For their album Monolith, Kerry Livgren had found a counterfeit Jesus in the Jesus of the Urantia Book. Between that album and Audio-Visions, Livgren found the true Jesus of Christianity after debating with Jeff Pollard, the lead vocalist of Le Roux, a band touring with Kansas at the time. And that reality is definitely starting to be reflected in the lyrics of the songs Livgren wrote. Livgren wanted to record a solo album of material presenting a Christian message. Seven of the songs he wrote ended up on his first solo album, Seeds of Change, and four others appeared on this album.
The first song is Relentless, a straight-ahead, upbeat rocker that has a similar form to Carry On Wayward Son, with a guitar-driven intro, then a more piano-driven verse. The song is an autobiographical song about Livgren's conversion to Christianity, which is pretty overt in lyrics such as the second verse, and even an evangelistic appeal in the third verse, stating that the gift is given if you only would receive, and that our lives do not compare to what's awaiting us there (i.e. in heaven).
Next is Anything for You, a mostly piano-driven love song about a man pining for a woman he's fallen for who won't commit to him in return, and no matter how poorly she treats him (e.g. "you tell me lies but I can't let go"), he still wants the relationship to work out because he realizes the way she treats him is a result of some past trauma ("You exist so free and clear/Let no one touch you, let no one near/I think you're just someone afraid of fear/Or what you just might find").
Third up is Hold On, another evangelistic song but this time directed at Kerry's wife, Vicci. It's a guitar-driven song in 6/8 with a wonderful violin melody during the intro and turnarounds. In the song, the Livgren writes that his wife is very close to making the leap into Christianity, and there are certain things in her life that seem to be pointing toward God's existence, so she needs to just hold on because it's closer than she thinks and she's standing on the brink of salvation.
Next is Loner, a blazing rocker written by Steve Walsh that seems to be the antithesis of Anything for You. Loner is a song about how the singer is really a loner at heart, and nothing his lover can do can change that. He feels that he must leave her because of that, and he also believed that she would understand because she knew him.
Curtain of Iron comes up next and is one of only two songs more than five minutes long. The meaning is both literal and figurative. The literal meaning is about the Iron Curtain, a political, military, and ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union to cut itself off from other noncommunist areas, and from open contact with the West. It was a barrier between freedom and oppression. As Livgren says in his book, Seeds of Change, the symbolic meaning is the spiritual barrier between man and God, with sin acting as a wall of separation between us.
After that comes Got to Rock On, an upbeat rock song that's just about what it sounds like -- the love of music and the desire to keep playing it. It's in a bit of a slower tempo with a rock gallop going on, and for the bridge we are treated to a classical sounding piano part with arpeggios before hitting us with the gallop again for the last chorus.
The next one is Don't Open Your Eyes, a straight-ahead rocker in which the meaning is kind of obscure. It appears to be about a paranoid man who sees danger lurking around every corner, but it's not really clear from the context what is meant by "don't open your eyes too soon 'cause it might be me", especially since at the end of the next verse the singer says "don't open your eyes too soon, it might not be me". This one definitely has an 80's sound to it in the type of keyboard used, something that might have felt at home on a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.
No One Together is the last of the Livgren-penned songs on this album. According to the Wikipedia article for this album, it was actually written for inclusion on Monolith, which led to an argument between Livgren and Walsh because Walsh wanted one of his included in that slot for the album. Eventually Walsh won out, the band recording How My Soul Cries Out for You, and eventually recording No One Together for Audio-Visions. It's the second of the two songs to break the five minute mark. It's a fast song which moves into a half-time feel for the bridge. The meaning of the song is about how everything will "come together" only when Christ returns to reign, though it's not exactly made clear by the lyrics. And as the song was written for Monolith, Livgren may have had the Christ of the Urantia Book in mind which he adapted for his newfound Christian beliefs when he got around to recording it.
The second to last song is No Room for a Stranger, a song which seems to be a recurring auditory theme on many of their albums, a gritty rock song with a more mature element to it. In this case, a man's pride has been hurt by his woman, and by her friends who tell him he shouldn't be with her because he's not wealthy. So he thinks about committing suicide or possibly causing her harm if he had more courage and whiskey.
The final song on the album is Back Door, a piano-led ballad about finding the life that you were meant for. This is a song written by Walsh that seems to take a page from Livgren's prior songs about searching and trying to find your place in the universe. This song ends the record on a lighter, more contemplative note.
Like Monolith before it, Audio-Visions would not be remembered as one of Kansas' stronger albums. Livgren and Walsh were both recording solo projects at the time, and one reviewer assumed it was for that reason Kansas became more like a side project for the two, which led to the output suffering. The next two albums would be well known as Kansas' two Christian albums, but I would actually consider Audio-Visions to be Kansas' first Christian rock album (as would Mark Allan Powell, writer of Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music). Walsh tolerated the more Christian-themed songs from Livgren on this album, assuming it was a phase that would pass. But when Livgren came with even more evangelical lyrics for the next album, Walsh decided to leave the band. That makes Audio-Visions the last Kansas album recorded with all the original members intact, with the exception of an album they would record 20 years later (which I'll get to in due time). After Walsh left the band, Kansas had to look for a new lead singer. They would find one, and their meeting would seem almost divinely appointed.
Album: Audio-Visions (1980)
Band: Kansas
Phil Ehart -- drums, percussion, vocals
Dave Hope -- bass, vocals
Kerry Livgren -- guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals
Robby Steinhardt -- violins, violas, lead vocals
Steve Walsh -- keyboards, vibes, percussion, lead vocals
Rich Williams -- guitars, percussion, vocals
Track list:
01. Relentless (4:57) -- Livgren
02. Anything for You (3:58) -- Walsh
03. *Hold On (3:52) -- Livgren
04. Loner (2:30) -- Walsh
05. Curtain of Iron (6:12) -- Livgren
06. *Got to Rock On (3:19) -- Walsh
07. Don't Open Your Eyes (4:04) -- Walsh, Williams, Livgren, Ehart, & Hope
08. No One Together (6:57) -- Livgren
09. No Room for a Stranger (3:01) -- Williams & Walsh
10. Back Door (4:23) -- Walsh
* denotes a single
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