Monolith - the last great Kansas album?

BasedProgger wrote: Hosydi wrote: There is nothing about The Absence of Presence that one could find really objectionable; that's their last great album. I think Prelude and Absence are both good albums but like most new albums from older bands, are rather forgettable and I guess people find the fact most of the original members including Steve Walsh and Kerry Livgren had left the band objectionable about those two albums.

The reality is that on the Monolith album, Kansas demonstrated an intricate hard rock approach rather than sticking to their prog rock style. The keys were taking a less prominent role. The violin featured less on Monolith than on previous albums. The tunes lean towards a pop sensibility, even though the instrumentation remains rich throughout most tracks. There is indeed a noticeable shift away from the Kansas progressive style in Monolith.

Kansas should be compared to progressive rock bands like Yes and Genesis who moved towards a commercial pop direction but are still remembered by many as progressive rock bands, or Emerson Lake & Palmer if they had both a violinist and guitarist.

We don't really need more than one of many bands, especially bands with unique sounds (many prog bands including King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator) or bands so huge everyone can easily identify their sound (Queen, Floyd, Zeppelin).

Hosydi wrote: There is nothing about The Absence of Presence that one could find really objectionable; that's their last great album.

I think Prelude and Absence are both good albums but like most new albums from older bands, are rather forgettable and I guess people find the fact most of the original members including Steve Walsh and Kerry Livgren had left the band objectionable about those two albums.

There is nothing about The Absence of Presence that one could find really objectionable; that's their last great album.

Definitely the first albums of Kansas are the best of their discography, I love the debut Kansas, Song for America, and somehow I give a special value to Leftoverture and PoKR, beyond being also very good works, because they allowed that their expansive wave has given exposure to the first albums of the Americans, that they reach a greater number of listeners and that the band has transcended much more than they surely expected.

On the other hand, I agree that among their "classic" works, Monolith disputes with Masque their placement a bit behind. Personally I think Masque is a couple of steps above, because Mysteries, Icarus and Pinnacle don't have similar level tracks to match them in Monolith. But that's ultimately a matter of personal appreciation and taste.

verslibre wrote: AFlowerKingCrimson wrote: I go by the RIAA website. https://www.riaa.com/ https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=kansas#search_section They need to update it. As you can see right there, it states the Gold certification date is June 20, 1980. More than enough copies shipped upon Monolith's release for it to ship Gold. They had around ¾ of a million units out the door.

I like 'Monolith', but it's not on my list of "classic" Kansas albums.

Steve Wyzard wrote: verslibre wrote: Steve Wyzard wrote: I'd take Monolith over Masque every time. Masque, the same album that contains a few of the band's very best offerings: "Icarus," "Mysteries and Mayhem," "The Pinnacle"...!? I'm one of those fans who believe the band was finding their footing and discovering their sound on the first 3 albums. Which is in no way to imply that they do not have any good material - far from it. There are good reasons why "Song for America" is as popular as it is. Yet there is also a feeling with most of the early songs that the band is simply trying too hard to impress and showing off.

I don't get that feeling from those albums, particularly the debut, which is wall-to-wall greatness.

Steve Wyzard wrote: Leftoverture was the first album where they were confident enough to no longer be "Lynyrd Skynyrd meets King Crimson" and just be themselves without sacrificing their virtuosity or experimentalism. Not to mention the first 3 albums were recorded with extremely low budgets, so the songs sounded much better on Two for the Show, which includes the best songs from those albums.

Am I glad I don't hear anything Skynyrdy about their music!

I actually prefer "Reason to Be" but objectively speaking, it seems like a worse sequel that didn't do as well on the charts. I agree "Stay out of Trouble" is throwaway though ("Away from You" too but not as much).

verslibre wrote: Monolith is good, but not great. It may have been released too soon (though it went halfway between gold and platinum upon release) to capitalize on the momentum of Point of Know Return and Two for the Show. But it's a keeper, nonetheless.