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 | ||||
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 | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Masque | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic |
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
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 |
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 |
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
- Adams, Bret. Masque at AllMusic
- Fort Lauderdale News 18 November 1979 "Cosmic Kansas Still Close to the Corn" by Jon Pareles p.15-G
- Cashbox 14 January 1978 "Success of Kansas Traced to Constant Touring, FM Airplay" by Mark Mehler p.12
- 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.
- "Kansas Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- "RIAA Gold & Platinum Database: Search for Kansas". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 26, 2017.