Kansas

[KevShmev]

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.

[jammindude]

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?

[Orbert]

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.

[Kwyjibo]

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    ) 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.

[pg1067]

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.

[KevShmev]

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    ) 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.

[Samsara]

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.

[T-ski]

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    ) 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.

[The Letter M]

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.

[Orbert]

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.

[Fritzinger]

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 

[hefdaddy42]

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!

[The Letter M]

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.

[EPICVIEW]

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

[bl5150]

Yep........sounds like it will pack a punch! 

[Fritzinger]

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 

[devieira73]

https://open.spotify.com/track/6GWHnpREZMNGd1uGYa6Zua?si=ECUE93bKS3W_--_PFnqO3Q
New song

[Fritzinger]

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.

[Lowdz]

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.

[Podaar]

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! 

[Fritzinger]

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! 

I was thinking the same thing  Maybe the prominent use of the violin created this association 

[Lowdz]

The early stuff sounds folky enough to put me off - maybe the acoustic stuff and hippiness  . 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?

[Orbert]

The early stuff definitely has a folk influence.  Lots of two-part harmonies, acoustic guitar, violin.

[Podaar]

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.

[Lowdz]

It's as easy t describe music in words as it is colours 

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. 

[King Postwhore]

Which Greatest Hits so we can have more controversy?!

[Lowdz]

  What's DTF for if not controversy

[King Postwhore]

 

There was a remaster of that Greatest hits with 4 songs added.  This dummy bought both.  LOL

[Lowdz]

I actually own this one though

[King Postwhore]

I've got a box set that cool.  Has an extra song "Wheels" that I saw them play live.  Never was on an album.

[KevShmev]

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.

[Ben_Jamin]

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.

[MinistroRaven]

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

[Orbert]

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.

[Podaar]

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.