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Works in Progress

Kansas - Works in Progress Audio CD

A fair review of the Kansas "Works in Progress" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Kansas reviews here, or go back to the Kansas tabs.

Band: Kansas
Title: Works in Progress
Rating:

Release Date: 2006-05-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Mysteries & Mayhem 2: Portrait 3: Down The Road 4: Black Fathom 4 5: Freaks Of Nature 6: Under The Knife 7: I Can Fly 8: Peaceful And Warm 9: The Wall 10: Cheyenne Anthem 11: Hold On 12: Dust In The Wind 13: Intro 14: Belexes 15: Icarus II 16: Icarus I 17: Mysteries & Mayhem 18: Portrait 19: Down The Road 20: Hold On 21: Dust In The Wind

Buy all the albums
I also have Steve Walsh Glossolalia as well as the two recent Proto-kaw discs. I don't personally own this album, but I do have all the Kansas albums except Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures.

The long and short of it is NEVER BUY BEST OF ALBUMS. In my opinion they always dissapoint, the reason for this being that you don't get to hear the band in a specific mood, but rather a jumble of ideas and songs that just don't gel. Albums are meant to reflect a certain sound of the band at that time.

I also agree with some of the reviewers, please Kerry worshipers, get over him leaving the band after Audio Visions, I am also a Kerry fan but I really like the albums Power, In The Spirit of Things and Freaks Of Nature.

If you want to purchase the best of Kansas, start with the debut, and buy all of them until Somewhere to Elsewhere, because according to me all their stuff is great, Livgren or not.

Not that bad
But if you dont have The Ultimate Kansas, The Best Of Kansas, Sail On, etc. Forget what other compilations you have, if so you dont need this anyway. I myself am a Kansas freak so I have bought every CD they have just to have it! Although this may not be the best, judging it purely on what it is it's a decent CD with a lot of good tracks. Compared to some of the BAD newer Kansas CDs over the past decade or so, this compilation is much better then some of those. For those fans who keep wishing for new material, sometimes for an older classic band, that doesnt always produce a satisfying result either. And apparantly these reissues make money for bands, because so many of them are guilty of it putting them out. So 3 1/2 stars for this issue, I just rounded it off and gave it 4. .

I've had it with these worthless compilations!!!
There is not a Kansas album called Audio-Confessions. Hey joboo (weirdo),

They are doing material from their intersound days instead of interscope! Also, you said they made a album called Audio-Confessions. There is Audio-Visions and Vinyl Confessions, so get your albums straight. The video from the LIVE AT THE WHISKEY is not very good except for an excellent version of "Down The Road", which you might want to have the dvd for. Man oh man have they totally went crazy with every sort of compilation. Enough is enough!!!!!!!! A lot of these songs on the cd are from the pretty inferior album FREAKS OF NATURE (it could have been better with Kerry), so basically, they don't belong on a hits album. Then we get a couple from their heyday but they're from the ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME disc and are remakes of the originals and are much worse than the orginals, but just forget about this because it's totally worthless! I hate to downgrade KANSAS because they are my favorite group at least from the 70's but like I said this is just ridiculous to put out this many compilations. They think they can just cash in on the fame they had in the 70's and early 80's, but come on guys lets just end this stuff. I just wish they would all get together and make a cd that's quite a bit better than SOMEWHERE TO ELSEWHERE because it was a big dissappointment even though many seemed to love it. Just write new songs and use your head because you're KANSAS for God's sake.

An actual review from purchasing the CD/DVD set
So all you Kerry-ites get off your high moral horse pointing an ignorant finger at the band for not releasing new material. First of all, Kansas was contractually required by Interscope to release a compilation album of the three releases Kansas had with them (Whiskey, Freaks & Always). If you bothered to keep up with Kansas you would know that Phil Ehart personally oversaw which songs were selected and their order. Since they contractually had to do this, atleast Phil cared enough to make sure the best songs were picked from the three Interscope releases and they flowed together. I personally feel he accomplished both with the CD.

The CD is a great representation of the best songs from the 3 Interscope CD's. To date, I think Freaks of Nature is Kansas' most overlooked and underappreciated album. In my opinion, it is their best album since Audio Confessions, the last time the original group was together and others beside Kerry wrote songs. "Peaceful & Warm" still stands out as one of the best Kansas songs ever. Blasphamy to the Kerry worshipers, but oh well. "I Can Fly", hands down, one of the best rocking songs Kansas has ever done (can't reach "Carry On" levels, but still, of their songs released after the hey days of the 70's, one of the best).

As for the DVD, the three songs from the Whiskey concert are gems. Not many fans have the VHS of the concert, so to at least have three of the songs, with extended Ragsdale solo during Mysteries to Mayhem previously only available on the VHS, is worth a look & listen (solo is included on the CD as well). Note to Phil; get the entire concert out on DVD. As the three songs selected for the DVD show, this was Kansas at a professional peak as far as musicianship. They have never sounded better musically on any other live recording than here. True, Steve's voice is hit and miss due to the problems he was having at the time, but the music is by far the best they have ever been captured live.

The band did not have to include the DVD with this compilation, I see the DVD as more of a bonus here which it is.

At any rate, this is going to be for the fans of the Interscope years of Kansas. If you are someone that is just a casual fan, don't bother. Definitely don't waste space out here reviewing this when you haven't even picked it up and/or have no clue about why it was released. .

Nothing new

The DVD contains 3 songs from the Whiskey concert, and 3 from the Device Voice Drum concert. Save your money. The DVD also contains remastered Dust in the Wind on and Hold on (audio only).

The CD also has Dust inthe Wind and Hold on, as if we need to hear them twice in one purchase.

If the band can't, or won't, write new material I wish they'd stop greatest hitting their fans to death.

.

You can see a complete list of all Kansas discography, or go back to the Kansas tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.