Masque

Music On Vinyl has been slowly reissuing the Kansas 70's material for the better part of the past 5 years. While the reissues have not been in chronological order, Masque represents the 5th album from this iconic band to receive the vinyl remaster treatment. Once again, the quality is fantastic. The single LP jacket is true to the original LP presentation, but the red vinyl and added weight keeps this release in the collectible/audiophile category. Those who have enjoyed this reissue series should find no problem with this version as well - once again fantastic sound with minimal surface noise. I have not A/B compared this to the Friday Music version (with the double gatefold). Kansas moved in a slightly more commercial direction with Masque, but they did so without sacrificing everything they had built up to this point in time. The epic prog passages were still present but the emphasis on melody was ever more apparent and the riffs were more widely appealing, falling a bit more in line with mainstream rock at this time. Still, this album contains some of the band’s most beloved tracks, like “Icarus,” the popular “Child of Innocence” and the two part epic “Mysteries and Mayhem/The Pinnacle,” which was perhaps Kerry’s greatest accomplishment musically up to this point in time. “All the World” may not have been one of the band’s greatest hits, but it was and remains a beautiful song with a very powerful message. Steve Walsh clearly showed his different writing style on this album with the more commercial “It’s You” and “It Takes a Woman’s Love." For those that felt Kansas was too intense, too progressive with Song for America, this album was the proof that these guys were going to be huge and that they could transcend both genre and generation.

I remember hearing songs from Kansas; "Masque" on the radio, K-SHE 95 in St. Louis. I liked a lot of them, but only got them on the live album, "Two for the Show" when it was released (my first Kansas album). I decided the other day that I would complete my Kansas collection (I just lacked the first 3), and purchased all of them at once. Masque blew me away...I couldn't believe I had missed it the first time. So much good music on one CD. As one of the other reviewers mentioned, the 'bonus material' wasn't much of a bonus, but if you want to get some of the best Kansas music that was ever released, this is one of them. For those of you who are a bit wary and don't know older Kansas material, this is a good CD, and certainly part of the reason that Kansas became so popular. It's a real shame that so many of the so-called 'classic rock' stations have completely ignored or forgot some of the best selections that made classic rock what it is.

I've heard some people say this is one of Kansas's weaker albums but I think this is one of their best, honestly. The remastering job is really good, actually. As I mentioned in my review of Kansas (self-titled), I was suspicious of buying these remasters because of the horrible remastering job done on Leftoverture, but this album, like Kansas, has been well remastered, keeping very close to the original mix and sound while adding a lot of clarity without compressing the heck out of the CD to make it "seem" louder (see: loudness war). This album does have some weak tracks, like "It Takes A Woman's Love", "Two Cents Worth", "All The World", and "It's You", but the rest are typically Kansas...well constructed and with an absolutely stunning finale, "The Pinnacle". I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoyed Kansas or Song for America and wants more.

The album came very well packaged and was just as described. Very satisfied and recommend this seller.

This transitional 1975 album was released virtually on the heels of their prog rock opus Song for America (also 1975). In contrast with Song for America, Masque featured a greater proportion of shorter pieces, and at least a few tracks that were apparently targeted towards a less prog-oriented audience - the "boogie" and hard rock influences are still present on this album. On the flip side of the coin however, is the brilliant Kerry Livgren penned prog rock track The Pinnacle; a masterwork that I would place alongside Apercu (Kansas, 1974); Song for America, Lamplight Symphony, and Incomudro-Hymn to the Atman (all from Song for America, 1975). Overall, Masque is a transitional work that finds the band sandwiched between the earlier prog epics and the mature sound they presented on Leftoverture (1976). The lineup on this album included multi-instrumentalist Kerry Livgren (lead and rhythm electric guitar; acoustic guitar; piano; clavinet; mini-moog synthesizer and ARP synthesizers); Phil Ehart (drums; "moog" drum; and percussion); Robby Steinhardt (violin and vocals); Steve Walsh (Hammond organ; clavinet; mini moog synthesizer; congas; and vocals); Rich Williams (lead and rhythm electric guitar) and Dave Hope (electric bass). These guys are all fantastic musicians and the ensemble work is of a very high quality. My understanding is that Phil Ehart was very much influenced by English progressive rock (along with Kerry) and really wanted to be part of that scene. I guess it is no surprise then that he turned up on former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett's solo album Please Don't Touch (1978). The eight tunes on this album range in length from 3'09" to 9'34" and consist of a mixture of rock/boogie pieces with tiny bits of prog (It's You; Child of Innocence; It takes a Woman's Love; and Two Cents Worth) and several tracks that would be of great interest to most prog fans (Icarus; Mysteries and Mayhem>The Pinnacle). All the World is one track that is right in the middle and is somewhat indicative of future trends. This is a seven minute piece that nicely blends the hard rock/pop and the proggier tendencies of the band - of course, the most seamless blending of rock/boogie and prog would be brought to perfection on Leftoverture (1976). As a hardcore prog fan, my favorite tracks include Icarus; All the World; and the Mysteries and Mayhem>The Pinnacle suite, which is simply a fantastic composition and my favorite track on Masque. All of the hallmarks of progressive rock are (especially) in place on The Pinnacle: dense ensemble work; fantastic melodies; sophisticated counterpoint etc. This is another one of my favorite Kerry Livgren/Kansas compositions. This remastered album by Epic/Legacy is very, very good and features excellent sound quality, loads of liner notes and pictures of the band. The bonus tracks are just OK and simply consist of demos and rehearsal recordings. All in all, this album is highly recommended to those folks that are interested in the heavier side of 1970's progressive rock. Although I might be a little biased, I feel that Kansas was one of the more significant and original American groups that ventured into progressive rock. While Masque might not be the best Kansas album to start with, it is recommended along with the eponymous debut - Kansas (1974); Song for America, Leftoverture; and Point of Know Return (1977). Of these albums, Song for America is very proggy and a personal favorite. Other American bands that practiced interesting strains of prog include Happy the Man - their Crafty Hands album is pretty good.

It was like buyer a record in 1975 couldn't be more please sound great on my sound stage

Nice

Excelente

Kansas created a wonder with this their third disc..."Masque" was a great disc for its time and really managed to tip the scales of Progressive rock back in the 1980's. At this time they were still working with the original crew and it shows. I remember seeing them for the first time and it was during the time when they were promoting the album that came after this "SONG FOR AMERICA" I was amazed at the guitar and violin playing and how they reminded me of another band of a slightly earlier time called "THE FLOCK".

Perfecta edición.

Ci sono voluti circa un anno e mezzo di tempo per produrre "Masque", terzo album dei Kansas, nonché il loro meno preferito (come annunceranno in seguito). Il precedente "Songs For America" aveva portato buoni propositi (la title-track ne era un esempio), ma anche qualche intoppo. Nonostante ciò, l’album era riuscito a scalare lentamente le classifiche; Masque, no. Sarà forse per la copertina (una signora fatta di crostacei e pesci non è certo il massimo, perlopiù su uno sfondo nero) o forse perché i Kansas fanno un passo indietro per approfondire meglio il progressive che stava lentamente defluendo (di qualità) nell’album precedente. E la differenza si sente subito: "It Takes A Woman’s Love (To Make A Man)" ha un sound più maturo e deciso, caratterizzato da una lieve struttura progressive sulla quale partecipano fiati e chitarre in primo piano, strizzando l’occhio ad un gradevole (ma lontano) accento jazz. La rapida corsa finale tra batteria e pianoforte lascia subito spazio a Two Cents Worth, dove una trascinante batteria accompagnata dal pianoforte marcia tra percussioni, tastiere spumeggianti e (finalmente) violino, che appare anch’esso “maturato”. Supera tranquillamente la traccia precedente. "Icarus (Borne On Wings Of Steel)" è più dilatata, con una intro capitanata da un’esplosione tastiere-chitarre che porta subito al cantato, guidato da tastiere e chitarre ben accentuate. Continui crescendo lasciano spazio a continui intrecci tra chitarre e numerose tastiere, per poi accelerare introducendo quindi un rapido violino, nel mentre che subito sotto tastiere e corde lottano per avere il primo piano. Il cantato ricompone ordinatamente la struttura, seguendo un continuo crescendo, lasciando spazio ad un sensazionale finale dove chitarre acustiche ed elettriche si intrecciano per creare un complesso tessuto musicale, avvalorato dal basso (che ha fatto la sua parte per tutto il brano) e dal coro. "All The World" è introdotto dal violino, che molto tranquillamente dà il testimone ad un buon pianoforte che accompagna il cantato. Dopo l’arrivo della batteria e degli altri strumenti, il ritmo diventa sempre più marcato, fino a mutare con un crescendo di voci che dà spazio ad un altro favoloso intreccio di tastiere. La struttura progressive viene evidenziata con il disgregarsi del tessuto musicale, ripreso da un violino stavolta più aggressivo, introdotto da caldissime chitarre e percussioni. Il tutto viene serrato improvvisamente, ritornando alle calme atmosfere iniziali, che riprendono il ciclo con continui crescendo che sfocia nel ritornello finale: uno dei migliori lavori dei Kansas in assoluto. La qualità delle canzoni si mantiene alta con un’intro governata da chitarre e tastiere scompigliate che introducono "Child Of Innocence". Utilizzando intelligentemente tutte le voci del gruppo, il brano scorre su un tessuto musicale apparentemente monotono, che cambia continuamente atmosfere. Lo scatenato assolo di chitarra precede continui giri di tastiere che riprendono l’intro, tornando a capo (ma dov’è il violino?). Anziché riprendere un terzo ciclo, stavolta sono le tastiere a cercare di guadagnarsi il primo piano, con una prepotente chitarra che non dispiace. La breve "It’s You" è una veloce marcia tastiere-batteria-basso (con un violino molto attaccato alle tastiere) che introduce a Mysteries And Mayhem in un modo non tanto travolgente come le tracce precedenti (il povero violino è al primo piano solo alla fine del brano). "Mysteries And Mayhem" si fa strada con un’altra buona intro dove partecipano rapidamente tutti gli strumenti. Il tutto si ferma di fronte a dei giri di chitarra ipnotizzanti che guidano il cantato. Gli altri strumenti decorano il tutto, portando ad un ritornello cantato dagli strumenti: violino e corde sono i primi a farsi avanti, sciogliendo nuovamente il tessuto musicale, ricomponendolo sempre con i medesimi strumenti a ritmo di una frenetica e rapida batteria. Due assoli di chitarra inglobano per pochi attimi l’ascoltatore, per poi riportarlo ad un breve cantato. L’ottimo finale viene rivisitato dall’intro di "The Pinnacle", la vera suite di "Masque" introdotta dal violino. Riprendendo le tastiere che ricordano "Apercu", il tessuto musicale va integrandosi tra tastiere, corde e batteria. Il pianoforte cambia nuovamente l’atmosfera, rendendola più calma. Un lento violino vola tra tastiere ipnotizzanti, riassumendo la lunga intro per poi preparare un tessuto musicale dominato da tastiere e pianoforte per accogliere il cantato. Un delicato crescendo porta ad un cambio della melodia non molto netto ma gradevole, governato dalle tastiere in primis e poi dal travolgente coro. La chitarra e colpi di tastiere cambiano direzione di ritmo, proponendo un delicato ma cupo assolo di tastiere che si movimentano all’arrivo di basso e batteria, quindi un assolo di chitarra rimette tutto a posto, facendo spazio al cantato che siede su ipnotizzanti ritmi di violino. Un assolo di chitarra dà inizio alla chiusura della suite; segue quindi il violino che accompagna il coro finale che chiude, con un fantastico ondeggiare di violini, uno dei capitoli più suggestivi della carriera dei Kansas. (Voto: 8,5)

Ein phantastisches Kansas - Album. Großartiges, farbiges Vinyl. Top Qualität und sehr schnelle Lieferung,