Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Fusing the complexity of British prog rock with an American heartland sound representative of their name, Kansas were among the most popular bands of the late '70s; though typically dismissed by critics, many of the group's hits remain staples of AOR radio play lists to this day. Formed in Topeka in 1970, the founding members of the group – guitarist Kerry Livgren, bassist Dave Hope, and drummer Phil Ehart – first played together while in high school; with the 1971 addition of classically trained violinist Robbie Steinhardt, they changed their name to White Clover, reverting back to the Kansas moniker for good upon the 1972 arrivals of vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh and guitarist Richard Williams. The group spent the early part of the decade touring relentlessly and struggling for recognition; initially, their mix of boogie and prog rock baffled club patrons, but in due time they established a strong enough following to win a record deal with the Kirshner label.

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas' self-titled debut LP appeared in 1974; while only mildly successful, the group toured behind it tirelessly, and their fan base grew to the point that their third effort, 1975's Masque, sold a quarter of a million copies. In 1976, Leftoverture truly catapulted Kansas to stardom. On the strength of the smash hit "Carry On Wayward Son," the album reached the Top Five and sold over three million copies. 1977's Point of Know Return was even more successful, spawning the monster hit "Dust in the Wind." While the 1978 live LP Two for the Show struggled to break the Top 40, its studio follow-up, Monolith, the band's first self-produced effort, reached the Top Ten. That same year, Walsh issued a solo record, Schemer-Dreamer.

In the wake of 1980's Audio-Visions, Kansas began to splinter; both Hope and Livgren became born-again Christians, the latter issuing the solo venture Seeds of Change, and their newfound spirituality caused divisions within the band's ranks. Walsh soon quit to form a new band, Streets; the remaining members forged on without him, tapping vocalist John Elefante as his replacement. The first Kansas LP without Walsh, 1982's Vinyl Confessions, launched the hit "Play the Game Tonight," but after only one more album, 1983's Drastic Measures, they disbanded. In 1986, however, Kansas re-formed around Ehart, Williams, and Walsh; adding the famed guitarist Steve Morse as well as bassist Billy Greer, the refurbished band debuted with the album Power, scoring a Top 20 hit with "All I Wanted." When the follow-up, 1988's In the Spirit of Things, failed to hit, seven years passed before the release of their next effort, Freaks of Nature. Always Never the Same followed in 1998. Seeing the return of founder singer/songwriter Kerry Livgren, Somewhere to Elsewhere was released in 2000.

– allmusic.com biography by Jason Ankeny

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - Kansas (1974)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 414 MB | Full Scans > 71 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 135 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 59:13 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20071

Kansas stood apart from their peers, since they were an American band that dared play on the epic scale of such English art rockers as Genesis. Consequently, Kansas is a truly weird hybrid of British pomp, doggedly artistic concept, and arena boogie, all served up with more violin than there is flute on a Jethro Tull album. It's hard not to admire their blatant ambition in one sense, since few bands try as hard as Kansas do here. Still, there're a lot of scales and arpeggios, galloping triplets, dramatic organ, and stately ballads that signify nothing and go nowhere. Since it's as grounded in boogie as it is in art, the group never gets as weird as their more interesting counterparts, but that reliance on arena rock does make them unique. But uniqueness isn't the same as good, or even interesting listening, even if Kansas remains a period piece like no other.

– Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic com

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - Song For America (1975)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 471 MB | Full Scans > 77 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 157 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 68:13 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20072

Probably the most prog of Kansas' albums, this one spotlights long, orchestrated songs and unusual time signatures. There is an extended nine/eight instrumental break in the middle of the title track. "Lamplight Symphony" offers long, orchestrated passages. When the energy is there, it is intense energy, such as "Down the Road" and "The Devil Game." The longer songs unfortunately can lose a passive listener. But all in all, this is a good (if not adolescent) recording for a group of this genre.

– Mark W.B. Allender, allmusic com

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - Masque (1975)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 362 MB | Full Scans > 77 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 110 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 48:34 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20073

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. "Two Cents Worth" addresses guilt, misery, and spiritual longing – pretty heavy stuff for six guys who were only in their mid-twenties. In "Icarus–Borne on Wings of Steel," Kansas' prog rock ambitions show through the mythology-based lyrics and the densely arranged guitars and keyboards. Walsh and Steinhardt's "All the World" is largely a bleak examination of loneliness and death, although it does end with a glimmer of hope. "Child of Innocence" is a tough blast of hard rock with a soaring chorus. "Mysteries and Mayhem" rocks along, yet it's rich with haunting nightmare imagery and biblical references. The nine-and-a-half-minute epic "The Pinnacle" closes the album.

– Bret Adams, allmusic com

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Kansas - Leftoverture (1976)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 430 MB | Full Scans > 84 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 135 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 58:51 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20074

For any art rock band, the fourth album means it's time for a self-styled masterpiece – if you need proof, look at Selling England by the Pound or Fragile. So, with Kansas, the most determinedly arty of all American art rock bands, they composed and recorded Leftoverture, an impenetrable conundrum of significance that's capped off by nothing less than a five-part suite, appropriately titled "Magnum Opus," and featuring such promising movement titles as "Father Padilla Meets the Perfect Gnat" and "Release the Beavers." Of course, there's no telling whether this closing opus relates to the opener, "Carry On Wayward Son," the greatest single Kansas ever cut – a song that manages to be pompous, powerful, ridiculous, and catchy all at once. That they never manage to rival it anywhere on this record is as much a testament to their crippling ambition as their lack of skills. And it's unfair to say Kansas are unskilled, since they are certainly instrumentally proficient and they can craft songs or, rather, compositions that appear rather ambitious. Except these compositions aren't particularly complex, rhythmically or harmonically, and are in their own way as ambling as boogie rock, which still feels to be their foundation. It's not really fair to attack Kansas for a concept album with an impenetrable concept – it's possible to listen to Lamb Lies Down on Broadway hundreds of times and not know what the hell Rael is up to – but there's neither hooks nor true grandiosity here to make it interesting. That said, this still may be Kansas' most consistent set, outside of Point of Know Return. Take that for what you will.

– Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic com

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - Point Of Know Return (1977)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 382 MB | Full Scans > 89 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 124 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 54:37 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20075

This is the definitive Kansas recording and includes their most famous tune, "Dust in the Wind." The band is in peak form and also churned out the single "Point of Know Return," which is still played daily on classic rock stations. While their pop-oriented approach and standard rock guitar sound helped define the classic rock sound of the '70s, careful listening reveals that this band's talent goes beyond colleagues such as Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Boston. Their arrangements and time signatures more accurately reflect the music of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. "Paradox" and "The Spider" are both excellent examples of their progressive approach. Unfortunately, the band always struggled to maintain a healthy balance of progression combined with pop. That made for such awkward moments here as "Portrait (He Knew)" and "Lightning's Hand." Yet despite the minor inconsistencies and a dated sound, their interplay and superior musicianship make this both an essential classic rock and progressive rock recording.

– Robert Taylor, allmusic com

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - Two For The Show (2CD, 1978)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 1065 MB | Full Scans > 138 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 342 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 148:26 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20076/7

By the late '70s, Kansas had not only established themselves as one of America's most adventurous progressive rock bands; they even had a number of Top 20 hits to their credit. And as they finally paused for a breath after a string of five increasingly successful studio albums, it made perfect sense to fill the gap with a live album. Originally released as a double-vinyl set, Two for the Show is a sprawling, mind-boggling affair that juggles such overblown epics as "Journey from Mariabronn" and the self-explanatory "Magnum Opus" with mandatory hit singles "Carry on Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind." The former will undoubtedly thrill fanatics with their extended improvisations, but the indistinct performances of the latter will prove largely useless to the casual fan. And with live albums in general going the way of the vinyl record these days, this particular fossil will only satisfy musical anthropologists.

– Eduardo Rivadavia, allmusic com

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Kansas - Monolith (1979)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 356 MB | Full Scans > 100 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 111 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 48:30 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20078

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. The concept of the album, futuristic Indians with space helmets, doesn't help. Even though the chorus to "People of the South Wind" is catchy, the ridiculous keyboard melody that starts the song is shamefully aimed at FM radio. This release lacks effort and direction and is best left unexplored.

– Robert Taylor, allmusic com

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Kansas -Audio-Visions (1980)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 306 MB | Full Scans > 92 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 101 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 43:32 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20079

By the time of their eighth album, Audio-Visions, Kansas had entered the post-platinum solo-album phase of the typical successful rock group's career. Leaders Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh were devoting time to making their own records, and Kansas was becoming a part-time occupation. The two divided up the songwriting chores on Audio-Visions, alternating Livgren's always spiritual and by now explicitly religious lyrical sentiments and ornate musical structures with Walsh's earthier and harder-rocking concerns. Livgren's Christian-themed "Hold On" ("Outside the door He is waiting") made the Top 40, and Walsh's "Got to Rock" was a singles-chart entry, but nothing here matched the music from the group's late-'70s heyday. Audio-Visions was the last of seven straight Kansas albums to go gold or platinum and the last album made by the group's most successful lineup. In 1981, Walsh quit.

– William Ruhlmann, allmusic com

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Kansas - The Epic Years Paper Sleeve Collection (10 albums 1974-1983) [11x Blu-Spec CD '2011] RE-UP

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Kansas - Vinyl Confessions (1982)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 305 MB | Full Scans > 83 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 100 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 42:54 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20080

Replacing Steve Walsh with singer/keyboard player John Elefante, Kansas demonstrated that they could carry on by scoring their biggest hit in four years with the Top 20 "Play the Game Tonight," the leadoff track from Vinyl Confessions. Like now-undisputed group leader Kerry Livgren, Elefante was a born-again Christian, however, and his involvement in the songwriting turned the group decisively toward religious lyrical sentiments, often of a judgmental, us-versus-you nature. It's possible that fans who had been happy to accept the notion that "we are dust in the wind" were less patient with the ideas expressed in Elefante's "Face It" ("How many times do I have to tell you?") or Livgren's "(You're Standing on The) Borderline." Or maybe it was just that it was getting hard to distinguish Kansas from Foreigner and Journey. In any case, Vinyl Confessions was Kansas' first album since their debut not to go gold.

– William Ruhlmann, allmusic com

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Kansas - Drastic Measures (1983)
EAC-FLAC with CUE & LOG > 307 MB | Full Scans > 81 MB | MP3 CBR 320 Kbps > 101 MB
Featuring newest DSD Remastering | 42:19 minutes | LabeL: Sony Music Japan # EICP-20081

John Elefante, who had joined Kansas for 1982's Vinyl Confessions, dominated their next album, Drastic Measures, writing six of nine songs. Elefante seemed a little unnerved by the new attention ("Everybody's My Friend"), while bandleader Kerry Livgren seemed burned out by the pressure to sell records ("Mainstream"). In that attempt, Kansas turned toward more of a hard rock/heavy metal sound. But the group's enervation was palpable, and it spread to their fans: Drastic Measures was the least successful Kansas album since the group's debut. Unsurprisingly, it was also the last album Kansas made before disbanding. Kerry Livgren became a solo contemporary Christian artist, and John Elefante became his producer.

– William Ruhlmann, allmusic com