MONOLITH

The end of the '70s was generally not the best period for progressive music bands and while Kansas did manage to keep excellence throughout 1976 and 1977, 1979 was where they would bite the dust.

Kansas' last 70's album was clearly not the graceful conclusion to a great era that I was hoping for. Their traditional style is definitely still in place but the song quality is subpar at best. I'm not even going to talk about flawed concept of this album and instead concentrate on what's good about this release. Monolith features two great AOR hits. I really enjoy On The Other Side for its monumental buildup but even thought it's easily the best track out of this bunch, the song would feel pretty average on any of the band's previous releases. People Of The South Wind does come off like a cheap stab at a radio hit but the I can't argue against it since Kansas were still great at delivering this type of hit material.

This is probably not the best album to begin an exploration of Kansas with. I would suggest to start with, the debut album, Leftoverture or Point Of Know Return, in no particular order. Monolith is an interesting lesson in what can happen when a band tries to satisfy both the critics and the fans at the same time.

***** star songs: On The Other Side (6:23)

**** star songs: People Of The South Wind (3:38)

*** star songs: Angels Have Fallen (6:37) How My Soul Cries Out For You (5:44) A Glimpse Of Home (6:34) Away From You (4:23) Reason To Be (3:50)

** star songs: Stay Out Of Trouble (4:13)