In the Spirit of Things
| In the Spirit of Things | ||||
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| Studio album by Kansas | ||||
| Released | October 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Art rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 52:54 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Phil Ehart, Bob Ezrin, Greg Ladanyi, and Paul Maxon | |||
| Kansas chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
In the Spirit of Things is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). It is a very loosely organized concept album telling the story of a flood hitting the real Kansas city of Neosho Falls in 1951. It is the first Kansas album since 1975's Masque to lack a hit single.
The album is Kansas's last studio effort for a major label. It didn't receive much promotion, as MCA dropped a slew of "older" artists shortly after its release and famously switched its attention to current younger acts such as Tiffany. Kansas got caught in that decision and the album was a commercial failure. The label did produce several promotional materials for the record, including a glossy video for "Stand Beside Me". The song was played regularly on MTV and allowed the single to hit the album rock charts, the last Kansas single to chart in any format. Other songs were released in odd formats, such as a 12" promotional single of "I Counted on Love," an import edited CD single of "House on Fire," and a small-sized CD single of "Stand Beside Me." The album also is the last Kansas release to appear in vinyl format.
A tour in support of this album included a broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour, which many years later released the show as a CD.
In its retrospective review, Allmusic deemed the album "one of the group's more consistent albums and easily a latter-day highlight." They criticized the album's dated production and the lack of a single to compare to their 1970s hits, but argued it to be one of Kansas's most focused efforts.
Album - Billboard (North America)
Singles - Billboard (North America)
Additional personnel
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