Customer Reviews

Live at the Whisky

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This live-album has a lot of energy, infact more than their first live-album "Two For The Show". But that first one is still the best. There's great playing on this one, but singer Steve Walsh is a bit of an enigma. -Here we have some of the finest rock music ever written, but a singer who destroys the picture. It's really a rather sad affair, having been one of the greatest voices, and now this. -Talk about falling from grace. I realize almost 30 years of singing is bound to do some damage, but why all these theatrics ?.(I've nicknamed him "Donald Duck".) "Kansas"-songs are majestic enough as they are. Should they ever need a new vocalist again, check out "Tyketto"'s Danny Vaughn(ex-"Waysted"). -He's the ultimate "Kansas"-frontman that never was. Believe me, for an avid fan it hurts me to say all this, but it's the gospel truth.

This is the lineup I saw a couple of times in small theatres and hole-in-the-wall clubs in the '90s:

Steve Walsh - vocals and keyboards
Greg Robert - keyboards
Billy Greer - bass and vocals
Richard Williams - guitars
David Ragsdale - violin and guitar
Phil Ehart - drums

This is a very rough recording, and, as has been noted, Walsh's vocals are not his best, but it's still commendable. However, it is definitely not on the same level as "Two For The Show" or "Device Voice Drum".

Kerry Livgren makes a "guest" appearance on "Dust In The Wind". I wonder if this was done just to give the album a bit of a push sales-wise..."Hey, Kerry Livgren's on it!"

There is also an old recording of the hard blues "Lonely Street" done with the original lineup, which is actually better than most of the rest of the album.

It's not horrible. Listening to it brings back good memories of when I saw them live. But get one of their other live albums instead.

Of, the three 'released' live albums by the band, this one suffers from comparison to the other two. Still a good disk in its own right, it doesn't have the energy of the King Bisquit offering, nor the perfection of the Two for the Show disks. It does have some good material . . .

For a bar act, Paradox, PoKR, and SfA are done pretty well. Walsh hokeys it up on the Wall but Hold On contains an awesome pick grind that I only WISH was in the studio version - WTG! Dust in the Wind features Kerry Livgren in a guest spot and David Ragsdale's violin which is technically far superior to Robby Steinhardts.

Miracles suffers without Steinhardt as does Mysteries. Down the Road is good but lacks the raw power of the song played in the mid 70s.

The bonus track 'Lonely Street' drops the hint that there is a soundboard recording from '75 out there that begs to be released. We can only hope.

So there's a little bit for everyone except the Elefante fan, who would miss Fight Fire With Fire or Play the Game Tonight.

Not a bad disk, but get other Kansas live shows first.

Comments, email me

The band sounds great live with only one hitch. The vocals are terrible, not only can't Walsh hit the notes, but he can't even keep time. Sounds like he needs breathing lessons! it's sad. If he was on, this would be great. I wouldn't purchase it though, vocals ruin it for the true Kansas fan. Again the rest of the group kicks a**.

I recently reviewed Kansas 1978 live album Two For The show calling it probably the best live album of all time. And with that pleasant rosy feeling and memory I came to buy Live At The Whisky. If Two For the Show is a candidate for the best of all time then one can only call Live At The Whisky a candidate for the worst. This is a truly awful live performance from a band once noted for great live performances.

My main over-riding criticism, and one that is pertinent to every track on the album is pointed directly at Steve Walsh's voice. Its gone, and not just slightly. He strains, squacks, croaks, grinds and makes himself painfully hoarse trying to reach notes in classic songs he can longer reach and indeed embarrassingly fails to reach upon trying on many occasions. And its painful to listen to how a once great singer has fallen, a long, long way. Walsh once had one of the greatest voices in rock - with Two For The Show proving he could sustain his incredible power and range during concerts and not just the studio. It's very sad but true.

My other main criticism is with the band's performance itself and production. It's a 'going through the motions' performance from a band standing very much in the shadows of the once great spotlight they stood in. And its not helped by the fact that key band members Kerry Livgren and Robbie Steinhardt are missing, although Livgren does make a guest appearance at the very end for Carry On Wayward Son. In fact only a deteriorated Walsh, Williams and Ehart survive from the original line up.

This album came as a great disappointment even though I should have suspected Walsh's vocal ability was finished from his performance on In The Spirit Of Things (see my review on this site).

If you don't own Two For The Show or the King Biscuit Flower Hour live recordings then get these instead, both are superior with Two For The Show being simply incredible. It should also be noted that the Live Dust In The Wind CD is just a cut down version of Live At The Whiskey with 2 tracks having been removed.

Definitely one for hardcore completists.

Recommendation to avoid.

Id have to disagree with some reviews. I actually thought this was better than The King Biscuit. In this album you cant really here the fans as much. I hate it when they turn the volume on the fans. 5 stars on this one. Its ok to hear the fans after the song but not during!

Don't get too excited about this CD. Steve's voice unfortunately has declined to the point that I cringe when I hear this CD. Buy 2 for the Show ahead of this one and the KBFH recording. I find it difficult not to recommend a Kansas CD, but this should have been left in the vault.

Ok on this live CD Steve Walsh`s voice is clearly not up to scratch ,I grant the other reviewers that much with that said what about Phil Eharts fantastic drum work? what about the fantastic crowd atmosphere ? what about the changes to some of the songs that actualy improved them, like (Mysteries and Mayhem)what about the outstanding production.This CD is a great live CD if you can overlook Steves shot voice on the night. The version they do of (The Wall) is my favourite version to date.
Live at the whiskey Is pumping with energy and all the guys (subject to opinion) did a great job. If you are a kansas fan , this CD is worth getting.

Back in the 70's and early 80's when you thought about Kansas you thought flowing melodies mixed with deep-meaning lyrics. You never thought about hard hitting, power rock. This live collection, recorded in the early 90's, gives you both. Led by original member Steve Walsh this CD starts off like you would expect any Kansas concert to start. Drawing on their "epic" music style the music soars, with a strong rendition of Song for America, and standard versions of Point of Know Return and Hold On. But hang on to your seat! Starting with track 9, and with a special walk-on appearance by Kerry Livgren, the music takes off!! A great rendition of Miracles out of Nowhere followed by a heavy-metal version of Mystery and Mayhem takes the top of your head and uses it as a frisbee. The only weak point of this selection is the closing number, Down the Road. Although not an overall bad version, it's just does not compare to the original on the Song for America CD. If you like Kansas this would be a great addition.

Kansas is the world's greatest live band, since the early 1970s. They can absolutely blow anyone off the stage when it comes to playing. And let it be said that Steve Walsh is an amazing vocalist; in his prime, he was peerless in all of rock and roll. Alas, LIVE AT THE WHISKY does not find Walsh in his prime. The band plays as well as ever...the sound here is HUGE and extremely lively. Production by Drummer Phil Ehart and old school production cohort Jeff Glixman is absolutely perfect...honestly, the band hasn't sounded this good since 1977's POINT OF KNOW RETURN. (Yep, the band here even outplays itself from the TWO FOR THE SHOW days). Sadly, what could have been a complete sonic triumph is marred somewhat by Walsh's ragged, off-key croaking. In subsequent years, he seemed to re-gain form by the time FREAKS OF NATURE, ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME, and SOMEWHERE TO ELSEWHERE rolled around, but on this night, his voice just isn't quite up to the extremely demanding task of hitting those high notes. Still, Walsh has never lacked for passion and guts, and he gives this show his all. Ultimately, Walsh's sheer determination carries the day, for the most part. The band absolutely sizzles through vibrant versions of "Paradox" and the jamming "Point of Know Return." The celestial studio version of "Song for America" is replaced by a more aggressive, muscular approach on WHISKY that gives it renewed vitality. Man, just LISTEN to Phil Ehart drumming...flawless! Walsh, Ehart, Rich "Meatwall" Williams (guitar), and Billy Greer are joined by new bandmates: Greg Robert on keyboards and David Ragsdale (guitar and violin). Robert and Ragsdale greatly enhance the Kansas live sound...particularly when the violin kicks in. And, oh yes, a "special guest" makes an appearance on "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry On Wayward Son." It's band founder/guitarist KERRY LIVGREN! How sweet it is! There are a few painful moments, particularly with the higher-pitched ballads: the wheels come off vocally on "The Wall," "Hold On," and "Dust in the Wind," but these classic songs are redeemed by very strong instrumental performances by the band, particularly the interplay between Ragsdale's violin and the Livgren/Williams guitars on the latter. "Miracles Out of Nowhere" is reliably proggy and "Mysteries and Mayhem" is headbangingly raucous...with an interesting little boogie-woogie thrown in for fun. Walsh hams it up considerably with his vocals and the band sounds like a buzzsaw. Ehart kicks things up another notch with the crowd-pleasing "Portrait," and the band gives a simmering performance segueing into "Carry On Wayward Son." Again, the band absolutely crackles with energy and power, and Steve Walsh somehow manages to hold it all together vocally...it's definitely a killer version of this rousing Kansas chestnut. Usually, it would be time to call in the dogs and head for home, but Kansas still has some considerable fire left...an explosive version of "Down the Road" follows that blows away the SONG FOR AMERICA studio version. Walsh gets a litle winded on this "Zeppelin-meets-Charlie Daniels" rave-up, but he's pretty game nonetheless...and the band throws in some closing bars of "Magnum Opus" just for good measure to bring things to a rollicking conclusion. What a show! You can practically feel the sweat flying off of your CD changer as this one spins. As a bonus track, "Lonely Street" (Live-Cleveland, 1975) is included...this bluesy, simmering, intense track even exceeds the studio version...and Walsh's voice is in it's mid-70s pristine state. It's a nice little bonus for what is already a stellar live CD. Take all of this from a longtime "Wheathead" who saw the band live twice and has made listening to the band a 30-year habit. This CD isn't always easy to find, so grab it while you can.