Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Kansas
Label: Epic Records
Released: 1975
Rating: 4/5
“Masque”, which came out while its predecessor “Song For America” (1975) was still hot off the press, was the third album from the cult American prog rockers Kansas. It was the product of pressure from their label, which wanted the band to deliver a hit single at any cost, one that would carry them onto the airwaves across all of America and, if possible, Europe too. For a band that had by then established itself as a peculiar musical paradox of the American Midwest, playing excellent symphonic progressive rock inspired by the legendary British prog bands, mixed with some musical elements typical of American rock from that region, and doing so in complete contrast to their outward image (which still included cowboy getups at the time), it had already been quite a road. But the big commercial breakthrough, despite two incredibly ambitious albums, still hadn’t come. Kansas were still largely unknown even in their home country, and their label at the time, Kirshner Records, had already started threatening to cancel the contract. The band was given just a few months to patch up their commercial image, which was by no means an easy job. The end result could easily have been a disaster, but luckily yet another superb album was born, one that carried on their musical vision so far, even if in the end it (once again) failed to satisfy the label’s insatiable commercial appetite.
On “Masque”, Kansas decided to hold on to their musical direction so far, which leaned toward symphonic experimentation, if not to improve on it, alongside a few shorter and more accessible heavy rock tracks. As was already their tradition, it was singer/keyboardist Steve Walsh who contributed the shorter, more accessible pieces built on hard rock and blues rock, with down-to-earth lyrics that also included assorted erotic fantasies, while the “intellectual” Livgren once again tackled more complex, darker-hued symphonic epics with more philosophical lyrics. With “Masque” you also can’t skip the eye-catching cover, whose author was the legendary Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo. He was known for his unusual, allegorical portraits of people and their professions. These portraits were usually composed of fruit, vegetables, fish or books (like his portrait of the librarian, for instance). From Arcimboldo’s legacy, Kansas picked a portrait that represents an allegory of the element of water and is made up of assorted sea creatures, seals included.
The opening “It Takes a Woman’s Love (To Make a Man)” is a straight-ahead, erotic-fantasy-soaked Walsh “barroom” hard rocker with punchy guitar riffs and a mighty vocal. The rest of Kansas build on the simple rhythm with fun passages on Hammond organ, electric piano and violin. There’s also a witty sax solo from special guest Earl Lon Price. Even though it has nothing to do with their more progressive, symphonic creations and highlights their hard rock side, of which Walsh was the main driving force at the time, it’s by no means filler, but a thoroughly witty and energetic start to the album.
In a similar style but at a somewhat slower tempo, the solid “Two Cents Worth”” carries on, with passionate Walsh vocals and terrific Livgren guitar passages through a wah-wah effect. The Hammond organ lines and funky rhythm borrow a lot from some of the Coverdale-era Deep Purple stuff, but it’s mainly Steinhardt’s violin and Livgren’s guitar style that keep the recognizable heavy rock Kansas sound.
Up to here the album has been more or less a warm-up for some far more exciting compositions. Things get a lot more serious with the excellent symphonic prog epic “Icarus-Borne On Wings Of Steel”, which, through superb symphonic keyboard arrangements, a mighty vocal and dramatic passages on guitar and violin, brings the mythological story of Daedalus and Icarus to life. It’s the first of the album’s symphonic prog treats, alternating complex yet melodic symphonic passages on violin and keyboards with heavy rock potency via punchy guitar riffs and dynamic drums. Walsh’s dramatic vocal, especially in the terrific chorus, comes alive in all its glory.
Next up is the excellent power ballad “All The World”, which combines the outstanding technical bravura of the individual instrumentalists with the kind of emotional beauty that only the greatest bands, Kansas among them, were capable of conjuring. It opens with gentle Steinhardt violin passages and his melancholic vocal (here he proved once again that he was not only a superb violinist but a good singer too). Things get a bit tangled with a complex instrumental section, a proper jam with plenty of scorching guitar riffs, drum transitions and mouthwatering violin solos. This is followed by a gorgeous symphonic section with delicate electric piano arrangements and a heart-wrenching vocal, one of the most beautiful in their history. Superb.
Livgren’s dramatic epic masterpiece “Child Of Innocence” is another one of the album’s main treats, its mighty chorus echoing in the listener’s head like a chant long after the song has ended. Here Kansas once again merge symphonic refinement and heavy rock potency in perfect harmony. The dramatic-epic passages follow one another at lightspeed while Walsh’s furious vocal “strolls” between them. But the best part is the dramatic ending of the composition, when the last goosebump-inducing instrumental section kicks in. Everything about this track is a perfect ten.
The short but still fun Walsh heavy rocker “It’s You” also deserves attention, with its galloping opening rhythm and witty symphonic passages. With Kansas, directness can be one of the good qualities too, and that’s the case here as well. The excellent “Mysteries And Mayhem”, with its fiery symphonic passages on violin, keyboards and guitar and its rumbling rhythm, has everything that made Kansas famous as a progressive rock band with a unique direction. Heavy rock punch via an “angry” vocal, sharpened guitar riffing and the ever-eclectic Hope/Ehart rhythm section was once again wonderfully fused with Steinhardt’s passionate symphonic violin passages.
The closing dark symphonic prog epic “The Pinnacle” is, as its title neatly says, the album’s peak and one more fine proof of why Kansas deserve their place in the progressive rock “hall of fame”. On it, its main creator Livgren, with the help of his bandmates, once again serves up an abundance of excellent, epic baroque arrangements, mixed with heavy rock punch and incredibly effective vocal charisma. Melancholic violin passages weave beautifully over baroque keyboard motifs and punchy guitar passages, switching between different moods one after another. When Walsh’s mighty vocal joins in midway and helps create a terrific melodic chorus, the epic magic is complete. The witty, mostly symphonic-tinged instrumental sections don’t run out any time soon, and with every listen you can pick out some new, previously overlooked symphonic arrangement in them. Easily one of the best compositions in their history and a moment where drama, beauty and mysticism come together in perfect harmony.
Despite heavy pressure from the label and the rush in which they tackled the recording, with “Masque” Kansas made yet another very good album, one that easily survived the test of time and still sounds like it was made yesterday. And the band rarely sounded so lively and eager to prove themselves on any other album. “Masque” wasn’t a masterpiece, the way “Song For America” was. With the exceptional closer “The Pinnacle” aside, Kansas didn’t make any noticeable artistic leap forward on it. Still, this album ranks among their best achievements, Kansas classics they can rightfully be proud of. It’s one of those albums overlooked by the prevailing mass of music critics, and today it’s valued far more among the band’s followers than it was on release. As already mentioned, despite its great musical quality, “Masque” was a commercial flop. The label was already planning to show them the door when, completely unexpectedly and at the last minute, they recorded “Leftoverture” (1976), the album that shot them into rock superstardom, but more on that in another review.
Lineup
Steve Walsh – vocals, keyboards, congas
Kerry Livgren – guitar, keyboards
Rich Williams – electric guitar
Robbie Steinhardt – violin, vocals
Dave Hope – bass guitar
Phil Ehart – drums, Moog drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Earl Lon Price – saxophone(1)
Production
Jeff Glixman and Jeff Magid
Track List
1. It takes a woman’s love (to make a man) (3:09)
2. Two cents worth (3:10)
3. Icarus – Borne on the wings of steel (6:07)
4. All over the world (7:13)
5. Child of innocence (4:38)
6. It’s you (2:35)
7. Mysteries and mayhem (4:20)
8. The pinnacle (9:35)
Album length: 40:47
