Comments for Kansas, Vinyl Confessions

"Vinyl Confessions" is the recording which placed member Kerry Livgren "officially" at the forefront of Kansas, and his influence really shows! The undiluted spiritual message that Kerry had been trying to incorporate into the band persona since his conversion to Christianity in the early '80s finally manifested itself full strength, with a little help from new bandmate John Elephante. A mainstream sound could not disguise the Christian conviction apparent in each song, a fact which doomed the album commercially. Since its rerelease on CD, I have come to appreciate the technical brilliance of this recording more fully than ever before. It is both aesthetically and intellectually pleasing, an achievement rare in current musical output.

With the release of "Vinyl Confessions", Kansas took the next step into 1980's technology and pop music without sacrificing their basic, progressive sound. Perhaps there most accessible album to the newcomer (even the non-Kansas fan), this is an album of great pace and variety. From the excellent "Play The Game Tonight" to the grand closer "Crossfire", Livgren and company proved that you do not have to sacrifice musicianship for commercial sensibilties. New lead singer John Elefante clearly makes his own footsteps heard throughtout the recording; in fact, one does not feel compelled to constantly compare him to outgoing original singer Steve Walsh, quite an accomplishment in and of itself. Overall, I would give this album a very high rating for songwriting, production, and commercial appeal. Highly recommended (especially on CD)!

The "JESUS BRICK" that hits you upside the head isn''t so strong that the substance of the music is slighted. These guys are great musicians, they could be playing songs about Islamic virtues, and they would still sound good. I''m a big Kansas fan, and this is one of my favorite works from the band.

A very transitional album for Kansas. The departure of SteveWalsh is very noticable, and 3 of the 10 songs are written by newvocalist John Elefante. It`s transitional because it still hasviolinist / vocalist Robby Steinhardt to keep the flavor of manyof the early Kansas releases, but it is much less experimentaland more mainstream than the early albums. Personally, I really like it. It`s not pretentious. Best tracks are Livgren`s"Diamonds And Pearls", "Windows", and "Crossfire", and Elefante`s"Right Away" and very lovely "Chasing Shadows". "Play On" isanother highlight. Contains the mild hit "Play The Game Tonight".