Kansas

Epic/Legacy's four-disc, budget-priced Kansas box set is cut from the same cloth as previous label collections like 2004's Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection 1974-2004 and 2008's Ultimate Kansas. Longtime fans will find nothing here that they don't already have in their libraries, but casual listeners will find that the bare-bones package offers up a nice cross section of radio hits and album cuts, without the exorbitant price tag.

Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection 1974-2004 is certainly the most lovingly crafted of the many Kansas retrospectives. Featuring 27 album cuts that range from classic FM hits like "Dust in the Wind" and "Point of No Return" to fan favorites such as "Song for America," and a 16-track DVD that collects numerous television appearances, videos, and live recordings, Sail On seems to be the definitive tome of the Midwest art rock band's very existence…

This live symphonic DVD celebrates the 35th anniversary of the release of the band's 1974 self-titled debut album. The show was filmed on February 7, 2009 in HD mixed in 5.1 surround sound at Washburn University's White Concert Hall…

With hard rock Kansas standards like "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Point Of Know Return" and the brilliant prog-rock classics "Dust In The Wind" and "The Wall," The 1984 release of The Best Of Kansas album would go on to become one of the best-selling greatest hits albums of all time. The long out of print original version of this greatest hits masterpiece also includes the appearance of 1984's "Perfect Lover".

Kansas' third album, Masque, is a lyrically dark effort courtesy of guitarist/keyboardist Kerry Livgren's brooding songwriting. Musically, Masque foreshadows the tight melodies and instrumental interplay on the next two albums, Leftoverture and Point of Know Return, which together serve as the peak of Kansas' vision. The band deserves more respect than it gets for incorporating British hard rock and progressive rock to become the only U.S. progressive rock band of note during the genre's 1970s heyday. Robbie Steinhardt's violin work certainly helped give Kansas a distinctive sound. The liner notes indicate Masque is a "concept album" thanks to the title's definition: "A disguise of reality created through a theatrical or musical performance." Vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh's "It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)" is the leadoff track, and it's atypical of the rest of the album. The song is a fairly basic yet groovy pop/rock tune about musicians' loneliness on the road, but it is spiced up with some saxophone lines.

For a library user these multi-album sets are very handy! This contains the first five albums of the American Symphonic / Hard Prog legend Kansas, covering their best era. As usual, the original vinyl covers are duplicated as they are, which causes some uncomfort if one wishes to read the texts…

Sony's Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection 1974-2004 is certainly the most lovingly crafted of the many Kansas retrospectives. Featuring 27 album cuts that range from classic FM hits like "Dust in the Wind" and "Point of No Return" to fan favorites such as "Song for America," a 35-page booklet that includes extensive liner notes and career-spanning photos, and a 16-track DVD that collects numerous television appearances, videos, and live recordings, Sail On seems to be the definitive tome of the Midwest art rock band's very existence…

By this release, Kansas had pretty much exhausted every aspect of their musical style. There is some fine playing here, but the band's success seemed to be having an effect on their integrity and judgment, given the penchant for pop songs and juvenile lyrics…