Customer Reviews

Always Never the Same

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Why re-record songs that cannot be improved upon? They're not improved just dressed up a little. Of the four songs here that are new to Kansas discography, only Eleanor Rigby really stands out. Walsh's 3 new(?) songs are ballads that don't really feature either the band or the orchestra. Icarus, Lamplight Symphony or Pinnacle would have been great given the orchestral treatment.
Cheyenne and Dust probably work best but elsewhere the orchestra isn't allowed to hold its own with the band. If you like classic Kansas, appreciate how well the band is playing now and are not immediately turned off by the sound of an orchestra, then this cd works really well

Have to say, I have every Kansas album, and this one really takes a different approach to the band. I have read bad reviews , but dont listen to them. All I can say is wow. I made 3 copies - - one for work , one for home and one for the ol' Tahoe. Great 4X4 music! (call me crazy!)

Have fun... buy it. Worth the bucks.

Rob Blanda

I approached the release of this album with excitement and trepidation. Excitement that Robbie Steinhardt had returned and Kansas classics filled with their unique violin sound would be brought to a new scale with the inclusion of the London Symphony Orcherstra. And trepidation that Walsh's voice could no longer span the range required for these classic songs (see Live At The Whisky review).

I can happily report that this is by far the best album Kansas have put out since Audio Visions even though it contains classics (and if you ignore 2000's brilliant Somewhere To Elsewhere where the original line up reforms with Kerry Livgren).

My first minor criticism of this album is the opening song, a cover version of the Beatles classic Eleanor Rigby. I like this song but I feel it is very out of place on an album containing fresh reworkings of some of the bands greatest songs. I also feel that as good as Kansas are they're style cannot do true justice to the song.

My only other criticism is the lack of Magnum opus in this collection - a fresh version including a full piece orchestra would have been awesome.

With these minor criticisms aside we launch straight into classic Kansas territory with a lovely version of Dust In The Wind to remind us exactly why I purchased the album. The remainder of this album is packed start to finish with classic Kansas brilliantly reworked with a full piece orchestra. New freshness is brought to old friends like Song For America and The Wall. The band's sound and style fit a full piece orchestra perfectly and the songs are performed with a gusto last seen on Two For The Show and desperately lacking in performances like Live At The Whisky. Even Walsh's deteriorated vocals stand up relatively well although still far from the astonishing power and range he had in the 70's.

This is an album worthy of gracing any Kansas fan's collection. Although you may have the songs on their original albums and even live versions this album is one to own.

Strong Recommendation to buy.

As a big Kansas fan during their heday in the 70's & 80's who lost touch when the original band split, I happened upon this C.D. at a local music store and bought it to listen to the old songs rearranged with an orchestra. That was 6 months ago and I have not stopped listening! The orchestration of Song For America and The Wall breath new life into these already great songs, and the versions of Dust In The Wind and Cheyenne Anthem are inspiring and better than the originals. Although the years have taken their toll on Steve Walsh's vocals, he still delivers and the three new songs written here are some of his best work. The musicianship is still there from all the members and I never grow tired of listening to Phil Ehart play the skins. I hope they go on tour with an orchestra and perform a few songs that could have been added here such as; Lonely Wind, Lamplight Symphony, The Pinnacle and Hopelessly Human. I highly recommend this album for all Kansas fans, especially those who may have lost touch for awhile. You will enjoy rediscovering the band and its music.

When you listen to everything that Kansas has does since the mid-eighties without Kerry Livgren, it is obvious that Livgren was the song writing genius that made Kansas great (if you don't believe me, go on over to the Amazon.com section on Kerry Livgren and order his latest solo release Prime Mover II). The well orchestrated arrangements of Kerry Livgren's songs (what I define as the "Kansas sound") have been absent in Kansas music for some time. Compare the old songs that Livgren wrote on this CD with the new Steve Walsh songs. Not that Steve's songs are bad, but they lack the intricate arrangements that made Kerry Livgren's compositions so outstanding and gave Kansas that "Kansas sound" Kansas never would have gotten anywhere in the seventies without Livgren's song writing. Anything they do without Livgren just ain't Kansas.

BEING A KANSAS FAN FOR MANY YEARS, I WAS THRILLED TO HEAR THAT THEY WERE DOING A PROJECT LIKE THIS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE ONLY TWO TRACKS (3&10) WHICH COMPLETELY CAPTURE THE HEART AND SOUL OF A PROJECT LIKE THIS. LET THE ORCHESTRA TAKE CENTER STAGE. INSTEAD THE BAND KICKS IN AND GIVES YOU THE SAME OLD THING. I'M SORRY STEVE BUT YOUR VOICE JUST IS'NT WHAT IT USED TO BE. A PROJECT LIKE THIS REALLY SHOULD'NT HAVE MANY VOCALS ON IT ANYWAY. LISTEN TO JETHRO TULLS VERSION WITH THE LONDON SYMPHONY OCHESTRA OR THE SYMPHONIC MUSIC OF YES. THESE ARE DONE MASTERFULLY.I LOVE KANSAS AND THEY WILL ALWAYS BE ONE OF MY FAVORITES BUT THIS WAS A DISSAPOINTMENT. WHY IN THE WORLD IS MAGNUM OPUS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SET?

I approached the release of this album with excitement and trepidation. Excitement that Robbie Steinhardt had returned and Kansas classics filled with their unique violin sound would be brought to a new scale with the inclusion of the London Symphony Orcherstra. And trepidation that Walsh's voice could no longer span the range required for these classic songs (see Live At The Whisky review).

I can happily report that this is by far the best album Kansas have put out since Audio Visions even though it contains classics (and if you ignore 2000's brilliant Somewhere To Elsewhere where the original line up reforms with Kerry Livgren).

My first minor criticism of this album is the opening song, a cover version of the Beatles classic Eleanor Rigby. I like this song but I feel it is very out of place on an album containing fresh reworkings of some of the bands greatest songs. I also feel that as good as Kansas are they're style cannot do true justice to the song.

My only other criticism is the lack of Magnum opus in this collection - a fresh version including a full piece orchestra would have been awesome.

With these minor criticisms aside we launch straight into classic Kansas territory with a lovely version of Dust In The Wind to remind us exactly why I purchased the album. The remainder of this album is packed start to finish with classic Kansas brilliantly reworked with a full piece orchestra. New freshness is brought to old friends like Song For America and The Wall. The band's sound and style fit a full piece orchestra perfectly and the songs are performed with a gusto last seen on Two For The Show and desperately lacking in performances like Live At The Whisky. Even Walsh's deteriorated vocals stand up relatively well although still far from the astonishing power and range he had in the 70's.

This is an album worthy of gracing any Kansas fan's collection. Although you may have the songs on their original albums and even live versions this album is one to own. The couple of new songs stand up well too.

Strong Recommendation to buy.

Deep Purple have done it, KISS have done it, Metallica have done it, but about the only rock band who have credibly recorded with an orchestra (the London Symphony Orchestra, no less!) are Kansas.

I wonder how they were able to afford it, given that at this point they were on a small label and playing clubs, county fairs and virtually anywhere else that would have them.

A big point of note is the return of violinist/vocalist Robby Steinhardt to the Kansas fold. David Ragsdale had done a commendable job but Steinhardt's voice, violin and compositional skills were so much a part of the Kansas sound that his absence was always quite glaring.

Kansas' classic sound was of course quite orchestral to begin with (especially on "Song For America") so many of their songs would be a natural to be performed with an orchestra. The classics here sound quite good with the lush orchestral backing. I also commend them for not including "Carry On Wayward Son", not because it's a bad song (it isn't), but because they would have been expected to do so to boost album sales.

However, I am not pleased with the fact that Steve Walsh changes the lyrics of "Hold On" to be more vague about God. He had disagreements with Kerry Livgren over the direction of Kansas' lyrics when Livgren became a Christian, but Livgren wrote this song to be specifically Christian and it should have been left as such.

The cover of "Eleanor Rigby" is very good. However, the new songs ("I Need To Know", "In Your Eyes" and "The Sky Is Falling") are not terribly outstanding and without the orchestra could sound like outtakes from "Power" and "In The Spirit Of Things". Also, is the band actually playing on "Preamble" and "Prelude & Introduction", or is it just the LSO?

Of course, this album didn't sell, not in the U.S. anyway. By this time the "music" scene had been taken over by pre-packaged pop singers, boy bands and gangsta (c)rap and there was no place for a group of real musicians who could play their instruments and write songs.

It is a little overblown, but kudos to Kansas for doing it. Get it, if you can find it.

You got it! This is a superb album by one of the best American rock groups. Who would have ever thought of this group with a symphony orchestra? They did it and it is a beautiful piece of work. The only not so good song on the album is their rendition of the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby, yet it is still fairly good. This album is like a battle of the bands with Kansas versus the symphony orchestra. They are both powerful and come together with some beautiful music. The band and orchestra drive each other to their full potential. If you don't have an ear for a symphony orchestra, I'm sure you'll have one after you listen to this album. This is definately a must for all true Kansas fans.

I'm a Kansas fan since 1977. I've always distrusted from the "shynphonic albums". Generally they offer boring versions of classics. But this one sounds impressive. It doesn't matter if the orchestra was recorded in London and the band did it in Kansas (many famous albums have been done by phone). Robbie's back is well received, but David Ragsdale plays the violin far, far better. Steve's voice sounds old and shabby (but he do a great effort). Two questions: 1)why the band doesn't play songs from the period 1982 - 88?; 2)why, with the possibility of making a hole new album, it does not include all new compositions, and continue the tendency of the amazing (at least, for me) "Freaks of Nature"?.