Author Topic: Kansas  (Read 53681 times)

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Offline pogoowner

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #35 on: May 11, 2009, 10:08:48 AM »
First 5 albums are amazing.  Lots of good stuff throughout the rest of the catalogue, as well.

Although I'm probably the only one who thinks Icarus II is better than the original.

They are both phenomenal, I can't compare them.
Yeah, they're both among Kerry's finest work.  I don't know that I could put one above the other.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #36 on: February 22, 2010, 10:40:01 PM »
Love, love, LOVE me some Kansas.  One of my all-time favorite bands, of any genre or era! :tup :tup

Leftoverture is a top 5 record of all-time, easily.

As for which "Icarus" is better, I gotta go with the original.  The sequel is very good, but not quite as good. 

I know everyone knows "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind," but the band is so much more than that.  I defy anyone who calls themselves a fan of classic rock or classic prog rock to listen to "Miracles Out of Nowhere," "Cheyenne Anthem," "Song for America," "Closet Chronicles" or "Magnum Opus," and not be completely blown away.


Offline glaurung

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #37 on: February 23, 2010, 01:23:35 AM »
The only two Kansas albums I've heard are Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. Love both of them. :tup
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #38 on: February 23, 2010, 09:50:11 AM »
The only two Kansas albums I've heard are Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. Love both of them. :tup

You should check out Masque, ASAP.  I think that record gives Point of Know Return a run for its money for 2nd best Kansas record.  Hell, it is worth getting just for "Icarus" (great song) and "The Pinnacle" (a top 5 Kansas song).  :)

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #39 on: February 23, 2010, 10:14:45 AM »
^That^
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Offline Tick

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #40 on: February 23, 2010, 10:48:00 AM »
Kansas _ "Two For The Show" is one of the greatest live albums of all time. :metal
Kansas is one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time.
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Online Orbert

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #41 on: February 23, 2010, 11:40:13 AM »
I was given a copy of Leftoverture as a gift back when it first came out, back in junior high.  I worked my way through the back catalogue, and loved every minute of it, and picked up Point of Know Return when it came out, too.  Man, those were the days.  By time Monolith came around, I felt that they were repeating themselves and/or selling out a bit.  The hook in "People of the South Wind" was catchy, but, though I could never figure out what it reminded me of, it always sounded so cliché, so calculated, that it just turned me off.  It's hard to describe.  Anyway, I stopped at that point.  I was checking out a lot of music then, and I guess I just moved on.  But those first five albums are each amazing.

Tick, did you know they re-released Two for the Show as a two-disc set?  "Closet Chronicles" is back!  And so is an entire 'nother disc of live Kansas goodness.  Amazon link

Offline pogoowner

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #42 on: February 23, 2010, 12:27:31 PM »
Tick, did you know they re-released Two for the Show as a two-disc set?  "Closet Chronicles" is back!  And so is an entire 'nother disc of live Kansas goodness.  Amazon link
I was so excited when that was released! I remember years ago when I first bought Two for the Show, and my immediate reaction was, "Why the hell would they cut Closet Chronicles!? It's their best song!" And now I finally have it in live format. It's a shame they've never played it any of the times I've seen them in person, though.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #43 on: February 23, 2010, 12:36:00 PM »
Orbert, I have never been that fond of "People of the South Wind" either, but Monolith does have some major gems in "A Glimpse of Home" and "On the Other Side," and I am pretty fond of "Away from You" and "Angels Have Fallen," as well.

Offline Tick

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #44 on: February 23, 2010, 12:44:38 PM »

Tick, did you know they re-released Two for the Show as a two-disc set?  "Closet Chronicles" is back!  And so is an entire 'nother disc of live Kansas goodness.  Amazon link
I did know that, and I own it. Closet Chronicles being omitted from the first one always pissed me off! Finally redemption !!! :metal
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Offline Dr. SeaWolf

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #45 on: February 23, 2010, 12:58:56 PM »
The only two Kansas albums I've heard are Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. Love both of them. :tup

You should check out Masque, ASAP.  I think that record gives Point of Know Return a run for its money for 2nd best Kansas record.  Hell, it is worth getting just for "Icarus" (great song) and "The Pinnacle" (a top 5 Kansas song).  :)


"All the World" is incredible as well.

While Kansas' hit songs are awesome songs and certainly deserve to be hits, the non-singles on their first 5 albums (yes, I've heard Point of Know Return and Masque since my last post in this thread and they're amazing) are all phenomenal as well.  They're one of the few bands (the only other example I can think of offhand is Black Sabbath) whose first 5 albums are all consistently incredible, with no weak songs.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #46 on: February 23, 2010, 01:05:22 PM »
I love "All the World," too.  Good call! 

"Journey from Mariabronn" from the debut is also one of their best, and has just an incredible ending.  That is something an old friend and I talked about years ago...Kansas always seemed to have awesome beginnings and endings of songs. 

"Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman" is also a longtime favorite of mine.  :coolio

Offline Dr. SeaWolf

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #47 on: February 23, 2010, 01:15:02 PM »
I love Steve Walsh's vocal outro in "Journey from Mariabronn".   The man seriously has the voice of an angel, or at least did back then.  His vocal interplay with Robbie is one of the highlights of the band for me.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #48 on: February 23, 2010, 01:39:41 PM »
In the annals of all-time great rock singers, I will take Steve Walsh and anyone can take anyone else, and I will win every single time.  Okay, the person with Freddie Mercury will make it a photo finish, but that is about it. :)

And Steinhardt does a great job, too, for sure.  I love the songs where they trade lead vocals back and forth.  :tup :tup

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #49 on: February 23, 2010, 01:49:59 PM »
Yeah, while Queen and Kansas aren't necessarily my two favorite rock bands (they're both high on my list though) I would probably venture to say Walsh and Mercury were the two best rock singers of all time.

Though I do love Steinhardt's gritty vocals on their bluesier songs like Bringing it Back and Down the Road.

Offline pogoowner

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #50 on: February 23, 2010, 02:03:56 PM »
Steve Walsh's voice didn't hold up for very long, but during his prime, he was freaking incredible. He had so much power in his upper range. It's a shame he didn't really start taking care of himself and laying off the drugs and alcohol until the mid-to-late '90s.

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #51 on: February 23, 2010, 03:04:21 PM »
Orbert, I have never been that fond of "People of the South Wind" either, but Monolith does have some major gems in "A Glimpse of Home" and "On the Other Side," and I am pretty fond of "Away from You" and "Angels Have Fallen," as well.

Monolith isn't horrible by any means; it's still original Kansas and still has that great sound.  But those first five studio albums covered so much range, there really wasn't anything left to explore.  And I was already moving on, musically.

More love for Walsh & Steinhardt's vocals.  Some of the coolest two-part harmonies I've ever heard, they come right out of the folksong handbook, but with the power and guts of rock and roll.  "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" blows me away every time.  "Icarus", "Song for America", all those tunes with the great harmonies, it almost sounds like three-part because their voices blend so well.

Offline Tick

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #52 on: February 23, 2010, 03:04:59 PM »
Steve Walsh's voice didn't hold up for very long, but during his prime, he was freaking incredible. He had so much power in his upper range. It's a shame he didn't really start taking care of himself and laying off the drugs and alcohol until the mid-to-late '90s.
He is not what he once was, but I still enjoy his vocals. He sounds great on the new DVD.
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Offline pogoowner

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #53 on: February 23, 2010, 03:35:47 PM »
Steve Walsh's voice didn't hold up for very long, but during his prime, he was freaking incredible. He had so much power in his upper range. It's a shame he didn't really start taking care of himself and laying off the drugs and alcohol until the mid-to-late '90s.
He is not what he once was, but I still enjoy his vocals. He sounds great on the new DVD.
Oh, I still love his vocals too, and for different reasons. His voice is just a completely different beast now; he doesn't have the range, but I think he's better at using what he does have than he was in his youth.

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #54 on: February 23, 2010, 04:08:27 PM »
Guys, if you have a chance check out Native Window. It's basically Kansas minus Steve Walsh and it's a great CD. Got introduced to the band when they "opened" for Kansas on Sunday night.
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Offline Dr. SeaWolf

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #55 on: February 23, 2010, 04:10:32 PM »
Sounds interesting.  I've also heard Kerry has (or had at one point) a band called Proto-Kaw.  Never checked them out though.

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #56 on: February 23, 2010, 04:11:59 PM »
Proto-Kaw is also excellent.
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Re: Kansas
« Reply #57 on: February 23, 2010, 04:45:36 PM »
I have two albums by Proto-Kaw and they are indeed excellent.  Livgren-style prog but with a different singer.

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #58 on: February 23, 2010, 05:21:53 PM »
Sounds interesting.  I've also heard Kerry has (or had at one point) a band called Proto-Kaw.  Never checked them out though.
If you like early Kansas, you'll almost certainly like Proto-Kaw. Great stuff.

Offline ytserush

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #59 on: February 23, 2010, 06:01:34 PM »
Love Proto-Kaw.

Need to check out Native Window and the new Kansas DVD.


Not a lot of love here for the Steve Morse years I gather?

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #60 on: February 23, 2010, 11:10:31 PM »
Yeah, while Queen and Kansas aren't necessarily my two favorite rock bands (they're both high on my list though) I would probably venture to say Walsh and Mercury were the two best rock singers of all time.

Agreed.  Kansas and Queen are both borderline top 10 all-time bands for me, but Walsh and Mercury are 1-2 on my favorite singers list.  :tup :tup

More love for Walsh & Steinhardt's vocals.  Some of the coolest two-part harmonies I've ever heard, they come right out of the folksong handbook, but with the power and guts of rock and roll.  "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" blows me away every time.  "Icarus", "Song for America", all those tunes with the great harmonies, it almost sounds like three-part because their voices blend so well.

Agreed.  And it is funny because they actually sound fairly similar at times.  Steinhardt sometimes sounds like a more baritone version of Walsh. 

Not a lot of love here for the Steve Morse years I gather?

Ironically, I had never heard anything from that era until today.  I was emailing with my buddy Marcus (RushAss, for longtime board members, who might remember him) today, and he recommended a few songs from In the Spirit of Things, so I bought them from the iTunes store, and I have to admit, the song "Rainmaker" is pretty darn cool.  The others I bought, "One Big Sky" and "Bells of Saint James," are good, as well, so all in all, it was a good day.  :)

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #61 on: February 24, 2010, 06:42:49 AM »
Weird...Steve Morse has done stints in 2 of my top 5 bands: Deep Purple and Kansas.  Unfortunately, neither of those qualify as peak eras for each respective band. 
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Offline pogoowner

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #62 on: February 24, 2010, 07:25:58 AM »
While the Steve Morse era certainly wasn't great, it was a huge step up from the low-point they had reached with Drastic Measures. Not all that surprising since it's almost a completely different band, but I give Walsh, Morse, and Greer a lot of credit for sort of turning the ship around.

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #63 on: February 24, 2010, 01:17:06 PM »
As I'm looking through the Wikipedia articles for the various Kansas albums, I'm noticing that some of them read like fan pages.  Someone should go in there and edit them to sound more neutral.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #64 on: February 24, 2010, 05:49:36 PM »
Okay, we talked about "Icarus II" a bit, but pretty much most of Somewhere to Elsewhere is outstanding.  "The Coming Dawn," "Myriad," "Distant Vision" (my personal favorite) and "Byzantium" are all killer tunes (along with "Icarus II"), and most of the rest is pretty darn good, as well.  I would actually call this one of Kansas' best CDs, of any era.

Freaks of Nature is rather good, too.  Walsh's vocals are pretty raspy on that record, but songs like "Hope Once Again," "Desperate Times," "Peaceful and Warm" and "Under the Knife" are very worthy.  Not a top notch Kansas record, but still very solid, and definitely a bit underrated.

Offline Tick

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #65 on: February 24, 2010, 05:59:24 PM »
While the Steve Morse era certainly wasn't great, it was a huge step up from the low-point they had reached with Drastic Measures. Not all that surprising since it's almost a completely different band, but I give Walsh, Morse, and Greer a lot of credit for sort of turning the ship around.
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Offline pogoowner

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #66 on: February 24, 2010, 06:48:42 PM »
Okay, we talked about "Icarus II" a bit, but pretty much most of Somewhere to Elsewhere is outstanding.  "The Coming Dawn," "Myriad," "Distant Vision" (my personal favorite) and "Byzantium" are all killer tunes (along with "Icarus II"), and most of the rest is pretty darn good, as well.  I would actually call this one of Kansas' best CDs, of any era.

Freaks of Nature is rather good, too.  Walsh's vocals are pretty raspy on that record, but songs like "Hope Once Again," "Desperate Times," "Peaceful and Warm" and "Under the Knife" are very worthy.  Not a top notch Kansas record, but still very solid, and definitely a bit underrated.
Agreed when it comes to both albums. Somewhere to Elsewhere deserves to be mentioned right alongside the first 5 albums as far as I'm concerned. The only really weak track, in my opinion, is Grand Fun Alley (and maybe Not Man Big). Walsh really sounds good on this album, especially compared to Freaks of Nature and Always Never the Same, and we also get solid lead vocals from Steinhardt and Greer.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #67 on: February 24, 2010, 08:33:37 PM »
Okay, we talked about "Icarus II" a bit, but pretty much most of Somewhere to Elsewhere is outstanding.  "The Coming Dawn," "Myriad," "Distant Vision" (my personal favorite) and "Byzantium" are all killer tunes (along with "Icarus II"), and most of the rest is pretty darn good, as well.  I would actually call this one of Kansas' best CDs, of any era.
This.  That album is just fantastic.
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Re: Kansas
« Reply #68 on: February 24, 2010, 08:38:26 PM »
While the Steve Morse era certainly wasn't great, it was a huge step up from the low-point they had reached with Drastic Measures. Not all that surprising since it's almost a completely different band, but I give Walsh, Morse, and Greer a lot of credit for sort of turning the ship around.
I actually loved the 1986 release, Power.  "Silhouettes In Disguise"
 was awesome!

Saw them in the Orphium in Boston on that tour and met Steve Walsh and got his autograph.  Great show.
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Offline Tick

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Re: Kansas
« Reply #69 on: February 24, 2010, 08:40:53 PM »
Okay, we talked about "Icarus II" a bit, but pretty much most of Somewhere to Elsewhere is outstanding.  "The Coming Dawn," "Myriad," "Distant Vision" (my personal favorite) and "Byzantium" are all killer tunes (along with "Icarus II"), and most of the rest is pretty darn good, as well.  I would actually call this one of Kansas' best CDs, of any era.
This.  That album is just fantastic.
Excellent album, with the exception of "Grand Fun Alley" That one is a real, "hum dinger"
Icarus II was an instant classic. Its a solid album indeed.
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