Point of Know Return

chronology
Point of Know Return
Kansas studio album
Publication ; (s)	1977-10-11
admission	1977
Label (s)	Kirshner / CBS and Epic
Format (s)	LP, CD
Genre (s)	Progressive rock
Title (number)	10
running time	44:24
occupation	Steve Walsh; Kerry Livgren; Robby Steinhardt; Rich Williams; Dave Hope; Phil Ehart;
production	Jeff Glixman
Studio (s)	Studio in the Country, Woodland Studios
1977	Point of Know Return / Closet Chronicles
1978-01-16	Dust in the Wind / Paradox
1978-06	Portrait (He Knew) / Lightning's Hand

Point of Know Return is the fifth studio album by the American progressive rock band Kansas , released in 1977. The album was remastered in 2002 and reissued on CD .

The album title, as well as the first piece of music of the same name, are a play on the English term point of no return ( German : Punkt ohne Wiederkehr), whereby here no (for: without) to know (roughly: knowingly), and thus the meaning of Term was changed.

production

Point of Know Return began recording in June 1977 in the Studio in the Country , in Bogalusa , Louisiana , where the two previous albums were recorded by Kansas: After the band struggled with technical problems in this studio in July, production ceased most of your recordings continued at Woodland Studios in Nashville .

The songwriter and singer Steve Walsh left the group temporarily while recording this album. In an interview on the weekly radio show In Studio with Redbeard , he later confessed that at the time he was feeling somewhat like a prima donna and was blinded by the chance of a solo career.

The seventh track " Dust in the Wind " is one of the most popular Kansas tracks ever. The guitar melody was initially written by Kerry Livgren as a finger exercise to learn fingering. His wife Vicci listens and says that the melody is beautiful. She encouraged him to write a text about it. Livgren was not sure if his bandmates would like it, however, as it differed stylistically from the typical band style. He introduced it to the bandmates and the song was accepted.

Track list

The original version of the album contains 10 tracks with five tracks on each record side. The CD version from 2002 also includes two bonus tracks.

No.	title	author	length
01	Point of Know Return	Steve Walsh , Phil Ehart , Robby Steinhardt	3:13
02	paradox	Kerry Livgren , Walsh	3:50
03	The Spider (Instrumental)	Walsh	2:05
04th	Portrait (He Knew)	Livgren, Walsh	4:38
05	Closet Chronicles	Walsh, Livgren	6:31
06th	Lightning's hand	Walsh, Livgren	4:24
07th	Dust in the Wind	Livgren	3:28
08th	Sparks of the Tempest	Livgren, Walsh	4:18
09	Nobody's Home	Livgren, Walsh	4:40
010	Hopelessly human	Livgren	7:17

Bonus title of the CD version from 2002

No.	title	author	length
011	Sparks of the Tempest (Live at Merriweather Post Pavilion , Columbia, Maryland )	Livgren, Walsh	5:17
012	Portrait (He Knew) ( Remix )	Livgren, Walsh	4:50

The remix by Portrait (He Knew) of the remastered 2002 edition is the third mix that has been remixed from this song. The first remix appeared on the original single, and another was included on the bonus disc of an all-European compilation from the late 1990s.

reception

Critics took the album critically because of the title Point of Know Return and Albert Einstein's song Portrait (He Knew) . In 1988, Livgren released a new version as Portrait II on the album Prime Mover of his later band AD . In this song version he changed the protagonist from Einstein to Jesus Christ . Another song, Closet Chronicles , an allegory of Howard Hughes , also had mixed reviews for the album. The music magazine Rolling Stone certifies that the move towards songs with shorter running times worked, but the lyrics were only "... a pale and ridiculous infusion of the bargain exoticism of the British art rock community" . The magazine also comments that the band may play strong and determined, but lack a virtuoso soloist. AllMusic praises "... the interplay and superior musicality of Kansas make this an essential take on both classic rock and progressive rock" , despite their "outdated sound" and struggle to "maintain a healthy balance of progress combined with pop" .

Point of Know Return was the best-selling Kansas album in the United States with more than four million copies; it reached number four on the US Billboard charts in January 1978 . The album was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .

occupation

tape

Steve Walsh - organ , synthesizer , vibraphone , piano , vocals (except for Lightning's Hand ), backing vocals , percussion
Kerry Livgren - synthesizer, piano, clavinet , acoustic guitar , electric guitar , percussion
Robby Steinhardt - violin , viola , backing vocals, vocals for Closet Chronicles , Lightning's Hand , Sparks of the Tempest and Hopelessly Human
Rich Williams - acoustic guitar, electric guitars, effects units
Dave Hope - bass guitar
Phil Ehart - drums , timpani , tubular bells , additional percussions

The cast list of the album depositor led at each band member a nonexistent fun instrument on chain-driven gong (chain operated Gong ), autogyro ( gyroplanes ), Rinaldo whistling machine (Rinaldo Pfeifmaschine) and Peabody chromatic inverter (Peadbody-Chromatkinverter).

Production

Jeff Glixman - production , sound engineer , mixdown at Village Recorders, Los Angeles in August 1977. Production of the Remastered Edition
Terry Diane Becker - Another mix
George Marino - Audio mastering at Sterling Sound, New York in September 1977
Kansas - arrangement and graphic concept of the album cover
Tom Drennon - Art Director
Peter Lloyd - drawing of the record cover
Rod Dyer - Design of the record inner sleeve
Bob Maile - calligraphy
Jeff Magid - Production of the Remastered Edition

Web links

Point of Know Return at Allmusic (English)
Reviews of Point Of Know Return on the baby blue pages
Point Of Know Return at Discogs
Point of Know Return at Progarchives.com (English)

Individual evidence

↑ Azaria Podblesky: Returning to the 'Point': Kansas' Richard Williams reflects on recording multiplatinum albums . In: Spokesman Journal . September 6, 2019, p. E2, E9 (English).
^ ^A ^b David Wild: Kansas: Point of Know Return . EK 85387. Legacy Recordings, New York City 2002, pp. 3 (English, CD booklet).
↑ In the Studio with Redbeard broadcast # 849, September 27, 2004 and for the 30th anniversary broadcast on Point of Know Return 2007
^ ^A ^b In the Studio with Point of Know Return, featuring Kansas. In: In The Studio. September 7, 1992, archived from the original on December 28, 2004 ; accessed on July 6, 2020 (English).
^ John Swenson: Kansas Point Of Know Return. In: Rolling Stone. January 12, 1978, archived from the original on November 6, 2007 ; accessed on July 6, 2020 (English).
^ Robert Taylor: Kansas Point of Know Return. In: AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .
^ Chart History Kansas. In: billboard. Recording Industry Association of America, accessed July 6, 2020 .
↑ Kanas. In: Gold & Platinum. Recording Industry Association of America, accessed July 6, 2020 .

[1] Azaria Podblesky: Returning to the 'Point': Kansas' Richard Williams reflects on recording multiplatinum albums . In: Spokesman Journal . September 6, 2019, p. E2, E9 (English).

[Booklet-2] A ^b David Wild: Kansas: Point of Know Return . EK 85387. Legacy Recordings, New York City 2002, pp. 3 (English, CD booklet).

[3] In the Studio with Redbeard broadcast # 849, September 27, 2004 and for the 30th anniversary broadcast on Point of Know Return 2007

[Redbeard-4] A ^b In the Studio with Point of Know Return, featuring Kansas. In: In The Studio. September 7, 1992, archived from the original on December 28, 2004 ; accessed on July 6, 2020 (English).

[Swenson-5] John Swenson: Kansas Point Of Know Return. In: Rolling Stone. January 12, 1978, archived from the original on November 6, 2007 ; accessed on July 6, 2020 (English).

[Taylor-6] Robert Taylor: Kansas Point of Know Return. In: AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .

[billboard-7] Chart History Kansas. In: billboard. Recording Industry Association of America, accessed July 6, 2020 .

[RIAA-8] Kanas. In: Gold & Platinum. Recording Industry Association of America, accessed July 6, 2020 .