Audio-Visions
Audio-Visions is the seventh studio album (and eighth overall) by American rock band Kansas, released in 1980. The album was remastered and reissued in 2011, as a Japanese import vinyl-replica.
Kerry Livgren's recent conversion to Christianity is first heard on this album, primarily in the lyrics to "Hold On" (which was written as an evangelistic plea to his wife).
The eighth song on this album, "No One Together", was originally intended for release on the previous album, Monolith, released in 1979, but it was dropped from that album due to an argument against Walsh and Livgren over whose song should be included there (with Walsh winning out the argument by having his song, "How My Soul Cries Out for You", included) and wound up on this album instead.
The album was to be the last album with the band's original lineup until 2000's Somewhere to Elsewhere and coincidentally the band's last studio album to be certified gold by the RIAA (which it did in December 1980).
Reception
| Professional ratings |
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| Source |
Rating |
| Allmusic |
[1] |
Rolling Stone gave a resoundingly negative review of the album, calling it "the musically overwrought and lyrically fatuous product of a collective hubris gone haywire," and mockingly referring to Kerry Livgren as "Kerry Liver". They contended that Kansas had lost all direction, with "Hold On" being the only track not lost in misdirected ambitions.[2]
Track listing
- "Relentless" (Kerry Livgren) – 4:56
- "Anything for You" (Steve Walsh) – 3:58
- "Hold On" (Livgren) – 3:53
- "Loner" (Walsh) – 2:30
- "Curtain of Iron" (Livgren) – 6:12
- "Got to Rock On" (Walsh) – 3:21
- "Don't Open Your Eyes" (Phil Ehart, Dave Hope, Livgren, Walsh) – 4:05
- "No One Together" (Livgren) – 6:58
- "No Room for a Stranger" (Walsh, Rich Williams) – 3:00
- "Back Door" (Walsh) – 4:23
Credits
- Phil Ehart - percussion, drums, vocals
- Dave Hope - bass guitar, vocals
- Kerry Livgren - guitar, percussion, keyboards, vocals
- Robby Steinhardt - violin, viola, vocals
- Steve Walsh - percussion, keyboards, vocals, vibraphone
- Rich Williams - guitar, percussion, vocals
Additional personnel
- Terry Ehart - vocals
- Four Bassmen - vocals, background vocals
- Joey Jelf - vocals, background vocals
- Victoria Livgren - vocals
- Joey Jelf - vocals
- Anne Steinhardt - violin, viola, vocals
- Lisa White - vocals, background vocals
- Donna Williams - vocals, background vocals
Production
- Producers: Kansas, Brad Aaron, Davey Moiré
- Engineers: Brad Aaron, Davey Moiré, Greg Webster
- Reissue producer: Bob Irwin
- Digital remastering: Vic Anesini
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1980 |
Pop Albums |
26 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)[3]
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1980 |
"Hold On" |
Pop Singles |
40 |
| 1981 |
"Got To Rock On" |
Pop Singles |
76 |
References
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