Please list the albums by Kansas that you would give an A rating ONLY. I have heard & own Point of Know Return & a Best of CD. Neither really made me want to explore anything else but I feel I'm missing out on some solid albums. I know oppinions will vary but I'll be guided by the general consensus!
There is none. Kansas is a classic mix tape band. PoKR and especially Leftoverture are the closest to solid albums all the way through for me personally but all the first 3 are mixes of some real gems amongst some turds imo. Same with the couple following PoKR, though Monolith has its fans. I would say that the Best Of is a lie as far as the prog fan would be concerned.
Hmmm, you might try Progarchives. Everyone's view will be different. For me, Kansas produced some of the greatest prog music ever, but no album is perfect. Even Point starts off with a couple of duds. I would say that these albums have enough brilliance to be investigated:Originally Posted by Rufus
Point of Know Return
Song For America
Masque
Leftoverture
Somewhere to Elsewhere
...but be prepared for the odd 'lesser' track!
and these should be avoided:
Monolith
Vinyl Confessions
Freaks of Nature
and the rest are somewhere in the middle.
Good luck, but to be honest, if the great stuff on Point is not hitting home, I don't hold out much hope for you getting into the rest of their catalogue. Closet Chronicles, Nobody's Home, Hopelessly Human, Portrait - these are great tracks and representative of their best stuff.
Yeah, that's what I thought... I would say Youtube Miracles Out of Nowhere and Magnum Opus on Leftoverture, Song For America (which is on the Best Of so never mind) and the Mysteries and Mayhem/Pinnacle suite from Masque- if all that stuff doesn't do it you probably just don't dig Kansas ;-)
In my opinion there are only isolated tracks by Kansas that are great, and they are generally instrumental passages. 'No One Together', and 'Limelight Symphony' are fine tracks and the intro to 'Portrait: He Knew' is another great moment. They were very good at what they did, just too AOR for my tastes, especially in the vocals. Again, very good, just not my style.
If you want the Kansas style, done much better and way more proggy, check out 'Shadowlands' by Glass Hammer if you haven't already. Not saying its their best album, but I think that is the album probably most like Kansas of theirs.
Yep, I mostly concur. I just checked my library. Somewhere to Elsewhere has the most minutes of music that I have ripped from my CDs. 6 really excellent tracks over 40 minutes in total. It would be A grade at that, but there are another 5 tracks or 28 minutes of filler - IMHO.
I also think that vocalists can ruin the enjoyment of a band, but for me that is not the case with Kansas. For me Yes and Genesis are difficult to sit through due to the vocalists.
For the OP, if you didn't like PoKR you wont like any of the rest. I have tried and tried again to like Yes and Genesis and it has been frustrating every time. Move on to another artist is my recommendation.
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
Leftoverture gets a solid A for me. I give Song For America and Vinyl Confessions a B+
none... their debut starts at a B+ and it's all downhill from that moment onwaeds
my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.
Leftoverture is a solid A if not A+ in my book!
Agreed. Kansas is great but every album has lesser songs of one type or other, usually the songs where they are trying to be more of a rock band than a prog band or where they are clearly trying to make hit singles. I'd put their first album as the one closest to an A if you take the sequence from Belexes to the end although I also like Lonely Wind. I could see giving the 30th anniversary release of Two for the Show (live) as an A album.
Wow…..not a lot of love for Kansas on this thread. For me they are THE great American prog band. One of my all-time favorites for sure. But, as others have said, if you don’t dig “Point Of Know Return” then their other albums might not do much for you. For me their absolute best are:
Leftoverture: Essential Kansas to my ears and the album that introduced me to them.
Masque: Probably my all-time favorite Kansas studio disc. It has its detractors, but I totally dig it.
Two For The Show: 2 CD document of the band at their live peak. Great stuff with supposedly very little overdubbing. If you want to just check out one other Kansas album this is the one I would recommend.
LEFTOVERTURE and POKR are their equivalent to FRAGILE and CTTE or GRAND ILLUSION and PO8.
Totally agree with Mr. Sly here. Two for the Show is Kansas' Second's Out. It's a great introduction to them, and gives you a good idea of what they're all about.
We need Vic and Hunnibee to check in here!
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
Leftoverture is a classic from beginning to end. Song for America, PoKR and Masque are right behind it. Two for the Show is a helluva live album.
I like Vinyl Confessions, too. Sue me.
I'd say Song for America, Leftoverture and POKR. Their albums are all a combination of boogie woogie and prog, so if you're looking for Tales for Topographic Oceans or something it may not be your thing.
You rang?
None of my bands get any respect here on Prog Ears, LOL! I would hardly expect Kansas to win hearts and minds. I am probably the only member of Prog Ears who LOVES Monolith! I don't understand the hate, but *shrugs*. Their strongest album IS Point of Know Return, and it's also their most popular. I am also fond of Masque. Oh hell, I love them all, although I tend to avoid their 80s fare. I am no fan of Elefante, and their pop drivel on Power and Spirit is gag worthy. Even on their worst albums, though, there are still gems that will tickle your proggy bone. I am also one of few people who adores Freaks of Nature! Ragsdale just shines throughout it. I believe he cowrote half the album.
With new blood in the band via Ronnie Platt and David Manion, can we Kansas fans dare hope for a new album? Let's hope so, and let's hope it's got some good chops!
And that's my "Two Cents Worth"!
"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir
"To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe" - Mark Twain
Nice punni, Hunni!
who's their new vocalist?
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
Ronnie Platt. Never heard of him. I think he's from Starcastle and some cover band called ARRA? I will hear him sing for the first time when Kansas comes back to California in September. He seems like a pretty nice guy from what I'm reading on Facebook.
"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir
"To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe" - Mark Twain
Danke
"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir
"To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe" - Mark Twain
Nope! Always been a favorite with me, that one.
"Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)
Yay!
"The mountains are calling and I must go" - John Muir
"To breathe the same air as the angels, you must go to Tahoe" - Mark Twain
If you have Leftoverture, POKR, and the Best of and Kansas isn't clicking with you then they're probably just not going to be your thing.
With that said, I think POKR is often overrated. It's a solid album but probably the Kansas album from the 70s that's my least favorite. Check out the first four albums (well, you already have Leftoverture) plus Two for the Show. To me their most transcendent moments are on Masque but it also has a couple of not so great songs on there as well and, as many have mentioned, my guess based on your reaction to what you already own is that you'll find some songs will work for you but many won't.
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