1.What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?
Supah pompy!
2. What did you think of the opening tracks?
Opening title track is a classic slice of 70's FM-friendly prog, and 'Paradox' and 'The Spider' are nice even if they aren't quite as iconic.
3. What did you think of the later tracks?
'Dust In The Wind' has been overplayed and overexposed to the point of parody at this point, but relistening through these latter cuts has given me a greater appreciation for 'Closet Chronicles' and 'Hopelessly Human'. Not bad, but still not too memorable for me.
4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?
I've never been much of a Walsh fan, but his performance throughout POKR melds with the rest of the band's playing than it has on pre-
Leftoverture material.
5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?
I'll never be much of a Kansas fan (and never have been either), but this record is one of the very few in their catalog of work that actually nails it on occasion.
6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?
It was a consistent listen for me from start to finish back when I first got my grubby paws upon it, and that impression of it holds true even now.
7. What did you think of the lyrical content?
Socially conscious would be an understatement I suppose: this is one aspect of the record I actually could see myself revisiting after today.
8. Did you like the instrumental parts?
Walsh is pretty boring on his own, so I'd say if you aren't listening for the instrumental performance, you aren't listening to the right album!
9. What did you think of the production?
Solid as a rock. Nothing too high or low in the mix: every element is balanced and serviceable.
10. How well do you already know the band/artist?
I'm a proghead, so I'd say more than a passing acquaintance lol.
11. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?
Classic progressive rock, with a few AOR and folk sub-elements tossed in.
12. On repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?
Neither. Take that for what you will.
13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?
The title track.
14. And the one you liked least?
'Paradox'. Sounds like a poor man's
Gentle Giant!
15. Did the fact that this album is a debut allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated? (Note: if the album is or was NOT a debut, ignore this question or put "n/a")
N/A.
16. Are you now looking forward to hearing other albums by the band/artist?
Probably not, seeing as Kansas have never worked that well for me aesthetically.
17. Did you get, thematically, the idea behind the album if there was one?
I'm assuming there's some Christian allegory buried somewhere in there, but I couldn't be bothered to really care much either way.
18. Did the album end well?
'Helplessly Human' is a nice proggy end to a very proggy album.
19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?
Maybe a more distinctive vocalist than Steve Walsh? Hard to say really...
20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?
Between
Leftoverture and this particular record, I don't think Kansas have ever done a more cohesive set of songs than we we get here. That being said, Kansas have never really worked for me sonically: they aren't catchy or slick enough on the whole to be a good AOR band and they aren't interesting or truly atmospheric enough on the instrumental side of things to really tickle my prog sensibilities either.
I'm aware that the band will always have its loyalists, but the real problem here is that nothing they've ever done has knocked me on my ass like Yes, Genesis or Gentle Giant did when I first got into them. I think is due to the fact that Walsh and friends have never really sounded (at least to these ears) like a band who were ever that comfortable in their own skin. Their tendency to go for the heartland rock iconography doesn't gel that well with their more progressive leanings, and it's always made them a hard sell for me. It's a shame, but they never transcend their trappings to become something more than they could be, which is why we never got a song as good as 'Siberian Khatru' from them despite some good ideas lurking throughout their 70's material.
I'd tell anyone looking for American progressive rock where you can literally hear the pieces falling into place to check out
Starcastle,
Styx and
Ambrosia respectively. Walsh and co., unfortunately, have always sounded like a poor man's amalgamation of all those bands to me in the past, and going through the album again only reinforces this perception for me. Sorry, but no dice!
Overall Album Rating: 6.5 out of 10.