Listening to Kansas: Point Of Know Return, Part 2
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Thank you Diane for another brilliant selection!
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This was NOT DATED at the time. It was cutting edge. Flawless production and sound quality. The double tracked, Marshall guitar tone at the end of Sparks of the Tempest blew my mind at the time. And the synth voicings were out of this world for the late 70s - really among the best of the analog synth period. Kansas was always trying to bridge what might be played on the radio. So their prog was a bit more accessible and the songs shorter.
Of course it wasn’t, nothing is dated at the time. There’s a saying that “nothing gets older quicker than a new sound”… think about orchestra stabs and sampled nnnnnnnn nineteen!
Definitely worth a full listen-through.
You need to hear the remake of ‘The Portrait (He Knew)’ on Kerry Livgren’s solo album “Prime Mover” ( I think that’s the one. Just google it). Anyway, it’s rearranged, re-recorded and much more on the side of rock and how it should’ve sounded. Bonus: now it’s about Jesus Christ instead of Albert Einstein. So good. Also, you’ll be glad you reacted to Kerry Livgren’s first solo album, ‘Seeds Of Change’. A masterpiece. Plus you can hear Dio sing on two songs…’The Mask Of The Great Deceiver’ and ‘To Live For The King’. Masterpiece of a record and it goes right along with Kansas (of course). God bless and Progressive Rock on!
Seeds of change is a great solo album, bought it right after it came out. The other singers are doing a great job, too.... only Kerry himself is ... different... but that's part of the fun doing your own stuff.😂
Schemer Dreamer, Steve Walsh's first solo album is also a must have ... his voice gave me chills back then and still does. I listen frequently to this and the 70s Kansas albums, with Song for America being my favourite and Lamplight Symphony my alltime favourite Kansas song. I think I can say, no bad song on any of the albums of this period. I don't listen to the albums of the "Elephante-era" and hardly to the 80s stuff after Steve returned. Saw them live in 88, which was pretty good, but didn't come close to my first Kansas concert in 81 ... they weren't in Germany very often ... The 90s Freaks of Nature was a surprise and I also like Somewhere to elsewhere.
Writing this makes me feel like I have to listen to this old stuff right away 😆🤘
@rudolphbecker…You’re so right, the other singers did a great job on KL’s solo record as well. Thanks for the song suggestions for Kansas and Steve Walsh’s solo album. I’ll definitely give them a listen and discover some new favorites. I used to have all of Kansas’ original albums and wish I kept them, as so many others who regret dumping their album collections. I saw Kansas in concert during the ‘Power’ album tour, in Kansas! Great show. And album. I like the Elefante era as well. God bless and Rock on.
Thanks Jim! When you read that intro about musicianship inconsistencies blah, blah, blah I was a little worried! But I knew you would listen without that influencing your reaction. One of the first albums I bought myself for the radio hit Dust in the Wind. Upon listening I discovered the other songs on the album resulting in the beginning of my musical journey and my lifelong obsession away from what everyone else is listening to. Glad you enjoyed it.
Of course I did…. You have impeccable taste!
Hi Diane, my "sister-in-obsession" to listen to music, which not everyone else is listening to ... as you probably realized in my former requests and mixtapes.
I can tell you, there's more "unknown" stuff coming, as Jim has another 2 cast iron requests and 2 mixtapes of me "on hold" 😆 I always appreciate your comments👍🤘 greetings from Germany on a rainy Friday morning ... being off work, wife at work. That gives me a whole day for listening to music 😀
@@rudolfbecker4313 Hello from the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan! I'm looking forward to listening to your selections. Enjoy your day of wonder!!
I could say something thoughtful about this album and your review thereof, but instead I think I know the ABBA song you were reminded of by that piano section: S.O.S.
I remember buying this album just a day or two before moving from Maryland to Texas in 1978 the summer before starting high school. I had already heard and loved Leftoverture and Kansas was now cemented into my lineup of favorites.
... and then you also bought the older albums ? 😆 If I only had money for 1 album, it had to be Song For America 🤘
Many more treasures to find, on all their earlier albums, as well. Thanks for allowing me to re-live hearing all of this great music for the first time through you. Love your reactions. 🎸
Thank you
For some reason my comments aren't sticking. I'll try again here. Important album for 10 year old me. Still top 10 for me of 70s albums.
Dust In the Wind had a long life on the radio well into the 90s.
How odd….. I did see an earlier comment but not sure if it’s still there!
I remember, back in the day trying to convince my more "snobbier" prog fan friends about how much fun this album was/is..... It didn't work. But 40 odd years later it appears I was absolutely right...... What a great record! X
Thank you for playing this. Been considering trying some Kansas, so the timing was just right.
Hi Jim,
I see a very happy Jim so you like it 😅
Normally I prefer European progrock bands from that era, just because I like their music more, but Kansas is an exception; they are good, at least this and the previous albums.
good morning Will ... same with me ... Kansas ist the best American progrock band. 70s being their peak, but the 90s Freaks of Nature was pretty good and I also like the "comeback" album of 2000, Somewhere to elsewhere. Real Kansas is only Kansas with Steve Walsh 🤘
I don't know if there's any truth to it, but legend has it that Dust in the Wind started off just as a guitar finger exercise to warm up before a gig.
Nothing takes me back to being a six year old in the back of dad's Impala faster than that song, or maybe Carry on Wayward Son.
I think something that helped Dust become so popular is it was capable of hopping several radio genres. I know I heard it on rock, pop and country stations as a kid.
It's true. Livgren told this in one of Kansas documentaries. It wasn't a warming up exercise though, Kerry just wanted to teach himself some finger picking style, he came up with this theme in his kitchen, his wife was doing laundry, heard it and said that it sounded great.
@@nicksm7980 Thanks for clarifying. Cool story either way. 😁
@@MaraxisArcanist You need to see the Documentary: "Miracles Out of Nowhere" with that story and more :).
@@nicksm7980 The kitchen is not only a place to create great food ... 😆
So being 6 in 1977 makes you a "younger" guy 😆 Did you ever buy one of their records or was it too "soft" for you ? Listening to your requests, I wonder what was your path into nowadays music ... Amorphis etc. ?
Don't think you said which album is missing form your box, but you definitely need all of (at least) the first 5 Kansas albums - don't sleep on their most recent one (The Absence of Presence from 2020) either, a true late-career highlight!
I actually enjoy the albums between Monolith and the most recent. "Freak of Nature" has some of their most heaviest tracks including some beautiful songs. The last album with the original line-up "Somewhere to Elsewhere" as a few amazing tracks too (the heavy riffs in "Icarus II" always gives me chills, and the lyrical content as well).
@@Pirates_of_the_Underground_I oh absolutely, didn't want to overwhelm the poor chap, but I'm a fan of all eras of this band (have a Somewhere to Elsewhere track on me own wee channel as it happens).
Obody’s Home
👍❤
I agree that going backward in their discography from here is probably best. I would actually even love to see someone react to their debut - it doesn't get nearly as much attention as Leftoverture and Point. And it actually has some gems on it though it didn't generate any radio airplay. But it was a great introduction and worth a listen.
If you’re going backward, I would start with Monolith which I think is the last really great Kansas album. (It also has my all time favourite album cover!). From then on the highlights are fewer and fewer, as is the case with most prog bands into the eighties
And forward one, to Monolith.
Audio-Visions has some great songs on it too - Curtain Of Iron, Back Door, No One Together, and Relentless.
@@philsmith2444 Monolith is my fave album. But I also really enjoy Audio-Visions as well among the classic albums (and their debut). Kerry in his book said that "No One Together" was the hardest track to put together, being that he writes songs like a composer for symphonies.
@@Pirates_of_the_Underground_I I’d have to say Masque is my favorite based solely on having Icarus and The Pinnacle. But their earlier albums seem to be less consistent, i.e., Masque also having It Takes A Woman’s Love.
❤❤❤
Kansas are surely better known (in the UK at least) for Carry on Wayward Son, Jim. Having sat through this era, that was the only Kansas track to make a major impact on my brain at the time though, had they toured here more than just the odd show, I suspect that they would have been much bigger.
Yeah carry on wayward son is probably their most famous song over here in England
But they don't get much air play on "classic rock" radio or magazines
American here -- I always thought "Carry On Wayward Son" was their most famous song, but I guess the numbers say otherwise. I think Carry On Wayward Son is a better tune myself. My favorite Kansas tune for sure, and I'm not sure I can say "Dust In The Wind" is even my second favorite.
Hi Ken, as it seems that Kansas was not so successful in the UK, I "asked" one of my preferred sources for informations : set list fm and could only find
4 concert dates ... which I can hardly believe 🤔 To compare : 85 concerts between 78 and 2014 in Germany.. of which I saw 2 in 81 and 89, as I was a big fan of Kansas.
I think just like other bands, which were so successful in their homecountry, they didn't feel like they have to travel overseas to promote their records.
Other artists who confirm this theory are Styx, who played 90% of their concerts in the USA, Foreigner 80%, Journey 80%.
What do you think ?
Not too familiar with Kansas
But their 70s stuff reminds me of a mix of classic rock prog and slight pop
Most songs combine those elements into 5 minutes rather than 20 min epics
A mix of yes ELP with a hint of free/bad company
They can really do just about anything, check out “Down The Road” for some good ol’ Molly Hatchet-style boogie.
@@philsmith2444 And "Lonely Street".
@@Pirates_of_the_Underground_I one of the best blues rock songs I know ... so intense in lyrics and presentation 🤘
Portrait is about Einstein and Closet Chromicles is about Howard Hughes...
Didn't know this, thanks.
Aw heck! I was gonna' write my comment tomorrow and ask him to listen a few more times to guess what those 2 tracks are about 😉.
The review calling the sound of this album dated? They could say that about all the prog albums from the seventies.
This was my fourth Kansas LP. But even though it has some great compositions it was always Nr 3 or 4 in my personal Ranking. Song for America and Leftoverture are better IMO. Another reason why I didn't listen to it too often is the Sound. My LP simply didn't have the great Sound of the other 2 records. Even the remastered CD is soundwise not so good, I don't know what the Sound engineers made different😮 All albums of the first period with Livgren and Walsh are great, but I hope for Song for America and Monolith next.
Hi Rudi!
If we could get him the "Albums"/LP's to have the whole package deal, especially with Point of, Monolith (my fave album :) and Audio-Visions. I hope to write my stand alone comment on Side 1 and Side 2 tomorrow.
- Tony/mvunit3
@@Pirates_of_the_Underground_I Hi Tony , old pirate :-) good to see you here. I'm looking forward to your comments. I think, I can find out, which CD is missing of the 5, and Monolith is a must. Angels Have Fallen was in my last Nick marathon in Feb 2023. Maybe this Friday Jim will have my Covers-mixtape... I'm already "working" on Nr 2 and 3
Kansas was not English, Canadian or Italian progressive but American progressive rock. It has its own unique sound and influences. Not better or worse just Kansas..
Kansas was part of the progressive rock wave that was the soundtrack for my high school years when it all started in the mid 70s. This, Pink Floyd (of course. “Dark Side of the Moon” was pretty new. Can you imagine?) Yes, Genesis “Seconds Out” (still in my all time top 10. PLEASE do this!) & ELPs “Brain Salad Surgery” made me who I am today musically. A Devin Townsend fanatic. ))
I saw the tour for this one & “Leftoverture”. They curiously opened with “Hopelessly Human” because I remember Robby Steinhardt playing the chimes at the end. Sadly, they became kind of bloated with success after this & there was band tension so the next releases were good, but not as good for sure. So if you do more Kansas, go backwards or the “Two For The Show” live album.
On “Seconds Out”, this was the first post-Gabriel release with Phil taking over as frontman for a 2 album live release. The live version of “Suppers Ready” is phenomenal. Please keep it in mind. I think it would instantly become one of your all-time faves as well.
Thank you SO much for your excellent reactions. And good question - when the heck IS the revolution?? Ooh! Just had a great idea for a video for you! “Soundtrack to the Revolution”. It would get a lot of very active participation & votes for content, I can guarantee that! First ones to come to mind are “Cult of Personality”, anything Rage Against the Machine and “Lunatic Fringe” which are eerily prescient in seeing today’s toxic political environment.
Sorry to go on so long. This is just one of my favorite subjects and there are few people that get it like you do. Peace, my friend.
What's the problem with fadeouts ?