Kansas


Song For America Kansas - Song For America (Kirshner) 1975

1. "Down The Road" (3:43)
2. "Song For America" (9:59)
3. "Lamplight Symphony" (8:11)
4. "Lonely Street" (5:43)
5. "The Devil Game" (5:03)
6. "Incomudro (Hymn To The Atman)" (12:12)

"Song for America" is essential listening, especially for those who are into modern prog-metal and rock. With "Song for America" the band successfully tied together their hard rock roots with a more epic approach, that would become their calling card for years to come. Two of the album's shorter tracks, album opener "Down The Road" and "Lonely Street" display a hard rocking dose of bluesy bar-band boogie. Great guitar work and a bit of a Southern flavor with the fiddle mixed in. "The Devil Game" is a short track as well, but is a bit more complex than the two aforementioned song. This song features some odd time signatures and some very cool lyrics. The remaining three tracks are all epic length and all written by guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter Kerry Livgren. The 10-minute title track pays homage to Livegrin's homeland and combines complex time signatures with some beautiful songwriting. "Incommurdo" was actually written in the early 70's but was only ever recorded in demo form until this album. I also believe this is one of the longest songs Kansas has ever recorded. Livegrin crands kout some dynamic guitar work and keyboard orchestrations, together with Steve Walsh's passionate vocals combines for one extraordinary track. Kansas were a unique breed. "Song For America" was the first in a long line of brilliant and successful albums from the classic 70's line-up and one of thier finest albums to date.

Leftoverture Kansas - Leftoverture (Kirshner) 1976

1."Carry On Wayward Son" (5:22)
2."The Wall" (4:49)
3."What's on my Mind" (3:28)
4."Miracles out of Nowhere" (6:27)
5."Opus Insert" (4:27)
6."Questions of my Childhood" (3:36)
7."Cheyenne Anthem" (6:52)
8."Magnum Opus" (8:27)

a. Father Padilla Meets the Perfect Gnat
b. Howling at the Moon
c. Man Overboard
d. Industry on Parade
e. Release the Beavers
f. Gnat Attack

"Leftoverture" is one of Kansas' best known albumsfor the signature song "Carry On Wayward Son." To be quite honest, I was never a huge Kansas fan although I always respected Kerry Livegrin for both his songwriting talents and his excellent lyrics. Anyhow, this album I have like for a long time. Excellent progressive rock album with some really excellent musicianship.

"Carry On Wayward Son" has been covered by Yngwie Malmsteen, by Dream Theater (as part of a medley on "A Change of Seasons") and by the all girl band Rachel, Rachel.

Two For the Show Kansas - Two For the Show (Kirshner) 1978

1. "Song for America" (7:31)
2. "Point of Know Return" (3:07)
3. "Paradox" (4:09)
4. "Icarus--Borne on the Wings of Steel" (5:58)
5. "Portrait (He Knew)" (5:19)
6. "Carry on Wayward Son" (4:38)
7. "Journey from Mariabronn" (8:55)
8. "Dust in the Wind" [Acoustic Guitar Solo] (6:19)
9. "Lonely Wind (Piano Solo)" (4:29)
10. "Mysteries and Mayhem" (4:01)
11. "Excerpt from Lamplight Symphony" (2:39)
12. "The Wall" (4:54)
13. "Magnum Opus" (11:18)

The 1970's had so many killer live albums. The live atmosphere really added something to band's who were otherwise not very heavy. That is certainly the case with Kansas' "Two For the Show." This is a classic album in every sense of the word. Not only does the band jam, but they really did do a fine job of selecting some of their best material. I am not sure how much studio overdubs were done on this disc, if any, but the sound quality is quite good. I guess I just really like that live, raw sound over the polished studio sound.

Freaks of Nature Kansas - Freaks of Nature (Intersound) 1995

1. I Can Fly (5:21)
2. Desperate Times (5:24)
3. Hope Once Again (4:33)
4. Black Fathom 4 (5:53)
5. Under theKknife (4:59)
6. Need (4:01)
7. Freaks of Nature (4:05)
8. Cold Grey Morning (4:13)
9. Peaceful and Warm (6:45)

"Freaks of Nature" featured Williams, Ehart, Walsh from the original band Kansas line-up, as well as long time bassist Billy Greer and new members David Ragsdale (guitar, violin) and Greg Robert (keys). Of course anything the band does now will forever be compared to their classic catalog and as such will probably fall flat, especially without Livgren involved. (Livgren does contribute one song, "Cold Grey Morning".) So, it goes without saying that "Freaks of Nature" is not the masterpiece that "Leftoverture" was. Still, this sounds more like what I hoped for from Kansas than anything else I have heard from them since the 1970's. "I Can Fly" is a revisitation of Kansas' recurrent "Icarus" theme and opens the album with a punch. The exciting violin line and soaring vocals sound upbeat and fresh, and in stark contrast to what is going on in music in 1995. The title track has a fresh edge it as well. "Hope Once Again" probably could have been a hit for the band if it had been released during the band's heyday. Of course that would never happen in the musically depressed times we have been living in since the invasion of grunge in the 90's. "Cold grey morning" is a decent song, if not a bit uneventful. I suppose I expected something more from a song penned by Livegrin. The closing song ends things on a positive note. It is an almost epic length, mellow song that has a sound that reminds me of "Song For America".

Despite my somewhat glowing review, do a bit of searching on the web and you will soon find that many Kansas fans disagree with me completely. Some fans seem to literally hate this CD. I even read a couple reviews that stated that this album was an embarrassment. I think this is a tad overkill. I really can't see what is so bad about it. It's not 1976 anymore. It's 1995, and as such, this is a good release from a classic band.

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