Search - Kansas :: Carry on

Pretty good for a cheapie!!

R. Recchia | blodgett mills, ny | 01/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I found this compilation many years in a budget bin for about five to ten bucks, and as far as I'm concerned, it was money well spent. For a cheap compilation that the band probably didn't authorize, this is actually very good.



This compilation consists of ten songs, going back to their first album with the energetic progressive hard rocker "Can I Tell You" and going up to the 1983 album "Drastic Measures" with the cheesy pop song "Don't Take Your Love Away"...not one of the better songs from that album, in my opinion. Some of the band's biggest hits, like "Carry On Wayward Son" , "Dust In The Wind" and "People of the Southwind", are included, though "Hold On", "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Point Of Know Return" are not. Elsewhere, we get some terrific album tracks, like "On The Other Side" from 1979's "Monolith" album and "The Wall" from "Leftoverture".



I also love the fact that the two goofy and fun songs from the 1975 album "Masque"..."It Takes A Woman's Love To Make A Man" and "Two Cents Worth"...are included here. The former has some saxophone on it and the latter is a quirky little blues song that has Walsh talking about his drinking problem. These two songs show a different side to Kansas that may surprise people who are just familiar with their hits. "Play The Game Tonight" from "Vinyl Confessions" is here as well.



The band's more progressive side isn't really that well represented....the longest song here is just over six minutes..but that is perfectly alright with me. If you want to hear some of their longer, more progressive songs, buy the individual albums. It will be worth your while...so will this cheap, but hard to find compilation!"