Styx's feisty, straightforward brand of
album rock is represented best by
"Blue Collar Man" from 1978's
Pieces of Eight, an invigorating keyboard and guitar rush -- hard and heavy, yet curved by
Tommy Shaw's emphasized vocals. Reaching number 21, with the frolicking romp of
"Renegade" edging in at number 16 only six months later,
Pieces of Eight maintained their strength as a front-running FM radio group. Even though these two tracks were both mainstream singles, the rest of the album includes tracks that rekindle some of
Styx's early
progressive rock sound, only cleaner. Tracks like
"Sing for the Day," "Lords of the Ring," and
"Aku-Aku" all contain slightly more complex instrumental foundations, and are lyrically reminiscent of the material from albums like
The Serpent Is Rising or
Man of Miracles, but not as intricate or instrumentally convoluted. While the writing may stray slightly from what
Styx provided on
The Grand Illusion,
Pieces of Eight kept their established
rock formula in tact quite firmly. ~ Mike DeGagne
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