English prog rooted in American soil. Ambition found them attempting to conjure the current masters' instrumental wizardry (Genesis, Gentle Giant, Tull), ability revealed them to be the sorcerer's apprentice. Yet by Leftoverture, Kansas had successfully managed to combine rock and prog into a kind of Led Zeppelin lite (or a parallel river to Styx) that caught the attention of American radio stations. Their more ambitious songs (usually authored by Kerry Livgren and featuring overtly Christian themes) endeared them to prog listeners, while Steve Walsh's songs made them palatable to hard rock fans. Following Audio-Visions, Walsh left the band, and Kansas folded soon after. When the band re-formed in 1986, Livgren was out and Walsh was in. The two reconciled for Somewhere To Elsewhere, released in 2000.
Date ALBUMS / Singles
1974 KANSAS
1974 November Can I Tell You
1975 February Bringing It All Back
1975 March SONG FOR AMERICA
1975 April Song for America
1975 October MASQUE
1976 February It Takes A Woman's Love (To Make A Man)
1976 November LEFTOVERTURE
1976 December Carry On Wayward Son
1977 May What's On My Mind
1977 October POINT OF KNOW RETURN
1977 October Point of Know Return
1977 HISTORIA DE LA MUSICA ROCK VOL. 61
1978 January Dust In The Wind
1978 May Portrait (He Knew)
1978 November TWO FOR THE SHOW
1979 January Lonely Wind
1979 May MONOLITH
1979 May People of the South Wind
1979 August Reasons To Be
1980 September Hold On
1980 September AUDIO-VISIONS
1980 December Got To Rock On
1982 May Play The Game Tonight
1982 June VINYL CONFESSIONS
1982 August Right Away
1983 August Fight Fire With Fire
1983 September DRASTIC MEASURES
1983 November Everybody's My Friend
1984 September THE BEST OF KANSAS
1986 October All I Wanted
1986 November POWER
1987 February Power
1987 April Can't Cry Anymore
1988 October IN THE SPIRIT OF THINGS
1988 November Stand Beside Me
1992 July 7 CARRY ON
1992 LIVE AT THE WHISKY
1994 July THE KANSAS BOXED SET
1995 July FREAKS OF NATURE
1997 DEFINITIVE COLLECTION
1998 April LIVE: DUST IN THE WIND
1998 May 19 ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME
1998 October KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR PRESENTS KANSAS
2000 February 1 EXTENDED VERSIONS
2000 July 11 SOMEWHERE TO ELSEWHERE
2002 July 2 THE ULTIMATE KANSAS
2002 October 8 DEVICE - VOICE - DRUM
2004 THE BEST OF KANSAS: CLOSET CHRONICLES
2004 June 1 FROM THE FRONT ROW... LIVE!
2004 August 31 SAIL ON: THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION 1974-2004
2005 May 17 ON THE OTHER SIDE
2006 April 18 WORKS IN PROGRESS
2007 SUPER HITS
2008 April 29 PLAYLIST: THE VERY BEST OF KANSAS
2009 October 13 THERE'S KNOW PLACE LIKE HOME
