Kansas - Best of (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Columbia revamps this album and improves it 100% but still..

David Pearlman | Arlington, MA United States | 10/27/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The original issue of this album, released in 1984, was attrocious. It contained the big hits (Wayward Son, Dust, Hold On) and a few key album rock staples (Point of Know Return, Song for America and The Wall). But the rest of the album was devoted to dire tracks from their 1980s output: The generic hard rock of Fight Fire With Fire, Play the Game Tonight and No One Together, and a perfectly dreadful "previously unreleased" track, Perfect Lover. Their first three albums, surely their most artistically accomplished (if not most commercial) were represented by the lone track "Song for America". In essence, this seemed a desperate effort to paint the group as still vital by placing undue focus on their then-recent output.In a word: Worthless.This reissue, in addition to modest improvement in fidelity, gooses the track list to make it much more palatable. The terrible Perfect Lover has been jettisoned completely, and in its place we get three new additions: The Pinnacle (from Masque), The Devil Game (from Song For America) and Closet Chronicles (from Point of Know Return). The album is now a far better balanced view of Kansas' career. There are still many more excellent tracks from their first five albums that could have been used in place of the 1980s filler (and surely one track from the not-completely-horrible Monolith could have been included), but this isn't bad."

Excellent Collection!

Samhot | Star Land | 02/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent purchase for those who don't know much about the band Kansas, but would like to get a sampler of some of this excellent band's music.. It has great hard rock staples, as well as longer and elaborate prog-rock epics. To me, that's what makes a best of album spectacular. It has the popular "Carry On Wayward Son," the melodious quirk of "Point Of Know Return," and the inspirational "Hold On," just to name a few. However, my personal favorites are the extended prog numbers, like "Song For America" and "No One Together," which are elaborate and complex in arrangement, with great vocals and melody, and what surprises one is the fact that guitarist Kerry Livgren wrote most of these elaborate pieces by himself. Kerry & company were a talented bunch, and it's nothing to be taken lightly. "The Closet Chronicles" is performed live, yet sounds as crisp as a studio recording. This is another one of those elaborate epics featuring great vocals, with outstanding musicianship. One should know that, for the time being, this live version can only be found on this collection, as it was omitted from the remastering of their live double CD, _Two For The Show_, in order to keep the disc from being double (which was pretty dumb.) It's a real shame, because I believe the live version of this song leaves the studio version in the dust.

Overall, I am very pleased with this recording. If you like complex, elaborate, dramatic and sophisticated bands like Queen, you should love Kansas."

Good Place To Start

Bill R. Moore | Oklahoma, USA | 07/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is that rare best of album that actually features the band's best of. Not sacrificing longer tracks for shorter pieces (well, Magnum Opus maybe, but...) this collection truly gives a good overview of Kansas. The radio hits are here: Carry On, The Wall, Hold On, Point of No Return, and of course, Dust In The Wind, but even they feature prog overtones. But it's the longer pieces that show the band's excellent musicianship, like Song For America, No One Together, The Pinnacle, and Closet Chronicles. All in all, a good place to start if you're just getting into Kansas."

The Autobiography of a Supergroup

Bud | Seminole, Texas, USA | 12/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Each track on this handy compilation embodies all of the genuine elements that made Kansas one of the all-time greats, consisting of the Topeka-homegrown innocence (without the cliched naivety) combined with weary-eyed looks at the past, present, and an uncertain future. Springing from the virtuous, innocent American heartland, Kansas was a band that remained honest in their hopeful-sad-determined subject matter, and became one of the premier supergroups of its time (and remaining unmatched in their genre to this day). They proved they could pull off their love of British progressive rock without sounding overblown or overproduced, while keeping an authentic Southern jam essence. This slightly made-over version of the original release showcases examples of the things that made Kansas stand out; whether it's the doleful realizations of 'Dust in the Wind,' the power of 'Point Of Know Return' or 'Carry on Wayward Son,' or reflections of Kerry Livgren's search for redemption through Christianity, every song here remains some of the best work released during their respective times. However, it should be noted that "The Best Of Kansas" is not necessarily a place to start for new fans; rather, Kansas is one of those bands whose immense creativity is best experienced with each individual album, and no compilation completely does them a significant amount of justice. Nonetheless, it's still a relatively sturdy overview, and a fascinating musical biography."

Great intro to Kansas

... | Montreal | 09/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This remastered version of their Greatest Hits is the perfect introduction to the prog/rock group Kansas. The most recognizable songs on the disc are the rocker "Carry on my Wayward Son", the progressive influenced "Point of No Return", and the thoughtful ballad "Dust in the Wind". Other less known, but still wonderful songs are "Fight Fire with Fire", the ballad "Hold On", and "The Wall".Unfortunately, in the remastering of this disc there were songs removed as well as added. Although you get "Pinnacle", "Devil Game" and "Closet Cronicles", all worthy additions as bonus songs, the track "Perfect Lover" was inexplicably removed. Other than that, the album benefitted GREATLY from the remastering, as the song quality and clarity is now excellent.Overall this is a great introduction to Kansas, and a solid glimpse into the early prog/rock sounds that paved the way for more modern groups like Dream Theater and Spock's Beard. Absolutely Classic."

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