In the Spirit of Things

Last updated

In the Spirit of Things
Kansas - In the Spirit of Things.jpg
Art direction by Storm Thorgerson
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 25, 1988 [1]
Recorded1988
Studio
  • Soundscape (Atlanta)
  • Can-Am (Los Angeles)
  • Ocean Way (Hollywood)
Genre Art rock, hard rock
Length52:54
Label MCA
Producer Bob Ezrin, Greg Ladanyi, Phil Ehart
Kansas chronology
Power
(1986)
In the Spirit of Things
(1988)
Carry On
(1992)
Singles from In the Spirit of Things
  1. "Stand Beside Me"
    Released: October 31, 1988 (US) [2]

In the Spirit of Things is the eleventh studio album 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 city of Neosho Falls in 1951. [3] [4] It is the first Kansas album since 1975's Masque to lack a hit single.

Contents

History

According to the author Dan Fitzgerald, Rich Williams was inspired to create this album after having read the book Ghost Towns of Kansas, Volume II (1979), specifically the chapter on Neosho Falls. [5]

The album is Kansas's last studio effort for a major label. It didn't receive much promotion, as MCA Records 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, including a glossy video for "Stand Beside Me". The song was played regularly on MTV and allowed the single to hit the album rock charts, the 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 would also be the last Kansas release to appear in vinyl format until the release of The Prelude Implicit in 2016.

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.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

In its retrospective review, AllMusic deemed the album "one of the group's more consistent albums and easily a latter-day highlight." They criticized the album's dated production and the lack of a single to compare to their 1970s hits, but argued it to be one of Kansas's most focused efforts. [6]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ghosts" Steve Walsh, Steve Morse, Bob Ezrin 4:18
2."One Big Sky" (additional lyrics by Ezrin, Walsh, Phil Ehart)Howard Kleinfeld, Michael Dan Ehmig5:17
3."Inside of Me"Morse, Walsh4:42
4."One Man, One Heart" Mark Spiro, Dann Huff 4:20
5."House on Fire"Walsh, Morse, Ezrin, Ehart4:42
6."Once in a Lifetime" Antonina Armato, Dennis Morgan, Albert Hammond 4:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."Stand Beside Me" Marc Jordan, Bruce Gaitsch 3:28
8."I Counted on Love"Morse, Walsh3:33
9."The Preacher"Walsh, Morse4:18
10."Rainmaker"Walsh, Morse, Ezrin6:44
11."T.O. Witcher" (instrumental)Morse1:39
12."Bells of Saint James"Walsh, Morse5:39

Credits

Kansas
Additional personnel
Production

Charts

Album
YearChartPosition
1988 Billboard 200 (US) [8] 114
Singles
YearSingleChartPosition
1988"Stand Beside Me" Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) [9] 13

Related Research Articles

<i>Outside Inside</i> (The Tubes album) 1983 studio album by The Tubes

Outside Inside is the sixth studio album by The Tubes, released in 1983. It was the second album by the group to be released by Capitol Records. The album was produced by David Foster. The Tubes had their biggest radio hit with the single from this album, "She's a Beauty".

<i>Touch</i> (Laura Branigan album) 1987 studio album by Laura Branigan

Touch is the fifth studio album by American singer Laura Branigan, released on July 7, 1987, by Atlantic Records. The album saw Branigan's return to dancefloors with the lead single, the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced "Shattered Glass", which was released in June 1987 and reached number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, a cover of Jennifer Rush's "Power of Love", was released in October 1987, peaking at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Spirit of Love" was released as a single in Europe, while "Cry Wolf" served as the album's third single in the United States.

<i>Two for the Show</i> (Kansas album) 1978 live album by Kansas

Two for the Show is a double-live album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1978. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2008. Recorded over the course of the band's three previous tours in 1977 and 1978, it was Kansas' first live album. It was certified Gold and then Platinum shortly after its release.

<i>Total Devo</i> 1988 studio album by Devo

Total Devo is the seventh studio album by American new wave band Devo, released on May 24, 1988 by Enigma Records, just under four years after their previous album, Shout (1984). Despite initial negative reception of the album, "Disco Dancer" hit No. 45 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart for the week of September 3, 1988.

<i>Dream Street</i> (Janet Jackson album) 1984 studio album by Janet Jackson

Dream Street is the second studio album by American musician Janet Jackson, released on October 23, 1984, by A&M Records. More pop than her debut album's "bubblegum soul" feel, the album was not the runaway success that Janet's father Joseph thought it would be, peaking at No. 147 on the Billboard 200 in 1984. The album did have one modest hit for Jackson, the Top 10 R&B single, "Don't Stand Another Chance", produced by brother Marlon. Also, the video for the song "Dream Street", her first music video, was shot during the shooting of the TV show Fame.

<i>Open Road</i> (Gary Barlow album) 1997 studio album by Gary Barlow

Open Road is the debut solo album by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow. It was released by BMG and RCA Records on 26 May 1997.

<i>Wildflower</i> (Sheryl Crow album) 2005 studio album by Sheryl Crow

Wildflower is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, first released September 27, 2005. Although the album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, it received mixed reviews and was not as commercially successful as previous albums, having also peaked at No. 25 on the UK Album Chart.

<i>Cher</i> (1987 album) 1987 studio album by Cher

Cher is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on November 10, 1987 by Geffen Records. The album has been certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA and Gold in Australia by ARIA and the UK by BPI.

<i>Willa Was Here</i> 2001 studio album by Willa Ford

Willa Was Here is the debut and to-date only studio album by American pop singer Willa Ford, released on July 17, 2001 in the United States on the former Atlantic imprint Lava Records. The album debuted and peaked at number fifty-six on the Billboard 200 chart. It spawned the top twenty-five hit single "I Wanna Be Bad", which sold over 250,000 copies, as well as "Did Ya' Understand That", which failed to chart. The album also contained a hyper link to the video for "I Wanna Be Bad". "Ooh Ooh" was released as a promotional single, but failed to chart as well. Ford co-wrote nine of the twelve tracks.

<i>King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas</i> 1998 live album by Kansas

King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas is the third live album from American rock band Kansas, released in 1998. In 2003, the album was re-titled and re-released as Greatest Hits Live. It was also released in the DVD-Audio format as From the Front Row Live, but the 5.1 mix for this series was not of particularly high quality. The original performance included 2 tracks not included in this release: "Play the Game Tonight" and a cover of "Born to Be Wild." The liner notes include an extensive essay describing this era of the band and the circumstances surrounding the album and tour supporting it during which this show was recorded.

<i>Ultimate Prince</i> 2006 greatest hits album by Prince

Ultimate Prince is a greatest hits album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 22, 2006, by Warner Bros. Records. The two-disc set contains a disc of some previously released hits, and another of extended remixes of hits and a B-side, most of which had only been previously released as 12-inch singles.

<i>In Outer Space</i> 1983 studio album by Sparks

In Outer Space is the twelfth studio album by American pop band Sparks, released in April 1983 by Atlantic Records. Brothers Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks self-produced the album.

<i>N.B.</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Natasha Bedingfield

N.B. is the second studio album released by British singer Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2007 through Phonogenic Records. In the United Kingdom it produced two top ten hits, "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Soulmate". In January 2008, the album was released in the United States and Canada under the name Pocketful of Sunshine with new packaging and an alternative track listing featuring only six of the original songs. The US version's title song became a top-five hit whilst the lead single, "Love Like This" with Sean Kingston, became a top-twenty hit. US critics said that the album felt inorganic and awkwardly assembled.

<i>Straight Outta Hells Kitchen</i> 1991 studio album by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen is a 1991 album by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. It is best known for the lead track "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" which reached #1 on the Billboard R&B and Dance charts. The only other single released from the album was the ballad "Where Were You When I Needed You". The album's title is named for the Manhattan neighborhood in which lead vocalist Lisa Velez grew up and lived until the mid-2000s. The first half of the album was produced by C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivillés, and the second half was produced, as with the previous Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam albums, by Full Force.

<i>Nils</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Nils Lofgren

Nils is the fifth solo album from Nils Lofgren.

<i>Count Three & Pray</i> 1986 studio album by Berlin

Count Three & Pray is the fourth studio album by American new wave band Berlin, released on October 13, 1986, by Geffen Records. The album spawned four singles, including "Take My Breath Away", which was featured in the film Top Gun. The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1986.

Píntame De Colores 2008 single by Gloria Estefan

"Píntame De Colores" is a song recorded by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan for her fourth Spanish-language and eleventh studio album, 90 Millas. The song was written by Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio Estefan Jr. and Gaitanes and production was credited to Estefan Jr. and Gaitanes. The single was released by SonyBMG in November 2007 digitally as first promotional-only single from 90 Millas to Europe and third overall single to the United States.

<i>The Spirit Indestructible</i> 2012 studio album by Nelly Furtado

The Spirit Indestructible is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. The album was released on 14 September 2012. Furtado served as the executive producer for the album as well as a principal writer. Further production on The Spirit Indestructible comes from the likes of Darkchild, Salaam Remi, Mike Angelakos, Bob Rock, Fraser T Smith, Di Genius, The Demolition Crew, John Shanks and Tiësto.

<i>Now What?!</i> 2013 studio album by Deep Purple

Now What?! is the 19th studio album by English rock band Deep Purple. It was released on 26 April 2013 and produced by Bob Ezrin. A dedicated official web site was also created by the band to post updates about the album. It was the band's first studio album in over seven years as Deep Purple's previous studio album, Rapture of the Deep, was released in late 2005.

<i>Whoosh!</i> 2020 studio album by Deep Purple

Whoosh! is the twenty-first studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 7 August 2020. Although he appeared on their next album Turning to Crime, this is the last studio album of original material to feature longtime guitarist Steve Morse, who left the band in July 2022.

References

  1. "In the Spirit of Things - Kansas". Apple Music . Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. "Kansas singles".
  3. Devault, Russ (February 17, 1989). "Haunted By a Hit, Kansas Would Like Fans to Get Into 'Spirit of Things'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  4. Popson, Tom (January 27, 1989). "Band Hears Music In Deserted Kansas Town". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  5. Fitzgerald, Daniel (2009). "Foreword (2009 Version)". Ghost Towns of Kansas (2 ed.). Dan Fitzgerald Company. p. 14. ISBN   9781449505196.
  6. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "In the Spirit of Things - Kansas | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  7. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Kansas". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  446. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  8. "Kansas Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard . Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  9. "Kansas Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard.com. Billboard . Retrieved December 23, 2017.