In the Spirit of Things
Encyclopedia
In the Spirit of Things is the 11th studio album
, and 13th overall, by American
rock
band Kansas
, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music
). It is a very loosely organized concept album
telling the story of a flood
hitting the real Kansas town of Neosho Falls in the early 1950s. The album is often cited by lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter Steve Walsh
as his favorite Kansas album. Its odd mixture of hard rock, progressive rock, and '80s power ballads (forced on the band by MCA Records, which selected outside songwriters in an attempt to generate hit singles) failed to catch on with a mass audience but it remains a cult favorite among Kansas fans.
The album was Kansas's last studio effort for a major label. It didn't receive much by way of promotion, as MCA dropped a slew of "older" artists shortly after its release and famously switched its attention to current younger acts such as Tiffany. Kansas got caught in that decision and the album was a commercial failure. The label did produce several promotional materials for the record, though, including a glossy video for "Stand Beside Me," which was played regularly on MTV and allowed the single to hit the album rock charts, the very last Kansas single to chart in any format. Other songs were released in odd formats, such as a 12" promotional single of "I Counted on Love," an import edited CD single of "House on Fire," and a small-sized CD single of "Stand Beside Me." The album also marked the last Kansas release to appear in vinyl format.
A tour in support of this album included a broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour, which many years later released the show as a CD.
Additional personnel
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, and 13th overall, by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
). It is a very loosely organized concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
telling the story of a flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
hitting the real Kansas town of Neosho Falls in the early 1950s. The album is often cited by lead vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter Steve Walsh
Steve Walsh (musician)
Steve Walsh is a singer and songwriter best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock band Kansas.-Introduction:The keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter/producer/percussionist is best known for his visionary work with Kansas...
as his favorite Kansas album. Its odd mixture of hard rock, progressive rock, and '80s power ballads (forced on the band by MCA Records, which selected outside songwriters in an attempt to generate hit singles) failed to catch on with a mass audience but it remains a cult favorite among Kansas fans.
The album was Kansas's last studio effort for a major label. It didn't receive much by way of promotion, as MCA dropped a slew of "older" artists shortly after its release and famously switched its attention to current younger acts such as Tiffany. Kansas got caught in that decision and the album was a commercial failure. The label did produce several promotional materials for the record, though, including a glossy video for "Stand Beside Me," which was played regularly on MTV and allowed the single to hit the album rock charts, the very last Kansas single to chart in any format. Other songs were released in odd formats, such as a 12" promotional single of "I Counted on Love," an import edited CD single of "House on Fire," and a small-sized CD single of "Stand Beside Me." The album also marked the last Kansas release to appear in vinyl format.
A tour in support of this album included a broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour, which many years later released the show as a CD.
Track listing
- "Ghosts" (Bob EzrinBob EzrinRobert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
, Steve MorseSteve MorseSteven J. "Steve" Morse is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his work in the hard rock band Deep Purple since 1994. He began his career to form the unique styled instrumental rock band Dixie Dregs in the 1970. Morse's musical inspiration comes from country, funk, jazz fusion, and...
, Steve WalshSteve Walsh (musician)Steve Walsh is a singer and songwriter best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock band Kansas.-Introduction:The keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter/producer/percussionist is best known for his visionary work with Kansas...
) – 4:18 - "One Big Sky" (Phil EhartPhil EhartPhillip W. Ehart is the drummer in the rock band Kansas. He and Rich Williams are the only two members who have appeared on every Kansas album. He has also taken on the band's management responsibilities in recent years. Born in Coffeyville, Kansas on February 4, 1950, Phil took up the drums in...
, M. Ehmig, Ezrin, H. Kleinfeld, Walsh) – 5:17 - "Inside of Me" (Morse, Walsh) – 4:42
- "One Man, One Heart" (Dann Huff, Mark Spiro) – 4:20
- "House on Fire" (Ehart, Ezrin, Morse, Walsh) – 4:42
- "Once in a Lifetime" (Antonina Armato, Albert Hammond, Dennis Morgan) – 4:14
- "Stand Beside Me" (Bruce Gaitsch, Marc Jordan) – 3:28
- "I Counted on Love" (Morse, Walsh) – 3:33
- "The Preacher" (Morse, Walsh) – 4:18
- "Rainmaker" (Ezrin, Morse, Walsh) – 6:44
- "T.O. Witcher" – 1:39
- "Bells of Saint James" (Morse, Walsh) – 5:39
The band
- Phil EhartPhil EhartPhillip W. Ehart is the drummer in the rock band Kansas. He and Rich Williams are the only two members who have appeared on every Kansas album. He has also taken on the band's management responsibilities in recent years. Born in Coffeyville, Kansas on February 4, 1950, Phil took up the drums in...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Billy GreerBilly GreerBilly Greer is the current bass guitarist for the band Kansas. He joined the band in 1986 in time for the Power album. He had previously worked with vocalist Steve Walsh in the band Streets, and is currently working with his own band Seventh Key, as well as maintaining his status in Kansas.Billy...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Steve MorseSteve MorseSteven J. "Steve" Morse is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his work in the hard rock band Deep Purple since 1994. He began his career to form the unique styled instrumental rock band Dixie Dregs in the 1970. Morse's musical inspiration comes from country, funk, jazz fusion, and...
- guitars, vocals - Steve WalshSteve Walsh (musician)Steve Walsh is a singer and songwriter best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock band Kansas.-Introduction:The keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter/producer/percussionist is best known for his visionary work with Kansas...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Rich WilliamsRich WilliamsRichard Williams is the guitarist for the rock band Kansas, and has been with them since their 1974 self-titled debut album. Rich lost his right eye in a childhood fireworks accident. He wore a prosthetic eye for many years, but now wears an eye patch instead.In the beginning, Williams shared...
- guitars
Additional personnel
- Terry Brock - vocals, background vocals
- Rev. James Cleveland - vocals, background vocals
- Steve Croes - keyboard, synclavierSynclavierThe Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
- Bob EzrinBob EzrinRobert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals, background vocals - Ricky Keller - synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
- John Pierce - bass, fretless bass
- Greg Robert - keyboard, vocals, background vocals
- Southern California Community ChoirSouthern California Community ChoirThe Southern California Community Choir is a choir founded by the Rev. James Cleveland.The Choir has appeared on several recording by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Kansas, Elton John and Arlo Guthrie.- Awards :The Choir has received the following awards:...
- chorus - Christopher YavelowChristopher YavelowChristopher Yavelow , the son of a film professor and visual artist, is a composer and proponent of computer assisted composition....
- synthesizer, Kurzweil synthesizer
Production
- Producers: Phil Ehart, Bob Ezrin, Greg Ladanyi, Paul Maxon
- Engineers: Bob Ezrin, Stan Katayama, Greg Ladanyi, Bob Loftus, Brendan O'Brien, Garth Richardson
- Assistant engineers: Lawrence Fried, Stan Katayama, Edd Miller
- Mixing: Bob Ezrin, Greg Ladanyi, Garth Richardson
- Mastering: Stephen Marcussen, Doug Sax
- Drum programming: Ricky Keller
- Keyboard programming: Ricky Keller, Greg Robert
- Production supervisor: Robert Hrycyna
- Technical supervisor: Robert Hrycyna
- Equipment assistant: Jack Adams
- Arrangers: Bob Ezrin, Kansas
- Art direction: Storm Thorgerson
- Photography: Paul Maxon, Tony May, Glenn Wexler, front cover Derek Burnett
- Stylist: Jon Crossland
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Billboard 200 | 114 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Stand Beside Me" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 13 |