Customer Reviews

Power

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kansas "Power" is full of really Good Music !! Early fans of Kansas will want to dismiss it. But they are wrong !!
Kansas is and always will be Kansas. No matter what line up they use. Steve Morse was a solid replacement for Livgren and it can easily be heard. Combine his talents with the likes of Ehart,Williams,Greer and Walsh and you have "Power"!!
Speaking of Steve Walsh, I want to say that in my humble opinion he is by far one of the best vocalist in Progressive Rock. He is very underated. The same could be said of drummer Phil Ehart who is a technical wizard behind his kit.
Phil Ehart is the executive producer behind this album which was recorded at the Castle "Franklin Tennesse" in 1986. The London Philharmonic parts were recorded at the famous Abbey Road studios. This Cd has been digitally remastered and provides the finest in audio quality. So "Play It Loud" for full effect.
The cover art is also worth a mention. It is stupendous !!
The song writing credits go to both Walsh and Morse who collaborate wonderfully. Lyrically speaking, Kansas knows the importance of combining Great lyrics about Life and Life situations with musical mastery.

The Powerful opening track:
Silhouettes In Disguise -- fast hard rocker. Driving guitar,bass and drums. A catchy sing along chorus and Walsh's trademark keyboards. A Morse speed metal guitar solo included.

Power -- I love the lyrics to this one along with the catchy chorus. Walsh delivers fine vocals and Phil Ehart backs him up with some tasty drum fills.

All I Wanted -- a typical Kansas Ballad. Excellent vocals !! The keyboard arrangements enhance the orchestral feel to this song.

Secret Service -- {my least favorite} gives off a very robotic vibe due in large part to the electric sounding drums and musical phrasing. You can hear the stomping bass and keyboard patterns of a robot on the prowl for our very souls. Is it the secret service ? Out to get us "Beware"!!

Were Not Alone Anymore -- Heavy Steve Morse influence. Fast uptempo progressive rock shuffle. Featuring great thumping bass guitar patterns,dynamic drumming and fast furious guitars.

Musicato -- an instrumental that starts with a drum cadence style roll pattern added to some matching keyboards and bass. Phil Ehart gives us a taste of his double bass drum technique. Bass guitar is awesome. This song also features lots of intricate breaks and musical interlude passages.

Taking In The View -- a beautiful song with lovely acoustic guitars and a boys choir trio in the middle section of the song. There is a free flowing mix of emotion within.

Three Pretenders -- another Kansas power hitter. Williams is showcased with his excellent rhythmic chord strumming. Morse offers us his version of a fast explosive guitar solo. Very good background vocals.

Tomb 19 -- straight ahead rocker with a commercial flare to it. This should have recieved some air play. Bassist Greer cuts loose with some creative octave style fingering. Check out Eharts ride cymbal pattern and he also provides the ending with impressive drum fills.

Cant Cry Anymore -- a Kansas style ballad with Walsh at the helm.
A sad song about broken relationships. Walsh's heartfelt vocals let us know that nobodys to blame, it just happens. The Philharmonic orchestra completes this finale.
Sometimes we all just "Cant Cry Anymore"

It's got power and feeling. Kansas " POWER "

Three years after Kansas's dissolution, original members Steve Walsh, Phil Ehart, and Richard Williams reformed by recruiting some new members. The result was Power, which was more suited to the 80's sound prevalent then, with more in common to Journey and Survivor's style rather than the days of "Dust In The Wind" or "Point of No Return."

The first single, "All I Wanted" was comparable to a mid-tempo Journey yearning love song laced with keyboards and pop sensibilities. It made the charts and the video led to a brief second wind.

However, songs like the racing "Silhouettes In Disguise," featuring riveting guitarwork shows Kansas still a force to be reckoned with, despite the semblance to Journey.

The title track and one of the singles tells how power can be used for self-affirmation and liberation instead of fortune and pride. Survivor could have fun with this song.

Orchestra warmups are heard in the beginning of "Secret Service." The steady drumbeat, pulsing bass, and multiple backing vocals make this more a Foreigner-type song, a cousin to "Jukebox Hero." And there is some orchestra work used here.

A Boston-like guitar opens and his heard throughout "We're Not Alone Anymore" and there is a slight throwback to their earlier sound. "Musicatto" is an insistent instrumental drums and keyboard fills heralding the art-rock feel of the 1970's and the three serious thematic songs that follow. "Taking In The View" is an acoustic number about how the young embody progress, different POVs, and push the envelope of generation. "Three Pretenders" is more harder-edged with Survivor riffs. Childhood skepticism, personal integrity, and the call to adventure are what the protagonist is fighting to keep against the title characters. And "Tomb 19" is about the treasure-filled tomb of a Mayan king and the curse that await those who try to rob it has a Sodom and Gomorrah-like motif: "take the treasures of Tomb 19 but never look behind you."

The final song and second single, "Can't Cry Anymore," is a Survivor-type ballad with synth fills that grow in power with each chorus repeat. One of my favourite tracks.

A laudable work from a 70's group trying for a second wind in the synth-oriented 80's. Much of it sounds like Journey or Survivor, but it's not second-rate.

Kansas for all practical purposes disbanded in 1984. After spending several years in the band Streets, original vocalist / keyboardist Steve Walsh decided to come back to the fold and a new Kansas was born. Original members Walsh, Guitarist Rich Williams, and drummer Phil Eheart were augmented by bassist Billy Greer and legendary guitarist Steve Morse. For me "Power" is one of Kansas most underrated albums. I have always really liked it, and I think it still holds up well today. With Kerry Livgren out of the picture Kansas had definitely become Steve Walsh's band and it is reflected in the overall heavier writing style that Walsh had been using in Streets. Steve Morse absolutely kills on guitar throughout the album and the rest of the band is all in fine form. Most of the songs are short, but they are all well written, and band does throw in a progressive rock bone with the great little instrumental "Musicatto". "All I Wanted" was the single from the album that actually cracked the top 20 and got a lot of MTV airplay. Still, the album did not sell all that well and the second single "Can't Cry Anymore" charted briefly and then dropped out of sight. Speaking of "Cant Cry Anymore" this is another one of those songs that came along at a perfect time in my life. I was going through the breakup of a relationship and could have literally written the lyrics for this one myself. It is a great power ballad that really shows off Walsh's voice. Really, I think every song on this album is good and to me this is a must own Kansas disc, and was a great artistic comeback for the band at the time.

And we held it for a fair old while. Trials, tribulations, a half decent Streets Album, two pretty decent albums with John Elefante at the vocal helm, and then the news broke- Steve Walsh was coming home...
I for one was pretty excited. Sure, the Elefante/Livgren axis had come up with some good stuff, but for me anyways, Walsh was the Rock n'roll heart beating at the centre of Kansas-THE voice of the Wayward Son. His return still couldn't persuade Robbie Steinhardt back to the fold, but it did herald the advent of Dixie Dregs guitar hero Steve Morse and a sharper, more song-friendly ear for hits. Indeed, in All I Wanted, the first single from the album, Kansas landed it's first US Radio hit for nearly a decade and convinced the doubters at MCA that Kansas was a band that could make the progression from Pomp to Pop pretty easily. There's a great mix of Kansas music here, from the nod to the old (Musicatto simply drips evocations of Point Of Know Retutn-era Pomp Mayhem)through the Steaming jazz rock Of We're Not Alone Anymore to the power balladry (no pun intended...) of the afore-mentioned AIW;There really is something for every kind of Wheathead on this record- it'll nestle nicely in my top 5 Kansas albums forever!

Other reviewers have already told it like it is: This
is not classic Kansas as rock radio would have you remember, but there is some meaty stuff here, and it's a shame the
band isn't doing more of this material. Steve Morse was
lost here. ( I've asked him; he admits it. ) Not wasted,
just lost. There's some sweet fret work, but his style
never meshed with Rich Williams, and besides, this isn't
a two guitar boogie band; this band needs keyboards and
..well not Steve Morse. Morse is doing extraordinary work
with Deep Purple because he is a featured player, not someone
who can work into the rotation with another player.
Anyway, spend the 7 bucks. Get this CD,if you like Kansas. Steve Walsh is in terrific form, the material is solid and occasionally superb, and they really sound like they mean
it.

Kansas has played a major role in the formation of my overall view of reality throughout my years. They are a solid group of musicians with a determination to express an inner truth through their music. If you bought this album expecting 'Song for America' or 'Point of Know Return', you may be in for some surprises. Steve Walsh's voice has never sounded more forceful,dramatic and focused: listen to the driving rhythm and punch of 'Silhouettes in Disguise' and then ease into the mellow and flowing sounds of 'All I Wanted'. There is a cohesiveness and mystery about this album that sets it apart from others of that day. With the addition of the always energetic Steve Morse on guitar, you also receive a dose of guitar-works that cannot be duplicated by any other player. 'Tomb 19' and 'Three Pretenders' are shining examples of this. I also found myself in total agreement with another reviewer who couldn't say enough about the ballad 'Can't Cry Anymore'. (By the way, there aren't too many songs out there today that can bring a tear to the eyes
like this one can.) This album proved to be a transitional and challenging time for Kansas as their musical direction shifted towards modern times and at the same time, remained rooted in their past. Don't let other negative reviews turn you away from this album..Kansas adapted to the changes in the 80's and will continue to do so in the millenium..

I would love to see this particular band return to its former popularity. They are so talented and gifted (and underrated). For those folks who might be just discovering Kansas, a tip: Most of Kansas' musical gems never made it to the airwaves. The real masterpieces are hidden in their albums of earlier years and sadly escaped the credit and acclaim they deserved. "Power" while not Kansas' biggest commercial success, highlights and displays one of the finest lead vocalists in rock history, Steve Walsh. Buy this CD if only for Steve Walsh's vocal performance on the track "Can't Cry Anymore" an incredibly passionate song about the pain and disappointment of a failed relationship. This is one of the most emotionally and intensely moving ballads I have ever heard. Don't be surprised if you are moved to tears! While the rest of the songs may not be "classic" Kansas, they are highly enjoyable nonetheless. Check out the rest with a fresh view, and you will appreciate the versatility and variety in this highly musical effort.

Although I live in not English speaking country, I am an old fan of this band. So, I have recently bought this album, but I agree with the other cumstomers' reviews who pointed the lack of violin here. Despite of it, I consider this album good enough. To compare, one can see my reviews about "Leftoverture" and "Drastic Measures" albums of this band.

POWER was the result of Steve Walsh, Rich Williams, and Phil Ehart reforming Kansas in 1986 after the band had dissolved two years earlier. With the help of guitar whiz Steve Morse, the band puts together a mostly solid collection of progressive-tinged rock songs. Unfortunately the classic Kansas violin sound is missing here, although concertgoers were treated to what might have been in the mid-1990's when new violinist David Ragsdale added his take to some of these songs performed live during that period.

POWER is notable for the now all-but-forgotten "All I Wanted," the first Top 20 song Kansas had since 1977's "Dust In The Wind," and a regular on AOR radio and MTV in 1986 and 1987.

For five and a half bucks you could do a lot worse than to round out your Kansas collection with this album.

After the decidedly un-Kansas "Drastic Measures", Kansas called it a day.

For a while, Steve Walsh played side-stage keyboards for Cheap Trick after the split-up of his under-rated band, Streets, who were more straight-ahead rock than Kansas.

When this album came out, I was sceptical since I didn't care much for the final Kansas 1982-83 output.

However, after hearing the album, I was very pleasantly surprised. The songs are written well, former Streets bassist Billy Greer (a Walsh sidekick to this day) slotted nicely into Dave Hope's bass position, and Richard Williams and Phil Ehart were back. A real treat was former Dixie Dregs and current Deep Purple virtuoso Steve Morse on guitar.

There were excellent songs like "Silhouettes In Disguise", "Dust In The Wind" soundalike "Taking In The View" and "Tomb 19". These were more akin to Streets than classic Kansas, however. On the negative side, "All I Wanted" and "Can't Cry Anymore" sounded too slickly tailor-made for mid-80's US radio play. Deduct half a star.

Mostly good to this point. But there was something missing...

NO VIOLIN. Robby Steinhardt was glaringly absent for both "Power" and "In The Spirit Of Things", though David Ragsdale came aboard for live dates and later recording and did an admirable job before Steinhardt rejoined in the late '90s. For a band whose distinctive sound depended so much on the violin/keyboard/guitar interplay, the lack of violin left a definite void. Deduct another half-star.

Don't let that stop you from buying this, though. As I've said, the songs are mostly very good, and without the tension between Walsh and Kerry Livgren, the sound is quite cohesive.

I've seen the band live three times since this reformation, and they've never disappointed. These songs sound even better live than in the studio, as later live discs will attest.