Description
Art of the State is the sophomore album by the American progressive rock band AD featuring Kerry Livgren of Kansas fame, released on Kerygma Records in 1985, distributed by Sparrow Records. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by band member Kerry Livgren at Camp Dunwoody Studio in Dunwoody, Georgia; September 1984 – February 1985. The album was mixed on the dbx 700 Digital Processor. All songs written or co-written by Kerry Livgren except “Lead Me to Reason”, “Games of Chance and Circumstance”, and “Heartland” written by Michael Gleason.
‘Art of the State’ is a significant improvement over A.D. first LP, ‘Time Line‘, and the best thing Kerry Livgren has been associated with since Kansas‘ ‘Point of Know Return’. It’s significant for another reason: A.D. is one of the few groups that can effectively capture an Old Testament sensibility in song.
Take «Up from the Wasteland» for instance. Here the group juxtaposes the apocalypse with Old Testament passages to create an atmosphere of high drama. The music combines traditional high-church organ swells with surging, rolling synthesizers to create a stunning tour de force that builds to a brilliantly classical finale.
In «The Fury», the awesome power, majesty – and anger – of the God of Abraham is invoked. «All Creation Sings» combines the rock elements of Kansas, Styx, and Survivor, with literate, Bible-based lyrics and a spectacular chorus into one memorable whole.
Not surprisingly, this is risky business. Some cuts, like «Lead Me to Reason» and «Heartland» don’t pull it off. «We Are the Men» and «Progress» come dangerously close to taking themselves too seriously and end up sounding like parodies of Devo.
Still, on material like «Zion», «Games of Chance and Circumstance», «The Only Way to Have a Friend», and the rest, A.D.’s chances pay off in the form of stirring, heart-stopping music. [Bob Darden, CCM, June 1985]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/art-of-the-state/260625802)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “All Creation Sings” – 4:22
A2. “We Are the Men” – 4:41
A3. “Lead Me to Reason” – 3:56
A4. “The Only Way to Have a Friend” – 4:16
A5. “Games of Chance and Circumstance” – 4:18
Side Two
B1. “The Fury” – 5:34
B2. “Progress” – 4:39
B3. “Heartland” – 3:42
B4. “Zion” – 3:26
B5. “Up from the Wasteland” – 4:25
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Kerygma Records. Later re-issued on CD by Numavox. Available at Bandcamp: https://kerrylivgren.bandcamp.com/album/art-of-the-state
A full-page advertisement for AD’s Art of the State was featured in the April 1985 issue of CCM Magazine.
This is a 1985 interview from the radio show Crosswalk with Kerry Livgren and AD, after the release of the band’s second album, Art of the State. Crosswalk was a weekly program in the 1980s from the International Lutheran Laymen’s League that featured the latest music in Christian rock as well as interviews with artists.
In Part 1 the interviewer talks with members of the band. Part 2 features Kerry Livgren. The interviews were conducted backstage at an AD show, not in a studio setting. As such there is background noise in places.
CREDITS. Produced by Kerry Livgren for Grandy Zine Productions. Recorded and mixed at Camp Dunwoody Studio in Dunwoody, Georgia; September 1984 – February 1985. Engineered by Livgren. Assistant engineering by Mike Gleason. Additional assistance by Gary Westman. The album was mixed on the dbx 700 Digital Processor. Mastered by Glenn Meadows, Masterfonics Inc. Front Cover Illustration by Tim Wild. Front Cover Concept by Mike Gleason and Ken Marcellion. Art Direction by Bill Murphy and Marcellion. Executive Producers: Ken Marcellino and Mark Ferjulian.
Musicians: Kerry Livgren (Guitar, Keyboards), Michael Gleason (Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars), Warren Ham (Lead Vocals, Harmonica, Keyboards, Woodwind), Dave Hope (Bass Guitar), Dennis Holt (Drums, Background Vocals). Additional vocals by Debi Chapman and Suzan Shewbridge on tracks A1 and B5.
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