Masque (Kansas album)

Masque is the third studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas. The album was released in October 1975 and was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001. The album was again remastered and reissued on vinyl in 2014. The opening track, "It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)", was remixed for release as a single, but failed to gain attention. The remix included additional guest vocals and contains segments far different from the album version.

Masque
Cover art reproduces Water, a painting by the Italian Giuseppe Arcimboldo
Studio album by Kansas
Released	September 20, 1975
Recorded	Summer of 1975
Studio	Studio in the Country, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	40:39
Label	Kirshner (US) Epic (rest of the world)
Producer	Jeff Glixman
Kansas chronology
Song for America (1975) Masque (1975) Leftoverture (1976)
Singles from Masque
"It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)" / "It's You" Released: 1975

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Peaking at #70 on the Billboard album chart, Masque would in the months subsequent to its September 1975 release sell approximately 250,000 units.[2] Like all three of Kansas' first three album releases, Masque attracted new commercial interest due to the platinum success of the band's fourth and fifth studio albums: Leftoverture (1976) and Point of Know Return (1977), with Masque being certified Gold for sales of 500,000 units in December 1977.[3]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)"	Steve Walsh	Walsh	3:08
2.	"Two Cents Worth"	Kerry Livgren, Walsh	Walsh	3:08
3.	"Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel"	Livgren[4]	Walsh	6:03
4.	"All the World"	Walsh, Robby Steinhardt	Walsh and Steinhardt	7:11

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
5.	"Child of Innocence"	Livgren	Walsh and Steinhardt	4:36
6.	"It's You"	Walsh	Walsh	2:31
7.	"Mysteries and Mayhem"	Livgren, Walsh	Walsh and Steinhardt	4:18
8.	"The Pinnacle"	Livgren	Walsh and Steinhardt	9:44

Bonus tracks on 2001 CD reissue

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Child of Innocence" (Demo from the recording sessions)	5:04
10.	"It's You" (Demo from the recording sessions)	2:41

Personnel

Kansas

• Steve Walsh – organ, piano, clavinet, Moog synthesizer, congas, lead and backing vocals
• Kerry Livgren – lead and rhythm guitars, acoustic guitar, piano, clavinet, Moog and ARP synthesizers
• Robby Steinhardt – violin, lead and backing vocals
• Rich Williams – lead and rhythm guitars
• Dave Hope – bass guitar
• Phil Ehart – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Earl Lon Price – saxophone on track 1

Production

• Jeff Glixman - producer, remastered edition producer
• Lee Peterzell - engineer
• Jimmy Stroud - assistant engineer
• Jeff Magid - remastered edition producer

Charts

Year	Chart	Position
1976	Top LPs & Tape (US)[5]	70

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
USA	RIAA	1977	Gold (+ 500,000)[6]

References

1. Adams, Bret. Masque at AllMusic
2. Fort Lauderdale News 18 November 1979 "Cosmic Kansas Still Close to the Corn" by Jon Pareles p.15-G
3. Cashbox 14 January 1978 "Success of Kansas Traced to Constant Touring, FM Airplay" by Mark Mehler p.12
4. On the album's original vinyl release, "Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel" is credited to Kerry Livgren on the sleeve notes but to "K. Livgren / S. Walsh" on the label. BMI records (see BMI Work # 699172) confirm that Livgren is the song's sole writer.
5. "Kansas Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
6. "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database: Search for Kansas". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 26, 2017.