Customer Reviews

Point Of Know Return

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This, the most successful of Kansas' releases (yes, the one with "Dust in the Wind"), marked the beginning of the end of the band for me. One notes from the number of songs, relative to earlier albums, that shorter forms are becoming prevalent, and shorter forms from a prog rock band in the mid-70s meant, in practice, a swerve toward pop. Not even Yes was immune to this tendency.

As "pop" goes, this is surely some of my favorite, but I didn't get into Kansas (I realized later) for the pop. "Point of Know Return" introduced me (like many others) to the band, but as I worked backward into their earlier music, I found that it was on "Masque", "Song for America" and "Leftoverture" that their music most spoke to me.

"Point of Know Return" (despite the kitsch of the title) is the kind of pop one could live with on the radio. "Paradox", as the sibling of "Point of Know Return", shows truly what a happy marriage of prog and pop Kansas could concoct. As a keyboardist myself, Walsh's "Spider" is a marvelously intricate thing, though much too short. "Portrait" (an homage to Einstein that I formerly mistook as an homage to Jesus) falls a bit flat on the album, but makes up for it 200-fold on "Two for the Show," where it is simply stunning. Side One (I date myself) ends with "Closet Chronicles", another of the compositional high points of Kerry Livgren's (and Walsh's) career. (It wasn't until years later that I found out this song is an homage to Howard Hughes.)

Side Two opens with "Dust in the Wind"--originally a finger exercise piece that Kerry Livgren added lyrics too. There then follow two very unhappy monsters--both "Lightning's Hand" and "Sparks of the Tempest" fell flat for me, then and now. This was worrisome because previously all of the Kansas songs I'd not been fond of had been their more straightforward rockers. Here, we have two songs obviously in the prog-pop vein falling on their faces. Luckily, the album ends with two more genuine masterpieces, but that makes, in all, only three songs on the album I really want to listen to.

Any Kansas playlist of their songs that genuinely expanded the compositional possibilities of rock (and it is in precisely this aspect that Kansas is most progressive) must contain "Hopelessly Human", "Nobody's Home", and "Closet Chronicles"--they are must hear, or must have, songs for anyone interested in pre-decline Kansas. The rest of the album, however, while superbly performed, as ever, just doesn't have the creative spark that earlier albums did.

In high school, I would become nervous when a band I liked brought out a live album, because it often seemed to be a sign that the band couldn't come up with new material, or that a major change of direction was in the works. Kansas toured "Point of Know Return" extensively, and released a live album to document that. Two noble studio efforts followed, after which the decline became the collapse, and the Kansas I'd become a fan of ceased to be. "Point of Know Return," then, marks the beginning of the end; something that can be heard clearly in the music, especially if you know their earlier stuff.

As a 16 year old back in 1989, I was getting in to prog rock, while others my age were either listening to Bon Jovi and Poison, or worse, New Kids on the Block. As I was getting in to Yes and ELP, I dismissed Kansas as yet another AOR band, like Boston, Journey, Styx, Foreigner, etc. Boy was I wrong. Kansas was a prog rock band that came from a very conservative area of the country (the state, which bears the band's name). Since there were no "hip" clubs for the band to play in their neck of the woods at that time, they had to perform in bars, so the bar-band influence of their music is strongly felt, while adding the Yes and ELP-style prog rock. I wouldn't call Point of Know Return their best album (that probably goes to Song For America), it was without a doubt their best-selling album. The title track and "Dust in the Wind" receiving constant radio airplay, and those two songs, of course, are regarded not only as classics, but FM radio standards. Although "Dust in the Wind" often gets on people's list of "Worst Songs of the Seventies" (along with "Seasons in the Sun", "Billy, Don't Be a Hero", and Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling"), it really isn't all that bad. The band was able to manage some great prog rock, albeit, with a uniquely American flavor. Violinst Robbie Steinhart might be classically trained, but you can tell he was also influenced by Southern-style fiddling. Steve Walsh's vocals are uniquely American, and the Yes comparison often comes from the vocal harmonies. Kerry Livgren's keyboarding inspiration comes from some of the big prog names like Emerson and Wakeman. Aside from the obvious hits, let's bring up a few of the other songs on this album. "The Spider" is a great instrumental prog song that bears an uncanny resemblance to ELP's Tarkus. "Sparks of the Tempest" is the band trying to be funky (like they did on "Two Cents Worth" off Masque). "Paradox" is simply a great rocking track in a traditional Kansas style, would have fit just fine on any of their previous four albums. The only reason why I took a star off is the last two songs, "Nobody's Home" and "Hopelessly Human", which I felt the band slacked off on those two, but it's still a great album, and easy to see how this album sold so well.

Kansas was another in a line of 70's rock artists from the Midwest who enjoyed some chart success in the mid-70's to early 80's. But they had more in common with prog rockers like Yes, King Crimson and the others than with the earnest rock of Bob Seger and the like. Point Of No Return is the top album in their catalog and contains one of the staples of FM rock radio, the hauntingly beautiful "Dust In The Wind". But this album is more than a one-hit wonder. The title track opens the album with it's pulsating keyboards and other standout tracks include the Albert Einstein tribute, "Portrait (He Knew)", the Orwellian "Sparks Of The Tempest", another ballad "Nobody's Home", "The Spider" and the album's closer "Hopelessly Human". The album is remastered with two live tracks that are alright, but don't add much to the original album.

Twenty-five years after the album Point of Know Return came out on vinyl -- twenty-five years after PoKR was released as a single only to have "Dust In The Wind" become the band's most commercially successful song, destined to go down as one of the most beautiful rock songs ever written -- comes the remastered Point of Know Return.

The remaster brings out a few sounds that had previously been buried deeper in the original mix, keyboard sounds are stronger in songs such as "Paradox", "Nobody's Home" and "Hopelessly Human", giving the songs a richer texture.

PoKR followed up Leftoverture as one of the most complex "mainstream progressive" recordings in rock music with an abundance of classical flavors and unique time signatures. The massive crossover success of "Dust In The Wind" made PoKR the band's best-selling album, but the simplicity of "Dust" hid the aggressively complex nature of this album.

The remaster includes all of the lyrics and sleeve artwork from the original, along with new and very enlightening liner notes from David Wild, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone Magazine, and producer/engineer Jeff Glixman. Wild in particular gives great insight to the success/inner struggles the band was experiencing at the time PoKR was recorded.

"For all the angst that went on behind the music, Point of Know Return remains a powerful show of Kansas' musical strength," Wild says.

Some great additions to the remaster are the live "Sparks of the Tempest", recorded at Merriweather Pavilion, MD, that features some serious rocking guitar work from Rich Williams and Kerry Livgren, as well as some "balls-to-the-wall, go-let-it-all-hang-out" vocals from Robby Steinhardt and Steve Walsh.

However, the coup de grace is the final track, a remixed "Portrait (He Knew)" -- a song written about Albert Einstein -- that Glixman admits was rushed when he first mixed it, but now ... WOW! Phil Ehart's drums sound better than ever in the new mix. Overall, it's like listening to a brand new song and easy to forget that it's been around 25 years.

The remastered PoKR is a must-have for any fan of Kansas, and a great intro for anyone yet to taste the full flavor of one of the best progressive American bands to ever come down the pike.

I know everyone defines this album by the tracks DUST IN THE WIND,and POINT OF KNOW RETURN,and even if those songs are a 10 on a scale of 1-10,there are much better tracks than them.Starting with the hairraising track Portrait (He knew),which a earlier reviewer said was about Albert Einstein is actually about Leonardo Davinci(which makes sense since Leonardo was a great painter),plus, I have heard a couple of interviews with Kerry Livgren and both times he's expressly said that this is a song about Leonardo Davinci.Then there's Paradox,and The Spider which are great progressive tunes.Then the Howard Hughes inspired CLOSET CHRONICLES (one of Steve Walshes best songs).Then the great end-times song SPARKS OF THE TEMPEST.One of their great ballads NOBODY'S HOME.Then last but not least,the final track of the original album MY FAVORITE "HOPELESSLY HUMAN" which I think is a great title for us screwed-up humans,which is tied for number one with "INCOMUDRO HYMN TO THE ATMAN" as my favorite KANSAS song.It's a very hard rocking but also mystical,has great synthesiser work and rocking guitars,and brilliant violin passages,Hopelessly Human just rocks,and it's a fitting conclusion to the brilliant album. I heard one half wit reviewer on Cd Universe say that the success of LEFTOVERTURE is what fueled all the sales of POINT OF KNOW RETURN, but that's not true. This album stands alone and doesn't need the help of an inferior album to help it sell commercially. This fine album was when the original six were playing like a well-oiled machine, and it really shows on their best release POINT OF KNOW RETURN. BUY AND ENJOY!!!!

(...)
NOW I WILL KEEP MY COMMENTS STRICTLY WITH THIS REMASTERING JOB

You couldn't be more right "Toddbeerbratistan" about your comments about this piece of [...] remastering job. I bought this because I wanted to have the two bonus tracks, and thought that this would be an improvement on the already good and pleasing sound quality of the first issue, but no such luck here. When you know this recording like the back of your hand, it's obvious when you hear this remaster that the sound mix or something is horribly wrong. It makes me wish that they would have made one of those Mobile fidelity Gold discs out of this great progressive album. That might be the only way to hear this recording the way that it's supposed to be heard. It's just annoying and grating, when you know the recording like I do (I've had the first issue since 1985, and have listened to it far more than any other cd). Amazon customers, take my advice, and buy the original issue from the early 80's, which is available here on Amazon, for two or three bucks used, or you might want to buy it directly from Amazon, (...). You won't have the bonus tracks (they're pretty worthless anyway), but if you're an audiophile like I am, you will like the much better sound quality. They made some very successful remasterings for the first two KANSAS cds KANSAS and SONG FOR AMERICA, so who knows what they were thinking with POINT OF KNOW RETURN. Jeff Glixman (the producer of this recording), shame on you for screwing up the remastering process, because really they could have improved upon the already excellent sound of the original recording.

Over the course of their first five albums, Kansas developed a unique type of progressive rock that fused elements of hard rock with English progressive rock - note that I am not using the disparaging term "stadium rock" when discussing Kansas. By the time of Point of Know Return (1977), the prog and hard rock had been seamlessly fused and made for a very balanced listening experience. Fortunately for them, this was the only way an American band that had progressive inclinations could make it in their home country (just look at poor Starcastle), and they certainly "hit the jackpot" with this album. Point of Know Return really is a great album, with a dynamic range that spans the gamut from the electrifying instrumental The Spider, to the delicate, acoustic ballad Dust in the Wind. The musicianship/vocal performances are superb throughout and the pieces feature decent ensemble work and arrangements. Instrumentation consists of loads of "toccata-like" flourishes on the Hammond organ, moog/ARP synthesizers, along with virtuosic lines on the violin and heavily distorted guitar (the hard rock aspect). Underlying it all is the thunderous rhythm section of drummer Phil Ehart and bassist Dave Hope. The purely hard rock pieces on Point of Know Return include Lightning's Hand along with Sparks of the Tempest, while the rest of the album features concise, prog/hard rock statements. The sound quality of the remastered album is not bad at all (I actually think it is quite good), although the recording quality of the live version of Sparks of the Tempest is only "so-so" and the remix of Portrait (He Knew)is pretty poor. Recommended to those folks whose musical tastes include Styx, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Yes. Other great Kansas albums include Kansas (1974), Song for America (1975), and Leftoverture (1976). For folks interested in the earliest developmental stages of Kansas, the Proto-Kaw album "Early Recordings from Kansas 1971-1973" is also quite good and provides significant insight into the musical perspectives of Kerry Livgren.

For a long time this was my favorite album ever until it was finally overthrown by Transatlantic's Bridge Across Forever. The fact that Kansas could make a masterpiece like Leftoverture and follow it up with Point of Know Return is astonishing. And this isn't just a retread of the previous album. The sound is more rocking with more upfront violin and a lot of tasty Hammond. The vocals by Steve Walsh and Robby Steinhardt are first rate. I should also mention that the rhythm section of Phil Ehart (drums) and Dave Hope (bass) is criminally underrated.

The title track is a classic rock radio standard. It's a nice little memorable ditty. The driving, energetic "Paradox" showcases the band's extremely tight playing. The complex instrumental "The Spider" covers a lot of ground in its short running time. "Portrait (He Knew)" is one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard, with soaring melodies and a pulsing rhythm. "Closet Chronicles" is a song that is beautiful, regal, and rocking; it's one of the band's best compositions. "Lightning's Hand" is a great rocker that's a little cheesy but still a lot of fun with some fine guitar work by Kerry Livgren and Rich Williams. The acoustic mega-hit "Dust in the Wind" is very different in style from what the band was doing at the time. I can see why it became popular with its profound lyrics, pretty melody, and simple arrangement. "The Sparks of the Tempest" is a big change of pace, and alternates between funky sections and riffing. Some great lyrics too. The next track, "Nobody's Home," has a plaintive classical feel that fits the lonely lyrics perfectly. "Hopelessly Human" is a fine finale with many of the progressive elements that make Kansas great.

If you only know this band for their big hits and think they have no other good songs, you should be pleasantly surprised by this amazing, consistent work.

Point of Know Return, Kansas' most commercially successful album, benefits greatly from the digital remastering treatment it received.
The differences between this CD and the original issue can best be detected through headphones. There are instrumental flourishes and sounds revealed on this CD that were muffled or undetectable on previous recordings. One example would be the pizzicato guitar on "Paradox," the album's second cut.
The extra tracks will appeal to Kansas fans and archivists. "Sparks of the Tempest" is as good an example as I've heard of the chops these guys could show off in concert. The remix of "Portrait" has more thump in the bass and is an interesting contrast to the original mix.
We got a preview of some of these remasters on the 2CD Kansas set that was released several years ago. It's nice to have the whole thing in the original order and with the original packaging as well as with some new liner notes.
Here's one vote that Sony-Legacy finish the job and reissue remasters on the remaining Kansas catalog.

Kansas's masterpiece Point Of Know Return in 1977 is a landmark release not just for the band but as the history of melodic rock.

It is a marriage of British progressive rock and blues flavored traditional American pop rock. Carry On Wayward son from Leftoverture and Dust In the Wind which became huge hit are great examples which made art-for-art's-sake previous prog rock palpable to ordinary music fans and paved the way for the new movement of hard rock such as Journey, Foreigner and Survivor. Point Of Know Return, the opening track is an excellent mix of pop rock and their original violin featured music. Paradox and Hopelessly Human are dynamic yet palpable masterpiece prog tracks.

Essential for classic rock fans and recommended for 80's melodic rock fans.

The title of this review says it all: This album should be on the list of "required listening" (if indeed such a list exists) for every true classic rock fan (and some of us would argue every living person). Point Of Know Return (1977) (the italics html doesn't work for these reviews) was Kansas's fifth album and best seller; it even outstripped Leftoverture (1976). There is a running debate over which of these two fine albums is better, and I must say (resoundingly) that Point Of Know Return takes the cake. Here's why:

Point Of Know Return is markedly contiguous. Most (if not all) the songs report the dangers of absolute power and/or the cultivation/advancement of knowledge (hence the "know" in the title). Leftoverture, for all its virtues, is simply a collection of leftover songs and spur-of-the-moment efforts which sounds remarkably good.

Despite the poor 2002 remastering job, Point Of Know Return was recorded far-and-away much better than Leftoverture. Even the 2001 remaster of Leftoverture can't make up for the poor recording quality which is obviously intrinsic to the original mastering tapes.

Now I'll speak specifically about Point Of Know Return. This album represents the culmination and perfection of an art form. The sprawling, art rock-inspired epics which graced the first three albums have been replaced with leaner, more focused tracks. The musicianship has not decreased; if anything, the group became tighter and more exact in Point Of Know Return.

Point Of Know Return drips with the the progressive elements which characterize Kansas. And yet, there is that all-important American power rock element which takes bands like Yes and makes them look like wet toilet paper in comparison (now, don't get me wrong, I like Yes). All this and more is present in Point Of Know Return. The entire spectrum of emotion--from forlorn and repensive ("Nobody's Home") to downright depressing ("Dust In The Wind"), bombastic ("Lightning's Hand") to hopeful ("Hopelessly Human")--is captured.

The whole sea-faring cast of the album was invented on a whim. Even so, it is integrated nicely into "Point Of Know Return."



The songs and some comments, in order:

1. "Point Of Know Return" - Along with "Dust In The Wind," the only song I knew from the album prior to buying The Ultimate Kansas (2002), this progressive rocker is both familiar and yet intriguing. It's a bit short (3:12), but it makes up for its length in its quality--you'll want to play this one again, and again (and again)...

2. "Paradox" - Here's one I heard for the first time when I bought the album proper. It's in the vein of "No One Together" on the later Audio Visions (1980) release; therefore, it's very animated and "busy." I grew to like it a great deal after a few listening sessions (the vocals, as ever, are perfect).

3. "The Spider" - I hate this one. It's an instrumental solo which in no way resembles a spider, yet in more ways resembles a ghastly danse macabre. I always skip it, unless I'm doing something at the time. (Why did I even bother putting it on my iPod?)

4. "Portrait (He Knew)" (album version) - This is another one which I got to know (and love) from The Ultimate Kansas. It's a tribute to Einstein, but barring that, one could assign it myriad meanings (conservatives will likely see President Ronald Reagan). Its somewhat disjointed rhythms (which are intrinsic to Kansas) are a bit difficult to listen to at first, but this one gets to be like "Point Of Know Return" (you won't ever stop playing it).

5. "Closet Chronicles" - Ah, the Howard Hughes allegory. Actually, this is another one which could be given different meanings. I saw the French Revolution (I wonder if the band has ever considered it from a historical perspective). This song is, melodically speaking, a veritable jewel. Everything about it is exactly as one would, on first listening, will it to be. One finds himself rising up and calling a resounding "Yes!" as each aural expectation reaches fulfillment. The synth horns at the end are particularly nice, as is Robbie Steinhardt's vocal part in the middle, backed by some very nice hushed synth strings. All in all, this is one of my favorite songs from the album.

6. "Lightning's Hand" - This one drips with pure power and anger. Here, Kansas explores the truly hard side of rock. Steve Walsh's growling vocals in this song are far superior to his (painful) attempt to scream in "Lonely Street" (Song For America, 1975). Here we have a song about a brutal dictator (well, he's Thor, actually) who commands the hand of lightning (and by consequence, thunder as well) and wreaks havoc on his people to keep them in line. The song begins with a fairly-convincing sound effect which sounds suspiciously like some poor peasant getting zapped.

7. "Dust In The Wind" - Oh, come on. I refuse to comment about this song, other than to say that it has been so OVERPLAYED!

8. "Sparks Of The Tempest" (album version) - This one is a real winner. I really like the staple overdriven organ, which is used masterfully in this piece. The reso-bass is pretty nice, too. This one seems to be the completion of "Closet Chronicles" if you look at these songs from a historical perspective. The melody is catchy, the guitar riffs are great, and the vocals are performed with the typical Kansas perfection.

9. "Nobody's Home" - This song, and NOT "Dust In The Wind," is the most emotional on the album. It practically brings a tear to the eye. The climax is Robbie Steinhardt's bawling violin solo in the middle; the high note will give you chills. The lyrics are deep and depressing, Steinhardt's sad vocal quality is highly appropriate for this song, and the slightly syncopated rhythm makes up for the "boredom factor" which normally punctures the beauty of such ballads. And the pizzicato violin work adds an intimate touch. And, to top it all off, the introduction (and its mirror ending) impart an element of power and unbridled emotional prowess to this song. Far-and-wide, one of the three best songs on this album.

10. "Hopelessly Human" - WOW! This is a PHENOMINAL work of art which grips the listener's attention right from the onset with an arrangement of instrumentation which reminds--for a fleeting moment--of Leftoverture. Once the blasting block organ chords come in, however, one immediately remembers he's listening to Point Of Know Return. The tonal progressions are fluid and frequent. Steinhardt's vocal appearances (backed by the organ and an enormous flanged bass drum) add to the texture, and as Steve Walsh and the other instruments assume the lead from Steinhardt, the momentum returns.

The instrumental section is arranged a little like that of "Carry On Wayward Son," with four solos (the latter has three), the first of which is Steinhardt on the fiddle, the second of which is the organ. The next solo is an ARP synthesizer (probably the Odyssey) whose oscillators are configured into a patch which is formed predominantly from a square wave, and the guitar and organ trade riffs at the end. Next follows a clever return to the section where Walsh and Steinhardt switch the lead back and forth (but with different words and an enhanced climax), a return to the organ-driven block chords, and an obbligato on bells, which ends the piece. Along with "Closet Chronicles" and "Nobody's Home," this is the only reason you need to buy this album.


And now the extra tracks:

11. "Sparks Of The Tempest" (live) - Somehow this just doesn't do the job for me. It's supposed to be special because of the ending, but it's not really a great performance. Plus, the recording quality is pretty poor.

12. "Portrait (He Knew)" (remix) - WHY did this one's recording quality have to be so bad?! I really like some of the things producer Jeff Glixman did with this track (the drums have a great deal more life; the tight snare in particular really helps this piece, where the album version has a really dull sound). But the overall recording quality is really grainy, and Steve Walsh's vocals have been processed with some strange flanging effect which is awful. WHY?!



Here comes the bomb: The remastering job is horrible. Now, the actual sound quality is really nice, but the obvious culprit is one which cannot be compensated for: Volume compression. There is virtually NO dynamic contrast in this entire remaster; this destroys the mood of "Dust In The Wind" and, especially, "Nobody's Home." I have no (or perhaps know) idea what the producer was thinking here, but I was tempted to downgrade my rating of this album because of this issue, but then it's not Kansas's fault that their quintesential album was badly remastered. About the only thing which I like about this remaster is the album art, which looks better with the pale orange background and blue-green central globe (versus the bright orange background and color-saturated green globe).

Overall, I would reccomend this album to anyone who (a) likes Kansas, or (b) likes progressive rock in general. One day, people will stop judging the band upon "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust In The Wind." The sun will rise on a better world the day this happens.