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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point of Know ReturnPhil Ehart, Robby Steinhardt, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 2 | ParadoxKerry Livgren, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | The SpiderSteve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 02:05 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 4 | Portrait (He Knew)Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Closet ChroniclesKerry Livgren, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 06:33 | 15 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | Lightning's HandKerry Livgren, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:24 | 10 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | Dust in the WindKerry Livgren | Kansas | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 8 | Sparks of the TempestKerry Livgren, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Nobody's HomeKerry Livgren, Steve Walsh | Kansas | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | Hopelessly HumanKerry Livgren | Kansas | Play | 07:09 | 16 MB | 40 MB |
| 44 mins | 101 MB | |||||
| 44 mins | 250 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Becker | Engineer |
| 2 | Tom Drennon | Art Direction |
| 3 | Rod Dyer | Cover Design |
| 4 | Phil Ehart | Chimes, Composer, Drums, Gong, Percussion, Timpani |
| 5 | Jeff Glixman | Engineer, Producer |
| 6 | Dave Hope | Bass |
| 7 | Kansas | Arranger, Cover Art Concept, Ensemble, Primary Artist |
| 8 | Kerry Livgren | Clavinet, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, Whistle (Instrument) |
| 9 | Peter Lloyd | Artwork |
| 10 | Bob Maile | Artwork |
| 11 | George Marino | Mastering |
| 12 | Robby Steinhardt | Cello, Composer, Lap Cello, Viola, Violin, Vocals |
| 13 | Steve Walsh | Celeste, Composer, Keyboards, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Synthesizer, Vibraphone, Vocals |
| 14 | Rich Williams | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 15 | Rick Williams | Pedals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |