Kansas hired Bob Ezrin to tighten up their sound for 1988's In the Spirit of Things.
In a strange way, the timing was opportune, since they had a hit in 1986's Power, and 1988 was welcome to veterans, thanks to the boom of classic rock radio stations and the rejuvenating power of the CD.
And, give 'em credit -- they wound up with an album that's arguably more focused than their '70s highlights.
That doesn't mean it's on par, since they can't deliver a hit single as good as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Point of Know Return," and whatever remnants of humor they had are gone, as this is doggedly somber.
Still, they're musically more adept, thanks to Ezrin and guitarist Steve Morse, which is welcome.
That doesn't mean it's an unqualified success, however, since the cavernous, DDD-wannabe production screams 1988 even more than Leftoverture epitomizes 1976.
Nevertheless, In the Spirit of Things remains one of the group's more consistent albums and easily a latter-day highlight.
(By the way, Brendan O'Brien, a superstar producer of the '90s, working with Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots, recorded this record.).
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GhostsBob Ezrin, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | One Big SkyPhil Ehart, Bob Ezrin, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 05:17 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 3 | Inside of MeSteve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:44 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | One Man, One Heart | Kansas | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | House on FirePhil Ehart, Bob Ezrin, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | Once in a Lifetime | Kansas | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | Stand Beside MeBruce Gaitsch | Kansas | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 8 | I Counted on LoveSteve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 9 | The PreacherSteve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | RainmakerBob Ezrin, Steve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 06:44 | 15 MB | 39 MB |
| 11 | T.O. WitcherSteve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 01:41 | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| 12 | Bells of Saint JamesSteve Morse, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 53 mins | 121 MB | |||||
| 53 mins | 327 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Adams | Equipment Assistant |
| 2 | Terry Brock | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | James Cleveland | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Steve Croes | Keyboards, Synclavier |
| 5 | Jon Crossland | Stylist |
| 6 | Phil Ehart | Composer, Drums, Producer |
| 7 | Bob Ezrin | Arranger, Composer, Engineer, Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Daniel Fitzgerald | Research |
| 9 | Lawrence Fried | Assistant Engineer |
| 10 | Bruce Gaitsch | Composer |
| 11 | Billy Greer | Bass, Vocals |
| 12 | Robert Hrycyna | Production Supervisor, Technical Supervisor |
| 13 | Kansas | Arranger, Primary Artist |
| 14 | Stan Katayama | Assistant Engineer, Engineer |
| 15 | Ricky Keller | Drum Programming, Keyboard Programming, Synthesizer |
| 16 | Greg Ladanyi | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 17 | Bob Loftus | Engineer |
| 18 | Stephen Marcussen | Mastering |
| 19 | Paul Maxon | Photography, Producer |
| 20 | Tony May | Photography |
| 21 | Edd Miller | Assistant Engineer |
| 22 | Steve Morse | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 23 | Brendan O'Brien | Engineer |
| 24 | John Pierce | Bass, Fretless Bass |
| 25 | Garth Richardson | Engineer, Mixing |
| 26 | Greg Robert | Keyboard Programming, Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 27 | Doug Sax | Mastering |
| 28 | Southern California Community Choir | Choir/Chorus |
| 29 | Storm Thorgerson | Art Direction |
| 30 | Steve Walsh | Composer, Keyboards, Vocals |
| 31 | Glenn Wexler | Photography |
| 32 | Rich Williams | Guitar |
| 33 | Christopher Yavelow | Kurzweil Synthesizer, Synthesizer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |