Kansas Albums (21)
What The Critics Say
Fans of Kansas circa their heady Leftoverture and Point of Know Return period should be forewarned -- the group's 2006 double-disc set, Works in Progress, is a live recording that focuses strictly on the years 1992 though 2002. In other words, you won't find any undiscovered gems from when Kansas were an arena rock force in the '70s. That said, Kansas still sound as "grand" as ever. Frustratingly, there is very little information as to where these live tracks originated from -- except that the liner notes mention that the second disc/DVD contains tracks from a June 15, 2002, performance. Still, a handful of tracks that you still hear today on classic rock radio rear their heads -- especially symphonic rock versions of "Hold On" and "Dust in the Wind" -- as well as the lesser-known but just as bombastic tracks "Freaks of Nature" and "I Can Fly." The playing and renditions are what you'd expect from Kansas, yet with little information to go on and an exorbitant amount of live albums already released by the band, Works in Progress will only appeal to hardcore fans. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'From the Front Row...Live!'
Release Date 6/3/2003
Tracks 12
Label Silverline
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Greatest Hits Live'
Release Date 5/20/2003
Tracks 12
Label King Biscuit Flower
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What The Critics Say
Depending on whom you ask, Kansas are either road warriors who have penned quite a few classic rock radio standards or prog rock at its most overblown. Either way, the band has stuck to its guns throughout. Seemingly always on the road, the group was the subject of a King Biscuit Flower Hour concert recording in Philadelphia during 1989, which serves as the basis for Greatest Hits Live. This was during the era when guitar wiz Steve Morse was a member, and as evidenced by the top-notch playing throughout, the Kansas boys definitely found the right man for the job. Included are such Kansas classics as "Carry On Wayward Son," "Dust in the Wind," and "Point of Know Return," and since the group was touring in support of its In the Spirit of Things release at the time, you get a sample of such then-current tracks as "One Big Sky" and the instrumental "T.O. Witcher." Even though it wasn't recorded during their '70s peak, Greatest Hits Live still manages to capture Kansas in all their bombastic glory. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Device, Voice, Drum'
Release Date 10/8/2002
Tracks 19
Label Compendia
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'Somewhere to Elsewhere'
Release Date 7/11/2000
Tracks 11
Label Magna Carta
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What The Critics Say
Kansas' 2000 album Somewhere to Elsewhere is notable because it's the first recording by the original six members in almost 20 years. Joining vocalist Steve Walsh, guitarist Richard Williams, vocalist/violinist Robby Steinhardt, longtime bassist Billy Greer, and drummer Phil Ehart are original guitarist/keyboardist Kerry Livgren and original bassist Dave Hope. Livgren wrote all ten songs. Somewhere to Elsewhere features the innovative dynamics, and long songs, of Kansas' early work while maintaining a crisply modern production sound. "Icarus II" is a marvelously intricate epic about bomber pilots; the bright piano and violin lines give way to blistering heavy metal guitar symbolizing a bombing attack. "When the World Was Young" is a groovy rocker with Walsh contributing a broad range of vocal tones. The richly moving "The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis)" alternates between subdued and bombastic passages with Steinhardt's violin leading the way. The complex, nine-minute "Myriad" is arguably the most "progressive rock" moment on the album. Greer gets his first ever Kansas lead vocal on the easygoing "Look at the Time." Steinhardt sings on "Disappearing Skin Tight Blues," an unusual song with clever but uncharacteristic rhyming lyrics and '50s-like vocal group harmonies. "Distant Vision," another nine-minute piece, features Livgren's trademark: spiritual lyrics. "Not Man Big" has an oddly powerful, loose tempo and bitter lyrics about human folly. A short, goofy singalong acoustic studio jam is included as a hidden bonus track. Technology directly affected the recording of Somewhere to Elsewhere in a rather unsettling way. Walsh wasn't in the studio with the rest of the band. He was also working on a solo album at the time so he burned his vocals on CDs and traded them back and forth with Livgren. Portions of the album's profits will be donated to the World War II Memorial Fund. ~ Bret Adams, All Music Guide
'King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents'
Release Date 10/20/1998
Tracks 12
Label King Biscuit
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What The Critics Say
Recorded at Philadelphia's Tower Theater on Valentine's Day 1989, King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents captures the latter-day Steve Morse lineup of Kansas -- and may even be a better way to get a representative idea of that group's sound than their somewhat uneven studio albums. This show dates from the supporting tour for In the Spirit of Things, the lineup's second album (Power being the first), and it captures the band in generally good form, although lead singer Steve Walsh's voice has begun to show signs of wear and tear. The newer songs are chosen and performed very well, and it's interesting to hear Morse weave his own flair into the classic hits from the old days. While not the definitive Kansas concert album, it's certainly a worthwhile one for fans. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
'Always Never the Same'
Release Date 5/19/1998
Tracks 13
Label Platinum
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What The Critics Say
Always Never the Same... is the first strong album of the Kansas '90s comeback. Largely recorded at Abbey Road, with large portions of the album featuring strings by the London Symphony Orchestra, the record mainly consists of older material given new, sweeping symphonic treatments. These songs don't necessarily sound fresh, but they do sound revitalized, and the group's three new songs -- "The Sky is Falling," "In Your Eyes," "Need to Know" -- fit well into the group's repertoire, as does their overblown rendition of "Eleanor Rigby." The fusion of the orchestra and the rock works pretty well, even if it's a stretch to call this symphonic. It's an album for hardcore fans, but that's all that's left in 1998, and they'll be very pleased with this record. ~ Daevid Jehnzen, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Unbalanced. This record should have been what the small but rabid masses of Kansas fans had been waiting for, but for some reason it misses. Every moment of greatness on this record is accompanied with a conspicuous flaw. "I Can Fly" -- a revisitation of Kansas' recurrent "Icarus" theme -- opens the disc with an exciting violin line and a soaring vocal sounding strong and fresh. Enter the drums -- precise, thick, and metrical, or in other words clunky -- invoking a feel for the song about as far from "flight" as is possible. Other songs fall prey to the excesses of '80s anthemic rock ("Hope Once Again"). Other embarrassing tracks such as "Under the Knife" or "Black Fathom 4" make an attempt at a dark, disturbing mood but come off like B movies in execution. Original member Kerry Livgren contributes the song "Cold Grey Morning," which, sad to say, is not one of his best. Taken solely in terms of the performances, however, the record is astonishingly good. Arrangements are well-layered and complex. Each player plays with stunning virtuosity. Notable is David Ragsdale's violin -- every bit as good as Steinhardt's playing. ~ Mark W.B. Allender, All Music Guide
'Live at the Whisky'
Release Date 7/23/1992
Tracks 14
Label Intersound
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This long awaited release from the reformed Kansas band, featuring new violinist David Ragsdale, suffers from two major problems. First, Steve Walsh' voice is pretty well shot. On a good day, he can still belt it out like he always could. This recording was not made on a good day. Those pipes of his have been abused for too long. Secondly, this recording is, for the most part, a live recording of Best of Kansas. Kansas fans are like Grateful Dead fans on a smaller scale. They want to hear the obscure stuff. They have long since gotten used to the hits; they are waiting -- hopelessly waiting -- to hear a live version of Walsh singing a John Elefante song. Or Ragsdale's violin on the Steve Morse songs. What they wouldn't give to hear the band do "Stay Out of Trouble" or "Belexes." On this recording they play it as safe as they have for the past decade. The hits sound great, just like they always have -- and the fans are used to that. Founding member Kerry Livgren makes an appearance, but we can't see him on the disc and, unlike his songwriting, his playing isn't all that distinctive -- for all we know it might not even be him. The real treasure here is the bonus track, "Lonely Street," recorded in 1975 at the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland -- nice, cool, and mellow, with a few surprises in the middle. A nice coda to an otherwise mediocre recording. ~ Mark W. B. Allender, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Kansas stood apart from their peers, since they were an American band that dared play on the epic scale of such English art rockers as Genesis. Consequently, Kansas is a truly weird hybrid of British pomp, doggedly artistic concept, and arena boogie, all served up with more violin than there is flute on a Jethro Tull album. It's hard not to admire their blatant ambition in one sense, since few bands try as hard as Kansas do here. Still, there're a lot of scales and arpeggios, galloping triplets, dramatic organ, and stately ballads that signify nothing and go nowhere. Since it's as grounded in boogie as it is in art, the group never gets as weird as their more interesting counterparts, but that reliance on arena rock does make them unique. But uniqueness isn't the same as good, or even interesting listening, even if Kansas remains a period piece like no other. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
