STAND BESIDE ME

Maybe this single is KANSAS's worst single ever. Taken from their "In the Spirit of Things" (988) album, it really shows Corporate Rock's influences over the musical careers of some bands during the eighties. But at least other bands were allowed to record their own songs in their albums, But by 1988 KANSAS was recording several songs which were not composed by the members of the band, to please the record label.

"Stand Beside Me" is a very commercial and mellow Pop Rock song, full of the eighties's very characteristic "plastic" production ingredients (electronic drums, reverberation, etc.). The band even made a video for this song, with the band in very eighites's looks. It is not really difficult to think why the band didn't record another album for that record label (MCA). This song really sounds like a STARSHIP's song, with the KANSAS band name being only used as a vague reference, but nothing more. Despite this, the song reached the Number 13 (!) in the Hit Parade charts of the U.S.

"House on Fire", composed by some members of the band, is a much better song in comparison. A Hard Rock song with good guitars. It really sounds to me as more related to the KANSAS's sound that the "A" Side of this single.