Monolith (Kansas album)

For the Amebix album, see Monolith (Amebix album). For the Death Cube K album, see Monolith (Death Cube K album).

Monolith
Studio album by Kansas
Released	May, 1979
Recorded	January - April, 1979
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	41:41
Label	Kirshner
Producer	Kansas
Kansas chronology
Two for the Show (1978) Monolith (1979) Audio-Visions (1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[2]

Monolith is the sixth studio album, and seventh album overall, by American rock band Kansas, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music). The album was remastered and reissued in 2011, as a Japanese import vinyl-replica.

Although this was Kansas' third straight studio album to hit the Billboard Top 10, its sales were slow compared to the previous releases, and its one Top 40 hit, "People of the South Wind" enjoyed only brief popularity. The title refers to the meaning of the Siouan word "Kansa," the Indian tribe for which the state of Kansas was named. On their 80-city U.S. tour, the band's set list featured the entire album early in the tour, though by the time the tour ended, about half the songs had been cut from the live set in favor of older numbers. A national broadcast of their show at Alpine Valley, Wisconsin on this tour featured the entire album and is one of the most popular unissued live recordings of the band. Believing that fans didn't like Monolith, they did not perform any of the songs again until the mid 1990s, when they revived "People of the South Wind" and "Reason to Be" briefly. In recent years, the opening track, "On the Other Side," has been featured in performances on and off on tours, including that for the Device Voice Drum DVD, although not appearing on the DVD itself.

Following the U.S. Monolith tour, the band had its first tour of Japan, in January 1980. The band performed four songs from Monolith on their Japanese tour: "People of the South Wind," "Stay out of Trouble," "How My Soul Cries out for You" (the set closer featuring a dramatic performance including a body dropping from the ceiling), and "On the Other Side" (which was released as a single in Japan). A special promotional album featuring three songs from Monolith and five of their earlier popular songs (2 studio versions, and 3 live versions) was issued to radio stations there to publicize the dates, entitled "Kansas Monolith Tour 1980 in Japan."

Monolith initially sold about 800,000 copies, obtaining gold status, but ultimately went platinum in the early 1990s. Kerry Livgren donated his platinum record to the Kansas State Historical Society^[3].

Even though MTV was still two years away, promotional music videos were produced for four tracks on Monolith: "On The Other Side," "People Of The South Wind," "Away From You," and "Reason To Be."

Livgren's lyrics on Monolith were partly influenced by The Urantia Book, of which he was a devotee before his conversion to Christianity.

Track listing

1. "On the Other Side" (Kerry Livgren) – 6:26
2. "People of the South Wind" (Livgren) – 3:41
3. "Angels Have Fallen" (Steve Walsh) – 6:39
4. "How My Soul Cries Out For You" (Walsh) – 5:46
5. "A Glimpse Of Home" (Livgren) – 6:37
6. "Away From You" (Walsh) – 4:26
7. "Stay Out Of Trouble" (Robby Steinhardt, Walsh, Rich Williams) – 4:15
8. "Reason To Be" (Livgren) – 3:51

Personnel

• Phil Ehart - drums
• Dave Hope - bass
• Kerry Livgren - guitar, keyboard
• Robby Steinhardt - violin, vocals, anvil
• Steve Walsh - keyboard, vocals
• Rich Williams - guitar

Production

• Producer: Kansas
• Engineers: Brad Aaron, Davey Moiré, Steve Tillisch

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1979	Pop Albums	10

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1979	"People of the South Wind"	Pop Singles	23
1979	"Reason To Be"	Pop Singles	52

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Rolling Stone review
3. ^ Cool Things, Kansas Platinum Record, Kansas Historical Society