Musical Style: Classic Hard Rock	Produced By: Kansas & Ken Scott
Record Label: Sony	Country Of Origin: USA
Year Released: 1982	Artist Website: Kansas
Tracks: 10	Rating: 80%
Running Time: 42:52

As Kansas began work on its eight full length studio album Vinyl Confessions, a gulf started to form between its two Christian members, Kerry Livgren and Dave Hope, and the rest of the band.  The overall feelings of uneasiness and tension increased when Livgren presented his new material with lyrics directly reflective of his faith, the problem growing to such an extent that vocalist Steve Walsh put his foot down and refused to sing them.  Following a meeting in which the band got together to discuss the matter in question, Walsh announced he was leaving the group and took all his material with him.

Kansas, at this point, made the decision to press on and complete Vinyl Confessions, but with only half an album worth of material - Livgren had submitted five songs - the band needed not only a world class vocalist but an accomplished songwriter as well.  After auditioning roughly thirty singers, the one voice that stood out in the crowd was that of John Elefante.  Elefante initially heard about the opening in Kansas through guitarist Chuck King (Idle Cure, Shout), and subsequently sent the band a tape that included his songs "Face It" and "Chasing Shadows" in addition to a version of "Point Of Know Return" with him on piano.  Livgren later called Elefante to advise him he was the frontrunner for the position and was shocked to find out about his faith.  When Elefante flew out to Atlanta to meet the band, he was offered the gig, beating out the likes of Warren Ham and Michael Gleason (both who went on to sing for Livgren's post Kansas band AD) and Sammy Hagar.  With a Christian lead singer and second songwriter, Kansas' line up was now set.

In terms of approaching a review of Vinyl Confessions, the issue is not one of whether or not the album was any good when compared to much of the CCM at the time (1982).  If I were to invite an honest comparison, for example, we would be talking about a classic mismatch in that it took the Christian music industry the better part of the decade to match the levels of production, songwriting and musicianship displayed here (there were a few notable exceptions).  Rather, the relevant issue revolves around whether or not Vinyl Confessions is a good Kansas album.  And that is the question this review hopes to answer.

First and foremost, Vinyl Confessions does not quite measure up to the likes of classic Kansas albums such as Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return; on the other hand, that is nothing to be ashamed of in that Kansas, arguably, was at its creative zenith during this period of its history.  That being said, I would rate the album a notch above the bands two previous efforts, Monolith and Audio-Visions and find that in the end it holds up very well musically when compared to Song For America and Masque.
 
Please note that at this point in its career Kansas had abandoned much of the over the top progressiveness characteristic of its earlier material.  For example, I find it disappointing that Vinyl Confessions fails to include any highly complex compositions along the lines of "The Pinnacle" (Masque), "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" (Leftoverture) or "No One Together" (Audio-Visions).  In the end, the best way to describe Vinyl Confessions would be straightforward classic hard rock with an occasional progressive leaning.  By far Kansas' heaviest effort to date, the album is a culmination of a more guitar driven sound the band had started to showcase on Monolith and Audio-Visions.
 
The presence of Robby Steinhardt's violin continues to give Kansas its "classic" sound, while Livgren comes through with his trademark strong performance on both guitar and keyboards.  Hope, a vastly underrated musician, brings out the best in the bands sound with his precise bass lines and combines with drummer Phil Ehart to form a rock solid rhythm section.  Rich Williams rounds out the mix on guitar.  Finally, Elefante is quite the talented vocalist, bringing a strong classic tenor voice that more than holds its own when compared to that of Steve Walsh.

Production values, showcasing just the right amount of polish, are of the big budget variety with sonics allowing all the instrumentation to cleanly stand out above the mix.
         
Following Walsh's departure, Kansas found itself short on songs and, as a result, decided to listen to other people’s material.  One of the songs that stood out musically featured lyrics Livgren found to be offensive:

Stay with me tonight
It doesn't matter if its wrong or right

The band proceeded to contact the writers and requested their permission to rewrite its lyrics, the song eventually turning into the top 20 hit "Play The Game Tonight".

Slowly carried through its first verse by a piano, “Play The Game Tonight” suddenly picks up in pace when the rhythm guitar steps forward and reinforces a chorus with a huge radio friendly hook.  This song is very good and deserved the airplay it received.  "Play The Game Tonight" talks about how fans place musicians on too high of a pedestal:

You think that something's happening
And its bigger than your life
But it's only what you're hearing
Will you still remember
When the morning light has come
Will the songs be playing over and over
Till you do it all over again

"Right Away", the first of four tracks written by Elefante, proceeds in a more melodic flavored hard rock direction.  Taking off quickly to a crisp sounding rhythm guitar, "Right Away" moves immediately to a chorus that, unfortunately, does not quite stand out in the same noteworthy manner as the albums better material.  An instrumental passage limited to a few brief seconds of rhythm guitar is also not up to the bands standards.

Penned by Livgren, "Fair Exchange" brings to mind "Child Of Innocence" (from Masque) with its hard rocking rhythm guitar sound.  After a combination of rhythm guitar and harmonica pushes the song forward at a driving upbeat tempo, the rhythm guitar drops from the mix as it attains a strong acoustic laced chorus.  The harmonica makes a cameo appearance at the start of an instrumental passage spiced up by several seconds of edgy lead guitar.  "Fair Exchange" talks about the totalitarianism of a computerized society and how people would be willing to give up their freedom in exchange for personal security and comfort:

Fair exchange for your freedom
Fair exchange for your life
Hail the new perfect order
Ending trouble and strife
No one can refuse our offer, it's a fair exchange

You're on file, our computer
Know's what's best for you
We will provide the solution, for the rest of you
Safety and peace, the terror will cease
Forget everything the fanatics tell you
Now you can worship the leader
All he wants is your soul

A piano conveys the atmospheric ballad "Chasing Shadows" through its first verse until an acoustic guitar enters the mix in time to underline a stylish chorus backed by vocal harmonies.  Steinhardt's violin accentuates the song during its second verse and the instrumental passage following the third chorus.

"Diamonds And Pearls" moves the album in a more upbeat musical direction.  The horns at the onset of the song disappear upon attaining its first verse only to fade in and out of the mix before it flows to a laid back chorus underscored by a heavy bass line.  Subsequent to a violin interweaving with Livgren's piano throughout a minute long instrumental passage, a saxophone closes the song as it fades out.  A very well done and classy number.  "Diamonds And Pearls" addresses the issue of materialism:

Diamonds and pearls
Silver and gold
Soon fade away
Empty and cold
Nothing remains of the things that we strive to attain
Only the love that is lasting will not be in vain

Introduced by Steinhardt's violin, "Face It" progresses to a crisp sounding rhythm guitar until it briefly slows and advances on a chorus driven in a strong manner by vocal harmonies.  A near perfect blend of rhythm guitar and piano opens an instrumental section ending to another saxophone solo.  In the end, I would rate "Face It" as the stronger of the Elefante penned tunes.

"Windows" opens in a guitar driven fashion previous to the rhythm guitar taking a backseat in the mix at the start of its first verse.  Once a quietly played guitar line carries the song halfway through the chorus that follows, the rhythm guitar returns hard and heavy over the choruses last half.  The keyboard and violin trade off opening a sweeping instrumental passage gives way to a fiery guitar solo.

Continuing the album in its hard rocking direction, "Borderline" begins to an edgy rhythm guitar prior to slowing to a quietly played guitar line upon reaching its first verse.  An acoustic laced chorus fortified by a touch of piano ranks among the albums best.  Livgren's wonderful lead guitar makes its presence felt during an instrumental passage backed by clapping hands.  "Borderline" talks about people who are trying to stand in a middle ground when in fact there is no such thing:

So much indecision
Leaves you hanging in the air
You cant' remain forever 'cause there's nothing there
With one foot in the ocean
And the other on the shore
You'll be goin' nowhere, 'til you step on through the door

"Play On" jumps out of the gate to sweeping keyboards underscored by a piano, Elefante's smooth sounding voice helping to take the song in a quickly moving fashion to a very fine melodic flavored chorus.  Hope's punchy work on bass guitar really helps bring out the best in this track.  Lyrically penned by Livgren, "Play On" talks about his motivation for playing music:

All of my life, the wheels are turning
Drawing me near, to something that's burning bright
The music begins, a song that is new
Joining as one, it leads me to you

The morning star, has always been with me
Lifting me up, when I couldn't carry on
Turning the page to each song I write
Leading me on, on through the night

The six minute "Crossfire" is by far the albums strongest and most progressive influenced track.  Commencing to a blend of piano and keyboards, a piano carries the song through its first verse until the rhythm guitar steps forward and drives an imposing chorus in an energy-laden manner.  A two minute instrumental passage gives Livgren the opportunity to showcase his choppy blues flavored lead guitar work.  Of all the albums tracks, "Crossfire" does the best job of reflecting Livgren's faith:

But it all works out okay, if you give your life away
To the One who's holding fast, it's a promise that will last

And deep within the hardest heart
There is something there that knows
There's a hunger life can never fill
'Til you face the One who rose

Caught in a crossfire
In a world of darkness turn to the light

In the end, Vinyl Confessions showcases a great deal of consistency in combining a very fine group of songs with the bands still vibrant musicianship and the talent of new vocalist John Elefante.

Review by: Andrew Rockwell

Track Listing: "Play The Game Tonight" (3:26), "Right Away" (4:06), "Fair Exchange" (5:01), "Chasing Shadows" (3:20), "Diamonds And Pearls" (4:50), "Face It" (4:17), "Windows" (3:32), "Borderline" (4:00), "Play On" (3:32), "Crossfire" (6:35)

Musicians
John Elefante – Lead Vocals & Keyboards
Kerry Livgren – Guitars & Keyboards
Rich Williams – Guitars
Robby Steinhardt – Violins & Vocals
Dave Hope – Bass
Phil Ehart – Drum

Guest Musicians
Bev Dahlke - Bassoon
Warren Ham – Harmonica
Greg Smith – Baritone Sax
Jim Coile – Tenor Sax
Bill Bergman – Tenor & Alto Sax
John Berry – Trumpet
Lee Thornberg – Trumpet

Also Reviewed: Kansas - Somewhere To Elsewhere, AD - Time Line, Kerry Livgren – Seeds Of Change, Kerry Livgren - Collector's Sedition (Director's Cut), Mastedon -It's A Jungle Out There, Proto-Kaw – Before Became After, Proto-Kaw - The Wait Of Glory

Also See: A Musical And Lyrical History Of Kansas

Reference List
Brown, Bruce.  "Elefantes On Parade." White Throne 13 (1993): 11-13.
Kerry Livgren and Kenneth Boa, Seeds Of Change (Nashville: Sparrow Press, 1991), 165-176.
Van Pelt, Doug.  "The Mystery Of Mastedon." Heaven's Metal 21 (1989): 8-10.