Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection 1974-2004

Kansas

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 2004)
• Original Release Date: August 31, 2004
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0002S94QQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,110 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kansas Sail's On For 30 Years!!, September 1, 2004

By	Louie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

To commemorate 30 years since the release of their first album, Kansas has released a definitive new boxed set entitled "Sail On", the first Kansas collection to feature material from nearly every album the band has released spanning their entire career.
While the two audio CDs do not include any rare or unreleased material, they do offer an excellent sampling of the band's classic heyday while giving brief glimpses into what the band has been up to in recent years.
The booklet includes a detailed essay on the history of Kansas along with some classic and rare photos chronicling their history from 1974 to now.
The main highlight of "Sail On" (and the real reason to buy this set) is the DVD which features over 95 minutes of rare vintage performances, music videos, promo films, current live footage and exclusive interviews with the Kansas band members both past and present. Much of this material had been sitting in the vaults for years and is an absolute revelation to be seen once again. The two early performances from the Don Kirshner "Rock Concert" TV show are definitive highlights capturing the band full of youthful excitement and vigor. The music videos for "Point Of Know Return", "Dust in the Wind" as well as the four-song promo film for the "Monolith" album are typical of the late 70s - somewhat cheesy but definitely fun to watch. "Fight Fire With Fire" and "All I Wanted" are also typical of their period - 80s MTV-era concept videos. The DVD closes with three performances from the band's recent "Device Voice Drum" concert DVD which capture the current Kansas in spectacular form.
If your a die-hard Kansas fan, this collection is definitely a must. Although the CDs offer nothing new, it's great to have these tracks together in one place. The DVD is worth the price alone and the overall packaging is awesome.
Join in on the 30th anniversary celebration with "Sail On", a great retrospective of one of America's greatest bands, Kansas.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good & solid Greatest Songs package`, March 14, 2005

By	Archie Mercer "Archie" (Yorba Linda, CA) - See all my reviews

Well, once again we are treated to another Kansas "greatest hits/songs" package. However, this one is different in one aspect. It has two CD's & one DVD.

The two CD's basically includes songs from almost every Kansas album, from the self-titled debut "Kansas" to the 2002 release of "Somewhere to Elsewhere". As always, you get a good flavor of how their music evolved through the years. And, as always, you are disappointed with songs that were left out. CD #1 covers the first 4 albums. Noteable missing songs are "Down the Road" from Song for America & "Mysteries & Mayhem" from Masque. But it was good to see "Lamplight Symphony" & "Miracles out of Nowhere" included. Both of which are two of my favorites.

CD #2 starts off with selections from "Point of Know Return". Of course you get the staples (Dust in the Wind, Portrait, and the title track) but you also get two surprises. "Lightning's Hand" & "Sparks of the Tempest" are both great rockers and seems to always be ignored. What is nice about this CD is it continues past Audio-Visions. "Play the Game Tonight" & "Fight Fire with Fire" From the John Elefonte period and "All I Wanted" & "Rainmaker" from the Steve Morse Era shows that Kansas adapted with some success. But why they included Eleanor Rigby here is beyond me. A great song but says nothing really new musically. If you're going to cover a Beatles number at least make it your own. This song was disappointing. The CD ends with "Icarus II" off of Somewhere to Elsewhere.

Now the DVD is really something else. 16 songs with a mix of live & video recordings. This made purchasing the set well worth it. You also get members of Kansas talking between the songs about their experiences. It's interesting to see them in their first TV gigs on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. They look so young! Fast forward to the last three numbers on the DVD and see them in their "older" appearance. No matter what, the music is never compromised. There is such a high quality to the Music of Kansas.

I would recommend this to ANY Kansas fan, even if you have all the other greatest hits sets. As I said, the DVD is well worth the duplication in music.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's incomplete! It's redundant! whatever., March 24, 2005

By	bob turnley (birmingham,al,usa) - See all my reviews

Kansas shows the music world how to put out a box set. It's got something from every album and a lot from their platinum selling releases. Then there's a high quality DVD. 35 minutes of live material from the early days plus fascinating videos. 3 excellent performances from their 2002 live DVD are lacking only in the absence of Kerry Livgren. They still need someone to fill his shoes. There's also a hidden performance from Device Voice Drum not included on that DVD. Go to the bottom of the menu, click right and then left to see a performance of Distant Vision from the Somewhere to Elsewhere album.