grew to like it as he got older.

The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart, and like its predecessor would go Triple Platinum.

TRACKLIST :

01 "Great White Hope" (Young) – 4:22
Lead vocals and lead guitar: James Young

02 "I'm O.K." (DeYoung, Young) – 5:41
Lead vocals, synthesizer solos and pipe organ: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: Tommy Shaw

03 "Sing for the Day" (Shaw) – 4:57
Lead vocals, mandolin and all guitars: Tommy Shaw

04 "The Message" (DeYoung) – 1:08
Instrumental, all synthesizers: Dennis DeYoung

05 "Lords of the Ring" (DeYoung) – 4:33
Lead vocals and first guitar solo: James Young, synthesizer solos: Dennis DeYoung, last guitar solo: Tommy Shaw

06 "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" (Shaw) – 4:05
Lead vocals and lead guitar: Tommy Shaw

07 "Queen of Spades" (DeYoung, Young) – 5:38
Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: James Young

08 "Renegade" (Shaw) – 4:13
Lead vocals: Tommy Shaw, lead guitar: James Young

09 "Pieces of Eight" (DeYoung) – 4:44
Lead vocals: Dennis DeYoung, lead guitar: Tommy Shaw

10 "Aku-Aku" (Shaw) – 2:57
Instrumental, lead guitar and whisper chant: Tommy Shaw

LINE-UP:

Dennis DeYoung – keyboards, Vocals, pipe organ
Chuck Panozzo – bass, vocals
John Panozzo – drums, vocals
Tommy Shaw – guitars, mandolin, vocals, all guitars on "Sing For the Day"
James Young – guitar, vocals