IN THE SPIRIT OF THINGS

I've been listening to mediocre music all morning, so why stop now? Not that "In The Spirit of Things" had a ghost of a chance of finding me charitably disposed toward histrionical hair metal anyway. I don't think producer BOB EZRIN knew what he was getting into with KANSAS. Whatever artistic credibility they might have once laid claim to had long since departed this world, leaving behind a band desperate to make another big record. That's where EZRIN comes in: he makes "big" concept records with a flair for melodrama. And that's fine when the artist you're working with isn't too eager to oblige (PINK FLOYD, LOU REED). But when BOB's given free reign (e.g., this pretentious piece of plastic, ALICE COOPER Goes To Hell), the results can be deadly. Apparently, he managed to convince KANSAS that a collaboration would yield a big statement, something about the end of the world in a small town. They didn't even need to write all the material, just feign integrity and make a lot of noise. It's not a matter of "In The Spirit of Things" being a bad record, it's actually offensive. There are musicians who genuinely care about their music (seems to me KANSAS used to be one of them), and all this sacless strutting through '80s metal ("House On Fire") and put-upon sincerity ("Ghosts", "Once In A Lifetime") is an awful flimsy excuse to engage five otherwise talented musicians. Any number of faceless bands could have made this record, but the alarming thing is I don't even think you need musicians to make this kind of music. Just punch up the right buttons, splice in some electric guitar squalls, blend some human voices into a faceless composite, and distract your audience with the pretense of a story that might contain characters you care about. In a better mood, I'd point out that "I Counted On Love" is a fine arena rock ballad. That's one good song, in case you're counting, and it didn't even show up on the elpee and cassette releases (four tracks were "added" to the compact disc, which I guess is the only way to get the whole story). Anyway, I'm going to wash this miserable experience from my memory with some Yes (last time I listened to this disc, RUSH did the trick) and bury it (case and all) in the backyard before the ground freezes.