Customer Reviews

Masque (Exp)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love progressive rock. It's the kind of music you can listen to over and over again...and hear something different each time. (Try that with 90% of the music made today!)

So it's not surprising that during the '70s (when I was a teenager), I was a big fan of Rush, Yes, Genesis, ELP and, of course, Kansas. That music became part of my soul.

Therefore, it was with lots of excitement that I bought the remastered CD of Masque (the remastered Leftoverture is next; I'll buy it today on my lunch hour).

What incredible sound! The drums (especially the cymbals) and the guitar tracks are crisp and clear. The vocals are incredible. This is how Kansas was meant to be heard.

I agree with previous reviewers: Masque is not the best Kansas ever recorded. I think Song for America (their second album), Leftoverture and Point of Know Return are Kansas at their peak. However, Masque is head and shoulders above anything recorded today -- not only in creativity and composition, but also in sheer musical talent.

I know many people have regarded the opening track "It takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)" as fluff. But I kind of like it. It shows another side to Kansas; not a sell-out side, either. Just an ability to rock and make shorter songs that are catchy and fun.

My favorite tracks are the punchy, rocking "Child of Innocence" and, of course, the lengthier ones: "Icarus (Borne On Wings of Steel)," "Mysteries and Mayhem" and "The Pinnacle." Why? Because, as I wrote in the first sentence, I love progressive rock. I love its depth, complexity, subject matter and musical distinctiveness. Critics can dismiss it as bombastic and silly, but, man, does it touch something inside of me.

If you like well-crafted, creative music, you'll like Masque. If you're a Kansas fan, you need it. If you're tired of the homogeneous, cookie-cutter, every-song-played-at-the-same-pace-in-the-same-raucous-way music that's become popular today, give Masque a listen. You'll probably find it to be a breath of fresh air.

Masque has been my favorite Kansas album since I purchased it on vinyl back in 1975, and it holds up equally well today. It's a much more polished and cohesive effort than the previous two records (which are certainly good), and sets the stage for the hugely successful follow-ups 'Leftoverture' and 'Point of Know Return'. It has a great mix of rock-radio oriented songs ('It Takes A Woman's Love', 'Child Of Innocence', 'It's You'), and progressive rock masterpieces ('Icarus', 'Mysteries and Mayhem' & 'The Pinnacle'). 'Child Of Innocence' was my first-favorite Kansas song, and got a good bit of AOR radio-play in it's day.

The CD reissue sounds great. I'm under-whelmed by the bonus material though, the rehersal recording of 'Child of Innocence' and the demo version of 'It's You' don't add much, but are easy to skip past.

If you like 'Song For America' or the mega-hit albums, you should add Masque to your collection!

When I heard Kansas was remastering three of their best albums, with two to be released almost immediately, I snapped up the opportunity and preordered Masque and Leftoverture right here on Amazon.

I received both in the mail today, and quickly tore open Masque. Although I've heard this album thousands of time through the years, first on my record player, then my tape player, and finally on my CD player with an import of a direct-to-CD conversion, hearing the music I have grown to love over the years in crystal-clear perfection felt all new again. Needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Kerry Livgren's writing really sets Kansas apart from the run-of-the-mill progressive rock band, and Masque is no exception to the skill employed by Livgren and Walsh as song-writer extraordinaires. Thought-provoking and captivating, Masque's depth gives it almost infinite replayability. The authentic feeling of the lyrics really make it unique compared to today's world of drippy pop-rock stars who sing about anything that comes to mind, even if it has no inner meaning.

Although every single track on this album is excellent, the highlights for me were All The World, Mysteries and Mayhem, The Pinnacle, and the never-before-released rehearsal demo of Child of Innocence. After over 25 years, those songs still hold the same magic as they did when I first slapped the vinyl onto my turntable all those years ago. However, the sound on this release is like the difference between night and day compared to the record release. It is much clearer; and the musical parts are all mixed into place perfectly, like it was recorded yesterday.

With the inclusion of a studio demo of an original arrangement of "It's You" and a rehearsal recording of "Child of Innocence", along with every original track in crystal-clear perfection, this album is a must-buy for even the casual fans of Kansas.

I give it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

I have allmost all of Kansases albums and this one is one of my favorites so it was a real treat to hear it digitaly remastered on CD. In my openion Masque has some of there best music on it and the previousley unreleased bonus tracks were great, a real treat to hear! This one makes a great addition to any Kansas lovers CD collection.

Sandwiched between two of the greatest prog rock albums ever recorded, SONG FOR AMERICA and LEFTOVERTURE, Kansas recorded MASQUE. And, it's by no means a letdown. Packed with some of Kansas' most intricate, challenging, heavy, and beautiful music, MASQUE rewards the patient listener who is willing to endure the first two cuts, which--while not bad--are rather tepid attempts at radio-friendly tunesmithing. But...on track 3, the sublime "Icarus (Borne on Wings of Steel)," Kansas soared to dizzying heights artistically. This track neatly sums up what Kansas is all about--compelling, profound, poetic lyrics; strong harmonies; masterful musicianship; and innovative arrangements. The CD would be worth the price for this track alone. But, thankfully, there's more to come. "All the World" is an opulent opus with shifting moods and tempos and gorgeous vocals. Then, Kansas moves into a grittier groove with the chilling "Child of Innocence." The winningly poppy "It's You" with some great keyboard work and the incomparable vocals of Steve Walsh follows, and it functions as a palate cleanser before the real heaviness begins. "Mysteries and Mayhem" is almost biblical in its proportions and implications...scarifyingly intense and weighty in riffage. Robby Steinhardt growls in tones that are by turns stentorian and pleading. This segues into "The Pinnacle" which is Kerry Livgren at his finest lyrically...an epic tale that sums up all of the spiritual longing that was to manifest next on LEFTOVERTURE's first track, "Carry On Wayward Son." Musically, the piece is a modern symphony, albeit one that rocks like a hurricane. (The two bonus tracks are very interesting demos which give insight into how they evolved.) All too often, MASQUE gets overlooked in favor of Kansas' megaplatinum classics, but the fan of superbly wrought prog rock would do very well indeed to pick this CD up at their earliest possible convenience. It must be said that, individually, the musicians in this incarnation of Kansas were among the best to ever practice their craft...together, they were virtually unstoppable and untoppable.

My first introduction to KANSAS was in 1976 with the LP LEFTOVERTURE and the song CARRY ON WAYWARD SON. I was 13 years old. I bought the LP, and then the POINT OF KNOW RETURN LP a year later. Now, at the age of 38, I have been desperately waiting for SONG FOR AMERICA to be REMASTERED. I had never heard MASQUE, or at least I thought I hadn't, I didn't recognize any of the song's titles. I read through the first two reviews here on AMAZON and decided to give it a try. I bought the CD on my way to work this morning.

Well, was I blown away! I remembered CHILD OF INNOCENCE immediately, note for note, lyric for lyric. I never owned the LP, didn't know anyone who did. The only way I could have remembered this was from hearing it on the radio back in the 70's. I stand corrected, I did know songs from MASQUE.

The only thing I can add to the first reviews here is to BUY THIS CD. This is not neccessarily the best KANSAS recording, I think that honor goes to LEFTOVERTURE, but MASQUE is ESSENTIAL KANSAS. This is the KANSAS they were, the KANSAS they were going to be, and even a little of the KANSAS Don Kirshner wanted them to be. The result is a wonderful diverse mix that hadn't happened before MASQUE and wouldn't happen again after. With LEFTOVERTURE, KANSAS was content to be the KANSAS they were, and with that realization came precise consistancy.

The rehearsal recording of CHILD OF INNOCENCE is a great addition. Being an "AT HOME" recording that's over 25 years old, the sound quality is poor, but I absolutely love playing CHILD OF INNOCENCE and the rehearsal version back-to-back.

Highlights are CHILD OF INNOCENCE, THE PINNACLE, MYSTERIES AND MAYHEM, and ICARUS (BORNE ON WINGS OF STEEL).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This may be my all time favorite Kansas album. To me it combines the best of what Kansas is all about with shorter rocking songs and epic progressive rock. My all time favorite Kansas composition "The Pinnacle" closes out the album. For some it may be overly melodramatic, but for me it is everything I love about progressive rock. Every band member shines on the track and Steve Walsh turns in one of his all time best vocal performances. The buildup to the dramatic climax of the piece still gets to me every time I listen to it. The rest of the album is also great. The two commercial straight ahead rockers "It Takes A Woman's Love" and "It's You" are both simple, but great little tunes. "Two Cents Worth" and "All Over The World" are two of Kansas more underrated compositions. You never hear them mentioned when people talk about their favorite Kansas tracks, but they are both great. Not really prog rock, but not really straight forward either. "Icarus - Borne On Wings Of Steel" has become a Kansas classic and again showcases Walsh's incredible vocal range. "Child Of Innocence" combines heavy rock with prog again with everyone in the band gelling perfectly. The trade off lead vocals between Robby Steinhardt and Steve Walsh totally compliment each other. "Mysteries And Mayhem" serves as the first half of "The Pinnacle" story and has remained a concert favorite for years. "Masque" did not sell as well as the previous album and certainly increased record company pressure to come up with a hit, but for me this is as good as anything the band did. If you are a Kansas fan and never picked this one up, the album should be an essential part of your collection.

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.

Kansas is one of the best Bands from the 70's. Livgren is a superb song writer. Walsh's vocals fit this music perfectly. I grew up listening to Jethro Tull - ELP - Yes - Rush - Captain Beyond and all the others. I love Progressive music and Kansas doesn't take a back seat to any. I like ALL Kansas' albums, however, if I had to rate them Masque & Song for America would be tied for first, then in order, Leftoverture - Kansas - Point of No Return - Monolith and so on and so forth. The bottom line is this: Masque is great album that needs to be in your collection, if you like progessive rock.

This remastered version is excellent!

This cd is just great. I remember getting it as a 16 year old in the early 80s and thinking that it was the centre of the earth. You can hear two bands on this release, the band of budding maturity with songs like Pinnacle/Icarus and Mysteries and Mayhem. Those songs contrast young yucky songs like It takes a womans love... you get the idea. The great songs on this release are to this day concert staples demanded by the fans. The other ones, forgettable. Strong contrast from a band growing up in its chops.

First of all, lets go over all the songs:

1. It takes a womans love to make a man. Nice song. It is Steve Walsh trying to give Kansas a rock single. Not bad, not great, but good listening.

2. Two Cents Worth. A great song. Proggish yet ballady enough. Is Kansas the only prog band that could actually write a ballad? I think so.

3. Icarus Born on Wings Of Steel. this is a quintessential Kansas song. It is one fans TO THIS DAY want to hear live and when they do, they leave satisfied from the concert. Most likely the most famous Pre Leftoverture song. This song really showed you which way Kansas was going to go, it was not going to go the 'It takes a womans love to make a man' direction, it was going to go THIS SONGS Direction. And the world is a much better place due to this.

4. All the World. A nice song, a song that.. again.. shows you the development of Kansas.

5. Child Of Innocene. this is a rocking song. And it really catches you pumping your fist in the air .. which you don't always do with Kansas. A great raw rock song. You can hollar along with this one. Great fun.

6. Its You. A wonderful little kansas ditty, tempo changes, and the constant chorus of ....aaaahhhh its you' which is another development song. It is good to listen to, and think of all the violin playing and such..... you can hear kansas growing up on this song.... but sorta a weak song, but nice.

7. Mysteries and Mayhem. Another classic song by Kansas. This is on the plain with Icarus. A great song that I think, along with Icarus, was really a song that was made by a group that had not yet matured to the point of releasing a song like this.

8. Pinnacle. Wow. What power, what direction and what progressive rock lives to hear. When you listen to the modern progressive rockers THE FLOWER KINGS, you can see where they get some of their inspiration from listening to this masterpiece. It clocks in at over 9 minutes and at 132 minutes, there is a great section of moog keys that are so wondeful overlaid with wonderful heavinly violin. SIMPLY CLASSICAL PROG ROCK.

The other tracks are live, and good.