Drastic Measures
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| Drastic Measures | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Kansas | ||
| Released | July 1983 | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Progressive Rock | |
| Length | 42:00 | |
| Label | Kirshner | |
| Producer(s) | Kansas, Neil Kernon |
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| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kansas chronology | ||
| Vinyl Confessions (1982) |
Drastic Measures (1983) |
The Best of Kansas (1984) |
Drastic Measures is the ninth studio album, and tenth album overall, by American rock band Kansas, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music).
The shift in direction that Kansas took with Vinyl Confessions took its toll before recording began on this album. After hearing that Christian fans of Kansas were using lyrics from Vinyl Confessions in religious tracts and handing them out prior to the band's live appearances, violinist Robbie Steinhardt grew tired of Kansas' new Christian affiliation and quit the band at the end of the 1982 tour.
Despite the success of Vinyl Confessions, both among mainstream and Christian audiences, the album was criticized in some quarters--especially by Rolling Stone--for being too repetitive of Kansas' prior efforts. Drastic Measures was new lead singer John Elefante's attempt to change that perception, and his compositions dominate the album, with Kansas co-founder Kerry Livgren only contributing three tracks. Because the sound of Drastic Measures is closer to the successful records that Loverboy and Foreigner were putting out at the time, Livgren was greatly displeased. This is bluntly expressed in his lyrics for "Mainstream," which are as much a criticism of the band's new direction as they are a slam at the music industry in general.
With the exception of the last three songs on the record, the Christian lyrical content was mostly indirect and oblique as well, although this was primarily due to Livgren holding back a number of songs for his future projects. Combined with a strange choice for an album cover, the new Kansas presented on Drastic Measures confused long-time fans and disappointed Christian listeners. The album was the band's least successful record since their debut in 1974 and the tensions within the band eventually became too much. Kansas officially disbanded after giving a New Years' Eve concert at the end of their 1983 tour.
Livgren and Dave Hope left the band to found AD, while Elefante went on to become a successful producer of Contemporary Christian music bands like Petra as well as a popular CCM performer in his own right.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- "Fight Fire With Fire" (Dino Elefante, John Elefante) – 3:40
- "Everybody's My Friend" (D. Elefante, J. Elefante) – 4:09
- "Mainstream" (Kerry Livgren) – 6:36
- "Andi" (J. Elefante) – 4:15
- "Going Through the Motions" (D. Elefante, J. Elefante) – 5:43
- "Get Rich" (D. Elefante, J. Elefante) – 3:43
- "Don't Take Your Love Away" (D. Elefante, J. Elefante) – 3:44
- "End of the Age" (Livgren) – 4:33
- "Incident on a Bridge" (Livgren) – 5:37
[edit] Personnel
- Phil Ehart - drums
- John Elefante - keyboard, vocals
- Dave Hope - bass
- Kerry Livgren - guitar, keyboard
- Rich Williams - guitar
Additional personnel
- Terry Brock - vocals, background vocals
- Kyle Henderson - vocals, background vocals
- David Pack - vocals, background vocals
[edit] Production
- Producers: Kansas, Neil Kernon
- Engineer: Neil Kernon
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Pop Albums | 41 |
| 1983 | The Billboard 200 | 75 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Everybody's My Friend" | Mainstream Rock | 34 |
| 1983 | "Fight Fire With Fire" | Mainstream Rock | 3 |
| 1983 | "Fight Fire With Fire" | Pop Singles | 58 |
| Kansas |
|---|
| Phil Ehart | Billy Greer | David Ragsdale | Steve Walsh | Richard Williams |
| Dave Hope | Kerry Livgren | Robby Steinhardt | John Elefante | Steve Morse | Greg Robert |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Kansas | Song for America | Masque | Leftoverture | Point of Know Return | Monolith | Audio-Visions | Vinyl Confessions | Drastic Measures | Power | In the Spirit of Things | Freaks of Nature | Always Never the Same | Somewhere to Elsewhere |
| Live albums: Two for the Show | Live at the Whisky | King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas | Device, Voice, Drum |
| Compilations: The Best of Kansas | Carry On |The Kansas Boxed Set | The Best of Kansas (expanded) | The Ultimate Kansas | Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection | On the Other Side | Works in Progress |
