Wheel of Prog - Kansas (Albums Tier List) 

THE ABSSENCE OF PRESENCE IS A TIER.....don't let nostalgia cloud your vision...it's better than Masque or Monolith...if it came out in 1977 you'd be creaming your pants over it

Yeeeees! Finally a Kansas wheel of prog!!🎉🎉🎉

I have issues with StE being down in the D category. It's better than FoN by a longshot. I'd put it in C and push FoN in D. I'd also push The Prelude Implicit up to B and push Power down to C to sit alongside of ItSoT.

Cool to hear these guys’ insight. Some strong agrees, some strong disagrees. But then I’m probly too close to the situation to be super fair. By the way, if any of the hosts would like to hear the versions of the StE songs that were meant for Kerry’s album with my original vox, hit me up.

So hard to rank these albums! Great job coming up with a solid list. Masque always takes the cake for me.

I agree with a lot of these rankings. The one thing I really have to take issue with is Somewhere to Elsewhere--a great, great album. Maybe it's a little Proto-Kaw-ish, but still an outstanding Kansas album. Thanks for covering one of my favorite bands!

Thank you for bumping up Absence of Presence! Such a great record

I gotta go with the debut as my top album -- I heard it in a record store the day it came out and there was nothing like it. I was so excited I listened to it endlessly for weeks. My S tier would be the debut, LeftOverture and Masque. (Point of Know Return seemed like Son of LeftOverture but without anything truly bonkers like Magnum Opus.)

Was looking forward to that ! Spin the wheel spin the wheel

‘It’s the people, of the South Wind, it’s the people, of the Southern Wind’ got a few spins on the radio when ‘Monolith’ came out.

An interesting fact about StE: All members of the band got together in Kerry’s studio to record it…with the exception of Steve, who didn’t join them & recorded the vocals in a studio that wasn’t even in the state of Kansas. Then he sent the recording to Kerry to mix.

I agree with many mentioned on here. Off the top of my head Here would be my prog list. Love, Fear and the Time Machine Affinity Hand Cannot Erase Similitude of a Dream Grimspound Non-Prog: Sleep Token - Take me back to Eden The 1975 - being funny in a foreign language Bon Iver - 22 A Million War on Drugs - A deeper understanding The Staves - If I Was

From a Kansas fan since 1975: 1) Song For America 2) Monolith 3) Somewhere To Elsewhere 4) Debut 5) Masque 6) Point Of Know Return 7) Leftoverture 8) Vinyl Confessions 9) Audio-Visions 10) The Absence Of Presence 11) The Prelude Implicit 12) Freaks Of Nature The next three are KINO: Kansas In Name Only 13) Power 14) In The Spirit Of Things 15) Drastic Measures 13, 14 are more Steve Morse solo albums with Steve Walsh as vocalist. Good music, just not Kansas to me.15 is more of a bad John Elefante solo album. And, no violin on these albums. 1,2,3 are ranked that way because I don't skip songs on those albums when listening(other albums I do). 4, 5 are ahead of 6,7 because of the longer songs on 4,5. 8 is ahead of 9 because of the bubble gum rock songs that are on 9 10, 11,12 are millimeters apart, as are 1 through 7. 8 and 9 are a bit better than 10,11,12, but not nearly as good as 1 through 7. The Absence Of Presence may move up the list as time goes by. Shout-out also to the album " Always Never The Same"(done with the London Symphony), a mix of classics and new songs. Praise for " Two For The Show", one of the best live albums ever made. RIP Robby Steinhardt 🎻

Oh man I commented too early in the video lol. I’m with my buddy Ted, and we are both big power pop fans, as well as the Elefante brothers production and arrangement style. So the John albums are mid range at worst. No chance that D tier are the worst 3 Kansas albums. Anything without either a Kerry song or a Steve song would go there for sure. They are the essence of the band.

Opeth and dream theater were amazing, more of that but ill see if i can get past dust and carry on

Love this band! Also, it’s quite fortuitous because l just did an album ranking for these guys on my channel. It hasn’t dropped yet, it’s planned to be released sometime this coming weekend. I’m very curious to see how your tier ratings compare to my album ranking. Kerry Livgren is an amazing composer and songwriter. I feel he’s extremely talented, passionate and underrated… all at the same time! His guitar riffs are quite catchy and his keyboard work is outstanding. Ive really been getting into your channel recently, keep up the superb work men! Cheers from The Big Apple. 🍎 Rock Out and Prog On… … In each and every lexicon! Your pal and mine, ~ The Divine Davey Cretin from CRETIN CLASSICS.

Song for America as an album - despite the title track being easily one of my (if not THE) top Kansas tracks - really doesn’t hold up that well as a whole, for me.

Terrific show! It was so nice to listen to a group that really knows their Kansas stuff. I largely agree with the ranking, with two exceptions. First, I think _In the Spirit_is D-material. Tell-tale sign: too many songs not written by the band (and as mentioned in the show) Steve M's presence is muted. Second, I believe _Somewhere_ is an excellent album; there is not a weak song on it. I was very surprised "Myriad," "Look at the Time," and "Byzantium" got no love. Fantastic songs. B-level, I say.

My first prog album was Masque in 75? Love Kansas. For me ahead of Yes and Genesis. My favorite… Song for America

Perfect! And I’m the biggest Wheathead in the world. Nice job guys. But Hopelessly Human is a Livgren masterpiece (among many).

I concur, this is the correct order!🎸

This is gonna be great. Freaks of Nature should be up there among the old classics imo. The album I reach for more and more is the debut.

In my opinion, the first eponymous album (Kansas) belongs in the second tier, not the first. I’d definitely place Song for America in the top tier!!

I loved Vinyl confessions

Personally, I love the heavier more raspy Steve Walsh, hes great on Barricade and My Father's Son (with Charlie Dominici), as well as later Kansas albums.

Can you do Magma, Gong, Univers Zero, Samla Mammas Manna and Jethro Tull Wheel of Prog?

How did Don Kirshner promote from The Monkees to the Archies to Kansas? Kerry is my favorite member of the band. Pray for Phil’s recovery. My son has Asperger’s (mild form of Autism). I learned about his son Noah when Phil was interviewed emotionally on Dan Rather’s The Big Interview. Miracles out of Nowhere is a watchable documentary despite not covering Monolith & Audio Visions. Drastic Measures seemed over produced thanks to Neil Kernon who also produced Brand X Product & Queensryche’s Rage For Order. Rock in peace Robby.

My Own Tier Ranking (per Wheel of Prog rules) S Tier: Leftoverture, Point of Know Return, Masque A Tier: Kansas, Song for America, The Prelude Implicit B Tier: The Absence of Presence, Somewhere to Elsewhere, Monolith C Tier: Power, Freaks of Nature, Vinyl Confessions D Tier: Audio Visions, In the Spirit of Things, Drastic Measures

Although I usually take all your recommendations regarding new prog albums, I was surprised by some of the comments made from some of the guys you invited for this episode, that in any case showed that some of them were not that familiar with Kansas music, maybe they just knew them but not really fan of them. For example, although I agree that Drastic Measures was not a typical Kansas record, it was obvious for a real Kansas fan the meaning of the album cover … look at the old guys that appear in the picture, they all were and old version (not them but look alike) of Kerry Livgren, Phil Ehart, Richard Williams and Dave Hope (the remaining original members), with only the actual John Elefante in the center of the cover. DRASTIC MEASURES, no violin (first Kansas album without it) and a younger guy writing and singing most of the songs from the album. For me it was totally obvious the meaning of the cover when I saw it in the record store and bought it. I also agree with Michael Baucom that Monolith was a great prog album with 3 amazing long and complicated songs in Angel Has Fallen, A Glimpse of Home and On the Other Side. Also, to say that Kansas did not know where they were going in their first 3 albums, is just not knowing that they were pretty sure about it, just that the record label wanted something a little more commercial so they could air it on the radio … prog music is always about doing things different and Kansas record have a lot of everything. To compare Freaks of Nature with Somewhere to Elsewhere is not really fair … no way Freaks of Nature was better. Kansas without a Violin was a different group, so every album with the violin was better that the other. I think that David Ragsdale was very good in both last albums. And Spirits of Things was better than Power, but you did not mention that most of their songs were not written by the group, which was a first. Kansas has a lot of prog song in every record, The Pinnacle, All the World, No One Together, The Preacher, Portrait, Closet Chronicles, Crossfire, Icarus I and II, Distant Vision, The Voyage of eight Eighteen, Rhythm in the Spirit, etc., etc.

I would have switched Power to C tier and moved up The prelude implicit to B tier. Otherwise perfect for me.

All are "S"!!!!!!

I'm glad you did this one. Love the Wheel of Prog. Kansas is one of my favorite groups. 1. Leftoverture 2. Point of Know Return 3. Song for America 4. Audio-Visions 5. Masque 6. Monolith 7. Self-Titled ...After these 7 albums, none really bring me back to further listening.

Not bad, you guys are pretty close. but missed on a few things/! First "Leftoverture" is for sure better overall than Point of., but that's splitting hairs because both are GREAT!! Second pretty big mistake here is "Somewhere to Elsewhere' should be extremely higher!, maybe switch it with Power? Just as a foot note, people need to check out Kerry's Band Proto-Kaw, It's basically Kansas with Flute and Sax instead of Violin. Great Songwriting once again from Kerry! Start with "Before Became After". but all their albums are amazing.

I'd swap SFA and Masque, and I'd swap Power & Vinyl Confessions. Otherwise, I'd say you nailed it. I regularly tell people, "Kansas is the pinnacle of western civilization's music" and get blank stares. Makes me feel good and snobby. I went to a Styx & Kansas show and befuddled people by telling them I was there to see Kansas, a band many had never heard of. Thanks for reminding me of how good Audio Visions is. I'd never really thought about what my "B" tier is.

Freaks of Nature is A tier borderline S

For anyone that hasn’t seen the Carry On performance at Canada Jam; my opinion of the best rock & roll performance of all time: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s38ignmTqFQ.html

Major fan of the first 7 releases (minus almost all of the Steve Walsh compositions - can't stand 'em) and the latest 2.

Somewhere to Elsewhere is tier A minimum. Tier D is ridiculous!

Video piques interest in Steve Morse albums

You didn't order each tier from best to worst?! 😢

Do Pink Floyd!

I mean… yuh know…

How about a metal prog wheel of prog maaaaaaaan

Минус за "Somewhere to Elsewhere".