POINT OF KNOW RETURN

The Masterpiece! One of the best records ever made, one of the selected few 5 star records in my ranking system. A crescendo of inspiration by a band that had the touch of Midas during the 1976-77 period.
Let's do a track-by-track review:

1. Point of Know Return - a Kansas classic
The 3rd most famous and 3rd most performed live Kansas song, after Carry On Wayward Son and Dust in the wind of course. An instant pop rock classic that hooks you instantly!

2. Paradox - a Kansas classic
How impressive! Less than 4 minutes, radio friendly, but yet so prog. They sound so magnificently furious, they do so much stuff in that song! The lyrics are interesting too, as the protagonist seeks his way to self realization (a common Kansas theme), but the music steals the show for sure; top class performance by Steinhardt once more!

3. The Spider - a Kansas classic - worst song of the album
Practically the instrumental intro for "Portrait (He Knew)", this is Steve Walsh's time to shine as a keyboardist. The piece is composed and played by him, showcasing his abilities that were always overshadowed by his incredible vocals. A classic on it's own right, it's also underrated due to the fact that it is was never a concert standard for Kansas, although they could play it almost every time for what it is: the intro for "Portrait (He Knew)". I'm cheating blatantly by giving it the "worst song of the album" tag, since it's not even a song. The situation is so ridiculous that I'm tagging it as a Kansas classic and the worst "song" of the album! THAT'S how overwhelmingly good that album is!

4. Portrait (He Knew) - a Kansas classic - my favorite song of the album
The most beautiful tribute to Albert Einstein ever written. An excellent song in every way, it was released as a single and is one of the Top-10 most live performed songs by Kansas. Oftentimes Kansas transition from it into Carry On Wayard Son when performing live, creating arguably the best combo of their entire live career.

5. Closet Chronicles - a Kansas classic
A prog epic dedicated to Howard Hughes, the famous businessman and visionary that more recently inspired - among many others - Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004). At this point not only Kansas seem unable to write anything but classics, but Walsh also produces by far the best and most mature lyrics of his entire career. This song closes Side A of the album, thus far the album is scarily good, and Side B is not only equal but it contains one of the best songs ever; not only by Kansas but in general!

6. Lightning's Hand - a Kansas classic
OK, this is extreme. This song would be the perfect starter for every Kansas album, and here it's only the starter of the B Side! A powerful fast rocker with an incredible guitar solo that ranks up to the Top 5 Kerry Livgren ever played. This might also be the best vocal performance ever by Robby Steinhardt. I might sound repetitive, but what happens in this album is insane. That level of greatness can't be described by words!

7. Dust in the Wind - a Kansas classic - best song of the album
Completely out of context, like it came from a different record. But, well... we are talking about one of the best songs in the history of music, proudly included in The Great American Songbook. My opinion is that Carry On Wayard Son is the best song by Kansas (I gave it that tag on my Leftoverture review) but they are so different that can easily share the title. It's not a favorite of mine (I'm not a great fan of soft ballads) but it's greatness can't be overlooked in any way.

8. Sparks of the Tempest - a Kansas classic
Yet another fantastic song, with extraordinary level of musical genius on display. Kansas pack stunning prog greatness in 4 minutes of "mainstream" music, paired with lyrics like these: "Run for the cover, Millennium's here, bearing the standard of confusion and fear. Spreading like wildfire, fallin' like rain, though they may promise, they only bring pain".

9. Nobody's Home - a Kansas classic
Wow! What a majestic intro! The song sounds like a love ballad at first but then you read the story behind the lyrics, and they're about an alien from another galaxy traveling to Earth on a peace-making mission, only to find that all humanity was neutralized in a nuclear war. MIND BLOWING. Musically it's absolutely beautiful but its also the most conventional (duh!) song of the album. Top class once more though, no question about it.

10. Hopelessly Human - a Kansas classic - most Prog song of the album - most underrated song of the album
Due to it's position as the last song of this divine album, fans often overlook this gem. From it's bold violin-and-synth driven intro to the magical bells on the outro the song is an elite level prog epic. It's the perfect option to close the most pop-oriented album by Kansas thus far, as a strong reminder of their seriously prog nature. Point of Know Return is perfect even regarding it's running order; I can't imagine a better one considering the songs they had in their arsenal.

RATING:
The whole album comprises of Kansas classics. 10 out of 10 songs. A different level than everything they did before or after. Easy and clear 5 stars, without a shadow of a doubt. A treasure for every discography, prog rock or not.