FEATURED ALBUM: Kansas - Always Never The Same

[Poisoned Youth]

This "covers" album was released in 1998, now 20 years ago. Given their classic catalog and their critically acclaimed album from last year, how does this album fit into the canon of Kansas music? And how does it rank with other groups reviving their back catalog by re-recording their older work?



Review from ProgArchives:

Many bands have released compilation albums with a Symphony Orchestra with different results, some good, some terrible, but the logic choice to attempt this is KANSAS, being that the massive use of violin and fluid Symphonic arrangements, makes the idea of enhancing the Classical approach of their music with an orchestra a logical choice.

It's also important to notice that they did it in the right moment, the band had suffered the terrible Elefante years when they lost a huge part of their fanbase (as well as Walsh and Steinhardt), and only with "Freaks of Nature" started to recover the lost path, so they needed their 70's glorious stuff in a new costume to rescue the interest of the people in the band, and "Always Never the Same" fulfilled the purpose, the voice spread and people knew that Steve and Robbie were back and playing good old stuff with a couple of new songs, so the mood was prepared to accept them again something that consolidated two years later with the release of "Somewhere to Elsewhere".

Now, going to the album I must say that the orchestration is absolutely tasteful they avoid long artificial intros and codas like in "Days of Future Passed" because KANSAS doesn't require it, while THE MOODY BLUES had to create a Symphonic atmosphere on POP tracks, KKANSAS material is Symphonic enough "per se" and the London Symphony Orchestra is there to enhance the already existing atmosphere, adding only what is necessary-

The band had to make the songs a bit slower in order to adapt a more complete sound, and tame a bit the usually frenetic performances of Phil Ehart and Rich Williams, in other words they sacrificed the hard edge for a more Classical approach.

Some people are surprised by the abrupt start of "Eleanor Rigby", but that's the best option they had, the orchestra could work in the body of the song and allow the band to start it as a Rock song.

A track that I wanted to listen with an orchestra was "Dust in the Wind", normally I press the skip button because the track has saturated me, but the new arrangements made their most popular song sound fresh and original.

Another high point is in "Song for America", being that the strings are played in a lower volume than the horns and flutes, allowing Robbie Steinhardt to be almost a soloist without affecting the essence of the song

The only track I don't like too much is my favourite KANSAS song "Miracles Out of Nowhere", being that the orchestra kills the natural atmosphere and they sacrifice the Rock essence , which is an integral part of the melody.

Despite the´obvious vocal problems of Steve Walsh, "Always Never the Same" is a very good album and an interesting experiment that we will see again on October 13 when their new Symphonic CVD is released.

My rating would be 3.5 stars, but being that this is impossible in Prog Archives, will go with 4.- Ivan Melgar M

[Steve983]

Big Kansas fan here but I found this album very disappointing, in fact I sold my copy!

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

haven't listened to it since I first bought it. I thought it was a new Kansas album for some reason and was not expecting an orchestral renditions album. It did not work for me at the time... a revisit would be in order

[SteveSly]

At the time we were starved for any new music from one of my favorite bands. I bought it the day it was released. I don't really love it or hate it, although I have not listened to it in years. Some of the songs worked better with the orchestra than others.

[Vic2012]

I had it and got rid of it. I'd gotten so tired of Rock bands and orchestras and just ditched it. I got rid of Magnification too. Just weak.

[Sean]

I like the originals Steve wrote for this. The tour was pretty cool too. I enjoyed hearing Nobody's Home for the first time live.

[the ferret]

I like the originals Steve wrote for this. The tour was pretty cool too. I enjoyed hearing Nobody's Home for the first time live.

I like the new songs as well. Very solid. Never liked Eleanor Rigby but the version here is surprisingly palatable. I agree with the reviewer's views about the abrupt start.

As to the Kansas material, Hold On, Nobody's Home & Cheyenne Anthem, in particular, suited this treatment and the rest bobble along happily enough.

I'd give this 4.5/5

[battema]

Minor fun aside...

My (prior) band opened for them when they came through Richmond on this tour. We'd done opening spots for some other "sorta known but not as big as they once were bands" like 38 Special, even Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Many of those bands were kind of dicks about things, still very much "we are a big deal, and expect to be treated as such."

I was never a huge Kansas fan and while I knew their hits, I couldn't pick them from a lineup or anything. We had finished our soundcheck and I was just kind of mulling around when this scruffy dude comes over and starts shooting the breeze with me about the weather, the town, whatever. It wasn't until afterwards that I realized I'd been essentially hanging with Robbie Steinhardt for a couple of minutes. He was easily the most down-to-earth and friendly "celebrity" I'd ever encountered. He never once made a thing about who he was or treated me like anyone other than just another dude.

I'm still not the world's biggest Kansas fan, but I've always really appreciated that encounter. It was just really nice and I'll always respect him -- and a bit by extension, them -- for how it played out.

[ThomasKDye]

I keep forgetting this album exists. The new songs aren't that great ("Need to Know" is okay when I think about it but it doesn't stay with me) and the rest of it feels unnecessary. Kind of a shame they squandered Robbie's return to the band in this way (although he was on "Somewhere to Elsewhere," a much more important album).

[miamiscot]

It's right up there with the Kansas Christmas album.
Oh wait, this one's a real thing?

[happytheman]

I keep forgetting this album exists. "Somewhere to Elsewhere," a much more important album).

I didn't even know this album existed.. Now Somewhere to Elsewhere.. that was a nice return to form for sure

[arturs]

Whenever I buy a (relatively) mainstream rock cd, and it doesn't click with me on the big home stereo or the iPod, I spin it in the car for a few weeks. The car did wonders for Somewhere to Elsewhere and Native Window for example. I still think StE is pretty great after all these years. But anyway I did this with Always Never the Same, and it still did nothing for me. The classics are better as originals, the new stuff didn't click at all, and Eleanor Rigby was just ok.

[Ozricale]

I thought this album was a missed opportunity. I like Eleanor Rigby but the originals I found uninspired. My favorite track is Song For America, I think the orchestra is integrated very well and really elevates the song. Other highlights for me are Dust In The Wind and the new arrangement of Hold On. The rest is just okay. I saw the tour with the orchestra which was great.

[Man In The Mountain]

A few of the orchestral arrangements as mentioned by others are great. Song For America, Hold On, Dust... I really enjoyed this a lot when it came out, though funny enough I played it very recently and found it to be rather "meh" and Walsh makes it sound a bit cheesy. That said, the concert tour was tremendous. I saw Kansas with orchestra at Ravinia in Chicago in 97, and man that was one mother-F'ing great show. So damn tight, Ehart was incredible, and so great to have Robbie back in the fold - not really for violin, but really for the vocals. To me, he really locks in the Kansas sound. That's something nobody brings up with the current line-up. You have a Walsh substitute, but Robbie handled more vocals than given credit, and it's totally missing.

[miamiscot]

A few of the orchestral arrangements as mentioned by others are great. Song For America, Hold On, Dust... I really enjoyed this a lot when it came out, though funny enough I played it very recently and found it to be rather "meh" and Walsh makes it sound a bit cheesy. That said, the concert tour was tremendous. I saw Kansas with orchestra at Ravinia in Chicago in 97, and man that was one mother-F'ing great show. So damn tight, Ehart was incredible, and so great to have Robbie back in the fold - not really for violin, but really for the vocals. To me, he really locks in the Kansas sound. That's something nobody brings up with the current line-up. You have a Walsh substitute, but Robbie handled more vocals than given credit, and it's totally missing.

Absolutely correct. The vocal interplay between Robbie and Steve was magic.
And all anyone thinks about is his damned fiddle!!!

[Jerjo]

You have a Walsh substitute, but Robbie handled more vocals than given credit, and it's totally missing.

THIS!

I remember when this came out. I was working with a few Kansas fans and it was a bit of a controversy. I think the consensus once the novelty wore off was that while some songs worked well with an orchestra, something was missing. Maybe it was the slower pace but I guess we all wanted them to blaze away.

[TheH]

I think it was always the Dualities or Duells that kept the fire going
in Kansas.

2 Vocalists 2 Guitarists 2 Keyboardists 2 Songwriters 2 Styles of Rock etc.

and then all of those with or against each other (Violin against or with Keys. etc.)

And yes, Robbie is missing on the vocal side.

[SteveSly]

Absolutely correct. The vocal interplay between Robbie and Steve was magic.
And all anyone thinks about is his damned fiddle!!!

Agreed, their voices were the perfect match for each other.

[Fracktured]

Never gave this one much attention at all. From what I read here I think I made the right decision.

[BravadoNJ]

good idea, some of the songs worked and some didn't. the new songs were very weak. i also thought that alot of the material on Freaks Of Nature was weak too. if STE didn't happened, Kansas would probably had fizzed out in the early 2000's. Steve's solo work was better.

[aith01]

Minor fun aside...

My (prior) band opened for them when they came through Richmond on this tour. We'd done opening spots for some other "sorta known but not as big as they once were bands" like 38 Special, even Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Many of those bands were kind of dicks about things, still very much "we are a big deal, and expect to be treated as such."

I was never a huge Kansas fan and while I knew their hits, I couldn't pick them from a lineup or anything. We had finished our soundcheck and I was just kind of mulling around when this scruffy dude comes over and starts shooting the breeze with me about the weather, the town, whatever. It wasn't until afterwards that I realized I'd been essentially hanging with Robbie Steinhardt for a couple of minutes. He was easily the most down-to-earth and friendly "celebrity" I'd ever encountered. He never once made a thing about who he was or treated me like anyone other than just another dude.

I'm still not the world's biggest Kansas fan, but I've always really appreciated that encounter. It was just really nice and I'll always respect him -- and a bit by extension, them -- for how it played out.

Very cool anecdote, man. I'd never really heard any stories about what Robbie is like, so this was nice to read. Thanks for sharing it.

[battema]

It's nice knowing there are still some good dudes out there

[Vic2012]

the new songs were very weak. i also thought that alot of the material on Freaks Of Nature was weak .

Yeah, I was interested in hearing the new songs on ANTS, but found them forgettable. I still think overall Freaks was/is a good Kansas album. The strong tracks outweigh the weak tracks.

[aith01]

It's nice knowing there are still some good dudes out there

Indeed it is. Always a heartening thing to hear of.

[FrippWire]

I'm a Kansas slappy but I play this one once annually. With a discography the size of theirs, there's better stuff elsewhere. Not a big fan of the covers aspect of this release.