- Cover of Pieces of Eight
It is possible to like Styx in a non-ironic way. Pieces of Eight (1978) is a good album all the way around from a band with a permanent identity crisis. In spite of the band's destiny to become such a joke they were practically booed off the stage at a Texas Jam when trying to support Killroy Was Here (I shuddered as I typed that album's name) their sound (from the 70s) was infectious. Pieces of Eight was probably the peak of their sound for me. Their follow-up was Cornerstone and then Paradise Theater, which was where Dennis DeYoung jumped into full-on flamboyant drama mode; both albums were significantly weaker than Pieces of Eight, probably a result of the Dennis DeYoung versus Tommy Shaw and James Young song battles.
Pieces of Eight is a strange blend of theatrical Dennis DeYoung in tracks like "I'm O.K." and "Queen of Spades", James Young's progressive rock experimentation in "Great White Hope" and "Lords of the Ring", also straight-on hard rock courtesy of Tommy Shaw in "Blue Collar Man" and the unforgettable masterpiece "Renegade".
Whether you like all Styx or just a hand full of hits, you know their sound. Most bands can only dream of the success in both record sales and development of such a unique identifiable sound Styx had. As a result, another Styx album I hold in high regard sits much higher in my list of 100 favorite albums. Look for in after a few dozen other albums.
Yes, I still have that ticket stub, among others.
Related Styx memories:
- I saw Styx perform at Mud Island in Memphis on July 2, 1991 on their Edge of the Century tour. Denis DeYoung was still with them but Tommy Shaw was doing the Damn Yankees thing with Ted Nugent and Jack Blades (Night Ranger). At this show, nothing was performed from Killroy Was Here but in a closing medly, they sang the chorus from "Mr. Roboto" and Mr. Roboto was supposed to rise from the back of the stage. This Mr. Roboto was a cardboard cutout and immediately blew over, continuing to make that entire chapter of the band's history both sad and mock-worthy.
- Glen Burtnik, who replaced Tommy Shaw for Edge of the Century, was no Tommy Shaw. His performances of Shaw's songs were sort of embarrassing.
- I saw Damn Yankees twice. I've always thought David Spade looks just like Tommy Shaw. Why are people only now making that connection?
Styx related honorable mentions of albums you need to hear:
- Damn Yankees – Damn Yankees
- Damn Yankees – Don't Tread (note: the wrong album cover displays on that Amazon page)
- Tommy Shaw – Girls with Guns
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Unrest by Parkway Drive
Interesting article. The first album I ever bought was "Kilroy was Here" and I love it to this day. I attended my first Styx concert (1991) at the Nautica Stage in the Cleveland Flats (Ohio) off of the Cuyahoga River. Glenn Burtnik was no Tommy Shaw and couldn't do the solo in "Too Much Time on My Hands". Ironically, he is the first member of Styx I met during the Canfield Fair in 2000, and he soon left thereafter. "Cyclorama" from 2003 with Burtnik and Gowan is awesome and holds a lot of sound from the 70s. Shaw and Young really poured their hearts into this poorly sold album.
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