Kansas - Vinyl Confessions

I needed to hear Vinyl Confessions for myself. Now that i have, i am completely convinced that Kerry Livgren was completely bat-shit insane. Hear me out, this is an important part of my much larger collection of containers with cow parts in them. 

First, let's go back to Flyleaf. I pointed out that that was a Jesus album that didn't actually have anything to do with actual Jesus. Guess what, neither does this Kansas album that Steve Walsh preemptively opted out of, and after which Robby Steinhardt said "yeah, me neither."

Now, Christianity at large might have been totally different in the 70s, but to me it's no better or worse than other religions. Critics hated this album and the next one (and multiple band members quit) because they were "overtly Christian" and they might as well be Foreigner albums, but critics didn't like Kansas before these albums either. No Kansas album ever got great reviews in its first decade. I've said it multiple times, everyone was really tired of waiting for Kerry to write Dust in the Wind, and man were they upset when he kept writing stuff after that.

Next, i can't remind you enough that the major religious texts were not Kerry's first choice when it comes to ressurected middle-eastern hippies. He much preferred the space alien version for quite a long time, until someone more convincing than him won a backseat bus argument.

Last, whether Kerry knew it or not, he wasn't actually complaining about the lack of Jesus. Every single sentiment he expressed in song was about some real life, mundane aspect of American socio-political buffoonery. Hey loser, get a job (but not one that i have to particiate in paying you to do). Everybody was tired of his half concocted cult ramblings and they didn't want to churn out pop-rock for pennies. They were fine floating through the sea of uncertainty as Kansas the prog-rock band, but they really didn't want to bring supernatural deities and organized religion into the equation.

Now to recap, yes Christians found specific things to like very much about this album, but the metaphors are much more approachable than that. You can wholeheartedly agree even if you are an unrepentant godless heathen like myself. Obviously, the breakable things will fly if you don't want Kansas and Foreigner to be the same band, but i've pointed that out so many times you should all be fine with it by now.

Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures are totally great 80s hard rock albums that Kansas as a band wasn't at all happy they made. If Seeds of Change was how Kerry was treating his actual friends behind the scenes, then yeah i would have quit too.

What's your point, Bottle?

You mean you didn't know? This is what selling out by pandering to an emerging market looks like. "Christian music" was literally becoming big business at that exact moment. I'm a big fan of coincidence, but you're seriously streching my suspension of disbelief if you're telling me nobody knew what was happening. Intentional or not, this was intentional and it boiled down to money. Maybe Kerry really didn't think that way, but some of us heathens have principles, you know? 

Plus, why can't Christians like Prog Kansas? Is it 'cause Lucky Charms are made by satanic leprechauns? It is isn't it? Enjoying the adventure is evil. Sadly, the real irony seems to be that organized religion is as corrupt as anything. Like everything else we rant and fight about, it's the hierarchy of power that corrupts. The moment you confuse your person with your function you flip right around and become a hypocrite. Kansas didn't morph and fall apart because Kerry and Dave converted to Christianity, they fell apart because he started acting like they weren't good enough.