Truth. And if there would ever be a Memorial greater than the R&R Hall of Fame, they should be the first ones inducted. (The R&R Hall of Fame is more of a joke. Musicians who don't know or play rock are inducted).
That's it exactly! They could write songs (and sing them very well) in addition to being superb musicians!They were more vocally oriented than many of their peers.I would add ELP and Genesis to the vocally oriented bunch.
Kansas is by far my favorite band of all time... very underrated it feels like they make music for people who are really dedicated to really listen to the music. The kansas community is very kind and respectful.
Thank you, I feel exactly the same way. Kerry Livgren is a musical genius. They are so very underrated like you said. I wonder sometimes if a person needs to understand music on a higher level to know how good they really are. You my friend know music.
@@8KilgoreTrout4 Mine are Lamplight Symphony, The Pinnacle (!!), Journey from Mariabronn, The Wall, Miracles out of Nowhere, Hopelessly Human (!!), Relentless, Hold On, Curtain of Iron, Crossfire...for starters. As far as I'm concerned, any song by Kerry Livgren is a great song!
@@8KilgoreTrout4 Lonely Street, No Room for a Stranger, Incommudro: Hymn to the Atman, Hopelessly Human, Questions of My Childhood, Cheyenne Anthem, Lonely Wind. Got some I can't stand too: I Can Fly, Black Fathom 4--but I even need to hear those sometimes.
I was in six grade when left overture hit the airwaves and I was instantly mesmerized by their talent . I finally didn’t have to listen to kiss any more on the radio I could listen to Kansas
I saw Kansas at a bar in Liberal, Kansas in the 70s. It was before they were big and they played at a bar that hosted rock bands every weekend. I was barely old enough to drink. Even then, they were so much better than all the other bands. Amazing music and incredible vocals by Steve Walsh. A bittersweet memory now than Steve Walsh is retired and Ronnie Stienhardt has passed away.
If you ever get a chance to watch "Miracles Out of Nowhere" do it. Not only will you be impressed by their music, you'll be stunned at how humble these guys were. They were never stereotypical spoiled rock star prima donnas. Love this band!!!!!!
Craig Willims, yes I watched it and they portrayed themselves exactly as they wanted us to see them. Interesting how they left out all the drug abuse that went in and out with some members of the band
@@mtradz what little there was, was in moderation. it had no influence on writing or performing etc. Totally irrelevant. i can tell you. I have ben around the band before and after shows etc and there was absolutely no evidence.
@@christo4982 Moderation?? 😂 Irrelevant? 😆 Tell that to Robbie Steinhardt and Steve Walsh who were a couple of the biggest abusers. Of course it had no effect on the writing since Kerry Livgren wrote all of their biggest hits and was into spirituality and finally settled into Christianity. No effect on performing you say 🤣 I guess you haven't seen that Kansas Live at the Whiskey video. If you can't tell that Steve is blasted on cocaine I suggest you get your eyes and ears checked. What you say is probably true in the early years before they started making the big money. I have seen them since their very first tour and every tour after. The Kansas of the 1970's is not the Kansas of today.. but nothing great last forever 😔
@@mtradz You are absolutely right about Steve at the Whiskey show. My husband was there and he said Walsh was off his ASS on cocaine the whole time. He thought it would make him sound better and it did NOT.
I remember the first time I saw the ‘Point of Know Return’ album cover - I was a kid and my teenage cousin had the LP… I just held it and stared at it while we played the album over and over… Kansas is fantastic.
I , too, stared at in 1977 (as a 7 year old).It was a bit scary kind of. The band member pics ( inside) were also mesmerizing (and a bit weird) i remember. :)
The R&R hall of fame does not always represent the musical opinions of the majority of music fans & musicians. Kansas is 1 of the most unique,creative & successful bands of alltime
Kevin..I agree with you! Usually thing like being passed up, like Foreigner for instance, is because someone threw some screws in the works at the Hall of Fame. In Lou Gramm’s memoirs (great book!!), he says that Mick Jones, the owner of the group, went to the Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio & screamed at the CEO there & demanded to be inducted. They kicked him out & said “You’ll never get inducted here, I promise you.” And I’m still waiting for them to get in. I loved them too. But Lou swears they’ll never get in cause of that. It’s always someone demanding something..
dude I couldn't care less - I just see what they do with comments @@berserkerkonge8095 but how is this a legal statement? "Smoked my first joint to dust in the wind while driving to college at KU in 1980."
I have cried countless times listening to some of my favorite Kansas songs… there is something about their music and lyrics that my soul lovingly embraces ❤
I have been a Kansas fan my entire life. Best band ever for deep thought lyrics. Growing up in south Saint Joseph MO l am very familiar with Steve Walsh and his history. If I remember correctly he was actively involved with the Catholic Church in our part of town and graduated from Christian Brothers high school. You have may incorrect information on when he moved to Kansas. I have driven by his childhood home more times than I can count. The song "Are the Bells of Saint James still ringing" was written about his southside church that had awesome bells that rang out many times a day for masses. To this day their music is a wonderful dose of medicine that I enjoy almost everyday to bring me back to reality from today's crazy world. Thank you for the video. Keep rocking.....
The band Survivor has never been inducted either. I love Kansas and Survivor who was a phenomenal band, lead singer Jimi Jamison who died in 2014 at age 63 had a powerhouse voice. Both of these great bands deserve to be inducted into the music hall of fame...
I still dream that either Steve Walsh or Lou Gramm might consider teaching voice. Hey, I can dream. Can't I? Lol!! I find them very similar with that operatic sound.
@@VIDEOHEREBOB - Those two guys, the late, great Ronnie James Dio, Tommy Shaw and Lennon & McCartney taught me how to sing, although they were completely unaware of that.
@@VIDEOHEREBOB Steve Walsh did teach. He was at my house everyday!! That is on stereo anyway. I practiced him for many years. Others too but Walsh was sang the.most. He is the best
I saw these guys in concert in a small hall in Pennsylvania. They were so great. A little after halfway through, smoke came up from the wooden floorboards & everyone was evacuated due to a small fire in the basement. It didn’t even make the news!!!!!
I was eleven years old in 1976. I walked to the local Sears store to buy Leftoverture on 8-track tape. I finally saw the original band on the Audiovisions tour in 1981! I'm still listening.
My first Kansas show was at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia MD. a outdoor venue to see the "Point of no Return" tour. That was a intense and incredible concert, finishing the night with Magnum Opus!!! Really a wonderful night of the music of Kansas, The next time was in the Spectrum in Phili. for the "Monolith" tour. Another fantastic concert that I will always cherish. So blessed to see America's Greatest Prog rock band KANSAS !
I'm proud to say my band learned "People Of the South Wind" and opened with it at an auditorum full of 600 kids in '79. We also did "The Wall," "Point of Know Return" as well as, of course, "Carry On." We spread the Prog gospel for about a year at that time! I also got to interview Steve Walsh in 2003, I think it was. KANSAS4EVER
Kansas made great progressive rock songs.. and amazing lyrics thanks to Kerry Livgren mainly..but Steve Walsh is an amazing singer as great as Steve Perry's voice..American Rock's best singers! Kansas sound is super creative and as great as Geneis,Yes,ELP ..Love them for life
Kansas is my favorite prog band. I love the other 3 you mentioned too. I got into Genesis first because I was named after Peter GABRIEL. I started listening to Kansas heavily last year and fell in love with their music very quickly. Then, about a month ago I got into Yes and ELP. The first prog band I got into was Rush, way back in 2013 (I'm pretty damn young, so I wasn't around while any of these bands was in their prime). Prog is easily my favorite genre of music.
@@razzle2112 I love that song. The whole album kicked ass. "Bringing it back" was fun to hear. Robby Steinhart was a good singer too. Two part harmony was what they did early.on and it was great.
Their music and lyrics put me on a Spiritual Path from which I never left (starting in 1977). I remember writing a letter to Kerry thanking him for metaphysical music and a direction that literally saved my life. I received a post card back from their agent or similar rep who said 'We will pass this along'. I remember shedding tears and saying to myself, "This person doesn't realize how the music from Kansas saved my life!!!!" (Today, it's a matter of sending an email to a specific individual personally. LOL). They were a kind-of regular in Allentown PA (at the Fairgrounds). I made sure I went to every show they put on there. The original Kansas was the Real Deal: Music, Lyrics, Musicianship. I never followed the newer version. So grateful to have grown up during that time when musicians read, played, and created Music.
@@quinnmitchel4075 I actually went & gave it a listen after seeing this, for the first time since the early-80’s. Good record! I’m going to look for an original gate-fold vinyl-copy at the stores in L.A. .. The artwork is very timely if you’re hip to the Hopi-Indian prophecies. ☮️
@@hailmaryrecordings8255 Yeh. A Glimpse of Home, On The Otherside, How My Soul Cries Out To You, and Reason to Be are great. Whole albums great. I got it on vinyl.
My band actually opened for Kansas in Joliet Illinois in 1994. Steve Walsh hated us. LoL. Did you forget about the John Elefante years of Kansas? A couple of really good albums there as well.
@@LedBeatle-vz4ui I grew up in Joliet and my cousin (Mark Anthony) was the lead singer of a band who went to Minneapolis and almost made it big in the early 80's named Chameleon.
Kansas continued for two full albums after Steve left. Different lead singer. ( John Elefante ). That version of Kansas ended with Kerry Livgren leaving. Walsh returned ( Elefante left too ) and Kansas continued. The band didn't stop making music.
The many iterations of Kansas over time. My cousin was a guitar player who went to Topeka West HS at the same time. He knw these guys and I would go up from Manhattan on weekends to hang out and met them. Funny twist was years later my cousin became a territory manager for Sparrow Records which was the label Kerry Livggren, Dave Hope, and John Elefante were handled by. My cousin reconnected with Kerry while on a company cruise. Kerry settled back ito the area living just south of Topeka and has some very musically talented children. The sad art was a few years ago he eperienced a stroke which affeted his ability to play guitar anymore. Funny too now without Walsh the band's leads are handled by the former lead singer of another regional band out of Kansas City, Shooting Star. So far he fits in pretty well.
1st time I saw Kansas was in 'Winterland' in around 74' warm up band for J Giles I believe. We never heard of them They blew us away .....great talent 👍
An honest , well researched appraisal . Much more could've been said .....With Kansas , behind the scenes , I'm always reminded of the great Johnny Nash song ; There Are More Questions Than Answers.
. Was lucky enough to see Kansas back on November 3, 1980 (at the (then) Milwaukee Arena), and sat in the best seats I've ever been able to get for myself (6th row, just off to the side) for any concert. The only show I've had better seats for, AMAZINGLY, was McCartney at Soldier Field, July 29, 1990 (SECOND ROW !! (but only because my brother worked for a Milwaukee entertainment group at that time, and was able to get the tickets for us)) !! To this day, still a HUGE Kansas fan, and love the fact that they left a legacy of GREAT music for all of us to enjoy! However, STILL waiting for the day when I finally run into another big-time Kansas fan again, which I've not done since WAY back in the day......many people (of course) remember the band, and even say they "like" them, but TRUE fans SEEM few and far between these days, and, for whatever reason, VERY hard to come by.... .
Mark. I'm right here. There is not a bigger Kansas fan on the face of the earth! If I had to pick the greatest rock artist of all time, it would be Kerry Livgren by a country mile. An outstanding composer, orchestrator, lyricist, and multi-instrumentalist, he was the heart & soul of Kansas, AD, Proto-Kaw, and a killer solo artist. My dream is to meet him some day. The world will be a much sadder place without him. ❤️
Saw them 2 years ago in Wichita...not just a studio band... they sounded better live than I could have imagined ...if you go see them live you will get your moneys worth...
That’s good to hear. Their live album, was not very good. The tempo was slowed down, like it should have been played at 36 RPM instead of 331/3 RPM. Made me sad, because I sure love their studio work. I’m glad they got it figured out.
I was Kansas in the early 70s. First album. Then I just saw them in Milwaukee not long ago. Awesome. Band members come and go, but the music lives in infamy.
Wrong on two fronts 1) Kansas did not break up in 1981, Steve Walsh left. Walsh was replaced by John Elefante for two albums, Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures( violinist Robby Steinhardt departed after Vinyl Confessions, no violin on Drastic Measures) 2) King Crimson is not the primary influence on Kansas directly, see Kerry Livgren's autobiography " Seeds Of Change " for the true story, there were many more
They didn't broke up when Steve Walsh left in the early eighties, he was replaced by John Elefante and recorded two albums "Vinyl Confessions" and "Drastic Measures"
Actually they have two 6X Platinum albums (Leftoverture and Point of Know Return), 1 Platinum album (Monolith), 4 Gold albums, 1 Platinum live album (Two for the Show), two singles that both have sold over a million units. I probably don’t have to tell you what songs those are.😉
If Kansas doesn't deserve to be in the HOF... no one does. Sorry, but that's the Truth. It's not about liking their music; it's about recognizing that they brought a style that was unique. To this day, no other band has been able to capture that style. This puts Kansas in the league with the Beatles and other greats. Give them their due.
I was totally down with this video until they just blew off the time in the early 80’s with John Elfante on lead vocals. Drastic Measures is a very good album as well as vinyl confessions. They was this was does was as if that time period didn’t exist. I’m a huge Kanas fan and feel that shouldn’t have been purposely overlooked.
Interesting video though not completely accurate. Also, they completely skipped over the 2 records that John Elfante sang on. I’m a huge Kansas fan and love all of their stuff and know quite a bit about the band. This wasn’t awful but could have been a bit better
Yeah, they didn’t break up when Steve left in ‘81, they recruited John Elefante and recorded two more albums, the second of which, Drastic Measures, was the first without violinist/vocalist, Robby Steinhardt, who unfortunately passed away on July 17. R.I.P. to a true original.
didn't know that - thanks just thought i'd mention that KANSAS also did a remake of the Beatles Eleanor Rigby that i like, and it shows that they put everything they have into every performance
Interesting how they just brush over the period that included the Elefante brothers as if that didn't happen. It was still Kansas, toured as Kansas, had only lost Steve Walsh, and added Warren Ham as an amazing BGV harmonica, flute and sax player. (I think some keys too) I think this was the last period that featured Kerry Livgren. Washed right over it. It was kind of like watching the Behind the Music on Journey, when Steve Smith is never even mentioned, though is musical presence is undeniable. Take two?
"Two for the Show" , for me the best live album ever made. Deserves to be put on the Voyager Gold Plate,the bottle into the cosmic ocean launched in 1977,and transfered as deep and far as possible into the universe.
The Best live concert I've ever seen was Kansas with Steve Walsh on vocals... The second best concert I've ever seen Was Kansas with John Elefante on vocals
@@crusheverything4449 And John Elefante STILL has his pipes! I have a friend that currently plays keyboard for hi on gigs! Not many can still sing well at age 62
@@mrzee1958 - Yeah, John can still sing his ass off! Kansas asked him to replace Steve Walsh again when Steve was retiring, but John declined. Too bad because he smokes Ronnie Platt.
Kansas and many other classic Rock bands still await their induction into the so-called "Rock & Roll" Hall of Fame while young hip-hop artists are being inducted left and right year after year. This is why no one in the industry takes that organization seriously, and why so many recording artists have gone on record saying "Fuck the hall of fame.".
Kansas did not break up in 1981 when Steve Walsh left. John Elefante replaced Walsh for two albums. Then they broke up and reformed for power with Steve Walsh's return and the addition of Steve Morse on guitar.
Point of No Return was the first album I bought when I purchased my first stereo system. The systems back then were seperate components with huge speakers and deep bass...
1) A young and unknown *Ronnie James Dio* did vocal work on ,a very evangelistic,song on the *Seeds Of Change* album. 2) The Elaphante Brothers created the Christian label *Pakaderm Records*. They also produced *Petras* most successful years.
Dio wasn't that unknown. He had already done about 3-5 albums with the band Elf at around the same time Kansas was coming up. Then in the second half of the '70s, he was a founding member of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. After that he joined Black Sabbath, and they recorded the Heaven and Hell album. This was right around the same time that he was asked to sing on Kerry Livgren's album.
@@theswordofaces1222 Oh, I had read,many many moons ago,that he was still a struggeling singer. Thanx for setting the record straight. I still think its cool Livgren got Dio to sing those songs.
Sadly, it was issues of faith that caused the split between the two great creative engines, Livgren and Walsh. We all must go our own ways, but it is regrettable that a song as majestic as "Cheyenne Anthem" could could have caused that. They were better as a team.
I actually named my facebook paranormal investigation's page after them and my mom that passed away loved the song dust in the wind, so I named it dust in the wind paranormal investigation's here in knoxville tn.
I can still remember the "ka chunk" in the middle of couple songs on Leftoverture 8 track tape. I finally broke down and bought the 33, but back then 8 tracks were what you listened to when cruising around, until I finally saved up enough dough to by a Pioneer Super Tuner II. It had a cassette player(no auto reverse).
