Independent review

The 4-th by number and the best-selling album by a group from, believe it or not, Kansas. 5 spot in the USA, 2 in Canada — a tangible success for prog-rock. The album is considered legendary, but currently does not enter the golden fund of must-have prog, unfortunately, this is not a sound for the ages. I believe the reason is weak production. The sound seems liquid, it is not universal. Steve Walsh or Kerry Livgren? Battles among fans do not subside to this day, as it seems to me. I will choose the latter by virtue of my love for the guitar and by virtue of the fact that Kerry was the author in the majority of tracks anyway. The album begins with an unconditional masterpiece of prog-hard-rock Carry on wayward son (#11 in US). A song known to practically every rock music lover. Further, The wall is known in narrower circles. What's on my mind – is maximally driving by Kansas standards. Miracles out of nowhere flows gently into your ears. Cheyenne anthem - an interesting composition, but not cohesive, as if from snippets of completely different levels, unbalanced. Magnum opus is large-scale and virtuoso. And in general, Kansas sounds light and a bit outdated. Their style implies a heavier production, which is absent, because of which an impression appears that you are listening to a weighted version of ELP. They don't truly hook me. Very professional, but soul is lacking. Of course, individual fragments and tracks cannot be ignored. Over their entire career, they created several compositions that I listen to with pleasure, but for this, The Best of Kansas of the 1984 year is quite enough for me.

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