Epic/Legacy's double-disc set The Essential Kansas pretty much fulfills the promise of its title.
Although it doesn't delve into the group's latter-day recordings for MCA and other labels, that's not a problem because most listeners -- whether they're fairweather or dedicated fans -- will want to concentrate on the group's peak in the '70s, which is precisely what this does.
Over the course of 26 tracks, all the hits and album-oriented radio staples are featured, usually in their full-length album versions, plus a number of fan favorites and key album tracks that help draw a full picture of what the group did.
The remastered and expanded single-disc The Best of Kansas remains the best bet for the casual fan, since it has all the big hits on one disc, but anybody seeking to dig deeper than the hits and radio favorites -- without actually hearing the original albums -- should turn here, since its selection and sound is better than the three-disc box.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carry on Wayward Son | Kansas | Play | 05:22 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 2 | The Wall | Kansas | Play | 04:47 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Lonely StreetR. Williams | Kansas | Play | 05:42 | 13 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | Child of Innocence | Kansas | Play | 04:31 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | Mysteries and Mayhem | Kansas | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Down the Road | Kansas | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | What's on My Mind | Kansas | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Point of Know Return | Kansas | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Cheyenne Anthem | Kansas | Play | 06:53 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 10 | Dust in the Wind | Kansas | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Play the Game TonightR. Frazier, R. Williams | Kansas | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 12 | Closet Chronicles | Kansas | Play | 06:28 | 14 MB | 39 MB |
| 13 | Sparks of the Tempest | Kansas | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 14 | On the Other Side | Kansas | Play | 06:44 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 15 | A Glimpse of Home | Kansas | Play | 06:33 | 15 MB | 46 MB |
| 16 | Bringing It Back (Album Version) | Kansas | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 17 | Fight Fire With Fire (Album Version) | Kansas | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 18 | Hold On (Album Version) | Kansas | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 19 | No One Together (Album Version) | Kansas | Play | 06:57 | 15 MB | 48 MB |
| 20 | People Of The South Wind (Album Version) | Kansas | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 94 mins | 216 MB | |||||
| 94 mins | 620 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Aaron | Engineer, Producer |
| 2 | Steve Berkowitz | A&R |
| 3 | Terry Brock | Vocals |
| 4 | J.J. Cale | Composer |
| 5 | Phil Ehart | Musician |
| 6 | John Elefante | Musician |
| 7 | R. Frazier | Composer |
| 8 | Howard Fritzson | Art Direction |
| 9 | Jeff Glixman | Compilation Producer, Producer |
| 10 | Wally Gold | Producer |
| 11 | Kyle Henderson | Vocals |
| 12 | Dave Hope | Musician |
| 13 | Don Hunstein | Photography |
| 14 | John Jackson | Project Director |
| 15 | Kansas | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 16 | Ron Kellum | Design |
| 17 | Neil Kernon | Producer |
| 18 | Andy Lackow | Cover Illustration |
| 19 | Kerry Livgren | Musician |
| 20 | Jeff Magid | Compilation Producer |
| 21 | Davey Moire | Engineer, Producer |
| 22 | Dave Pack | Vocals |
| 23 | Joseph M. Palmaccio | Mastering |
| 24 | Darren Salmieri | A&R |
| 25 | Ken Scott | Producer |
| 26 | Robby Steinhardt | Musician |
| 27 | Mark Unterberger | Packaging Manager |
| 28 | Steve Walsh | Musician |
| 29 | R. Williams | Composer |
| 30 | Rich Williams | Musician |
| 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). |