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Kansas - Vinyl Confessions CD (album) cover

VINYL CONFESSIONS

Kansas

 

Symphonic Prog

2.78 | 280 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
1 stars 1.5 stars really!

With the previous Audio-Visions, Kansas had shown the will to keep up with the times and I guess they chose to show it even more by confessing it to vinyl. Anyway, these guys could've thought of another album title, because it is quite easy to take cheap shots at them with such a poor effort. One of the things that strikes most of course is Steve Walsh's absence, but what really shocks is Elefante's horrible AOR-suited voice. This album is not helped by the heavy brass-section on a few tracks (three max) and only Ken Scott's as-usual brilliant production stop the album from complete disaster, because the dumb and stupid artwork is definitely their worst yet to date.

Opening on an almost Toto meets Journey track of Play The Game, Kansas is clinging on to the AOR radio-friendly sound If the opening track kept a Kansas-ey sound, the following Elefante-penned Right Away show that we're going to have hard times ahead on this album. Just a yucky FM rock track. Fair Exchange just has the Livgren and Ehart paws on it and there is an unusual harmonica. Chasing Shadows feature some cheesy strings arrangements, while Diamond And Pearls is a cheese fondue 80's Bread-type soft rock drooling over-sweetish AM crap.

Face It again gives a Journey-tinge AOR sound, Elefante's voice being the major culprit, but the music on this album is simply not as complex as previous albums had it, although it never goes in the "80's Genesis" mode. Windows is one of the rare tunes on this album that would find place on Monolith. Borderline could almost be a Foreigner or Toto track, but even more a Journey semi-hit. Play On is more of the same crap, and the album-longest Crossfire is the only hint of the older Kansas, the only track were the musicians are given place to let it loose a bit and with Windows are the only two tracks worth saving..

Funnily enough the short new liner notes of the reissue are all sweet and completely untrustworthy, speaking of the "eternal" hit of Play The Game and speaks of innovative and progressive attitudes, which is simply laughable about this album. Stay away from this album, you little punks . ;-)

Sean Trane | 1/5 |

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