Kansas - Masque

Best album ever...if you take away two songs

Masque was Kansas' third album and one release prior to their very successful Leftoverture. Even though this was their third record, they were still new to the recording industry, released only about a year-and-a-half after their self-titled debut. From that debut through this album there was a creative divide within Kansas that the band didn't seem to mind. Steve Walsh (vocals and keyboards) and Kerry Livgren (keyboards and guitar), who were the two main songwriters, were taking the band two different directions. For the most part, Walsh wrote straight-forward southern rock and Livgren wrote complex prog rock.
This album starts off with the Walsh-penned song It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man), which should never have been recorded. In fact, the only reason that they recorded this song was because the record company wanted a radio-friendly song and pressured them into it. This is my least-favorite Kansas song from their first six albums. It's better to skip this one and start from track two.
Two Cents Worth, the next track, is a little "jazzy" (not in a good sense), but fits the overall theme of the album. This track should have been the beginning of the record, even though it is pretty forgetable. Walsh and Livgren wrote this song together, yet that only translated into a ho-hum song.
Once you've suffered though those first two tracks, you come to Icarus--Born On Wings of Steel, one of the best Kansas songs ever recorded. Livgren and Walsh also wrote this one together, but Livgren's prog rock touches are all through it in wonderful ways. It's worth the wait!
Next is a song by Walsh and Robby Steinhardt (violin and vocals) entitled All The World. Cheesy lyrics ruin this song for me, but even musically, after you've just heard the Icarus, it just falls flat. Masque would be much stronger without this weak link.
Child of Innocense is next, and it rocks! This song is one of my favorites and follows Icarus much better than the previous track does. Written by Livgren, it has prog rock touches and gives us a glimpse of Leftoverture and Point of Know Return.
Walsh wrote the next song, It's You, and it is one of the better songs that he wrote for Kansas. Why did the record company not release this song as a single? It's so much better than It Takes a Woman's Love and would have been better received. And at 2:31 it would have been the right length to make the radio stations happy.
Mysteries and Mayhem is a great prog rock song and is a prequel to the next track. Another Livgren and Walsh penned track, this one really captures the imagination--in fact, it's like the next song (The Pinnacle) gone awry, but in a good way.
Finally, we end with The Pinnacle, a song written by Livgren. It's a masterful prog rock narrative that is one of the best Kansas songs ever. What a wonderful way to finish the record. You want to start all over and enjoy the experience again and again...
...except you remember how the album started.
So here is what you do: Burn your own version of Masque. Include every track except one (It Takes a Woman's Love) and four (All The World). If you are distracted by track two (Two Cents Worth), you could replace it with Belexes from Kansas' debut album. It sounds so much better and you'll want to use your repeat function. April 1, 2008

Their Third Albums a Charm

KANSAS - Masque (1975) (****½) 10 tracks - (48:34)

Kansas's third album, hot on the heels of Song For America, also released in 1975, was almost a "make it or brake it" album. The band's music had sold reasonably well, but KANSAS had failed to produce a hit single. Don Kirshner was definitely putting some pressure on the band. That's the reason this album opens up with two very "pop" oriented short singles, It Takes A Woman's Love (to make a man) and Two Cent's Worth. The first one is sprinkled with pop lyrics, catchy harmonies, even some 70's era saxophone playing! Lucky for us, the short sighted plan didn't result in a hit single, and KANSAS was able to keep moving straight ahead with what it did best, creating and playing some of the most "progressive" American rock music ever. Don Kirshner would just have to keep waiting for KANSAS's big success, which was just on the horizon. If Kirshner's attempt to make "hit makers" out of KANSAS had been successful, I'm afraid the band would not have survived, as we know them today.

OK, back to the album...where was I? Oh yeah, then we jump right into classic KANSAS with Icarus (born on wings of steel) a perennial fan favorite based on the adventures of a World War II Bomber squadron. All The World is a typical classically arranged song with many mood and time changes, while Child Of Innocence is a much more straight-ahead hard rock song, one of my favorites. It becomes obvious very quickly that Steve Walsh's contributions to this album lean much more to the lighter side of things while Kerry Livgren's tend (again) to the more epic-length, classical works. Such as The Pinnacle, the album's 9 minute 34 second stunning opus.

This 2001 EPIC/Legacy remaster contains two bonus tracks, a rehearsal recording of Child Of Innocence and the original Demo of It's You (previously unreleased). These two bonus tracks contribute nothing to the over-all package. As other reviewers have noted, the rehearsal recording of Child Of Innocence sounds like it was secretly recorded by a fan with a hand-held cassette recorder inside their pocket! It's so bad I'm astonished it was even included. As far as the Demo version of It's You compared to the original, the two are so similar; it's hard to tell them apart. The good part is you get a 10-page booklet with expanded liner notes and all song lyrics.

Best Track: The Pinnacle
March 19, 2008

Kansas's Best

This is thier best album in my opion! Ever single song on this album is amazing! No mediocre songs on here. You can't go wrong with an album like this one! By far my favorite Kansas album ever! I recomend this to any fan of Kansas or just rock! You'll be happy with this one! October 10, 2007

Their first and their best!

This is the first album by Kansas and in my opinion the best. I saw them on Don Kirshners Rock Concert when they first appeared on the scene. I went out and bought Masque and loved every song. Sadly I sold it when I sold all my vinyl. Its great to know that I can buy it again this many years later. So...I bought it! August 17, 2007

A treasure

I recently made a mix disc of my favorite Kansas tunes, and the majority of songs came from Masque. This is such a diverse album - pop, hard rock, prog, and all these styles work together well. The music is exhilarating, the lyrics are interesting and the musicianship is stunning. They really listen to each other while they play so they sound like a band, not like a solo artist with backup musicians. Also, there are two powerful vocalists, who alternate singing on different tunes, and their harmonies kick butt. Hard to believe this was recorded in 1975... more proof that killer music has no expiration date. This is such a treasured disc that should be in every music fans collection. July 12, 2007

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