AUDIO-VISIONS

The album "Audio-Visions" from Kansas is "Infectious" and "Irresistible". Is it progressive rock? Not really, semi-progressive, but interesting. Even the weaker tracks like "Loner" and "Got to rock on" have interesting moments, like more acoustic sections, and when they rock, they ROCK!!

The opening "Relentless" is totally infectious, great vocals from Steve Walsh, and the song has a great atmosphere. "Anything for you" is probably the most progressive song Steve wrote for the album. It has a few phases, the marching beat/organ and then the big-ballad style chorus. The single "Hold On" is a Celtic power-ballad that fits in with that Kansas mystique. "Loner" and "Got to rock on" are very much straight-ahead rockers, and probably test the patience of a lot people, but they have more interesting section, for example the acoustic parts on "Loner" and that fiery lead-guitar riff that is the main theme for the song. These shorter songs sand- which the progressive epic "Curtain of iron", which is full of eerie keyboards and a childrens vocal choir. It also features a lot more instrumental music than most of the other tracks.

On side two, after "Got to rock on" you get a couple of more progressive numbers, the eerie "Don't open your eyes" and the exuberant, catchy "No-one together", which has a lot of inspiring instrumental music. These are followed by the hard-rock shuffle "No room for a stranger" which comes from the same place "Stay out of trouble" came from, but I think this song is not at strong. However the closer "Back Door" is an anthemic folk-song, complete with bagpipes! For me that was the icing on the cake of what was a great album, to hear a folk song at the end of a hard-rock-prog album. And it was a Steve Walsh song, see he still had it in him!

Overall, I think this is one of Kansas' best albums. It feels more 'fuller' than Monolith, and is more catchy than their early album, though that is not always a wanted trait of prog albums. The band playing is very professional and 'tight' on this one.Anyway this was the last great Kansas album for a while, as there was inner-turmoil in the band.