Kansas - Mask Of The Great Deceiver (live 1980)

[marquezmargaret0]

mr hope's bass work is off the chain

[marquezmargaret0]

there are many christian artists in the business--sheila e, denise matthews(vanity), bono of U2, and iron maiden's drummer nicko mcbrain have all openly declared their faith in christ

[thespacemonk]

I saw Kansas performing & they were doing each others solo stuff and Robby Steinhardt was in the wings and sort of threw his hands down and turned away from the stage as if to say, "I'm not into this crap at all..." trippy moment...

But of course they sounded great!!! KANSAS is one of my all time favorites and this song from Kerry's "Seeds of Change" is a great tune from a great album.

Keep it alive!!

As You Will...

[Kansasforlife]

@sjjediknight Kansas ;-)

[28301964]

I saw this tour and Livgren did a song from his solo record and Walsh did one from his. They were fantastic! this to me was Dio's pinnacle of vocal achievements of what he sang on Kerry's solo disc. Steve Walsh did a great job live on this!

[sjjediknight]

Is this AD or Kansas?

[marquezmargaret0]

@sjjediknight its kansas---i saw the show in salina on this tour---i was 17 yrs old

[ianpw2]

shit

[ArkRazor1]

@zooropa What struck me as unusual was the fact that Livgren had recently converted to the faith, while all of the others band members sans Hope had not- this was a solo effort by Livgren in which the entire album was meant to honor the Lord. That is what was made it unique from my perspective anyway.

[harpcat1]

It is childish to fight over who is the "best" drop it. appreciate these men for their great talents. And now that Dio is dead, let's give them some respect. They both got more talent than any of us I bet :D

[tpj1959]

Love it! Yes Dio sang it on the studio album. I saw Kansas three times in 1980. Last tour with Steve Walsh. That year I became a life long fan. I was thrilled that they sang this song live and I thought Steve did a great job!

[ArkRazor1]

To me the larger issue is not Walsh v Dio; it's the fact that Kansas chose to open their concert with this overtly Christian tune that Livgren did as a solo project. Note that Steinhart is missing from this #.

[gemari77]

@ArkRazor1 I've got this whole show on DVD. This wasn't an opener. This was during a part in the middle where both Steve and Kerry got to feature a track from their solo albums. Unless, you're referring to other parts of the tour where they may have opened with it.

[ArkRazor1]

@gemari77 Thanks for the info. I now understand this number a bit more in that context.

[zooropa2day]

@ArkRazor1 SO what?

[ArkRazor1]

@zooropa2day Pretty unusual for a secular band to have a # this overtly Christian in their concerts. Livgren's conversion set the seeds for the eventual dismantling of the band, but for a while there was an uneasy co-existence of Christian and secular rock.

[zooropa2day]

@ArkRazor1 Not really that uncommon actually. U2, Creed, Jars of Clay, Eric Bibb, and many others out there. What makes it christian or not? Is it justified that a christian makes a piece of music that is not intended on glorifying God or that a non christian writes a piece of music that does even though they don't know? I would point out U2 in particular considering the band members faiths. And in the fact of how they perform certain songs. Many more out there.

[kmf1023]

Sorry but if you think this guy is better than Dio, you might be brain dead.

[sportbigred]

Walsh and Dio cannot be compared together. They are two totally different vocalists with unique styles of thier own. Granted I think Dio sings this song with more power and passion than Walsh.

[regnifelrub]

What did you expect?! Comparing Steve Walsh to Ronnie Dio is like comparing i.e.a violin to a cello. Or apples to pears... I am glad and I didn't even know that Kansas ever did this song live. And I must certify laudatory (excuse my dictionary english) to Steve that he is not too vain to sing songs of other singers (or did you ever hear Ian Gillan sing David Coverdale songs?! Plus he even sings John Elefante-songs from the era he wasn't even in the band. Chapeau! Thanx for your lifework,Kansas!!

[cdlaino]

you asshole!!! walsh kills ronnie on this song. n remember walsh did it live. i'm a huge dio fan but walsh in his day can't be touched!!!

[cdlaino]

ok...everyone vote for your favorite between walsh n dio...

[cdlaino]

regnifelrub i hafta know where ur coming from. what is ur beef with steve? yes we all know he lost it after like 85. but cmon man. do u even know early kansas?

[caliban780]

I saw Kansas on this tour, but they didn't perform this. :( I have always been curious as to how Steve would do.

[michaelrench1]

This is a pretty good version of this song, but it's hard to beat the original with Ronnie James Dio on lead vocal.....

[DragoBalboa]

I kinda have to go with "letekro" on this. Steve also seems to "not get it" when he sings "Relentless". Hopefully, the lyrics will remain in his soul and will eventually bear fruit....resulting in his complete conversion...................

.......for his sake.....and for the sake of others he will (eventually) minister to in the latter years of his earthly existence.

If anyone knows Livgren and his work, my words here will be 'self-explanatory'.

~D.B.

[letekro]

Dio's attitude on this song is just so perfect, Walsh sounds like he doesn't "get it". Plus, Dio has a more powerful voice. Oh, and Barriemore Barlow alone makes the studio version better.

[oriomenoni]

OK, Barrie Barlow is a myth of prog rock and I love him too, but let's get serious, Phil Ehart's drumming leaves nothing to be desired. His timing is as precise as a Swiss swatch, he's very consistent, and technically above of what Barlow can do.

[ESW367]

At the top of his game, nobody touches Walsh. Truly one of the greats.

[ms16464]

Walsh was awesome around this time, theres no over dubs on this and theres plenty of live Kansas from the 70's and 80's that proves it, mistakes and all.

[cbunga]

Thank you for posting this!  I saw the Monolith tour at Southern Illinois University Arena in Carbondale, this was like a trip back in time.

[PB4UEAT]

Bravo....excellent job....Walsh Blows Dio away on this...what vocal range.

amazing....

[YamersLexx]

It's wonderful how Steve give his all even though he didn't agree with the lyrics. A true pro!

[ke2323]

i agree 100% with you on that.

[Kansasforlife]

ummm... is it just me or was something wrong with Rich's face? It seemed kinda... broken. Great video by the way :-).

[Philmacrakken]

He is blind in one eye I believe.

[Kansasforlife]

Actually it's missing, but I didn't mean that. The left side of his face looks quite injuried in this video...

[sallysbaby]

are you fucking kidding me gumby? steve walsh never relied on overdubs in his life, just look at live footage. you dolt

[dchris24]

Take it with a grain of salt...he thinks Kansas had a reunion in 94, and for Christ's Sake, he liked Walsh because of Carry On. Nothing to see here.

[gumbys]

You asshole probably never saw a live concert in your life,get a life and stop relying on youtube to give you an idea about who is a great singer or not,I saw Kansas in Montreal and Steve Walsh sucked,listen to his later material and you'll understand.

[ke2323]

names aside here, i have to chime in on this one. if you think steve walsh sucks that is your opinion! and opinions are like assholes.

[gumbys]

I always thought Steve Walsh was an amazing singer until I saw him live with a Kansas Reunion around 1994 or so,his voice was terrible and I found out that I liked him because of Carry on,but this song is so full of vocal overdubs that it makes the vocals sound so artificial.Listen to the original Ronnie James Dio version and you'll be blown away by a real unhuman vocalist.

[Kansasforlife]

That was the time when he had just got clean. Steve's voice had to rehabilitate. It's way better now than it was back then.

[dchris24]

The fact that you say "Kansas Reunion" in 1994 tells me you really have no clue about the band or Steve Walsh.

[giveusroom]

"Don't you know the world is his dominion

Don't you know he keeps it in chains."

Livgren wanted Dio for this song and Dio made it legendary. It's great to see the Kansas version, but Dio is the one that fufilled Kerry's vision. And now I believe Kerry re-recorded it and has released it.

[JonWRowe]

That's what Kerry said on the re-issue. LOL the irony of Ronnie James Dio singing about who SATAN really IS. Delicious.

[EilertPilarmDM]

Read Kerry Livgren´s book "Seeds Of Change" for the definitive perspective, from Kerry´s point of view, of why Walsh did not want to sing Kerry´s Christian songs, and what Kerry said to Walsh in return.

This remains, bottom line, one of Kerry´s finest songs ever. I think my favorite song he wrote would be Ground Zero, from the same album this tune comes from. Genius.

[jerzradio]

the ong i about ATAN and how he i trying to *uck up your life . I think Ronnie Jame Dio i more fit for the ong. orry my letter i tuck.

[snics456]

If you look hard enough, you can see Walsh choking out this song. He could not STAND this song or ANY songs written by Kerry for Audiovisions...........Break up shortly after.......

[ke2323]

and i suppose that was his choice and his right, to choke this one out as you say.

i feel that he (walsh) did a great job considering all of what you said. and yes the break-up was probably already in motion at this point.

[Diopriest]

i prefer dio singing on this song but i think steve did a good job here thanks 4 this vid

[mtaygoldin]

Walsh and DIO are two of the best singers ever. Anyway I still think that Walsh will always be the best. I also prefer Walsh´s version of this song. Incredible range!!

[glenmyrtle]

This brings back great memories as a kid when i bought this album "Seeds of Change" on vinyl. I still have it!

[Unsadus]

So bad.. wanted to see a live version with Dio.. but.. no one there... Kansas Rulz!!!! :)

[hagar85]

This version with Steve Walsh is better then the orginal I think.

Does anyone know where I can get this concert on DVD?

[Unsadus]

Wew.. i dont know.. i think Dio sings better.. lol

Same here.. i wanna have this dvd or any old video collection from them!!

[KSFALLGUY]

dio was the original singer of this song! he also sang live for the king another great song! he then signed with black sabbath and never performed the two songs live with kerry! it was quite a dicotimy to here his voice singing about christ then hear him sing about satan with sabbath!

[janderson2000]

Not true...Dio was already in Sabbath at this time. Kerry didn't care.

[66LifesMistress77]

Any chance you could get the studio version of this? I really miss the effects, and the way the music just sort of GRABS you and goes right through you!

Lots of great memories with that version!

There are people I want to turn on to it.

Thanx!

[janderson2000]

Awesome. Steve Walsh and Ronnie Dio are pretty much peers in the highest ranks.

[demmylowther]

If I was Dianost with terminal cancer my last wish would be to meet Steve Walsh Kerry Livegren and the rest of the guys.I'm 45 and they have contributed so much happiness in my life with their inpiriational music. Thanx Steve,Kerry,Rob,Phil,Rich,Dave­,Billy

Greer,David Ragsdale,Steve Morse,and ah John Elefonte? NOT !

[demmylowther]

I Thought Ronny James Dio Did this song great ,I had know idea Steve perfromed it. I guess it was the tour before Steve left the band. He did one from his solo album "Scemer Dreamer" and one from Kerry Livegren's "Seeds of Change".God Bless Kansas for their music.

[66LifesMistress77]

Whew! I was expecting something much worse!

I have good friends in similar circumstances. Nice to know there's ways to get healed and free of some of that stuff. He just might, you know...

Thanks for the feedback!=)

[CsemTam]

Great song. Didn't know Kansas played this live.

Steve Walsh sounds so good here, it's a shame his voice now is nowhere near as good.

Thanks for sharing!

[66LifesMistress77]

What happened to his voice? I always have marveled at how effortless it looked like it was for him to sing like this! So he could just use it to totally go bananas being really expressive.

Is he alright?

[rickyon]

He aged and he didn't take care of it! He's fine now but he's 58 years old and the drugs and years have taken their toll!

[zooropa2day]

Thank you.

[ArkRazor1]

5 stars. This song remains the (as someone else here on youtube said) gold standard by which all other Christian oriented rock should be measured. The fact that Kansas is performing this live makes it even more special. Tells you something about the band since Livgren recorded this with other musicians.

[zooropa2day]

Wow! Incredible. I still enjoy Ronnie James Dio on the album version, but this is really nice.

[maestro1445]

i'm just curious as to know what band Steve Walsh left? i thought he is still with kansas

[cdamonlaino]

i was commenting on steve leaving kansas in 1981. ofcourse he rejoined them in 1986.

[Dalefan38]

it's nice seeing all the guys together, these were good times for the fans!!! I had never heard Steve do these lyrics but I like his sound even though I also like Roniie's vocals on the ablum too.

[komodoman]

Hey, Steve does this better tnah Ronnie! :-) I so wish this concert would get a good DVD release, it's amazing stuff with a Walsh on top of his game.

[kroggerman4life]

Livgren had so much writen during this time period. Alot of stuff from Seeds Of Change could've easly been a Kansas song.

[rickyon]

Forgot to add that this is my absolute favorite Livgren solo tune and album so I may be overly critical but I don't think so!

[rickyon]

After listening to all the posts from this show I would say that the band had a good night all around except for this song! I can see why this didn't stay on the set list because it's not that good. It's not very tight and it lacks feeling! It's too mechanical!

[ke2323]

hell , most all of kansas's songs are somewhat mechanical as you call it. i do agree that this was not a true kansas song, but give credit to steve for doing a fine job with it. bottom line is that kerry and dave destroyed kansas with the holly roller act that became clear during monolith and audio visions. i don't blame steve and then robbie for leaving the band.

i firmly believe this band could have done great things in the 80's if the stayed away from the bubble gum machine.

[rickyon]

On the contrary most of Kansas's song are incredibly fluid and flow nicely from mood to mood! That is the main reason that I love Kansas above all other bands! All of that stems from the so called "Holy Rollers" because Kansas was nothing without Kerry Livgren! I've said repeatedly that from 1974-1981 that there wasn't a better singer on the planet but he wasn't the driving or creative force behind Kansas! This so called holy roller act was present right from the very start with Kansas!

[ke2323]

true they were all together from the very start, and i am in no way putting down kerry livgrens talent nor dave hope, i happen to think dave was (is) an excellent bassist. and kerry had great lyrics. however you may feel, i'm sure that steve and the rest of the guys had a bit more input than is given credit.

[rickyon]

You should look a little more closely at the history of the band! Steve was the only one who left and he did it twice! The first time for a couple of days and he admitted that it was because he had a swelled head and realized very quickly that it was a very dumb thing to do! The second time was when they auditioned loads of singers(Sammy Hagar among them) before they Chose Elefante!Robbie stayed with the band until it broke up in 1983! (No "holy roller" there to blame it on!)

[hypermolicule]

also a little unknown was walch's exploring cocaine.watch the whiskey video steve walsch lost at least 30 pounds he is spun city.

[ke2323]

so i guess steve and robbie have both left the band twice now.and i agree with you that walsh had his ego problems after point of know return. but the band as a whole was being pressured to produce hit singles when they were better suited for deeper cuts.

[rickyon]

I think we have more common ground than might be apparent from these posts!You put it correctly that they were being pressured to produce more hits and that is not what Kansas was about! I like you am also sure that Steve and Robbie had more input than is usually perceived but until he left the guy who kept prolifically producing those hits was Kerry Livgren and what Steve and Robbie presented or contributed was usually of lesser quality especially as time went by!

[ke2323]

we are indeed, i love this band in all of it's forms past and present. when it comes to walsh and livgren i just feel that walsh did not get the credit that he deserved not for his vocals, but more for his keyboard skills. and kerry sort of "morphed" if you will on the other five guys in the band.

and i no doubt agree that kerry was a mastermind in his lyrics. robbie and steve were more lets rock, kerry was more lets roll which was great when they implemented in the right way i.e.early albums

[rickyon]

You're so right about Walsh's keyboard ability, he was an awesome player and he still kicks ass although the fingers have slowed as well as the voice! He also was a great percussionist playing Congas,Vibraphone and xylophone which nowadays are replaced by the keys! I'm sure you've seen the posts with him doing gymnastics on stage and his headstands and spinning around while he played!He now says that he was embarrassed that he did that stuff but I thought it was cool!

[ke2323]

not only have i seen it here, but also live back in the late 70's and early 80's which was more just an arobic dance back then. my first kansas show was in 1976 at the stanley theater in pittsburgh, pa. the last time i saw them live was in muncie,in. in 2004. it's like i posted to someone on here today, kansas did not realize the impact back then that they had then, or have on todays people of the 70's and 80,s and even the 90's & 2000's

[rickyon]

We are part of the extremely lucky that witnessed the golden age of music!(many recent historians on the subject are starting to refer to that time frame in just such a manner!)I first saw Kansas in 1975 open for Bad Company!They were fresh off the release of SFA and were incredibly tight and kind of still on stage!Next time they were headlining and were completely different! Walsh was a madman on stage but alas I never got to see the headstand live! I saw them twice more in 1982 and 1996!

[dgcmusi]

I was at a show where he went over and crashed.

He had a bar welded on the keyboard stand. People thought he was playing a chord on the keyboard during his hand stand. He spoke about falling on his back during a keyboard magazine interview.

[rickyon]

I noticed the bar on the '92 "Whiskey" post of COWS! It runs across the front from left to right of the closest keyboard in front of him! Is that what you're referring to? It looks like he could still go over if he overbalanced himself but that's all in the past anyway!

[KSFALLGUY]

ive seen him rock his old organ back and forth so hard that it looked like it wasnt touching the ground! by this tour he was the greatest front man alive! perry just stood there, deyoung was a fag, and dio had yet to reamerge, but none could ever hold the jock of this guy he worked his ass off and rarely missed a note, his kind is long gone, and thank god some of these videos survived because we will never see a group of 6 guys with more raw talent then KANSAS!

[dgcmusi]

AMEN !!

[rickyon]

... also after the breakup and subsequent reformation in 1986 the music biz was starting to get fucked up and continued downhill til what you see today, a debacle! Kansas made some very good and interesting music from 1986 til present but the music biz left them and all that was good about 70's and 80's Rock behind! It's nice to see the resurgence and hunger from the younger generation for this earlier stuff! Maybe it will turn things around a little bit and produce some better music! Rock On!

[ke2323]

i'm right with you on that. and not to continue the steve vs. kerry debate, however i do feel that "in the spirit of things" was one of kansas's best and most underated records they ever did post or pre kerry, dave and robbie.

[ke2323]

one last post for now i'm sure being the kansas fan that you are, that you have heard shadowman by steve walsh released in 2005, if their is any doubt to his song writting ,i think it might be answered big time by taking a listen to this extremely rare and underestimated cd............ rock on my friend.

[dgcmusi]

Try to think all that was lost when steve left.

They were at their prime. Kerry said in a song on drastic measures that "it all comes out in the end" well I agree but their was a special magic they had with walsh that they never got with john and dino. Kerry was and always will be the reason Kansas was on another level than any other band

[rickyon]

I agree 100%! When I look at the posts of the Whiskey show in '92 I get so pissed off at Walsh for leaving when he did and then for being so wasted when they reformed and were such a tight unit!!

[avs90125]

Are you sure about Robby never leaving? He sure wasn't on Drastic Measures...I'd have to say that was the worst I'd ever heard Kansas!

[ke2323]

not sure who wrote that robbie never left kansas, however, he did indeed leave the band in late 82 about one year after steve walsh left. robbie was not with kansas on drastic measures.

robbie rejoined kansas in march of 1997 and remained with them until march of 2006 when he left again.

[Kyle359]

Wow. My dad used to have this on vinyl when I was a kid. It's been probably 20 years since I've heard this one. Thanks for the trip down Amnesia Lane.

[normfromal]

it's a treat to see and hear Kansas do this masterpiece... Walsh was at his peak vocally here

[TopJimmyWinn]

Steve left the band right after Audio Visons, because kerrys Lyrics and direction of the band was getting to religious. Religious or not, Kerrys stuff is still great.

[livinglikeaking]

I saw this live in 1980 in Los Angeles, it was and is cool

[JonWRowe]

Thanks for posting this. I actually like Walsh's vocals better on this. And Dio is one of my favorite vocalists (Walsh is my favorite though :)).

[lxlandia]

Have to respectfully disagree. Walsh is great vocally in the songs he recorded with Kansas. However, Kerry Livgren did well in getting Dio to do the vocals for the song. His voice has the power vocally behind that makes tha song more effective in every aspect. Dio's voice has a uniqueness about it that works dramatically in the metal genre. I think Kerry recognized it.

[rickyon]

I also have to respectfully disagree! As much as I love Walsh's voice(he is my favorite singer!) Dio sounds much better on this song!Livgren said that Dio's voice was perfect for this song and "To Live For The King" and he was absolutely right!"Mask" is my favorite Livgren solo song!Walsh's voice is in fine form and it's really interesting to hear him sing this tune though! Thanks for the posts kerrylives!

[cdamonlaino]

are you kidding me? i love ronnie but steve's vocals are live. if only he did'nt leave kansas who know's how many songs we would've been so lucky to hear

[brianboyce]

I love the still shot of Richard. Thanks!!!