The Prelude Implicit

The Prelude Implicit is the fifteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in September 2016. It is their third studio album without founding member, lead vocalist and keyboardist Steve Walsh, who retired from the band in 2014; the other two being 1982's Vinyl Confessions and 1983's Drastic Measures.[1] It is their first album with lead vocalist and keyboardist Ronnie Platt, keyboardist David Manion, and guitarist Zak Rizvi, who started as a co-producer and songwriter before being named a full member of the band.

The Prelude Implicit
Studio album by Kansas
Released	September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23)
Recorded	January–February 2016
Studio	Real 2 Reel Studios, Jonesboro, Georgia
Genre	Progressive rock hard rock
Length	53:19
Label	Inside Out
Producer	Zak Rizvi, Phil Ehart, Rich Williams
Kansas chronology
There's Know Place Like Home (2009) The Prelude Implicit (2016) Leftoverture Live & Beyond (2017)

Background

The first album since 2000's Somewhere to Elsewhere, it marks the longest period between two Kansas studio albums to date. Founding member Kerry Livgren, who had returned as the main songwriter for that album, departed the band again following its release leaving Steve Walsh as the group's sole songwriter. His reluctance towards committing to new studio material left the band without new output. While the group would continue to release live and compilation albums throughout the next decade, Native Window was formed as a side project by Ehart, Greer, Ragsdale and Williams who wanted to record new material as a separate entity.[2]

Walsh's departure in 2014 and the addition of Platt and Manion and later Rizvi paved the way for a new Kansas album.[3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Ultimate Guitar Archive	7.7/10[5]

Tim Jones of Record Collector magazine found the album "an attempted simulacrum of heyday glories, laudable while not quite scaling the heights", remarking how "the trademark intricate interplay of strings, driving rhythm and golden harmonies is all present and correct" and "should please the faithful, without eclipsing more recent predecessors like Somewhere to Elsewhere".[6] AllMusic's James Christopher Monger praised the album for being "something that sounds both familiar and forward thinking" and wrote that "the technically superb The Prelude Implicit - literally - hits all of the right notes and should please longtime fans, despite the absence of Walsh".[4] Ultimate Guitar staff enjoyed the balance between hard rock, AOR and prog rock of the new songs, signaling in particular "the album's grand, epic piece" "The Voyage of Eight Eighteen", which "could have been written in the same sessions that produced tracks like 'Song for America' and 'Magnum Opus'." The reviewer also wrote that the new Kansas line-up "doesn't at all sound like a band bereft of musical inspiration", but "like a band firing on all cylinders, putting out the music they actually want to make" and probably producing "the most inspired thing they've done since their heyday."[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"With This Heart"	Zak Rizvi, Ronnie Platt, Phil Ehart, Rich Williams, David Ragsdale	4:13
2.	"Visibility Zero"	Rizvi, Platt, Ehart	4:27
3.	"The Unsung Heroes"	Geoff Byrd, Platt, Ehart, David Manion, Ragsdale, Rizvi, Williams	5:02
4.	"Rhythm in the Spirit"	Rizvi, Platt	5:58
5.	"Refugee"	Mike Slamer, Billy Greer, Ehart, Manion, Platt, Ragsdale, Williams	4:23
6.	"The Voyage of Eight Eighteen"	Rizvi, Platt, Ehart	8:18
7.	"Camouflage"	Rizvi, Greer, Ehart, Platt	6:42
8.	"Summer"	Rizvi, Greer, Ehart, Williams, Manion, Ragsdale	4:07
9.	"Crowded Isolation"	Rizvi, Platt, Ehart, Greer, Manion, Ragsdale, Williams	6:10
10.	"Section 60" (instrumental)	Rizvi, Ehart	4:01

Bonus tracks (Deluxe edition)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
11.	"Home on the Range"	John H. Lomax	Daniel Kelley	3:26
12.	"Oh Shenandoah" (instrumental)		traditional	3:39

Personnel

Kansas

• Ronnie Platt – lead vocals, piano on "The Voyage of Eight Eighteen"
• Rich Williams – electric and acoustic guitars, producer
• Zak Rizvi – electric guitar, vocals, producer, mixing
• David Manion – piano, keyboards, organ and sound design
• David Ragsdale – violin, vocals
• Billy Greer – bass, vocals, lead vocals on "Summer"
• Phil Ehart – drums, percussion, producer

Production

• Chad Singer - engineer
• James Cobb, Jonathan Beckner, Will McPhaul - assistant engineers
• Jeff Glixman - mixing, mix and mastering producer
• Vlado Meller - mastering
• Denise de la Cerda - artwork
• Michie Turpin - photography
• Christine Boyd - logo and title design
• Thomas Ewerhard - album layout

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7]	102
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8]	41
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9]	66
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10]	46
French Albums (SNEP)[11]	105
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12]	25
Italian Albums (FIMI)[13]	63
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14]	54
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[15]	87
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16]	59
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17]	23
US Billboard 200[18]	41
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[19]	5
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[20]	14
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21]	3

Also charted on Billboard charts at #15 in Album Sales, #17 in Vinyl Album Sales, #10 in Internet Albums, and #14 in Current Albums.

References

1. Deriso, Nick (July 4, 2014). "Steve Walsh On His Exit From Kansas: 'Time for Me To Go'". Ultimate Classic Rock.com.
2. "Backstage Pass: Kansas drummer Phil Ehart on Native Window". Goldmine. June 30, 2009.
3. Wardlaw, Matt (May 7, 2015). "Kansas Guitarist Richard Williams Confirms New Album Plans: Exclusive Interview". Ultimate Classic Rock.com.
4. Monger, James Christopher. "Kansas – The Prelude Implicit review". AllMusic. All Media Network.
5. "The Prelude Implicit review by Kansas". Ultimate Guitar Archive. September 23, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
6. Jones, Tim (November 2016). "Kansas - The Prelude Implicit". Record Collector. No. 459. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
7. "Ultratop.be – Kansas – The Prelude Implicit" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
8. "Ultratop.be – Kansas – The Prelude Implicit" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kansas – The Prelude Implicit" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
10. "Kansas: The Prelude Implicit" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
11. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 39, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kansas – The Prelude Implicit" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
13. "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 39 (dal 2016-09-23 al 2016-09-29)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
14. 30, 2016/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
15. "TOP 100 ALBUMES — SEMANA 39: del 23.09.2016 al 29.09.2016" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – Kansas – The Prelude Implicit". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
17. "Swisscharts.com – Kansas – The Prelude Implicit". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
18. "Kansas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
19. "Kansas Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
20. "Kansas Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
21. "Kansas Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2016.