Progressive Rock Reviews
Progressive Rock Reviews
Always never the same KANSAS |
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KANSAS has a go at orchestral arrangements of some of their hits and manages to pull off an artistic coup and just as assuredly lights a commercial bomb. Had this record appeared in the groups commercial heyday, lets say 1977, then maybe this would be listed in every record guide as a must have. Alas, it is over two decades on from that point and what we have here is cut out bin filler and it is a disastrous shame. As the kiddies reach for the next SNOOP DOG or KORN disc they will completely miss the majesty and brilliance of this "Song For America" and "Hold On" each with the accompaniment of the LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. I don't know if I should spit or cry. If you would rather do neither, get out and buy this package of classic, classics. The rendition of "Eleanor Rigby" is worth the currency alone. Released by River North Records Review by David Lee |
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"Point Of Know Return" Kansas |
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I won't profess to being a huge Kansas fan from way back, nor will I go on record as calling myself a "Prog-Rock" or "Classic" Rock aficionado who appreciates day long listening opuses by technically endowed studio showman a scale or two above the rest of us. I was barely getting my Rock and Roll wings at the time these guys hit it big and to this day, whether my accidental fascination with U.S. city/state band names-Boston's debut, still amazing-had any bearing or not, Kansas' "Carry On Wayward Son" remains one of the most influential songs of my twenty something years of music listening pleasure. A six or seven year old kid's not gonna derive more than a few minutes of memories from this 1970s AOR stuff-and let's face it, pick up a Kansas record, anything pre-1980 should do, and there's no way it's anything less than pure AOR, undoubtedly as its creators intended. Well soon after my fascination with "Leftoverture," the scratched tape still at arm's length as I write this, Kansas did a few more inspired things with their unencumbered quill, "Point Of Know Return" being one of them. Often when there's talk of "Prog-Rock" bands, names like ELP, Rush, and of course Yes come blowing by and rightfully so. Kansas for whatever reason always seems pushed into the background of obscurity. While indeed their overworked
organ and convoluted arrangements made them every bit the technical
specialists with deep welled lyrical pockets akin to their more famous I digress naturally, as often
is the case your spirit wanders, the mind follows, and oftentimes Still fully aware of their presence, you find you're nonetheless going somewhere, for a little while anyway, and enjoying the moment, at least until something like the Walsh-penned classic "Portrait (He Knew)" or the Purple-esque grind of "Lightning's Hand" arrive to jar you back to reality. "Point Of Know Return" is classic Kansas and every bit a worthy follow up to '76's "Leftoverture" breakthrough. The songs typically travel an often unexplored path of intricacies, sometimes you might even call them unfocused in spots which if nothing else deflects the predictability notion a previous top ten hit might yield. Weaving folksy fluidity with rigid guitar work, an overeager imagination backed by a determined rhythm section-see back to back the acoustical smash "Dust In The Wind," and its hard-Rocking counterpart "Sparks Of The Tempest" for immediate reference as to this chameleon-like group talent that when they had it going, there were unmatched. This classy reissue brings the Kansas tradition back to life and flips back through the pages of history with telling recounts and carefully placed bonus cuts no true fan will want to do without. Released by Legacy Recordings Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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