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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: LudwigVan on May 09, 2009, 03:35:19 PM
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Probably the best of the 70s classic prog rock bands to come from America. An unusual blend of heartland boogie blues and UK style classic prog, but it sure works. I love ELP, but I think Kansas is even better!
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My favorite band of all-time. If you're a prog fan and you haven't listened to their first five albums, you're really missing out.
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I only know two songs. their good songs
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
there good songs. thoes are the only two songs i know from them can anyone guess the two songs i know
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
there good songs. thoes are the only two songs i know from them can anyone guess the two songs i know
Carry On My Wayward Son and Dust in the Wind.
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
there good songs. thoes are the only two songs i know from them can anyone guess the two songs i know
No, what could they be?
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my god the use of their, there and they're in this thread makes me cry.
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
there good songs. thoes are the only two songs i know from them can anyone guess the two songs i know
Carry On My Wayward Son and Dust in the Wind.
how did you know
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
there good songs. thoes are the only two songs i know from them can anyone guess the two songs i know
Carry On My Wayward Son and Dust in the Wind.
how did you know
Are you asking seriously?
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I only know two songs. their good songs
do you mean they're or their? cause they def have more than 2 good songs.
there good songs. thoes are the only two songs i know from them can anyone guess the two songs i know
:lol he means, did you mean to say "They're good songs", meaning the only two songs you know are good songs, or did you actually mean "Their good songs", meaning they only have two good songs. I love how you replied with "there good songs."
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Carry on My Wayward Son and Dust in the wind are the only two kansas song i know. and thoes two songs are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RXLUfQRcgA
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Carry on My Wayward Son and Dust in the wind are the only two kansas song i know. and thoes two songs are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RXLUfQRcgA
Please tell me that's not how you found out the song?!?!
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Carry on My Wayward Son and Dust in the wind are the only two kansas song i know. and thoes two songs are good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RXLUfQRcgA
Please tell me that's not how you found out the song?!?!
No i knew the song before that
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Work on your grammar.
Kansas are awesome. They're one amazing band. Their song "Song for America" is amazing. That's one great song right there.
;)
Seriously, though, if you have only listened to those two songs, here's a list of songs you must listen to:
Point of Know Return
Paradox (DT covered this live)
Song for America
Portrait (He Knew)
No One Together
Belexes
Magnum Opus
The Devil Game
If you like 80s, you will like these:
Musicatto
Fight Fire with Fire
Play the Game Tonight
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Kansas is great, Leftoverture was probably the first prog rock album I've listened to. What do y'all think are the best Kansas albums? Aside from Leftoverture I've only listened to bits and pieces of these guys.
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Kansas is great, Leftoverture was probably the first prog rock album I've listened to. What do y'all think are the best Kansas albums? Aside from Leftoverture I've only listened to bits and pieces of these guys.
Point of Know Return would be the one to check out after that.
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Kansas are awesome. They're one amazing band. Their song "Song for America" is amazing. That's one great song right there.
:lol
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I had the opportunity to see Kansas a few years ago
And couldn't go. :(
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I had the opportunity to see Kansas a few years ago
And couldn't go. :(
That sucks. I've seen them 4 times, and luckily, I got to see them with a guest performance by Kerry Livgren on one of those occasions.
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pick up the the drums/voices/devices The DVD or the 2 disc CD they still rock out
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ZOMG. Thanks to Wrath, this thread turned into a grammar lesson :facepalm:
Kansas is great, Leftoverture was probably the first prog rock album I've listened to. What do y'all think are the best Kansas albums? Aside from Leftoverture I've only listened to bits and pieces of these guys.
Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return get the most kudos (deservedly so), but I absolutely love Masque, their 3rd album. The songs Icarus (Borne On Wings of Steel) and The Pinnacle blow me away every time. Their 6th album Monolith doesn't get much attention either, but I think it's pretty good, if a bit less 'proggy' than the first 5 albums.
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Kansas are awesome. They're one amazing band. Their song "Song for America" is amazing. That's one great song right there.
:rollin :rollin
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Just buy Leftoverture. That's a good mix of what Kansas is and a good starting album.
Miracles out of Nowhere FTW.
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ZOMG. Thanks to Wrath, this thread turned into a grammar lesson :facepalm:
Kansas is great, Leftoverture was probably the first prog rock album I've listened to. What do y'all think are the best Kansas albums? Aside from Leftoverture I've only listened to bits and pieces of these guys.
Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return get the most kudos (deservedly so), but I absolutely love Masque, their 3rd album. The songs Icarus (Borne On Wings of Steel) and The Pinnacle blow me away every time. Their 6th album Monolith doesn't get much attention either, but I think it's pretty good, if a bit less 'proggy' than the first 5 albums.
Yeah, Masque is great. Everything from the self-titled to Monolith is excellent, and I love Freaks of Nature and Somewhere to Elsewhere as well. I like the rest of their material too (well, Drastic Measures is pretty bad, especially by Kansas's standards), but it pales in comparison.
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Yet another band that I completely ignored growing up. Maybe it's time to take the leap.
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Yet another band that I completely ignored growing up. Maybe it's time to take the leap.
You definitely should. Leftoverture, Song for America, and S/T are all magnificent albums. I've never heard Masque or Point of Know Return, but they're probably great too.
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CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SUHHHHUHUHUN
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THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DOOOONEE
Didn't we already do this a while back?
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LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REEESSSSTTTT
Didn't we already do this a while back?
yeah i think we did
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DONT
YOU CRY
NO
MORE
/SIZE 8 TRILLION
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DONT
YOU CRY
NO
MORE
/SIZE 8 TRILLION
:dammitamanda:
Damn ninja....
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With all due respect Wrath, I think I speak for the entire forum community in saying work on your damn grammar.
Thanks.
Kansas rules. I definitely agree that they're one of the best American bands of their decade, and they have some pretty amazingly catchy tunes to boot
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The only two Kansas albums I've heard are Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. Love both of them. :tup
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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). :)
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^That^
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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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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 (https://www.amazon.com/Two-Show-Kansas/dp/B0000025EU)
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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 (https://www.amazon.com/Two-Show-Kansas/dp/B0000025EU)
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.
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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.
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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 (https://www.amazon.com/Two-Show-Kansas/dp/B0000025EU)
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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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.
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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
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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.
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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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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.
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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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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.
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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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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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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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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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Proto-Kaw is also excellent.
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I have two albums by Proto-Kaw and they are indeed excellent. Livgren-style prog but with a different singer.
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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.
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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?
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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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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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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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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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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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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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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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!
I have Power on vinyl and really enjoy it as well.
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Agreed about "Grand Fun Alley" being the only weak song on STE; that song is definitely a WTF were they thinking. "Not Man Big" is good, especially that awesome outro.
And in some ironic timing, I was at a friend's last night, and he has the new Kansas concert video, There's Know Place Like Home, on Blu-Ray, so we watched it, and it was pretty awesome. Steve Walsh sounded surprisingly good (not as powerful as in the old days, but not as raspy and shaky as in the 90s or even on their last DVD, Device, Voice, Drum), the set list was terrific, and former members Kerry Livgren and Steve Morse both had guest spots. Pretty cool overall, and definitely recommended for any fan of the band. :tup :tup
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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'm glad they turned the ship around too. I'm a fan, but not as big a fan as some others here.
It's been a while since I spun the Elefante-era records. I should do that again soon. Whenever I do though, there's nothing that really resonates with me other than the tracks that were on the radio and MTV.
I really like the Morse-era, maybe not as much as the new and old classics, but I'll reach for Power or In The Spirit Of Things almost as much as the '70s or more modern work.
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I only know two albums. their good albums
Leftoverture and Song for America :tup
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I put on Drastic Measures over the weekend and remembered right away why most of it never stays with me. The production is so dated. I remember it sounding great at the time, but it does not hold up at all.
I think Mainstream stands out as being different, but a lot of the multi-instrumentation, while interesting, sounds very dated.
I'd agree this was rock bottom.
I also put on Audio-Visions and that wasn't as bad, but you could see the direction things were going in.
I'll always love Hold On, Curtain Of Iron, No One Together and Relentless.
I was also planning to give Vinyl Confessions a spin too, but a friend dropped by and I didn't want to subject him to it.
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That was nice of you. :lol :biggrin:
And I think "Loner" and "Got to Rock On" are also good from Audio-Visions. There are definitely three or four stinkers on it, though.
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Listening to Song For America now. There good song.
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Been checking out the re-release of Two for the Show lately, and I my impression is very similar to my impression when I first got it on vinyl: These guys are so good, but their music is so well-arranged and well-produced that it doesn't always translate well to the live setting. The same things afflict Kansas as many other bands, the tendency to speed things up when played live, the tendency for the lead singer to take liberties with the melodies, the tendency for everyone else to loosen up a bit and sacrifice balance and decorum for a bit of flash. That seems to work more often with straight-on rock and roll; with prog, the musicians have to be really, really tight to pull it off. I don't know if they've succeeded here.
I can appreciate the energy of a great live performance, and it's not a bad album overall, plus it's cool to hear live versions of some great songs. But so much of Kansas, to me, is their intricate arrangements and production, and that just gets lost here.
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Okay, I will now take back most of what I said above. Disc Two has almost completely changed my mind about Two for the Show. "Cheyenne Anthem" was awesome, "Miracles out of Nowhere", "The Spider", "Belexes", heck even "Lonely Street" which I don't really care for had that great guitar break with the duelling guitars. Amazing what made the cut and what did not.
I still think Steve Walsh spends too much time wailing uncontrollably, but Disc Two blows away Disc One.
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Okay, I will now take back most of what I said above. Disc Two has almost completely changed my mind about Two for the Show. "Cheyenne Anthem" was awesome, "Miracles out of Nowhere", "The Spider", "Belexes", heck even "Lonely Street" which I don't really care for had that great guitar break with the duelling guitars. Amazing what made the cut and what did not.
I still think Steve Walsh spends too much time wailing uncontrollably, but Disc Two blows away Disc One.
You have seen the light my son! :metal
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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.
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The one great thing on Freaks is the ending of "Peaceful and Warm". Sounds like classic Kansas.
They are my all-time favorite bands!!! I have a lot of memorabilia from them, ranging from a 4-foot cardboard cutout of the indian from Monolith and a puzzle of Leftoverture, to several signed albums (some of which I personally got signed) and the PoKR picture disc. I also have a tattoo of the K on my upper arm! How's that for fandom?!
All the albums 74-80 are fantastic. The two with John Elefante singing are good, but I really don't consider that band to be "Kansas". Good stuff, tho. But the subsequent 2 albums with Steve Morse are decent. But nothing will compare to the classic Kansas of 74-80.
Some of my favorite tunes to check out are:
-Journey from Mariabronn (especially the 2ftS version)
-Magnum Opus ("man overboard!!!!)
-All The World
-How My Soul Cries Out For You
-Angels Have Fallen
-Hopelessly Human
The Spider (my ringtone!)
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The one great thing on Freaks is the ending of "Peaceful and Warm". Sounds like classic Kansas.
Very true, and that's of course because Kerry Livgren wrote it.
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The one great thing on Freaks is the ending of "Peaceful and Warm". Sounds like classic Kansas.
Very true, and that's of course because Kerry Livgren wrote it.
Sorry, but Steve Walsh wrote that one. Nothing on FoN was written by Kerry. He wrote everything on StE.
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Actually, "Cold Grey Morning," the penultimate song on FoN, was written by Kerry Livgren.
That aside, great bump. Kansas is one of the best bands ever, and we can never talk about them enough. :)
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Okay, Kev. I stand corrected. I forgot about that one. I actually love the beginning "movement" of "I Can Fly". Originally, Steve and David Ragsdale were working on that, and it was looking like it was going to be a 20-minute plus multi-movement song. Guess they shortened it down. That info was from the now-defunct Closet Chronicles newsletter.
Here's a question for Kansas fans: in regards to the violin, who is better: Robby or Rags?
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Okay, Kev. I stand corrected. I forgot about that one. I actually love the beginning "movement" of "I Can Fly". Originally, Steve and David Ragsdale were working on that, and it was looking like it was going to be a 20-minute plus multi-movement song. Guess they shortened it down. That info was from the now-defunct Closet Chronicles newsletter.
Here's a question for Kansas fans: in regards to the violin, who is better: Robby or Rags?
Whoops, completely mixed those up. Yeah, "Cold Grey Morning" is what I was thinking of, and it has that distinct Kerry sound to it.
As far as violinists go, having seen them both live, I'm of the opinion that Ragsdale is the better player. Robby tended to be a bit sloppier.
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lolwrath
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I love Robbie's harmonies but I think Rags is a better violinist. Saw them on the Freaks of Nature tour in a small club nect to a bech in NH. Great show.
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Here's a question for Kansas fans: in regards to the violin, who is better: Robby or Rags?
I honestly have no idea, but Steinhardt is a great number two lead singer, so I will always take him as the better overall musician.
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Ditto. Steinhardt sang harmony and a lot of lead (probably more than most people realize) on early Kansas albums, so that plus his violin skills give him the edge.
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Kansas friggin rocks! Seeing them with Foreigner and Styx was amazing.
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I saw them with Foreigner and Styx, and honestly it was one of the worst Kansas shows. It seemed that they were simply "going through the motions" (pun intended, for the die-hard fans!). I've seen them about a dozen times in Dallas over the years. I've seen some outstanding shows, more fan-driven as far as setlists go.
I do like Rags, and he is definitely a more dynamic player than Robby. But they have very distinct, unique sounds. As far as second singers, obviously Rags doesn't sing, but boy does Billy! I was glad that the boys got Rags back after Robby left again. It helps fill in gaps when Rags picks up the guitar.
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What's funny is, when Queensryche released their Hear in the Now Frontier CD, the first single was "Sign of the Times," and it had a very short violin outro. First time I heard it, I actually thought, "Wow, that sounds like the guy who is in Kansas now." Imagine my surprise when I realized that in fact was David Ragsdale. So, yeah, I guess you could say that his playing is pretty unique.
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Or you have a really good ear.
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I love Robbie's harmonies but I think Rags is a better violinist. Saw them on the Freaks of Nature tour in a small club nect to a bech in NH. Great show.
Casino Ballroom Hampton beach NH ?
Hey I was at that Show Freeekin great wasn't it? , i still talk about it now !!!
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Or you have a really good ear.
Or that. :hat
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I love Robbie's harmonies but I think Rags is a better violinist. Saw them on the Freaks of Nature tour in a small club nect to a bech in NH. Great show.
Casino Ballroom Hampton beach NH ?
Hey I was at that Show Freeekin great wasn't it? , i still talk about it now !!!
Yes it is Esty!! I've seen some great shows there.
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I wonder how Kerry Livgren's doing these days. It's been about a year since his stroke, if I remember correctly. I know he was taking baby steps in trying to re-learn piano, but I don't know if he's regained full motor function or not.
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According to his website,
8/26/10: "Kerry continues to work in the studio. Health wise, he's probably in the best physical condition he's been in since the 80s....he works out at the gym on almost a daily basis and has dropped a considerable amount of weight, returning to his "skinny guitar player" roots!
Musically, he continues to struggle with loss of feeling in his hands...he mentioned that it felt like he was trying to play guitar with "rubber gloves" on. But its only been about 12 months since the stroke...he could barely walk and talk a year ago...there's still ample time for more recovery to happen. My theory is that he has worked so long on the "Cantata" and the raising of Lazarus, that God wanted to give him a bird's-eye experience of what being raised from the dead was all about!"
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According to his website,
8/26/10: "Kerry continues to work in the studio. Health wise, he's probably in the best physical condition he's been in since the 80s....he works out at the gym on almost a daily basis and has dropped a considerable amount of weight, returning to his "skinny guitar player" roots!
Musically, he continues to struggle with loss of feeling in his hands...he mentioned that it felt like he was trying to play guitar with "rubber gloves" on. But its only been about 12 months since the stroke...he could barely walk and talk a year ago...there's still ample time for more recovery to happen. My theory is that he has worked so long on the "Cantata" and the raising of Lazarus, that God wanted to give him a bird's-eye experience of what being raised from the dead was all about!"
It's really great to hear that he's doing well. And looking at his website, I found this, which makes me even more excited:
10/17/10: Well....after having announced the demise of Proto-Kaw, we are very pleased to say that the band has re-united and is presently at work on their unfinished (and presently untitled) studio album. It is scheduled for release this coming January.
Proto-Kaw is fantastic, and I'm always excited to hear anything new from them.
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BUMP!
Listening to Two For the Show for the first time ever tonight. I'm only on side one (vinyl) but the first thing I've noticed is that the performance so far has beeb a bit too close to the studio versions for my taste. I hope they play with the songs a bit more as it goes on. Love the setlist though, so it's not possible for it to be disappointing in that respect.
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Two for the Show is the best live album ever. Also, there's a newer Kansas thread here, linked in the A-Z index of bands thread (I should know, because I'm mentioned in the title).
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Love Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. Sorta like Masque. But that's about as far as I got.
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Try Song For America. that's around that era and "Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman" is an awesome closing song.
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I remember a long time ago someone commented on how some Kansas song either vaguely sounded like Metropolis or had a similar vibe. Can someone help me out here cuz I really wanna check it out again.
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I remember a long time ago someone commented on how some Kansas song either vaguely sounded like Metropolis or had a similar vibe. Can someone help me out here cuz I really wanna check it out again.
Probably Magnum Opus.
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Try Song For America. that's around that era and "Incomudro - Hymn to the Atman" is an awesome closing song.
I'll give it a try.
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I can't think of any Kansas song that reminds me of Metropolis. I know some have said some of the orchestral bits at the end of Octavarium sound like The Wall (from Leftoverture), but that's all I can think of offhand.
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It was the closing instrumental to "The Wall" by Kansas (from Leftoverture) which people said sounded like the main theme to the Overture from "Six Degrees".
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Magnum Opus doesn't sound like Metropolis specifically, but I remember it sounding as if it was a DT song recorded in the seventies. :lol
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It goes into some pretty crazy stuff, especially crazy for a band becoming more known for their radio hits. "Magnum Opus" was one of the last truly crazy instrumentals they ever did.
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I remember uploading The Wall to my MP3 player the first time and jogging to it. When it came to the end part I actually stopped jogging, thinking "nooo, noooo."
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It took me this long to finally listen to them. The Pinnacle came up on Pandora and it was great. Really great band...i bought Song for America, Masque and Leftoverture.
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:tup
Kansas includes almost everything I look for in music, like tight arrangements, skilled performances, interesting lyrics, and memorable melodies. Be sure to check out Point of Know Return sometime.
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For sure. And even though both have some duds, Monolith and Audio-Visions both have some outstanding songs as well. Definitely worth checking out once you've gotten through the incredible 4-album run of Song for American through Point of Know Return.
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I actually think their debut is a fine slab o' prog too :hat
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I still think Monolith is an outstanding album. First self-produced album. Darker than previous albums. Good stuff. Very odd "theater of the mind" with "How My Soul Cries Out For You".
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I remember a long time ago someone commented on how some Kansas song either vaguely sounded like Metropolis or had a similar vibe. Can someone help me out here cuz I really wanna check it out again.
Probably Magnum Opus.
...or "Journey From Mariabronn"
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Yeah, Monolith is good. On the Other Side, Angels Have Fallen, and A Glimpse of Home are awesome.
I remember a long time ago someone commented on how some Kansas song either vaguely sounded like Metropolis or had a similar vibe. Can someone help me out here cuz I really wanna check it out again.
Probably Magnum Opus.
...or "Journey From Mariabronn"
If this was the thread in question, then it was Magnum Opus: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=28407.0 (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=28407.0)
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Anyone going to see Kansas on their 40th anniversary tour this summer? They keep adding dates on their website. No St. Louis date yet, but I'd go see them again if they came here.
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I have seen Kansas about a dozen times dating back to my first show in 79. Seen a few different lineups but the quality has never wavered at any time. Love um!
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They're doing a special show in Pittsburgh with all the original members present. It's the same weekend as my brother's wedding. Ugh.
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They'll probably film it.
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Well yeah, it's pretty common for weddings to be filmed. Actually nowadays they use videotape. I'm sure your brother will understand; just tell him you'll check out the video later.
Oh, you meant the Kansas show? Yeah, that too.
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They'll probably film it.
True, but Kansas has been my favorite band my whole life, so I hate to miss something like that when it's only an hour away from me. I was able to see Kerry Livgren play with them once, also at a special show in Pittsburgh, but that's it. This could be my only chance to see all those guys perform.
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playing in AC july 13th but i'll be away on vacation at that time :tdwn
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Leftoverture is amazing. Opus insert is a cool idea I wish most bands would do, shit the entire structure of the album.
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I love Kansas, seen them thrice. Most recently was back on May 11th. They sounded really good, especially Steve. I think he sounded better this last time than he did when I saw them in '04 or '05. Awesome setlist, the highlight was Song For America. What sucked though, is that the show was super short. Barely two hours long. I felt a little unfulfilled, since I had paid $75 for my ticket. I know those guys aren't young, but by comparison, my parents saw the Stones (who are older) that night down in Vegas, and they went two and a half. Is that normal of a Kansas show nowadays?
Anyway, I'd also like to say that Steve Walsh is likely my favorite prog vocalist.
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I don't know if they're coming to Dallas yet. I've seen them a dozen times or so over the years. Unfortunately, the last time was probably one of the worst shows. It was Kansas, Styx, then Foreigner. Kansas played for about 40 minutes. They looked bored and they just "phoned it in". Just a lackluster performance. Though, i have definitely seen some spirited performances from them in the past.
I try not to miss them if they come to town.
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I don't know if they're coming to Dallas yet. I've seen them a dozen times or so over the years. Unfortunately, the last time was probably one of the worst shows. It was Kansas, Styx, then Foreigner. Kansas played for about 40 minutes. They looked bored and they just "phoned it in". Just a lackluster performance. Though, i have definitely seen some spirited performances from them in the past.
I try not to miss them if they come to town.
They were here last month. Good show. Pretty generic setlist, but they seemed really into it and happy to be there.
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I don't know if they're coming to Dallas yet. I've seen them a dozen times or so over the years. Unfortunately, the last time was probably one of the worst shows. It was Kansas, Styx, then Foreigner. Kansas played for about 40 minutes. They looked bored and they just "phoned it in". Just a lackluster performance. Though, i have definitely seen some spirited performances from them in the past.
I try not to miss them if they come to town.
What a lineup! Foreigner is awesome these days and so is Styx, I've never had a chance to see Kansas live. I'd definitely love an opportunity to see them.
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I turned down free tickets to that thing. Even had people trying to talk me into going, but wouldn't budge. Applying some simple logic to it, I determined that the horror of sitting through Juke Box Hero and Come Sale Away was greater than the enjoyment I would have gotten from Song for America and Grand Illusion.
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Easy solution: Those are your piss-break songs.
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Last month? Dammit. Where'd they play, Barto? Sorry I missed that. Same ol' setlist, though? Every once in a while they change it up and pull out something deep catalog, but that hasn't happened in a while.
As far as the Kansas/Styx/Foreigner show, overall, Foreigner was great. Styx was AWFUL. I simply don't like them anymore. I just don't like their new singer. He's no good. Their entire set was a piss-break.
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They played the new performing arts center at UTA. Cool venue. Setlist seemed to be their standard greatest hits fair.
Paradox
Point of Know Return
Song for America
The Wall
Hold On
Dust in the Wind
Can I Tell You
Journey from Mariabronn
Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Portrait (He Knew)
Encore:
Fight Fire with Fire
Carry On Wayward Son
Some guy that looked like Hunter S Thompson joined them for COWS. I figure that's pretty standard for them now. There was a stage rush towards the end, so I was in a deadzone where the sound was loud as shit but highly muddled, so I didn't catch who it was. They did have an opening band, which we skipped, so it might have been one of them.
Part of the reason I passed on the Kansas/Styx/Foreigner thing was after looking at their lineups, I decided that between them there were only enough original members to make up one band. Besides which, Kansas was really the only one I was into much.
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Kansas is one of my all time favorites!Has anyone mentioned or heard"Two For The Show 30th Anniversary Edition"?One of the best live prog albums ever!
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Sounds like the same old setlist that they've been playing for quite some time. It's no secret that Steve Walsh said he won't make any new music with Kansas. So maybe he's just touring to help fund for his solo stuff, which I have enjoyed.
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If that is a standard Kansas set list nowadays, it is a pretty damn good one. You have the three big standards, a few more hits (Hold On, The Wall) and then you have some of their best deeper cuts ever (Song for America, Icarus, Miracles out of Nowhere and Journey from Mariabronn).
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It's a good setlist, but a little too short. Could have used another 20 minutes or so, at least.
Also, Fight Fire is a really cheesy song, and not a good choice for an encore.
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I agree. It just doesn't sound right having Walsh sing the Elefante stuff. I'm glad JfM is a live standard now, but i'd really like to hear some real "deep" cuts. Play "Back Door" and get some dude with bagpipes out there. Or at least more Monolith stuff, like HMSCOfY or Angels Have Fallen.
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It is unfortunate how ignored the Monolith album has been by the band over the long haul, but shit happens. A Glimpse of Home is one of my favorite Kansas songs, and On the Other Side, Away from You and Angels Have Fallen are all really good as well.
I also agree that Fight Fire with Fire is an odd pick to play, especially as an encore, but I guess that is throwing a bone to those who got into them thanks to the airplay it got in the 80s.
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Sounds like the same old setlist that they've been playing for quite some time. It's no secret that Steve Walsh said he won't make any new music with Kansas. So maybe he's just touring to help fund for his solo stuff, which I have enjoyed.
He's actually said he's done writing new material, period.
Barto, the guy that joined them for Carry on Wayward Son would have been Kerry Livgren. I also wish Fight Fire with Fire would be removed, but they've played it at every show I've seen in the last 15 years or so.
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My first ever concert about 12 years ago. The whole band autographed my first ever guitar.
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I listened to the 30th Anniversary Edition of Two for the Show recently, straight through. Wow!
I think I actually prefer the second disc. Maybe because I've already heard the original (single) disc so many times, and honestly, a lot of it didn't work for me. It starts off on the wrong foot, with the shortened version of "Song for America". The quiet, middle section provides great contrast and the song loses impact when they just chop it out. And I just don't like medleys. Kansas has some longer songs, but they're not that long, not "prog" long, and usually I really like the instrumental sections. So it's particularly disappointing when they get to that part and decide that it's a good place to just jump to a different song. The first disc just seems like excerpts and medleys and songs with parts cut out.
After the opening medley, the songs on the second disc were generally intact, which I always prefer. It was nice hearing some of the longer, more intricate songs played fully. Still, some of it just didn't feel right. Kansas is great music, but finding that balance between tight arrangements and adding something to the live performance is tricky, and I guess I just don't care for their solution. Walsh sounds very energetic for sure, but it kinda sounds like he's rushing every single note because he has to pee.
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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.
Not to mention Stay Out Of Trouble. "Step outside and feel the tingle." Is one of the great metal moments in prog rock!
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I found a used copy of Always Never The Same yesterday! I've been searching for that album for almost 7 years now! ;D
My Kansas studio album collection is finally complete! :heart
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I found a used copy of Always Never The Same yesterday! I've been searching for that album for almost 7 years now! ;D
My Kansas studio album collection is finally complete! :heart
One of the weakest releases of the band's career, but as a die-hard fan who owns everything they've ever done, I completely understand how you feel.
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As someone who collects whole discographies, I have gotten excited at finding many a bad album over the years. :tup :lol
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I listened to the 30th Anniversary Edition of Two for the Show recently, straight through. Wow!
I think I actually prefer the second disc. Maybe because I've already heard the original (single) disc so many times, and honestly, a lot of it didn't work for me. It starts off on the wrong foot, with the shortened version of "Song for America". The quiet, middle section provides great contrast and the song loses impact when they just chop it out. And I just don't like medleys. Kansas has some longer songs, but they're not that long, not "prog" long, and usually I really like the instrumental sections. So it's particularly disappointing when they get to that part and decide that it's a good place to just jump to a different song. The first disc just seems like excerpts and medleys and songs with parts cut out.
After the opening medley, the songs on the second disc were generally intact, which I always prefer. It was nice hearing some of the longer, more intricate songs played fully. Still, some of it just didn't feel right. Kansas is great music, but finding that balance between tight arrangements and adding something to the live performance is tricky, and I guess I just don't care for their solution. Walsh sounds very energetic for sure, but it kinda sounds like he's rushing every single note because he has to pee.
For some reason, I never upgraded my vinyl copy of this. I think it's the only one I'm missing aside from the most recent live Album/DVD.
I think the last thing I ever picked up was Device-Voice-Drum (awesome by the way) from like 10 years ago. Has anything come out since?
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My cousin just got all the remasters for Kansas. They sound awesome. I've been on a real kick lately listening to them.
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I listened to the 30th Anniversary Edition of Two for the Show recently, straight through. Wow!
I think I actually prefer the second disc. Maybe because I've already heard the original (single) disc so many times, and honestly, a lot of it didn't work for me. It starts off on the wrong foot, with the shortened version of "Song for America". The quiet, middle section provides great contrast and the song loses impact when they just chop it out. And I just don't like medleys. Kansas has some longer songs, but they're not that long, not "prog" long, and usually I really like the instrumental sections. So it's particularly disappointing when they get to that part and decide that it's a good place to just jump to a different song. The first disc just seems like excerpts and medleys and songs with parts cut out.
After the opening medley, the songs on the second disc were generally intact, which I always prefer. It was nice hearing some of the longer, more intricate songs played fully. Still, some of it just didn't feel right. Kansas is great music, but finding that balance between tight arrangements and adding something to the live performance is tricky, and I guess I just don't care for their solution. Walsh sounds very energetic for sure, but it kinda sounds like he's rushing every single note because he has to pee.
For some reason, I never upgraded my vinyl copy of this. I think it's the only one I'm missing aside from the most recent live Album/DVD.
I think the last thing I ever picked up was Device-Voice-Drum (awesome by the way) from like 10 years ago. Has anything come out since?
There's a another live DVD featuring an orchestra called "There's Know Place Like Home." It's very good as well.
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I've looked at that one, but wasn't sure about it. I've always thought that Kansas had a very orchestral sound, not just because of the violin but also the arrangements themselves, and adding an orchestra almost seems redundant. It also seems like it could take the music to the next level, if done properly. But at that point, how much of it is due to Kansas, and how much of it is because there's an orchestra?
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My cousin just got all the remasters for Kansas. They sound awesome. I've been on a real kick lately listening to them.
As far as i know, and i consider myself to be quite the Kansas fanatic, there never was a remastered version of Monolith, which is a damned shame. I thought that was a phenomenal album, a bit darker than the previous albums. Someone PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong, though.
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My cousin just got all the remasters for Kansas. They sound awesome. I've been on a real kick lately listening to them.
As far as i know, and i consider myself to be quite the Kansas fanatic, there never was a remastered version of Monolith, which is a damned shame. I thought that was a phenomenal album, a bit darker than the previous albums. Someone PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong, though.
They recently released a "Classic Albums" box set which I'm told includes the remastered versions of the albums, but without digging further into it, I cannot confirm that the Monolith disc is a remaster. It's possible, though.
I've looked at that one, but wasn't sure about it. I've always thought that Kansas had a very orchestral sound, not just because of the violin but also the arrangements themselves, and adding an orchestra almost seems redundant. It also seems like it could take the music to the next level, if done properly. But at that point, how much of it is due to Kansas, and how much of it is because there's an orchestra?
It's a good DVD. As you might expect, the orchestra works really well on some songs (Song for America, Nobody's Home, Hold On, to name a few), and it's rather superfluous on some others. It's a very good representation of what the current lineup's shows are like, aside from the guest appearances by Livgren and Morse.
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What pogo said and that's how I got it. They are awesome.
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I just saw the billboard for Billy Bob's in Fort Worth that the guys are coming next weekend (the 7th). After seeing them over a dozen times, i just don't know if its worth going anymore. Their setlist hasn't seemed to change at all in the last few years. Just the same ol' stuff. Have they changed anything? It just seems like they're just Going Through The Motions (see what i did there?).
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I just saw the billboard for Billy Bob's in Fort Worth that the guys are coming next weekend (the 7th). After seeing them over a dozen times, i just don't know if its worth going anymore. Their setlist hasn't seemed to change at all in the last few years. Just the same ol' stuff. Have they changed anything? It just seems like they're just Going Through The Motions (see what i did there?).
Well, aside from adding the orchestra at some of their dates the last few years, they pretty much haven't changed anything. The setlist, by and large, has been the same for over a decade.
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They recently released a "Classic Albums" box set which I'm told includes the remastered versions of the albums, but without digging further into it, I cannot confirm that the Monolith disc is a remaster. It's possible, though.
I wanna say that it *probably* is remastered, but I'm not sure. The same company has been releasing box sets for other bands, and I bought a few in the last few months (Bill Withers, The Byrds, Blue Oyster Cult and Cheap Trick) and every album in each set seemed to have been remastered.
I didn't buy the Kansas one because I already own the albums but I think there's that one, ELO and Joni Mitchell that they released as well. Really nice box sets if anyone's interested.
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TGFn5t9nL._SY300_.jpg)
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61pJXM-y-tL._SY300_.jpg)
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I just saw the billboard for Billy Bob's in Fort Worth that the guys are coming next weekend (the 7th). After seeing them over a dozen times, i just don't know if its worth going anymore. Their setlist hasn't seemed to change at all in the last few years. Just the same ol' stuff. Have they changed anything? It just seems like they're just Going Through The Motions (see what i did there?).
Well, aside from adding the orchestra at some of their dates the last few years, they pretty much haven't changed anything. The setlist, by and large, has been the same for over a decade.
That's a damn shame. When they're headlining, they can easily throw in a couple of different deep cuts for the die-hard fans. How hard would it be to hire someone with bagpipes and play "Back Door"? I actually really liked "Byzantium" when they played that. Dump the Elefante stuff. Add something different.
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I just saw the billboard for Billy Bob's in Fort Worth that the guys are coming next weekend (the 7th). After seeing them over a dozen times, i just don't know if its worth going anymore. Their setlist hasn't seemed to change at all in the last few years. Just the same ol' stuff. Have they changed anything? It just seems like they're just Going Through The Motions (see what i did there?).
Well, aside from adding the orchestra at some of their dates the last few years, they pretty much haven't changed anything. The setlist, by and large, has been the same for over a decade.
That's a damn shame. When they're headlining, they can easily throw in a couple of different deep cuts for the die-hard fans. How hard would it be to hire someone with bagpipes and play "Back Door"? I actually really liked "Byzantium" when they played that. Dump the Elefante stuff. Add something different.
I mean, they've introduced a different song here and there. But they don't really seem to make any changes during a particular tour. The most interesting thing I ever saw them do was play a cover of Alanis Morrissette's "Uninvited."
There are several songs from Somewhere to Elsewhere that I'd love to see them play again, but it'll never happen because that material isn't popular enough.
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Sounds like the same old setlist that they've been playing for quite some time. It's no secret that Steve Walsh said he won't make any new music with Kansas. So maybe he's just touring to help fund for his solo stuff, which I have enjoyed.
He's actually said he's done writing new material, period.
Barto, the guy that joined them for Carry on Wayward Son would have been Kerry Livgren. I also wish Fight Fire with Fire would be removed, but they've played it at every show I've seen in the last 15 years or so.
Wasn't Kerry Livgren. I'm guessing a local musician, or possibly someone from the support act.
Wouldn't mind seeing the Ft Worth show, but doubt I'll be physically up for it. Between the crowd and all the standing, I think it'd be problematic for me. To that end, the same old setlist actually serves me well. If they were doing something spectacular it'd really bug me.
And I wonder why Ft Worth? The reason you play Arlington is to cover both sides of DFW.
edit: looks like they broke out a two-set show the other night. Don't know if that's the new norm, or if it was a one off deal.
Set 1
Incumudro
Belexes
Point of Know Return
Song for America
On the Other Side
Nobody's Home
Hold On
Dust In The Wind
Ghosts / Rainmaker
Musicatto
Cheyenne Anthem
The Wall
Set 2
Paradox
Can I Tell You
Journey From Mariabronn
Icarus II
Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel
Down the Road
Magnum Opus
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Lonely Wind
Portrait (He Knew)
Fight Fire with Fire
Carry On Wayward Son
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Is that setlist from the Pittsburgh show? If so, that was a special fan appreciation concert. I wanted to go, but I wasn't willing to shell out that kind of cash for a band I've seen 5+ times.
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Jeez, a two set show and still a set list of almost all 70s songs (and still nothing from Monolith)? Sure, most of their best stuff is from the 70s, but why not throw in a few songs from Freaks of Nature and Somewhere to Elsewhere? We saw them on the Freaks... tour and they played four songs from it, all of which kicked ass. In fact, seeing them is what got me to buy that CD in the first place. Very underrated record.
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That's actually not a bad setlist.
I remember them doing "Uninvited". I have a boot CD of one of those shows. Wasn't a bad version at all.
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That was the 40th anniversary concert.
I wouldn't have minded seeing this if it wasn't a 5-hour drive.
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I'm listening to the 30th Anniversary Edition of Two for the Show again right now. My goodness did they botch the original release of this album. Not only had they left out a ton of great songs, but they left out KILLER performances of them! Vintage Steve Walsh is pretty much unbeatable.
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An interview that Kansas fans may find interesting
https://www.innerviews.org/inner/kansas.html
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That was a good interview. Thanks for posting that. :)
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Read that yesterday. Good stuff.
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What a fantastic interview. Really fills in the rest of the Kansas story. Love it. Interesting news about going back to the studio. What will it sound like? Will it be more like Seventh Key (which did use a few unused Kansas demo songs on one of their albums)? Could be very interesting.
As much as a die-hard Kansas fan as i used to be, i've skipped the last few shows in Dallas, just because it just seemed they were going through the motions (sorry for the pun). Saw them with Styx and Foreigner. I was quite disappointed. But i've seen a few clips with Ronnie Platt, and he's quite decent. A new record might just be quite amazing. We shall see....
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What a fantastic interview. Really fills in the rest of the Kansas story. Love it. Interesting news about going back to the studio. What will it sound like? Will it be more like Seventh Key (which did use a few unused Kansas demo songs on one of their albums)? Could be very interesting.
As much as a die-hard Kansas fan as i used to be, i've skipped the last few shows in Dallas, just because it just seemed they were going through the motions (sorry for the pun). Saw them with Styx and Foreigner. I was quite disappointed. But i've seen a few clips with Ronnie Platt, and he's quite decent. A new record might just be quite amazing. We shall see....
When I saw them last time they put on a real good show. I know they're playing some park in Richardson pretty soon, but without Walsh I don't feel very interested in dealing with it.
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What a fantastic interview. Really fills in the rest of the Kansas story. Love it. Interesting news about going back to the studio. What will it sound like? Will it be more like Seventh Key (which did use a few unused Kansas demo songs on one of their albums)? Could be very interesting.
As much as a die-hard Kansas fan as i used to be, i've skipped the last few shows in Dallas, just because it just seemed they were going through the motions (sorry for the pun). Saw them with Styx and Foreigner. I was quite disappointed. But i've seen a few clips with Ronnie Platt, and he's quite decent. A new record might just be quite amazing. We shall see....
When I saw them last time they put on a real good show. I know they're playing some park in Richardson pretty soon, but without Walsh I don't feel very interested in dealing with it.
From what I've heard and read, they sound much better now than they did over the last, well, 2 decades with Walsh.
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What a fantastic interview. Really fills in the rest of the Kansas story. Love it. Interesting news about going back to the studio. What will it sound like? Will it be more like Seventh Key (which did use a few unused Kansas demo songs on one of their albums)? Could be very interesting.
As much as a die-hard Kansas fan as i used to be, i've skipped the last few shows in Dallas, just because it just seemed they were going through the motions (sorry for the pun). Saw them with Styx and Foreigner. I was quite disappointed. But i've seen a few clips with Ronnie Platt, and he's quite decent. A new record might just be quite amazing. We shall see....
When I saw them last time they put on a real good show. I know they're playing some park in Richardson pretty soon, but without Walsh I don't feel very interested in dealing with it.
From what I've heard and read, they sound much better now than they did over the last, well, 2 decades with Walsh.
I can't argue with that. I have skipped seeing them the last few times they've come to Dallas because there was no passion in their playing. Walsh was phoning it in. I knew his days were numbered. Now, it seems there is a renewed sense of passion with the band. We'll see....
I'll have to look into seeing where they're playing in Richardson, Barto. I would imagine it's somewhere around the 4th of July. They seem to play here around that timeframe lately.
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Some samples from the upcoming album........
https://kansas.mobiworld.me/marketing/tpi-message?mid=49&rid=1415137
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It sounds really good and worth the Kansas's name :tup
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Those clips sound really cool!
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Interview from Rolling Stone featuring a new track, "Visibility Zero."
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/kansas-on-new-album-reviving-leftoverture-w438072
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I liked the song. Sounded like Kansas to me. Cool violin solo too.
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Sounds like good ol' fashioned Kansas. Unfortunately, Phil hit it on the head in his latest interview that Steve simply couldn't sing like he used to, like he wanted to. They sound good. The music is outstanding! I'm more excited for this album than i have been for anything Kansas in a long time!
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Yep, I am really looking forward to it.
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New singer sounds good. Even sixteen years ago on Somewhere To Elsewhere, Walsh's voice had made its change and wasn't going to be what it used to be again. I like the guy, but yeah, new singer sounds really good!
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I can't say I was excited by either of those new songs. Both solid tunes, I guess, but I can't imagine going out of my way to hear either.
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I reviewed the new Kansas (https://www.musicalypse.net/2016-kansas-the-prelude-implicit/), but I'm not totally sold on it.
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I think it was a fair review. After listening once through, it is a somewhat "homogenous" album with a couple of standouts. But overall, from the viewpoint of a die-hard fan, it's a very good album. I think it'll be one that needs several listens to truly formulate an opinion. But the music is amazing. Couldn't ask for anything more. The vocals are wonderful. He sounds a little bit of a cross between Steve Walsh and Tommy Shaw of Styx. Sounds good. Overall, i think it'll become a classic album. It's better than the last couple of albums.
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Listened to the two released songs and they didn't do much for me. Going to pass on the new album for now.
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Overall, i think it'll become a classic album. It's better than the last couple of albums.
I haven't listened to the new one yet, but I hold Somewhere to Elsewhere right up with the first five Kansas albums. So if it's near that level of quality, I'll be very impressed.
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I haven't listened to the new one yet, but I hold Somewhere to Elsewhere right up with the first five Kansas albums.
Same here.
I will try to pick it up this weekend.
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Overall, after another listen, the album gets stronger in the second half. The first few songs are good, but the second half of the album seems stronger to me. I would definitely rank this up there with StE, pogoowner. Maybe even higher. The second "side" of the album is fantastic. Much more "proggy" to me. Has hints of classic, old Kansas with a strong dose of 21st century thrown in for good measure. Really liking "Refugees": a bit more mellow, with a melody slightly reminiscent of "My Way Home" by Traffic. The more i listen, the more i'm really liking this album overall. I hope this is the first of several new albums. The guys definitely have hit a new momentum.
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I've listened to The Prelude Implicit about five times now, and I'm still liking it better with every listen. It still isn't on the same level as their first five albums or Somewhere to Elsewhere for me, but it beats the hell out of the Elefante albums. I'll throw out a few random thoughts below.
Like Beowulf said, it gets stronger in the second half. "The Voyage of Eight Eighteen" is the highlight for me. It has a quite a few moments that would fit right in on Masque or Song for America. "Rhythm of the Spirit" has some Spock's Beard-like moments. On the other side of the spectrum, "The Unsung Heroes" is the clear low-point. Way too much of a cheesy Journey feel. "Summer" is a pretty typical, straightforward Billy Greer song if you've listened to Native Window or Seventh Key--nothing to right home about--but the instrumental section pretty cool.
I'm liking Ronnie's vocals more as I get used to him. Sometimes he reminds me of John Elefante, and other times I get a Nick D'Virgilio vibe (chorus of "Camouflage").
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I've listened to The Prelude Implicit about five times now, and I'm still liking it better with every listen. It still isn't on the same level as their first five albums or Somewhere to Elsewhere for me, but it beats the hell out of the Elefante albums.
That's not really much of a selling point. :P
Honestly, as much I love the classic Kansas stuff, as well as Somewhere to Elsewhere and Freaks of Nature, I have little urge to check this new album out. The two songs they released early both sounded okay, but nothing that made me want to listen again. I'm sure I'll hear it eventually, but I won't go out of my way.
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I've listened to The Prelude Implicit about five times now, and I'm still liking it better with every listen. It still isn't on the same level as their first five albums or Somewhere to Elsewhere for me, but it beats the hell out of the Elefante albums.
That's not really much of a selling point. :P
Honestly, as much I love the classic Kansas stuff, as well as Somewhere to Elsewhere and Freaks of Nature, I have little urge to check this new album out. The two songs they released early both sounded okay, but nothing that made me want to listen again. I'm sure I'll hear it eventually, but I won't go out of my way.
To be clear, I don't mean that it's a bottom tier release. :lol I just haven't really decided where it falls yet. And there's much better material on the album than the two singles they released.
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I'm mostly through my 2nd spin in my car as I drive around town/commute to work, and I've got to agree, the back half or so of the album is definitely better. The songs they released are good, but not indicative of the greatness that the rest of the album contains.
I'm not a HUGE Kansas fan, even though I own all of their studio albums, I'm not as well versed in them as I could say I am with bands like Rush, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, etc. Kansas really only appealed to me with their first 6 or so albums, but if I can listen to this one and be blissfully reminded of some of that greatness from their early days, then I can say they did a bang up job with creating an album that is very much Kansas while still sounding new and fresh, and not totally re-treading on old ground for the sake of nostalgia, though there is that one song where the violin line sounds almost just like a song from their earlier albums, and it bugs me that I cannot recall which song I think of when I hear that part.
-Marc.
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Just got my tickets for the Dallas show!!! Nosebleed, but that's okay. Surprisingly, it's practically sold out! but I've seen them literally dozens of times, so i don't need to be right up front; I just want to be there. very excited to hear the "new" band! Anyone else going?
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I'm looking at going to the Fayetteville show - 40th anniversary of Leftoverture. That would be just a couple of days before the DT show in Durham - quite a progtastic weekend. :metal
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Not to keep being a pessimist, but as good as the overall sound of the core was, the three main things that made Kansas magic were:
-Steve Walsh's voice
-Kerry Livgren's songwriting
-Robby Steinhardt's violin (and voice as a secondary lead vocalist)
All three of those were there for Somewhere to Elsewhere.
They are all gone for the new record.
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Just got my tickets for the Dallas show!!! Nosebleed, but that's okay. Surprisingly, it's practically sold out! but I've seen them literally dozens of times, so i don't need to be right up front; I just want to be there. very excited to hear the "new" band! Anyone else going?
They've actually been doing very well with their ticket sales as of late. They've definitely had a resurgence. I'm gonna try to see the Cincinnati show if I can.
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FYI... they will be live-streaming tonight's concert on iHeart Radio.
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FYI... they will be live-streaming tonight's concert on iHeart Radio.
Thanks for the information! The setlist of this tour is very interesting and the new cd is indeed very good!
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Anyone watch the stream on iHeart? The new songs sounded great! I'm getting very excited for the show in Dallas next weekend! Should be a fantastic show. Very excited to hear all of Leftoverture!!! Magnum Opus RULES!!
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So, i found not only the setlist for the Tour, but what appears to be a great copy of the second show of the tour (audio only). If anyone is interested, here's the link: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kansas/2016/ryman-auditorium-nashville-tn-5bfd1bd8.html
If you don't want to know and be surprised, don't click it! But i gotta say, it's one of the greatest setlists I've ever seen!! And i've seen them a couple dozen times!
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So, i found not only the setlist for the Tour, but what appears to be a great copy of the second show of the tour (audio only). If anyone is interested, here's the link: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kansas/2016/ryman-auditorium-nashville-tn-5bfd1bd8.html
If you don't want to know and be surprised, don't click it! But i gotta say, it's one of the greatest setlists I've ever seen!! And i've seen them a couple dozen times!
Oh, there are a few surprises in the non-Leftoverture portion! One of which I'm not really that excited about, but it REALLY caught me off-guard.
And I did catch the iHeart stream. They sounded really good. It seemed like Zak might have gotten caught a little bit behind a couple times when it came to switching from his tuner to his other pedals or something, but I'm sure he'll get that ironed out as he gets more experience with them.
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A good boot from the tour:
https://youtu.be/L3Pljd29zXs
Really beautiful and surprising acoustic part in the beggining! :tup
And I'm very happy that they are really promoting the new album.
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Just stopped by to give some love to the new album. Best collection of songs they've released in a LONG time.
I cannot stop listening to this. Very strong contender for AOTY
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I'm not the biggest Kansas fan, Power is my favourite album by them which probably says it all. I've played this new one several times this week and really like it. I'm a sucker for violin and there's tons of it on here. Singer is excellent.
Up there with the best of the year for me.
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Power is my favourite album by them
Well that's a new one. As long as you don't say Drastic Measures, I can live with it. :lol
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Be nice. The same things about Power that bother most Kansas fans will be the same things the some people like about it. Think about how often the most popular album by a band is the one that you really don't like. It's gotta happen the other way sometimes.
Also, I know you're not completely serious :lol but the point stands.
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I actually don't have a hatred for Power. Steve Morse is obviously a badass, and while there are a couple tracks that kind of make me cringe, like "Can't Cry Anymore," which the band didn't even write, there's also plenty of fun stuff on the album. Interesting that Lowdz is a sucker for violin and chose a Kansas album devoid of violin, though! I prefer In the Spirit of Things if we're talking about the Morse era.
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I actually don't have a hatred for Power. Steve Morse is obviously a badass, and while there are a couple tracks that kind of make me cringe, like "Can't Cry Anymore," which the band didn't even write, there's also plenty of fun stuff on the album. Interesting that Lowdz is a sucker for violin and chose a Kansas album devoid of violin, though! I prefer In the Spirit of Things if we're talking about the Morse era.
True about the lack of violin on Power. Why have Steve Morse and not use him I guess.
I struggle with the folkier elements of their sound (not just with Kansas, I can't stand folk) and was a hard rock/hair metal dude so I guess that explains the love for Power rather than the rest of the catalogue.
I've never invested a great deal of time in the older stuff to judge it fairly though.
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I have never heard a thing from Power, except All I Wanted, which I had completely forgotten about until a year or so ago. MTV must have played that back in the day, because when I stumbled across it last year, I remembered it.
I have only heard some of In the Spirit of Things. One Big Sky and Bells of Saint James are both solid tunes, and I am actually very fond of Rainmaker; that's easily my favorite Kansas song from the 80s (which admittedly isn't saying a lot :lol).
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I find Power much more enjoyable ITSOT. Sometimes Bob Ezrin misses with bands and that's how I felt about ITSOT.
Kev, check out We're Not Alone Anymore & Taking In The View.
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:lol :lol at Kansas having a song called We're Not Alone Anymore. Too bad they didn't hook up with Toto to record it. :biggrin: Pretty good song, though; I'll probably spend a buck on it at amazon or iTunes.
Taking in the View wasn't bad, but not something I can see listening to again.
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The lack of violin I agree with but they were killer live on the Power tour.
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I find Power much more enjoyable ITSOT. Sometimes Bob Ezrin misses with bands and that's how I felt about ITSOT.
Kev, check out We're Not Alone Anymore & Taking In The View.
ITSOT certainly has its issues. It has pop songs from outside writers that bother me too, but the highs are higher for me. Steve Walsh also uses a much more varied approach for his vocals, which kind of reminds me of his two later solo albums. At this point he's pretty fully transitioned into the raspier stage of his career (from what I understand, his drug/alcohol use was still pretty out of control at this point), but he still has range, at least in the studio.
Speaking of Steve Walsh's 80's work, I can't stand how his Streets studio albums sound, but I like the King Biscuit Flower Hour album quite a bit. The live performance has a much harder edge.
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I'm not the biggest Kansas fan, Power is my favourite album by them which probably says it all. I've played this new one several times this week and really like it. I'm a sucker for violin and there's tons of it on here. Singer is excellent.
Up there with the best of the year for me.
Finally got around to this one. Good album. I thought the first half was quality but lacking some edge , but that the second half lifted it from being good to very good with still some room to grow on me. And I rarely say that these days - or listen to an album a 2nd time immediately , which I did with this one. I can tell that there's some added depth there which may reveal itself over time.
The singer sounds a LOT like Elefante which isn't a bad thing.
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We saw Kansas last night and I was shocked out how awesome they still are, especially since it's nearly a cover band now. Check out this set list. (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kansas/2017/eccles-theater-salt-lake-city-ut-33e63c01.html) *spoilers if you're going to their show soon*
I expected quite a few songs from The Prelude Implicit (which is great) but I was shocked to get the oldies (which I won't discuss for fear of spoilers).
A few thoughts:
- I thought Ronnie Platt was terrific. Yes, he's not Steve Walsh circa 1978, but he's way closer than Steve has been for a very, very long time. The timbre of his voice is close enough to not be distracting to the music and he has a great stage presence.
- I assumed Zak Rizvi would be superfluous but they used him to harmonize or unison with the violin passages as well as play rhythm. He also took the majority of the Livgren leads during the older music.
- David Ragsdale is awesome! Harmonizing while playing the violin, whipping out his guitar to rock out, even busting a smokin' lead during What's On My Mind. I really enjoyed his performance.
If you're a Kansas fan and have been hesitating to see the current incarnation, I highly encourage you to go see them live. They had great energy (except for maybe Rich, but he's quite old now) and they really got the geriatric crowd to their feet. Oh, and buy the new album, it's really good.
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Damn. What a setlist!
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Wow, good to hear! I've been thinking about the new album. I just might have to.
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Wow, good to hear! I've been thinking about the new album. I just might have to.
You don't have the new album?
You should get it. It's really good.
Also, that's a hell of a setlist!
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Speaking of The Prelude Implicit, Hef, have you given any thought to adding it to the discography thread?
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Speaking of The Prelude Implicit, Hef, have you given any thought to adding it to the discography thread?
A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day!
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Fine, sheesh.
A simple, "I'm going out of town with my wife, asshole." Would have sufficed.
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That's what I meant.
Love you, man.
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:heart
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I was at an ice rink the other day and a group of pubescent teenage girls started to harmonize on the chorus, "I was soaring ever higher!" That took me aback. I guess that's how you know you've attained god-tier status as a classic rock band.
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Just saying...
GO SEE THE CURRENT KANSAS TOUR YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Just bring a mop so they don't get mad when the show is over and your mind is splattered on the walls. (And/Or your heart.)
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Saw the show the other night. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they sounded. Although I saw a very strange thing happen, after Carry On Wayward Son a good number of people left.
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I got into Kansas because of LudwigVan, but I am very conflicted about this.
On one hand, I applaud Kansas for trotting out Leftoverture for fans who never got to see it, but still are supporting their new music (The Prelude Implicit) on the tour as well. It seems like they understand, more than some other bands, the importance of noting important musical anniversaries, and still staying relevant by putting an emphasis on newer material as well.
On the other hand, I've been really hesitant to give Kansas post-Livgren, and now, post-Walsh any listens. It makes me a bit hypocritical to say that, as I pushed really hard when Queensryche lost DeGarmo, and then lost Tate, to embrace the newer lineups. But as time has gone on, I've realized that it really isn't the same band, and I enjoy it much, much less. So I don't really want to give a Walsh and Livgren-less Kansas a shot, even if I do know that Ronnie Platt fronting them makes them a better live act.
I have three opportunities in September to see them, in cities fairly close to me (they played a year or two ago two blocks from my office, but I didn't go). Part of me wants to, but the other part just doesn't.
It'd be like going to see Dream Theater perform Images and Words without JP and JLB. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not hating on Kansas' decision to do what they are doing. I just don't know if I could enjoy it as much as I would like to. I love Livgren era Kansas, and bought the special edition Miracles Out of Nowhere package from the band when it came out. Sure there are classic members still in the band (Rich and Phil) and longtime guys like Billy and David. But I just don't know.
Gah.
I probably should have seen them when Walsh was still in the band, and I just didn't do it.
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My take is; the current band sounds way better and is magnitudes more engaging than the 2005 band that had Robby, Steve, Phil, Rich and Billy (the last time I saw them). So yeah, I get your reluctance, AnybodyListening.net (and I thought my handle was cumbersome) but you are really missing out on a great time. Oh, and the new album is awesome, so there is that.
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You're overthinking it.
This is the best version of the band since the group assembled for Somewhere to Elsewhere in 2000. Walsh had been a shadow of his former self for, well, a really long time, and he is the one that prevented the band from writing and releasing new material for the last 17 years.
Everyone that WANTS to be in Kansas is in Kansas right now.
And yes, there is that hypocritical QR thing.
Go see them.
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My take is; the current band sounds way better and is magnitudes more engaging than the 2005 band that had Robby, Steve, Phil, Rich and Billy (the last time I saw them). So yeah, I get your reluctance, AnybodyListening.net (and I thought my handle was cumbersome) but you are really missing out on a great time. Oh, and the new album is awesome, so there is that.
My handle is obnoxious. I should change it back to what it used to be. LOL. Yeah, I need to give the new record a spin...
You're overthinking it.
This is the best version of the band since the group assembled for Somewhere to Elsewhere in 2000. Walsh had been a shadow of his former self for, well, a really long time, and he is the one that prevented the band from writing and releasing new material for the last 17 years.
Everyone that WANTS to be in Kansas is in Kansas right now.
And yes, there is that hypocritical QR thing.
Go see them.
Me? Overthink something? :lol
Somewhere to Elsewhere had Livgren and Walsh, which is why I picked it up (and love it). I didn't realize Walsh was the holdup on releasing new music (I do not follow them that closely). Like I said, I'm still conflicted. But the fact you guys love what they are doing may sway me. Is the new record worth picking up?
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YES. It's fantastic.
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Ok. Will check it out. If I dig it, I'll put September on the calendar for one of those dates to see them.
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:tup
Also, welcome back, old user name. :)
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Is that what happened? That freaked me out for a couple of minutes. :lol
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:tup
Also, welcome back, old user name. :)
Time to reclaim.
Hey Podaar, you convinced me to go back. lol
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Watch out, he'll get you to drop your pants as well that devil.
I also agree how good the new album is. You can always tell when a band puts the effort into an album. I'm interested in the new Styx album just as I was for the new Kansas.
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I'm interested in the new Styx album just as I was for the new Kansas.
Same here, although to a lesser extent. Which is not a knock on Styx, they are great. I've just always been a bigger fan of Kansas.
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I've seen Kansas many times, and they were great shows, but I can tell just from Youtube that this current lineup puts on the best show anyone's seen from them in a long, long time.
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Honestly, as much I love the classic Kansas stuff, as well as Somewhere to Elsewhere and Freaks of Nature, I have little urge to check this new album out. The two songs they released early both sounded okay, but nothing that made me want to listen again. I'm sure I'll hear it eventually, but I won't go out of my way.
It took me nearly a year to hear the new album, but I finally got around to it! :lol :lol
Overall, a solid effort. A few skippers, the majority being songs that sounded solid when listening but left no impression on me, and then a few good ones that I will add to my master Kansas playlist:
Voyage of Eight Eighteen
Section 60
Oh Shenandoah
I like those three quite a bit. I doubt any of the rest will get spins with me in the future.
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Voyage of Eight Eighteen is the best song on the album. It's a solid album. I like it a bit more than you Kev.
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https://youtu.be/W0mEnKSSvsc
WTF am I listening to? It's like the autotune from hell went to hell, came back, then went to hell again.
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https://youtu.be/W0mEnKSSvsc
WTF am I listening to? It's like the autotune from hell went to hell, came back, then went to hell again.
That was horrible...does Casio make autotune equipment?
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That's so bad. I saw them live on the last tour and they sounded amazing, not sure why they would be so obvious about it.
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It's indeed live and beyond.
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I started listening to it, was disgusted that they still use the piped-in intro because they can't pull off the three-part harmonies live, realized that I was apparently still listening because I was waiting to hear something that would disgust me even further, closed the window. Life's too short to listen to bad stuff on purpose.
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"Auto-tune my wayward sooooong
For these vocals sound so wrong
Pray your ears will get some rest
Or you'll cry some more"
-Marc.
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ife's too short to listen to bad stuff on purpose.
And yet a lot of people listen to modern day country pop. It's mind-boggling.
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Oh. My. God.
Such terrible auto tune. I am SO disappointed right now; this was one of the greatest tours I've ever seen, in no small part because of how much of an absolute boss Ronnie Platt is live. I am absolutely beside myself on how anyone could think those vocals sound okay. How could their producer ruin such an incredible singer and performance.
I started listening to it, was disgusted that they still use the piped-in intro because they can't pull off the three-part harmonies live, realized that I was apparently still listening because I was waiting to hear something that would disgust me even further, closed the window. Life's too short to listen to bad stuff on purpose.
That was a special thing they were doing just for this tour. They do the intro like regular for all their other shows. They also do all the three part harmonies for all their other songs, and nail them every time, check any YouTube video.
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When you say "check any YouTube video" you must mean "check any recent YouTube video". For a while, "Carry On Wayward Son" was the last song in a medley, and they entered the song after the a capella intro, sidestepping the issue. And I know I've seen/heard at least one instance of them using the album intro instead of doing it live, because they only had the two singers, Steve and Robbie. The entire run of the original lineup, the intro to the song was never done properly live.
I have no idea who's in the band anymore, so if they have three singers now then that's cool, except that that makes it even dumber to use the pre-recorded intro. Just sing the damned song properly.
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When you say "check any YouTube video" you must mean "check any recent YouTube video". For a while, "Carry On Wayward Son" was the last song in a medley, and they entered the song after the a capella intro, sidestepping the issue. And I know I've seen/heard at least one instance of them using the album intro instead of doing it live, because they only had the two singers, Steve and Robbie. The entire run of the original lineup, the intro to the song was never done properly live.
I have no idea who's in the band anymore, so if they have three singers now then that's cool, except that that makes it even dumber to use the pre-recorded intro. Just sing the damned song properly.
Yes I mean the current band (since 2014). They have 5 singers and they sing in mind-blowingly perfect harmony, it's uncanny.
That makes me even more frustrated about this live release. If these singers need autotune, then John Petrucci's beard isn't big enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyqKW-9zUB0 (watch til the end)
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I don't know what's more stupid. Them cancelling the EU tour because of "terrorism," or this autotune. I just checked out a recent bootleg, they sound great.
That was a special thing they were doing just for this tour. They do the intro like regular for all their other shows. They also do all the three part harmonies for all their other songs, and nail them every time, check any YouTube video.
When you say "check any YouTube video" you must mean "check any recent YouTube video". For a while, "Carry On Wayward Son" was the last song in a medley, and they entered the song after the a capella intro, sidestepping the issue. And I know I've seen/heard at least one instance of them using the album intro instead of doing it live, because they only had the two singers, Steve and Robbie. The entire run of the original lineup, the intro to the song was never done properly live.
I have no idea who's in the band anymore, so if they have three singers now then that's cool, except that that makes it even dumber to use the pre-recorded intro. Just sing the damned song properly.
https://youtu.be/xiWDjwwbHkw?t=1h22m39s - this was just a couple of months ago, they sing it live.
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Bummer. I mean, it's great that they do it live a capella, but the mix sucks and doesn't do it justice. It probably sounds awesome in their in-ear monitors.
We tend to have the same problem. We work hard on our vocals, but the sound man always has the girls louder than the bass player and me, presumably because they're the lead singers and we're usually backgrounds (which is still wrong). So those glorious three- and four-part harmonies we do sound shitty live because they're not balanced. In our ears, they're amazing, but when I listen to the recordings or watch the videos, I want to scream.
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I started listening to it, was disgusted that they still use the piped-in intro because they can't pull off the three-part harmonies live, realized that I was apparently still listening because I was waiting to hear something that would disgust me even further, closed the window. Life's too short to listen to bad stuff on purpose.
Wrong. They CAN pull off 3 part harmonies live!
I saw them last night and was blown away! The singer Ronnie Platt is AMAZING live! The band was spot on and the backing vocals were absolutely incredible!
I could not have been more impressed.
Bad stuff?
Wow! :omg:
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Maybe I'll give them another shot. Prior to the most recent few years, the last time I checked out Kansas live was towards the end of Steve Walsh's run, and he was sounding pretty bad. I think Robbie was still with them, but the original lineup only ever had the two singers because none of the other guys could sing. So they cheated and played the studio intro to "Carry On Wayward Son" or just "medleyed" into it from something else, skipping the a capella intro. When the studio intro was the first thing I heard here, it was a turnoff. Like literally. :lol I listened to the next bit, but nothing seemed special enough to stick around for.
Walsh's days are over, Kerry's not coming back, I get that. Like I said, maybe I'll give them another shot. As this point, they could be a very good band indeed, but I don't feel much connection to them because so few of the original guys are left.
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Maybe I'll give them another shot. Prior to the most recent few years, the last time I checked out Kansas live was towards the end of Steve Walsh's run, and he was sounding pretty bad. I think Robbie was still with them, but the original lineup only ever had the two singers because none of the other guys could sing. So they cheated and played the studio intro to "Carry On Wayward Son" or just "medleyed" into it from something else, skipping the a capella intro. When the studio intro was the first thing I heard here, it was a turnoff. Like literally. :lol I listened to the next bit, but nothing seemed special enough to stick around for.
Walsh's days are over, Kerry's not coming back, I get that. Like I said, maybe I'll give them another shot. As this point, they could be a very good band indeed, but I don't feel much connection to them because so few of the original guys are left.
Steve Walsh is one of my vocal heroes! However he does not have it anymore. Replacement guy or not, I have to give Ronnie Platt props. He isn't just good, he's flat out amazing.
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I saw them earlier in this tour and they sounded fabulous.
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I saw them earlier in this tour and they sounded fabulous.
Absolute blow away show for me! My 17 year old daughter was blown away last night. My wife was also in awe as was a very engaged audience. Its clear they still have something special going. Its actually quite rejuvenated since Ronnie took over on vocals.
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Really cool show for anyone in AZ, no cover charge. I'm playing keys in the Kansas band, can't wait!!
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1286.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa619%2Fstyxkyd%2FKansAZ%2520Jan%252025%2520flyer_zps0nhxitfk.jpg&hash=a5a10cef399ca62af07fee15092c027b634f61fd)
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Awesome. Which dude are you in the picture?
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Tom? Is that you? Lol
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Wait! Dennis! I didn't know you were on here. Fantastic!!
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I’m the one who looks suspiciously like this guy— https://youtu.be/Sbg3m2cHWT0
Wait! Dennis! I didn't know you were on here. Fantastic!!
‘Tis I!!! :biggrin: :biggrin:
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Weird seeing this thread pop up after over a year of being lost in the forum as I have recently started listening to Kansas again, on a whim no less. Every time I come back to Kansas and listen to their first five albums, I am always in awe at how GOOD those albums were, especially the debut! They really came out of the gate running with some classics! "Journey From Mariabronn" gets me pumped every time I hear it!
EDIT - So I've been going over what I own of Kansas and what I'm missing, and one thing lead to another, and now I am wondering - does a complete1975 Live show exist of their set from the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, OH? It appears that several tracks from that show have been officially released live (and they sound great) - "Down The Road", "Lonely Street", "Bringin' It Back" and "Incomudro - Hymn To The Atman" have all been released from that show on various releases as bonus tracks, which makes me believe a full show must exist somewhere. I figured there must be one or two Kansas boot-collectors on here that might know!
-Marc.
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Tom? Is that you? Lol
Tom Brislin is in the band now.
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I’m the one who looks suspiciously like this guy— https://youtu.be/Sbg3m2cHWT0
Damn, bro! that's nice!
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Tom? Is that you? Lol
Tom Brislin is in the band now.
That was the joke then I figured out I friended Dennis on Facebook not knowing I knew him on DTF!
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Every few years, I listen to Magnum Opus and just think "is this what Dream Theater would have sounded like in the 70s?" :lol
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ONE NIGHT ONLY, ROCK BAND KANSAS TO PERFORM ICONIC ALBUMS LEFTOVERTURE & POINT OF KNOW RETURN BACK-TO-BACK IN NEW YORK CITY
SEXTUPLE-PLATINUM ALBUMS TO BE PERFORMED IN THEIR ENTIRETIES
Nashville, TN – May 13, 2019 – For one night only at The Beacon Theatre in New York City, America’s preeminent progressive rock band, KANSAS, will be performing two of rock’s most iconic albums, Leftoverture and Point of Know Return, in their entireties. On Saturday, December 14, 2019, KANSAS will be showcasing the two multi-platinum albums as well as other fan favorites. Ultimate Classic Rock announced the concert event here: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/kansas-beacon-2019.
KANSAS Pre-sale Tickets and KANSAS VIP Packages go on sale at 10AM local time on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, using promo code KANSASBAND. Ticket go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 17, 2019. Ticket information can be found at www.kansasband.com.
KANSAS premiered the Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour in 2016 to celebrate the band’s breakthrough album. What started as a concept of 10 concerts grew to more than 80 performances in select cities throughout 2016-2017. Based on that popularity, KANSAS followed that tour up with the even more successful Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour in 2018. Those performances will extend into 2020 and have already performed to large and enthusiastic audiences in cities including Atlanta, GA; Nashville, TN; Pittsburgh, PA; Chicago, IL; St. Louis, MO; Kansas City, MO; San Antonio, TX; Dallas, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Worcester, MA; Clearwater, FL; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Baltimore, MD; Denver, CO; San Diego, CA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; and Los Angeles, CA.
In 1976, KANSAS released the album Leftoverture. Containing the smash hit and million-selling single “Carry On Wayward Son,” along with fan favorites such as “The Wall,” “Miracles Out Of Nowhere,” and “What’s On My Mind,” Leftoverture became the band’s breakthrough album. The album peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Album charts and reached sextuple-platinum status with more than six million copies sold.
In 1977, KANSAS followed up the success of Leftoverture by releasing the album Point of Know Return. Containing the iconic million-selling single “Dust in the Wind,” along with fan favorites such as “Portrait (He Knew),” “Closet Chronicles,” and “Paradox,” Point of Know Return became the band’s greatest selling studio album. The album peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Album charts, reached sextuple-platinum status with more than six million copies sold, and had three Billboard Hot 100 singles.
“Leftoverture and Point of Know Return are KANSAS’s two biggest albums,” comments KANSAS drummer and original member Phil Ehart. “We did more than 80 shows performing the album Leftoverture in its entirety. We are currently performing the album Point of Know Return in its entirety in select cities. So, for one night, we thought it would be exciting for fans to see us perform both albums. We felt this concert would be a great way to put an exclamation point on 2019, before the Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour resumes at the end of January.”
Performances on the Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour begin with an acoustic set of some KANSAS favorites before the band breaks into an extended set featuring the traditional KANSAS “wall of sound.”
“You do not find many theaters more famous than The Beacon Theatre in New York City,” adds KANSAS guitarist Zak Rizvi. “Add in being in New York City during the holidays, as someone who grew up an avid KANSAS fan, this is a concert I would travel to attend. Between touring and recording a new album, 2019 was already set up to be incredible for the band. This concert will really cap it off.”
KANSAS is currently comprised of original drummer Phil Ehart, bassist/vocalist Billy Greer, vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, violinist/guitarist David Ragsdale, keyboardist Tom Brislin, guitarist Zak Rizvi, and original guitarist Richard Williams. Originally formed in 1973 in Topeka, KS, the band’s documentary film KANSAS: Miracles Out of Nowhere is currently being broadcast on AXSTV. KANSAS has released 15 studio albums, including its most recent release The Prelude Implicit (2016), and plans to release of another new studio album in 2020. With no signs of slowing down, KANSAS continues to ‘carry on;’ performing in front of large and enthusiastic audiences around the world.
KANSAS POINT OF KNOW RETURN ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES:
DATE CITY/STATE VENUE
September 11 Spokane, WA First Interstate Center for the Arts
September 13 Santa Rosa, CA Luther Burbank Center
September 14 Stockton, CA Bob Hope Theatre
September 17 Bakersfield, CA Fox Theater
September 19 Mesa, AZ Ikeda Theater
September 21 Salt Lake City, UT Eccles Theater
September 22 Cheyenne, WY Cheyenne Civic Center
September 27 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
September 28 Park City, KS Hartman Arena
October 4 Topeka, KS Topeka Performing Arts Center
October 5 Omaha, NE Orpheum Theater
October 11 Wausau, WI The Grand Theater
October 12 Minneapolis, MN State Theater
October 18 Champaign, IL Virginia Theatre
October 19 Waukegan, IL Genesee Theatre
October 25 Concord, NH Capitol Center for the Arts
October 26 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
November 1 Quebec City, QC Grand Théâtre de Québec
November 2 Montreal, QC Théâtre St-Denis
November 8 Rochester, NY Kodak Center Theater
November 9 Erie, PA Warner Theatre
November 16 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
November 22 Richmond, KY EKU Center for the Arts
November 23 Huntsville, AL Mark C. Smith Concert Hall at Von Braun Center
December 6 Corpus Christi, TX Selena Auditorium
December 7 Sugar Land, TX Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
December 14 New York, NY The Beacon Theatre*
January 31, 2020 Savannah, GA Johnny Mercer Theatre
February 1, 2020 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
February 3, 2020 The Villages, FL Sharon L. Morse Center for Performing Arts
February 4, 2020 The Villages, FL Sharon L. Morse Center for Performing Arts
February 6, 2020 Fort Myers, FL Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
February 7, 2020 Melbourne, FL King Center for the Performing Arts
*Special Performance
For more information on KANSAS and the Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour, please visit:
www.kansasband.com
www.facebook.com/kansasband
www.twitter.com/kansasband
Live Nation NYC Live Nation Concerts The Beacon Theatre
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Nothing in California south of Bakersfield?!
I love Kansas, but with only Ehart and Williams (and Greer) from the classic lineup, this is a hard pass.
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They are coming to my rinky dink little town in Wisconsin, May need to check them out.
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Shows like this are tough for me. On the one hand, I know that with few original members left, this isn't the same Kansas as originally recorded the albums, and it's not going to sound exactly the same. But those guys are gone; time moves on. Meanwhile here's a very good band and they are officially Kansas. If nothing else, it will be an excellent performance of some great music. It's not unlike attending a Beethoven symphony or a Verdi opera. It is the music and the quality of performance that matters, not specifically who is performing it. And if that's good enough for you, you go. Yeah, I'm starting to come around on that. It's a process.
And for those of you who might mock my comparison of 70's Kansas to classical music: blow me. This is some of the greatest rock ever written and performed. Those two albums specifically, together, to me are pretty much on par with a Beethoven symphony. Probably not the Ninth or the Fifth, but maybe the Fourth or the Sixth, and that's pretty good for rock and roll.
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I love Kansas, but with only Ehart and Williams (and Greer) from the classic lineup, this is a hard pass.
Maybe they should call the band Missouri. ;D
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That last album with that lineup was very good and they added Tom Brislin who I saw live recently and that's a hell of a lineup to see. Thinking about seeing them in Concord, N.H.
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I think we are going to try to hit the show in Durham.
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I think I'm going to grab a ticket to the special show at the Beacon in December. Seems like a pretty good way to pop my live Kansas cherry :D
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I think I'm going to grab a ticket to the special show at the Beacon in December. Seems like a pretty good way to pop my live Kansas cherry :D
Man I'm feeling old. I popped my Kansas cherry in 1985.
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The more I listen to Neal Morse, the more I believe he’s continuing the incredible legacy left by Kansas.
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I don't know if anyone here may know, but Two For The Show had been reissued and expanded in 2008 as a double album. Very well worth listening to if you like the band. (and it sounds better than the original pressing too IMHO)
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I don't know if anyone here may know, but Two For The Show had been reissued and expanded in 2008 as a double album. Very well worth listening to if you like the band. (and it sounds better than the original pressing too IMHO)
Good to know. I will keep my eyes out.
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I'm a casual Kansas fan, I bought 'original album classics' 5CD set a while back containing;
Kansas
Song For America
Point Of Know Return
Leftoverture
Masque
I finally am listening to them and I like what I hear.
What other albums should I be looking at getting besides these?
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I'm a casual Kansas fan, I bought 'original album classics' 5CD set a while back containing;
Kansas
Song For America
Point Of Know Return
Leftoverture
Masque
I finally am listening to them and I like what I hear.
What other albums should I be looking at getting besides these?
I would get Monolith and Audio-Visions, the last two with the original lineup. Neither is as good as most of the ones you have already, but both have some great classic Kansas tunes.
As for later material, Somewhere to Elsewhere towers above everything else, which is no surprise since Kerry Livgren returned and wrote all of it. It is the most classic Kansas-sounding album of their later years. I am also quite fond of Freaks of Nature from the mid-90's. Everything else (the other four 80's albums and The Prelude Implicit) is all pretty spotty at best and forgettable at worst, although there are select songs from those albums that I enjoy.
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While we're on that subject. I have the original 5 as well, and I really like it. But I have never heard "Two For the Show".
How does it stack up against other classic live albums of the time?
EDIT: to put it another way, is it pretty much the studio versions by the numbers, or does it have that extra something special that makes it a must have?
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I like "Two For The Show" and I like it even better since they added a second disc with lots more stuff.
For me, it's pretty hard to beat those first five. They each showed some evolution and some improvement to their sound, but Leftover and Point Of Know Return are the most similar to each other. They'd found a good balance between their prog and pop sides with Leftoverture, and Point Of Know Return refined that a bit.
Two For The Show is an excellent document of that tour and the perfect ending to that phase of the band. With Audio-Visions, it really started to feel like "more of the same" and really starting to repeat themselves. I never felt that way about any of the first five, except for the aforementioned tonal similarities between the last two.
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I will probably get a lot of flak for this, but:
In The Spirit Of Things is (imo) a great record. Granted it doesn't really sound like the Kansas of old, it has no violin and no Kerry Livgren and it features outside writers on some of the songs ( the horror, how dare they :omg: :D) and it sounds like an 80s record (which it is), but it has Steve Morse and is loosely based on the story of a flood hitting the real Kansas city of Neosho Falls in 1951.
Especially the tracks connected directly to that story, Ghosts, The Bells Of Saint James and Rainmaker are stellar, with Rainmaker's instrumental section gloriously putting the Rainstorm and the coming flood to music.
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While we're on that subject. I have the original 5 as well, and I really like it. But I have never heard "Two For the Show".
How does it stack up against other classic live albums of the time?
EDIT: to put it another way, is it pretty much the studio versions by the numbers, or does it have that extra something special that makes it a must have?
I think it's a great live album - probably a step down from Strangers in the Night, but that's probably my favorite live album ever, so being a step down isn't a criticism at all. 24tS was a gateway for me to some of the really early Kansas stuff (e.g., Mariabronn and Icarus). I haven't heard the 2-disc set and will now head over to Amazon to put it on my wish list.
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I will probably get a lot of flak for this, but:
In The Spirit Of Things is (imo) a great record. Granted it doesn't really sound like the Kansas of old, it has no violin and no Kerry Livgren and it features outside writers on some of the songs ( the horror, how dare they :omg: :D) and it sounds like an 80s record (which it is), but it has Steve Morse and is loosely based on the story of a flood hitting the real Kansas city of Neosho Falls in 1951.
Especially the tracks connected directly to that story, Ghosts, The Bells Of Saint James and Rainmaker are stellar, with Rainmaker's instrumental section gloriously putting the Rainstorm and the coming flood to music.
I do like the song Rainmaker quite a bit; that is probably my favorite Kansas song from the 80's if we do not count the Audio-Visions album. One Big Sky and Bells of Saint James are solid as well. The rest is a big miss for me.
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While we're on that subject. I have the original 5 as well, and I really like it. But I have never heard "Two For the Show".
How does it stack up against other classic live albums of the time?
EDIT: to put it another way, is it pretty much the studio versions by the numbers, or does it have that extra something special that makes it a must have?
I think it's a great live album - probably a step down from Strangers in the Night, but that's probably my favorite live album ever, so being a step down isn't a criticism at all. 24tS was a gateway for me to some of the really early Kansas stuff (e.g., Mariabronn and Icarus). I haven't heard the 2-disc set and will now head over to Amazon to put it on my wish list.
PG and I are of like minds on Two for the Show. Great live record, and a gateway to the early stuff. PG - the 2 disc set is solid. I picked it up a while back. Well worth it.
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I will probably get a lot of flak for this, but:
In The Spirit Of Things is (imo) a great record. Granted it doesn't really sound like the Kansas of old, it has no violin and no Kerry Livgren and it features outside writers on some of the songs ( the horror, how dare they :omg: :D) and it sounds like an 80s record (which it is), but it has Steve Morse and is loosely based on the story of a flood hitting the real Kansas city of Neosho Falls in 1951.
Especially the tracks connected directly to that story, Ghosts, The Bells Of Saint James and Rainmaker are stellar, with Rainmaker's instrumental section gloriously putting the Rainstorm and the coming flood to music.
I love In The Spirit of Things. And yes, its very 80's and thats okay.
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I am surprised no one has posted about this in the last 8-10 hours!
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kansas-absence-of-presence/
Kansas will release The Absence of Presence on June 26.
The album arrives four years after The Prelude Implicit, which was their first album of new material since 2000's Somewhere to Elsewhere, and marks the band's studio debut with keyboardist Tom Brislin, who joined in 2018.
As drummer Phil Ehart told Billboard, the addition of Brislin and guitarist Zak Rizvi, who co-produced the LP with Ehart and Richard Williams, their arrival helped the band rediscover its classic form.
"This sounds like Kansas," Ehart said. "Zak wrote the majority of The Prelude Implicit and this album, and now having Tom Brislin add a couple of his songs and his keyboard prowess really pushes the band even more toward that original sound, which is not easy to do by any means. You've got to have the material. You've got to have the singer to sing it. You've got to have lyrics that are Kansas-type lyrics. These guys get it, and the other four of us who have been here for 20, 40, 50 years, we're just sitting here grinning, going 'This is great!'"
One of Brislin's contributions is the title track, whose name was based on something Ehart said he noticed while traveling with the group.
"It can mean a couple of different things, but what sticks out is when we're at an airport, there's a lot of people there but everybody is staring at their phone or looking at their computer or their iPad or reading a paper or whatever," he noted. "Someone's sitting across from you, looking up, and you can tell they're not engaged at all. People are there, but they're not really there. They're present, but there's an absence of presence."
The release date coincides with Kansas' upcoming Juke Box Heroes tour with Foreigner and Europe, which runs between July 9 and Sept. 13. Kansas' friendship with Foreigner dates all the way back the '70s, when they shared European stages together. Ehart said the shows have been a long time coming.
"We've been trying to put the two bands together for quite a while, so when this came up we jumped on it," he explained. "We've stayed in touch over the years, and they're a great band and good guys, and I think we have a mutual respect between the two bands. We get one hour and it'll go by very quickly for us, but we're just happy to be there and get offstage and watch Foreigner come on. And Europe too. It should be a great summer."
I really enjoyed TPI so I am looking forward to this, especially with Brislin's involvement!
-Marc.
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I only know Tom Brislin from one previous gig, but it was a good one: Symphonic Live by Yes. It's one of my favorite concert vids. Brislin nailed parts originally played by Wakeman and Kaye, and put just the right amount of personal touch on each. I'm sure he's doing a great job with Kansas. I've never heard of Zak Rizvi.
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I only know Tom Brislin from one previous gig, but it was a good one: Symphonic Live by Yes. It's one of my favorite concert vids. Brislin nailed parts originally played by Wakeman and Kaye, and put just the right amount of personal touch on each. I'm sure he's doing a great job with Kansas. I've never heard of Zak Rizvi.
Tom Brislin is awesome. He is part of The Sea Within, I think this song showcases what he is capable of...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHsBhK9qHPw&list=PLMtP0BFpoGtkpjDuwpK8UWbLZcAflVLJZ&index=4
Let's see what he's going to bring to the table in Kansas :metal
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I am surprised no one has posted about this in the last 8-10 hours!
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kansas-absence-of-presence/
Kansas will release The Absence of Presence on June 26.
The album arrives four years after The Prelude Implicit, which was their first album of new material since 2000's Somewhere to Elsewhere, and marks the band's studio debut with keyboardist Tom Brislin, who joined in 2018.
As drummer Phil Ehart told Billboard, the addition of Brislin and guitarist Zak Rizvi, who co-produced the LP with Ehart and Richard Williams, their arrival helped the band rediscover its classic form.
"This sounds like Kansas," Ehart said. "Zak wrote the majority of The Prelude Implicit and this album, and now having Tom Brislin add a couple of his songs and his keyboard prowess really pushes the band even more toward that original sound, which is not easy to do by any means. You've got to have the material. You've got to have the singer to sing it. You've got to have lyrics that are Kansas-type lyrics. These guys get it, and the other four of us who have been here for 20, 40, 50 years, we're just sitting here grinning, going 'This is great!'"
One of Brislin's contributions is the title track, whose name was based on something Ehart said he noticed while traveling with the group.
"It can mean a couple of different things, but what sticks out is when we're at an airport, there's a lot of people there but everybody is staring at their phone or looking at their computer or their iPad or reading a paper or whatever," he noted. "Someone's sitting across from you, looking up, and you can tell they're not engaged at all. People are there, but they're not really there. They're present, but there's an absence of presence."
The release date coincides with Kansas' upcoming Juke Box Heroes tour with Foreigner and Europe, which runs between July 9 and Sept. 13. Kansas' friendship with Foreigner dates all the way back the '70s, when they shared European stages together. Ehart said the shows have been a long time coming.
"We've been trying to put the two bands together for quite a while, so when this came up we jumped on it," he explained. "We've stayed in touch over the years, and they're a great band and good guys, and I think we have a mutual respect between the two bands. We get one hour and it'll go by very quickly for us, but we're just happy to be there and get offstage and watch Foreigner come on. And Europe too. It should be a great summer."
I really enjoyed TPI so I am looking forward to this, especially with Brislin's involvement!
-Marc.
Yep. Very excited about a new record!
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Kansas have released a new video preview of their upcoming album!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjIX7SC0nQM&t=27s
Sounds good so far, about what I would expect after their previous album.
-Marc.
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Kansas have released a new video preview of their upcoming album!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjIX7SC0nQM&t=27s
Sounds good so far, about what I would expect after their previous album.
-Marc.
sounds good to my ears
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Yep........sounds like it will pack a punch! :metal
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Sounds like a sequel to The Prelude Implicit and I'm fine with that.
Hearing this, I had the same thought that I had when listening to the last Deep Purple single. "Old" bands don't have to sound old. These bands don't sound slow, powerless and bored. They sound like they're really having fun and their later music actually kicks ass! I wish Yes could sound like that :'(
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https://open.spotify.com/track/6GWHnpREZMNGd1uGYa6Zua?si=ECUE93bKS3W_--_PFnqO3Q
New song
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I think pre-orders will be up today, too. I hope it's one LP and not two. The album is 47 minutes long, it would fit. The Prelude was a cool album, I think The Absence Of Presence will be a nice summer prog album. It doesn't have my favourite title of all Kansas albums though.
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I'm not the biggest Kansas fan - I hate folk music, like nails down a blackboard to me, but I enjoyed Prelude very much, and Power is a great album. The snippets from this sound promising.
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I'm not the biggest Kansas fan - I hate folk music, like nails down a blackboard to me, but I enjoyed Prelude very much, and Power is a great album. The snippets from this sound promising.
It's a good thing that Kansas has never had anything even remotely close to do with anything leaning even slightly in the general direction of folk music then! :lol
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I'm not the biggest Kansas fan - I hate folk music, like nails down a blackboard to me, but I enjoyed Prelude very much, and Power is a great album. The snippets from this sound promising.
It's a good thing that Kansas has never had anything even remotely close to do with anything leaning even slightly in the general direction of folk music then! :lol
I was thinking the same thing :lol Maybe the prominent use of the violin created this association :)
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The early stuff sounds folky enough to put me off - maybe the acoustic stuff and hippiness ;D. And I love violins, that's not what puts me off.
And Dust In The Wind? Song For America? Hold On? They don't sound at all folky?
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The early stuff definitely has a folk influence. Lots of two-part harmonies, acoustic guitar, violin.
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:dunno:
I guess we just have different opinions of what makes for folk music. For me, it's more like The Devil Went Down to Georgia, or Chicken in the Bread Pan.
And Dust In The Wind? Song For America? Hold On? They don't sound at all folky?
No. Not at all.
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It's as easy t describe music in words as it is colours :lol
Saying all that, I've just been listening to the Best Of on Youtube as I'm at work and enjoying it so it's become a pointless discussion. :lol
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Which Greatest Hits so we can have more controversy?! :lol
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:lol :lol :lol What's DTF for if not controversy
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/The_Best_of_Kansas.jpg)
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:lol
There was a remaster of that Greatest hits with 4 songs added. This dummy bought both. LOL
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I actually own this one though
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/UltimateKansas.jpg)
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I've got a box set that cool. Has an extra song "Wheels" that I saw them play live. Never was on an album.
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I've got a box set that cool. Has an extra song "Wheels" that I saw them play live. Never was on an album.
I had that, too!
The cool thing about that at the time was that Audio-Visions had yet to be released on CD, so the box set was the first time Relentless and Loner were available on CD.
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Sounds like a sequel to The Prelude Implicit and I'm fine with that.
Hearing this, I had the same thought that I had when listening to the last Deep Purple single. "Old" bands don't have to sound old. These bands don't sound slow, powerless and bored. They sound like they're really having fun and their later music actually kicks ass! I wish Yes could sound like that :'(
One of the only old Prog bands still going strong.
I enjoyed it. Would've been nice to hear this live...But I guess we'll see if they'll schedule dates again.
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Pre Order Amazon link
https://www.amazon.com/Absence-Presence-Kansas/dp/B0875WSX6D/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=kansas+The+Absence+Of+Presence&qid=1587134591&sr=8-2
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:dunno:
I guess we just have different opinions of what makes for folk music. For me, it's more like The Devil Went Down to Georgia, or Chicken in the Bread Pan.
I would put "Down the Road" from Song for America in exactly the same genre as "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". I don't know what that genre is, but the folk influence in both songs seem pretty obvious to me. Hard rocking, and he's playing a fiddle, not a violin.
:dunno:
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Yeah, I suppose you're right about it being folk influenced. For me, it rocks so much that calling it folk music is a bit of a stretch, but whatever.
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I was always a loose fan of Kansas. I only had the Best of Kansas for years and then I found this set which cost me $55 at the time I bought it. Pretty good deal.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81xIpS2HZaL._SL1500_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81hdywQVuGL._SL1473_.jpg)
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Yeah, I suppose you're right about it being folk influenced. For me, it rocks so much that calling it folk music is a bit of a stretch, but whatever.
No one's saying it's folk music. Kansas music, like any prog, is a blend of many influences, and folk is just one of them, but to me it's pretty clear.
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:dunno:
I guess we just have different opinions of what makes for folk music. For me, it's more like The Devil Went Down to Georgia, or Chicken in the Bread Pan.
I would put "Down the Road" from Song for America in exactly the same genre as "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". I don't know what that genre is, but the folk influence in both songs seem pretty obvious to me. Hard rocking, and he's playing a fiddle, not a violin.
:dunno:
What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?
Answer #1: Nothing but the type of music that is played.
Answer #2: A violin ain't never had beer spilled on it.
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That's my point. Because of how he's playing it, Steinhardt's playing a fiddle on "Down the Road", not a violin. Same physicial instrument, different handles.
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No one's saying it's folk music.
You might not be, but I don't know how to interpret Lowdz post in any other way, which is what I was responding to.
I'm not the biggest Kansas fan - I hate folk music, like nails down a blackboard to me, but I enjoyed Prelude very much, and Power is a great album.
Last word coming in, 3, 2, 1...
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I was always a loose fan of Kansas. I only had the Best of Kansas for years and then I found this set which cost me $55 at the time I bought it. Pretty good deal.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81xIpS2HZaL._SL1500_.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81hdywQVuGL._SL1473_.jpg)
You think if I send back the last three albums of the set, they could charge me like $40? ;D
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Audio Visions and Vinyl Confessions have a lot of critcism, but I think they are good albums. Although VC is a bit too much comercial, both are worth the Kansas name. Drastic Messures and the Steve Morse albums to me are the only albums that don't fit at all in their discography.
The new song is better than the singles from Prelude, so I'm hoping the new album is even better than the last!
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new song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOX5rSFb18
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:lol
There was a remaster of that Greatest hits with 4 songs added. This dummy bought both. LOL
I'm proof you are not the only dummy.
I'd have ditched the original but I think it sounds better and the remaster has the extra songs.
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I've got a box set that cool. Has an extra song "Wheels" that I saw them play live. Never was on an album.
Only Kansas box set I have is the Sail On Collection with the DVD.
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:dunno:
I guess we just have different opinions of what makes for folk music. For me, it's more like The Devil Went Down to Georgia, or Chicken in the Bread Pan.
I would put "Down the Road" from Song for America in exactly the same genre as "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". I don't know what that genre is, but the folk influence in both songs seem pretty obvious to me. Hard rocking, and he's playing a fiddle, not a violin.
:dunno:
What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin?
Answer #1: Nothing but the type of music that is played.
Answer #2: A violin ain't never had beer spilled on it.
Answer #3: Depends on who is playing the violin.
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Audio Visions and Vinyl Confessions have a lot of critcism, but I think they are good albums. Although VC is a bit too much comercial, both are worth the Kansas name. Drastic Messures and the Steve Morse albums to me are the only albums that don't fit at all in their discography.
The new song is better than the singles from Prelude, so I'm hoping the new album is even better than the last!
I'm a fan of both the the Elefante years and the Morse years.
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Audio Visions and Vinyl Confessions have a lot of critcism, but I think they are good albums. Although VC is a bit too much comercial, both are worth the Kansas name. Drastic Messures and the Steve Morse albums to me are the only albums that don't fit at all in their discography.
The new song is better than the singles from Prelude, so I'm hoping the new album is even better than the last!
I'm a fan of both the the Elefante years and the Morse years.
Actually I'm a big fan of Vinyl Confessions, but I don't like almost all of Drastic Measures (Fight fire with fire I think it's cool). Of course, the album title is totally honest with what happened with their music :D. I like the most part of Power and 3, 4 songs from Spirits... What bugs me most from the Steve Morse era is that Dixie Dregs had a lot of similarities musically with the classic Kansas and when they teamed up, they did something more like a regular 80's arena rock, which disappointed me a lot.
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new song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOX5rSFb18
Not a bad song at all. The last album didn't really stick with me outside of a few songs, but we'll see about this one.
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Cool song! I'd like to repeat what I said about the trailer: This band rocks! They don't sound old or slow, they sound like they're really having fun. Sure, they might not compose 10 minute prog masterpieces all the time, but it's a complex hard rock song with cool hooks and the typical Kansas violin (fiddle? haha).
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Audio Visions and Vinyl Confessions have a lot of critcism, but I think they are good albums. Although VC is a bit too much comercial, both are worth the Kansas name. Drastic Messures and the Steve Morse albums to me are the only albums that don't fit at all in their discography.
The new song is better than the singles from Prelude, so I'm hoping the new album is even better than the last!
I'm a fan of both the the Elefante years and the Morse years.
Actually I'm a big fan of Vinyl Confessions, but I don't like almost all of Drastic Measures (Fight fire with fire I think it's cool). Of course, the album title is totally honest with what happened with their music :D. I like the most part of Power and 3, 4 songs from Spirits... What bugs me most from the Steve Morse era is that Dixie Dregs had a lot of similarities musically with the classic Kansas and when they teamed up, they did something more like a regular 80's arena rock, which disappointed me a lot.
I think the style of those two albums were pressured by record company interests. I love Steve's work but I don't think he was brought in to deliver that kind of music in that era (I much as we would have loved it.) I'm not familiar what went down after In The Spirit of Things. I know there was a Kansas hiatus at that point but I don't recall any of the details of that.
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New video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0tEhzcMBxE
:metal
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KANSAS – launch video for ‘Jets Overhead’; third single from ‘The Absence Of Presence’
KANSAS, America’s legendary progressive rock band, has released another new song and music video for their song “Jets Overhead” taken from the band’s highly anticipated new studio album “The Absence of Presence” out June 26, 2020 through Inside Out Music. Fans can listen and watch the music video at this link: https://bit.ly/2BswEXn
“Jets Overhead” has become one of my favorite songs on the album", says KANSAS Guitarist Zak Rizvi, who wrote the music for the song. "Tom Brislin wrote some fantastic lyrics, David Ragsdale's violin solo is absolutely smoking, and Ronnie Platt nailed the vocals."
“Jets Overhead” follows the release of “Memories Down the Line”, which was released on May 15. Fans can stream the song and watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0tEhzcMBxE
In April they released the song and music video for “Throwing Mountains”, which can be seen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOX5rSFb18.
The band gave fans a sneak preview of what they can expect to hear on the album with this sampler video: https://bit.ly/KSTAOPprev.
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“We are really excited for our fans to be able to get a taste of what is to come from ‘The Absence of Presence,’” says KANSAS lead vocalist Ronnie Platt. “I think people will really be surprised by the album. ‘The Absence of Presence’ shows the band firing on all cylinders.”
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I don’t own any Kansas music (for reasons I can’t entirely explain other than I guess their radio stuff never really hooked me). These are all really cheap on Amazon right now. I’m thinking I should at least pick up the one that has Carry on Wayward Son, right?
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I don’t own any Kansas music (for reasons I can’t entirely explain other than I guess their radio stuff never really hooked me). These are all really cheap on Amazon right now. I’m thinking I should at least pick up the one that has Carry on Wayward Son, right?
Leftoverture (the one that has Carry On) is one of their best albums. I'd say the other two Kansas-albums you should know are Point Of Know Return and Song For America. I think you might be surprised by the band if you only know their hits :)
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I don’t own any Kansas music (for reasons I can’t entirely explain other than I guess their radio stuff never really hooked me). These are all really cheap on Amazon right now. I’m thinking I should at least pick up the one that has Carry on Wayward Son, right?
Leftoverture (the one that has Carry On) is one of their best albums. I'd say the other two Kansas-albums you should know are Point Of Know Return and Song For America. I think you might be surprised by the band if you only know their hits :)
you should add in Two For The Show as well, that's their first live album. Get the 2CD version if you can, 148 minutes of goodness.
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I don’t own any Kansas music (for reasons I can’t entirely explain other than I guess their radio stuff never really hooked me). These are all really cheap on Amazon right now. I’m thinking I should at least pick up the one that has Carry on Wayward Son, right?
Leftoverture (the one that has Carry On) is one of their best albums. I'd say the other two Kansas-albums you should know are Point Of Know Return and Song For America. I think you might be surprised by the band if you only know their hits :)
you should add in Two For The Show as well, that's their first live album. Get the 2CD version if you can, 148 minutes of goodness.
I always forget about live albums, damn. But of course you're right, Two For The Show is majestic.
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I second all of that. Leftoverture for the album where it all came together, as far as I'm concerned; Point of Know Return for what they did next, which is still awesome and even takes a few new chances; and Song for America for the earlier sound, slightly more proggy in some ways but also showing other sides of the band that got left behind a bit. Same lineup, same six guys. And the live album Two for the Show is also great, but I would wait until you're more familiar with the studio versions, which IMO are generally superior. Their music can be intricate and layered, and we lose some of that on the live album. It's made up for with the energy of live performance, and it's a great album (especially the newer 2-CD version, as mentioned), but I don't go back to it very often. I consider it a "fans only" kind of release, and I generally love a good live album.
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I don’t own any Kansas music (for reasons I can’t entirely explain other than I guess their radio stuff never really hooked me). These are all really cheap on Amazon right now. I’m thinking I should at least pick up the one that has Carry on Wayward Son, right?
Absolutely. Leftoverture is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. If you are like me, your jaw will be on the floor the first time you hear Miracles out of Nowhere and Cheyenne Anthem. :hat :hat
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According to Inside-out, the release of The Absence Of Presence has been pushed back to July 17th.
-Marc.
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HOF, how is the Kansas journey going? :biggrin:
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Pete Pardo of Sea of Tranquility chose his 5 favorite Kansas *Deep Cuts*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpLjZRRVnjw
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Nice CD collection.
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He starts off by listing two songs as his first pick. :lol :lol
That aside, his videos are usually a good watch. He did "10 favorite songs" videos for a shit ton of bands a while back.
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HOF, how is the Kansas journey going? :biggrin:
So I did pick up Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. I’m listening to Leftoverture again now, and have given it several good listens but haven’t played POKR more than once (I’ve bought way to much new stuff lately and have had to divide my listening time quite a bit).
In general, I like but don’t love it yet. I find myself disagreeing with the vocal melodies (or them disagreeing with me) for whatever reason. I do like Steve Walsh’s voice (and he does sound like one of my favorite singers, Ted Leonard), but for some reason I don’t love the melodies if that makes sense. I also don’t totally dig the violin for some reason. Other prog bands I like feature it (Big Big Train, PFM, King Crimson), so it’s something about the style/melody rather than the instrument itself. Can’t quite describe why.
I do think Cheyenne Anthem and Magnum Opus make the album (along with Carry On Weyward Son). Those are the two I find myself really liking.
One thing that surprised me a bit was how many places reminded me of Spock’s Bears/Neal Morse (on both albums). I don’t really recall Kansas being cited as a big influence for Neal, although I know Kerry Livgren did play on Testimony so it makes sense.
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HOF, how is the Kansas journey going? :biggrin:
So I did pick up Leftoverture and Point of Know Return. I’m listening to Leftoverture again now, and have given it several good listens but haven’t played POKR more than once (I’ve bought way to much new stuff lately and have had to divide my listening time quite a bit).
In general, I like but don’t love it yet. I find myself disagreeing with the vocal melodies (or them disagreeing with me) for whatever reason. I do like Steve Walsh’s voice (and he does sound like one of my favorite singers, Ted Leonard), but for some reason I don’t love the melodies if that makes sense. I also don’t totally dig the violin for some reason. Other prog bands I like feature it (Big Big Train, PFM, King Crimson), so it’s something about the style/melody rather than the instrument itself. Can’t quite describe why.
I do think Cheyenne Anthem and Magnum Opus make the album (along with Carry On Weyward Son). Those are the two I find myself really liking.
One thing that surprised me a bit was how many places reminded me of Spock’s Bears/Neal Morse (on both albums). I don’t really recall Kansas being cited as a big influence for Neal, although I know Kerry Livgren did play on Testimony so it makes sense.
Neal rarely covers Kansas (I suspect because Steve Walsh's vocal parts have to be difficult to cover, and while Neal is a really good singer, he doesn't really have the pipes to belt out the parts that need to be to do a Kansas song full justice...just my theory), but I believe he has referred to them before as being a band of which he is a big fan.
Back to the albums, if you don't dig the violin, then Kansas will be a difficult hill to climb.
Interesting that the melodies aren't grabbing you since during my big Kansas discovery phase, there were times when I literally couldn't believe how awesome the melodies were. Funny how we can hear things differently. :)
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There’s also that ‘spiritual’ side of things that Neal Morse apparently shares with Kerry Livgren.
I second Kev’s thoughts on the melodies. They’re pretty unique, as are the vocal harmonies. Steinhardt’s down to earth gruffness combined with Walsh’s soaring vocals can be magical.
Speaking of Kansas influences, I’m pretty sure that bits of The Wall found its way into Scenes From A Memory.
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I’m not giving up on it just yet. As I said, I do like it and certainly don’t dislike it. Just having a hard time connecting with some of it. But there’s enough interesting stuff there that I’m glad I have it and it has a chance to grow on me in the future. It took a long time for 70s Yes to really connect with me. I think I had Relayer for about a year before it really hit me. All the ingredients are there for something I *should* like I think. The Spock’s Beard similarities are intriguing if nothing else. Will try to give Point of Know Return a closer listen soon.
I guess with the Neal Morse thing I’m less surprised that Kansas was an influence than I am that I never really connected them with Kansas as similar bands stylistically. People would say “oh, Spock’s is a modern Yes or Genesis,” and the Gentle Giant comparisons were also frequent. But it feels like Kansas may have been more of the template than those bands even.
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I guess with the Neap Morse thing I’m less surprised that Kansas was an influence than I am that I never really connected them with Kansas as similar bands stylistically. People would say “oh, Spock’s is a modern Yes or Genesis,” and the Gentle Giant comparisons were also frequent. But it feels like Kansas may have been more of the template than those bands even.
Absolutely. The Yes/Genesis/GG influences are overt and hard to miss, whereas the Kansas connection is more subtle. Melodically, harmonically and structurally, the Kansas template is there.
I mentioned The Wall, but I truly believe that Leftoverture as a whole was a template (along with Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche) for DT’s Scenes From a Memory.
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Even though his voice was a lot deeper, I was always surprised at how much Steinhardt could sound like Walsh at times. There were many instances where I initially thought it was one singing and then it turned out to be the other guy. I think it was back when I assumed Steve Walsh did it all (before I really dug into the details of that kind of stuff), and they sounded similar enough at times to where it threw me off a bit.
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Kansas has a new album out called "The Absence of Presence" and it's really great!
If you liked their last album, "The Prelude Implicit" you will definitely like this one, it's even better. Some great playing on here and a lot of nice, memorable melodies. This vocalist has grown on me quite a bit.
I don't like to compare it to the Livgren/Walsh era because it's almost like a different band without those guys, but I don't really care. The music and the production, while a bit on the loud side for my tastes, is still pretty nice.
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I’ve been listening this album this week with more attention and it’s really good, worthy the Kansas’s name and better and proggier than Prelude, no doubt!
My only minor complaint, like Prelude, there isn’t a more rocker side of Kansas on it, any song with faster pacing. Even Freaks of Nature and Somewhere to Elsewhere have a few more agressive songs, for Kansas’s standarts.
A random commentary: The Song the River Sang is very cool and totally sounds like Yes! :o
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I haven't had the chance to listen to the new album yet (other than the singles that were released), but I wanted to mention their 2000 album Somewhere to Elsewhere. Absolutely one of my favorite Kansas albums ever, really in line with the great albums from the classic years.
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Hef, if you liked the last album The Prelude Implicit, the new album is a step up from that for sure.
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I haven't had the chance to listen to the new album yet (other than the singles that were released), but I wanted to mention their 2000 album Somewhere to Elsewhere. Absolutely one of my favorite Kansas albums ever, really in line with the great albums from the classic years.
Totally agree with that, amazing album!!!
I just made the comparision because it’s one of the more recent Kansas albums. Ok, maybe it wasn’t fair, because also it’s already 20 years younger compared to this last one. :o
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Damn, you're right! I still think of Somewhere to Elsewhere as one of the "new" Kansas albums. Which it is, relatively speaking, but at 20 years old, it's not exactly new any more.
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Damn, you're right! I still think of Somewhere to Elsewhere as one of the "new" Kansas albums. Which it is, relatively speaking, but at 20 years old, it's not exactly new any more.
I think that's the last studio album I have.
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"Look At The Time" and "Disappearing Skin tight Blues" are favorites of mine.
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An older friend of mine just gave me a burnt copy of The Absence of Presence. I think he thinks I'm into classic prog more than I actually am but this was a nice surprise. I don't know much about Kansas aside from their couple of bigger albums (Point of Know Return and Leftoverture, but I don't know them THAT well), so this will be a nice surprise, looking forward to playing it - if it's good enough maybe I'll jump into their discography.
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This is a different animal than their pre-2000 material, just FYI. If you go into it not expecting to hear "Point of Know Return 2" then you'll dig it.
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An older friend of mine just gave me a burnt copy of The Absence of Presence. I think he thinks I'm into classic prog more than I actually am but this was a nice surprise. I don't know much about Kansas aside from their couple of bigger albums (Point of Know Return and Leftoverture, but I don't know them THAT well), so this will be a nice surprise, looking forward to playing it - if it's good enough maybe I'll jump into their discography.
I hope you'll like it! This and their previous album, The Prelude Implicit, are pretty great modern prog albums with the kind of flair that only Kansas could add. There's some great music on this new album, though I'll admit having only listened to it a couple of times. If you like Absence Of Presence, definitely go back one album and check out The Prelude Implicit.
This is a different animal than their pre-2000 material, just FYI. If you go into it not expecting to hear "Point of Know Return 2" then you'll dig it.
Agreed, while they're Kansas in name, there are some differences between modern Kansas and their 70s hey-day, but what 70s prog rock band HASN'T changed even a little bit since the 70s? I think if you like the new stuff, definitely go back and listen to Kansas' first five albums (one of the best debut-to-five runs I can think of in rock, let alone prog rock).
-Marc.
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I’m in the same boat as Katt. I know the two big albums, but never explored the band any further, or kept up with them. Guess I need to fix that.
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Personally, I love the first three albums as much as the big two that followed them, so I think you'll be in good hands. It's Monolith and the 80s/90s stuff I'm not really familiar with. And perhaps I should fix that. :lol
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I’m in the same boat as Katt. I know the two big albums, but never explored the band any further, or kept up with them. Guess I need to fix that.
Power is a great AOR/prog album. You might like that.
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I’m in the same boat as Katt. I know the two big albums, but never explored the band any further, or kept up with them. Guess I need to fix that.
Power is a great AOR/prog album. You might like that.
If I didn't know better, I might have thought I was listening to Night Ranger! :lol That was a nice album.
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"Masque" and "Song for America" are must-haves other than "Leftoverture" of course, but if you really want to hear what Kansas was all about in their prime, get your hands on the recently released, expanded edition of their live album, "2 For The Show" - it's my favorite live album. Period. And it really showcases their talents as musicians. Yeah, they cleaned up a few things in the studio post-recording, but it's mostly just them playing live and the performances are incredible. I saw them live when The Prelude Implicit was released and they could still knock out those classic Kansas tunes and do them justice even though there's only 2 original members left.
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"Masque" and "Song for America" are must-haves other than "Leftoverture" of course, but if you really want to hear what Kansas was all about in their prime, get your hands on the recently released, expanded edition of their live album, "2 For The Show" - it's my favorite live album. Period. And it really showcases their talents as musicians. Yeah, they cleaned up a few things in the studio post-recording, but it's mostly just them playing live and the performances are incredible. I saw them live when The Prelude Implicit was released and they could still knock out those classic Kansas tunes and do them justice even though there's only 2 original members left.
The 2008 2-CD version of Two For The Show is *essential* Live Kansas listening. It's basically their Yessongs, their Welcome Back My Friends..., their Exit...Stage Left, their Seconds Out. The expanded edition covers a LOT of their tunes from their first five albums (25 out of 40 songs represented here), and while it isn't a traditional single live concert, it features some amazing performances and solo spots for many of the members of the band. It's definitely one of my favorite 70's prog live albums (along with the others I mentioned above).
-Marc.
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I really like Two for the Show, but I can't put it on the same level as Yessongs or Welcome Back, for one really nitpicky reason: They've edited the songs. I'm not talking about editing the recordings post-production; the band themselves have shortened the songs and made some editing choices that really bug me. "Song for America" is one my favorite Kansas songs, but they skip the musical break which describes the industrialization of America and just jump to the last verse. Opening the concert by playing most of the song doesn't really get me started on the right foot. "Carry On Wayward Son" -- another fave -- cuts out the awesome a capella intro, which is an important part of the song. And so on.
What they play, they play well. But I'd still want to hear the entire song. It's bad enough when studio versions are cut, but when the band themselves can't even be bothered to play their own songs, that's really bad. Yessongs and Welcome Back, in contrast, give us expanded versions of the songs. That's what live albums are all about.
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New album is AMZING! Can't believe they are still creating music that moves me so much. Almost had tears in my eyes listening to Never. After I completed the first spin, I wanted to hear the entire thing again.
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If you get a chance to see them live, do it. They were tight. The drummer, in particular, really impressed me. He's one of the two remaining original members.
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Finally got a chance to listen to the new album yesterday.
Wow, that was really good! I liked the last one too, but this was much better IMO.
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I'm not quite sure why, but it was way past my bedtime last night, yet I still decided to check this album out. I put on the first song and was immediately impressed by the production, how big it sounded, and especially how huge those drums sound! Wow. I didn't listen to the whole record, but I got through I think 5 songs, and was thoroughly - and pleasantly - surprised. And while I only know Leftoverture and POKR, it's not like I really know a lot about those records, so this was basically a total surprise. Going to finish it this morning.
Lyrically it's kind of corny but the playing on this truly surprises and impresses me; this does not sound like it's by a band whose heyday was in the 70s. The drummer especially - I can't believe he's 70 and playing some of the stuff on this. There are moments that make me listen to the drums and think, that's gotta be a much younger guy behind the kit. But nope. Wow.
Maybe I'll do a deep dive on this band and go through their discography this fall.
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I saw an interview with them a few months back and the drummer is now pretty much the band leader.
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This album is the unexpected surprise of the year. It was not even on my radar. I spin it every day and can't believe how pleasant it is to listen to. All of those early elements of classic Kansas are there but refined with age. Really remarkable how good it is.
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Bumping this before it hits the second page because I think more people should check this album out.
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I got the latest album and think it's pretty great, probably the best thing I've heard from Kansas since the 70's. I'm not exaggerating. It bothered me a bit at first that there aren't a lot of original members left, including the classic-era singers, composers, and... well, most of the band actually. But The Absence of Presence is pretty damned good. You can tell Zak Rizvi gets it. He's the primary writer on the album, most of the songs, most of the words and music. And the same things that I love about 70's Kansas is right here, and it's great. I wish the current Yes lineup sounded as great and was as comparable to 70's Yes as the new Kansas album is to 70's Kansas.
But now he's gone. Zak Rizvi has resigned from the band Kansas. (https://www.kansasband.com/the-band-kansas-announces-that-guitarist-zak-rizvi-has-resigned-and-that-he-looks-forward-to-pursuing-new-projects/)
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Crap.
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Aw man, that's a real bummer. Their last two albums have been some of their best work since their 70s heyday. I wonder how Rizvi's departure will alter the overall writing for the band if they make any more studio albums. Anyone know how long their current record deal with Inside Out goes? They've already done two albums, and are releasing their second live album with IO soon, so that's four altogether. I can't imagine they've got much more to go, but I don't know a whole lot about how those sorts of things work.
-Marc.
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For now, all hopes are on Tom Brislin. With Rizvi out, Brislin is the only one left who can really be considered a songwriter at all. I mean sure, some of the other guys might have some co-writing credits here and there, but Rizvi was the driving force until now. Brislin just joined a few years ago, so this was his first Kansas album, and he and Rizvi more-or-less split up the writing credits between them. Maybe they'll luck out a second time; what are the odds that there's another Zak Rizvi out there somewhere?
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The sad thing is, if you are another Zak Rizvi, rather than joining (what is perceived as) an old band where many fans will dismiss anything you do as "not as good as the old stuff," why not create your own band and create your own legacy? I am not as wild about the last two Kansas albums as some of you are - I think both have their moments, but neither had a long shelf life for me at all - but if Rizvi was that good and prolific, maybe he figures it is better for himself to go his own way and not be tied to another band's legacy for too long. Hard to know for sure.
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Dang, that sucks.
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Temporarily joining a legacy band could be a good way for any unknown up-and-coming musician to give a boost to their profile and add a notch to their resume. However, I say this not knowing anything about Zak. However, had he not been in Kansas I'd probably never have heard of the dude so....
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Zak's old band, 4Front, isn't bad. Kind of an accessible instrumental jazz-rock thing, made by guys who have obviously listened to a ton of Rush, and ... yes, Kansas.
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Well, that's a bummer. :(
So glad I got to see them live before he left.
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The sad thing is, if you are another Zak Rizvi, rather than joining (what is perceived as) an old band where many fans will dismiss anything you do as "not as good as the old stuff," why not create your own band and create your own legacy? I am not as wild about the last two Kansas albums as some of you are - I think both have their moments, but neither had a long shelf life for me at all - but if Rizvi was that good and prolific, maybe he figures it is better for himself to go his own way and not be tied to another band's legacy for too long. Hard to know for sure.
Its not easy just going out there and start your own legacy from scratch. Unfortunately, nobody gives a fuck about good young musicians nowadays. That's why members from many awesome bands still have other jobs, like teaching jobs or something completely different. And if you're offered to play with Kansas, you'd be a fool not to accept that.
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Being in Kansas and helping create two albums, both of which were well received, put Zak's name out there. I don't know if it was his long-term plan or what, but now that he's established some cred, he's going to try heading out on his own again. I can't blame him for that. It's just a bummer for Kansas fans because it really seemed to me that he "gets" Kansas. It's also a bit surprising because if I were him, I'd be very proud of that and want to continue with it. But we don't know anything about his decision to leave or anything that went into it or what's going on behind the scenes in the band (and we never will).
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Kansas seemed truly reinvigorated with Zak, released one good album and another one even stronger. So I was rooting for more Kansas albums with him. Let's hope that Kansas don't return to the nostalgia act status and, also, that Tom Brislim keeps that spark within the band and help them to continue releasing good albums (as he made great contribuitions on the last album).
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Interestingly, Brislin is in a somewhat similar situation, to me anyway. He first came on my radar touring with Yes on their Symphonic tour years ago. He covered parts originally played by Kaye, Wakeman, and Moraz, each fully respectful of the source material, and overall just did a great job. I've heard some of his solo stuff, and he's worked with a number of other legacy acts. He's the real reason why I checked out the new album. I liked what he and Zak did together, and as I said, it would now appear to fall to him, unless Kansas can pull another rabbit out of a hat.
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Like pretty much all things in life I have a feeling this came down to financial considerations.
He can only get paid on live performances (and they don't tour much at all) and sales of the two albums he was a part of and I'm sure that despite it being Kansas that ain't worth much either. Especially when it's being split among half a dozen people.
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It could be a financial matter, but sure it doesn't have anything to do with Kansas not touring. I follow Kansas in the Facebook and they are touring A LOT, at least since Ronnie Platt joined the band - They even came to Brazil in recent years! :D They are not touring now just because nobody is. But still: https://www.kansasband.com/tour-dates/
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I guess they have picked up the pace of touring quite a bit in the last several years. There was a very long drought, though, before The Prelude Implicit came out. But you're right, I had no idea they were doing THAT many dates.
I still have to believe this was a financial decision.
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The sad thing is, if you are another Zak Rizvi, rather than joining (what is perceived as) an old band where many fans will dismiss anything you do as "not as good as the old stuff," why not create your own band and create your own legacy? I am not as wild about the last two Kansas albums as some of you are - I think both have their moments, but neither had a long shelf life for me at all - but if Rizvi was that good and prolific, maybe he figures it is better for himself to go his own way and not be tied to another band's legacy for too long. Hard to know for sure.
Its not easy just going out there and start your own legacy from scratch. Unfortunately, nobody gives a fuck about good young musicians nowadays. That's why members from many awesome bands still have other jobs, like teaching jobs or something completely different. And if you're offered to play with Kansas, you'd be a fool not to accept that.
Agreed. And to clarify, when I said, "why not create your own band and create your own legacy," I meant that in the sense of what he could do right now at this point in time. Getting your name out there by playing in a legacy band with a good brand name is smart, and he may now feel it is more to his advantage, artistically and financially, to now go on his own.
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Zak's old band, 4Front, isn't bad. Kind of an accessible instrumental jazz-rock thing, made by guys who have obviously listened to a ton of Rush, and ... yes, Kansas.
I'd love it if that was his next move. I love 4-Front and have seen them live a few times. (Have a few albums too.) My Zak gateway of course was when he was in the Rush tribute Power Windows.
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https://www.loudersound.com/news/kansas-founding-member-robbie-steinhardt-dies-aged-71
Sad day for Kansas fans... RIP Robby.
-Marc.
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Sure is. R.I.P. Robbie.
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Damn, that is sad to hear. I will have to crank some classic Kansas today as a tribute. It has been a while.
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Nooo, sad news. I've been getting into Kansas these last couple of months, I'll be spinning some tonight.
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Ah man. That sucks.
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Damn, he was only 71 :(
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RIP. Bummer.
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
:tup
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
What made you skip those 4 Kev?
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
What made you skip those 4 Kev?
Probably the fact that they suck, for the most part.
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I checked out Kansas earlier this year, but decided to stop after Audio-Visions (1980). I noticed a significant drop in quality with that album. The 70s is enough greatness for me.
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
What made you skip those 4 Kev?
Probably the fact that they suck, for the most part.
I personally like Vinyl Confessions & Power.
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There are a handful of songs I like from those four albums combined, especially Rainmaker from In the Spirit of Things, but I didn't have it in me to struggle through those four albums, one after another. Plus, as I have mentioned prior, I do these deep dives in conjunction with a friend, and we discuss the albums daily (for fun, it helps break up the work day), and I thought I would spare him the tragedy of that era (he was largely unfamiliar with the band outside of the big hits until now). :lol
Styx or Bowie is next (we have not decided which way to go yet). :hat :hat
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
What made you skip those 4 Kev?
Probably the fact that they suck, for the most part.
I personally like Vinyl Confessions & Power.
Someone had to.
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Did a recent deep dive through most of the Kansas discography (skipped the four albums from 1982-1988), which I had not done in forever. :coolio :coolio
The debut is definitely way better than I realized before, and while still not a standout, I enjoyed The Prelude Implicit quite a bit more than I did before.
What made you skip those 4 Kev?
Probably the fact that they suck, for the most part.
I personally like Vinyl Confessions & Power.
Someone had to.
:getoffmylawn:
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I checked out Kansas earlier this year, but decided to stop after Audio-Visions (1980). I noticed a significant drop in quality with that album. The 70s is enough greatness for me.
I did the same thing! I stopped at that record too back in the 90s when I was getting into the band. However, recently after Robby died I marathoned all the Kansas records and I was surprised at how much stronger Audio-Visions sounds to me now than it did back the day. It was enough to convince me to go ahead and get the 80s stuff and fill the holes in my collection. And I must confess, I really enjoy Vinyl Confessions. IMO it's just as good as the latest one The Absence of Presence. There's only one or two tracks on it I dislike -- I skip the first two cuts. Yeah Drastic Measures OTOH is pretty slim pickings, but I still liked 2 or 3 songs. Conversely, Power is solid with only 2 or 3 songs that I skip. In the Spirit of Things suffers from too many cuts from outside songwriters that are really bland and generic, but still has some great cuts (Rainmaker, Bells of St James). I'm glad I didn't totally write off 80s Kansas. There's enough good stuff on those records to populate a decent sized playlist IMO.
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I checked out Kansas earlier this year, but decided to stop after Audio-Visions (1980). I noticed a significant drop in quality with that album. The 70s is enough greatness for me.
I did the same thing! I stopped at that record too back in the 90s when I was getting into the band. However, recently after Robby died I marathoned all the Kansas records and I was surprised at how much stronger Audio-Visions sounds to me now than it did back the day. It was enough to convince me to go ahead and get the 80s stuff and fill the holes in my collection. And I must confess, I really enjoy Vinyl Confessions. IMO it's just as good as the latest one The Absence of Presence. There's only one or two tracks on it I dislike -- I skip the first two cuts. Yeah Drastic Measures OTOH is pretty slim pickings, but I still liked 2 or 3 songs. Conversely, Power is solid with only 2 or 3 songs that I skip. In the Spirit of Things suffers from too many cuts from outside songwriters that are really bland and generic, but still has some great cuts (Rainmaker, Bells of St James). I'm glad I didn't totally write off 80s Kansas. There's enough good stuff on those records to populate a decent sized playlist IMO.
Okay, but that is not much of a selling point, though. :P
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I checked out Kansas earlier this year, but decided to stop after Audio-Visions (1980). I noticed a significant drop in quality with that album. The 70s is enough greatness for me.
I did the same thing! I stopped at that record too back in the 90s when I was getting into the band. However, recently after Robby died I marathoned all the Kansas records and I was surprised at how much stronger Audio-Visions sounds to me now than it did back the day. It was enough to convince me to go ahead and get the 80s stuff and fill the holes in my collection. And I must confess, I really enjoy Vinyl Confessions. IMO it's just as good as the latest one The Absence of Presence. There's only one or two tracks on it I dislike -- I skip the first two cuts. Yeah Drastic Measures OTOH is pretty slim pickings, but I still liked 2 or 3 songs. Conversely, Power is solid with only 2 or 3 songs that I skip. In the Spirit of Things suffers from too many cuts from outside songwriters that are really bland and generic, but still has some great cuts (Rainmaker, Bells of St James). I'm glad I didn't totally write off 80s Kansas. There's enough good stuff on those records to populate a decent sized playlist IMO.
Okay, but that is not much of a selling point, though. :P
:lol
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I've said it before and I say it again: I really like In The Spirit Of Things, imo it's a great record with one or two skippable tracks.
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I've said it before and I say it again: I really like In The Spirit Of Things, imo it's a great record with one or two skippable tracks.
Really? Which ones do you skip? Still new to this album (got it a couple weeks back) and happy for any advice.
I was really surprised to see it was released in 88. Seen this one for cheap in CD shops back in the day, and always just sort of assumed it came out later (round 89-90) probably due to the number of songs on it. 12 tracks was not the common thing yet in 88.
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I don't really skip tracks, but for me I Counted On Love and Once In A Lifetime are the weakest tracks.
Ghosts, One Big Sky, Rainmaker and Bells Of Saint James are the standout tracks.
And I don't care if the tracks aren't all written by members of Kansas or outside writers. A good song is a good song and a bad song is a bad song, regardless of who's written it.
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I don't really skip tracks, but for me I Counted On Love and Once In A Lifetime are the weakest tracks.
Ghosts, One Big Sky, Rainmaker and Bells Of Saint James are the standout tracks.
And I don't care if the tracks aren't all written by members of Kansas or outside writers. A good song is a good song and a bad song is a bad song, regardless of who's written it.
Well that's all good and more Power to you man! :tup Wait.. that's a different record. :P But seriously...thanks for offering your opinion. :)
I revisited this one last night and I think out of all the songs that were not Walsh/Morse/(Ezrin), I found that only One Big Sky is tolerable. The rest you can throw away. Hell, even Counted On Love (not a great tune by any measure!) is less offensive to my ears than any of the writing they farmed out to industry jobsmiths. IMO take off all the songs by outside writers (with the exception of One Big Sky) and you have a decent group of songs.
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Robby Steinhardt posthumous solo album – Not in Kansas Anymore (Album Review)
https://progreport.com/robby-steinhardt-not-in-kansas-anymore-album-review/
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Wow, that review really sold me on the album. I was on the fence about even checking it out, though I figured I would eventually.
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Kansas announce new violin player Joe Deninzon
https://www.loudersound.com/news/kansas-announce-new-violin-player-joe-deninzon