Artist: Kansas
Title: “Two For The Show” (remaster)
Label: Epic Legacy
Release Date: 7/1/2008
Genre: Rock
Rating: 4.5/5
In 1978 Kansas released “Two For The Show” which was a double vinyl live recording that truly captured an exceptional band at their best. The original recording was done during the tour that supported their album “Point Of Know Return” and it would be the first such release for the band but one that found them at what seemed to be the peak of their career with numerous hits already under their belt and support of mainstream Rock radio very much behind them. In order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this release Epic/Legacy not only gave it a fantastic remastering job but also dug deep into the vaults for additional music which allowed the means for a full second CD to be included with it. In the end this made the full release now possess twenty four tracks and come off as what seemed to be a full show of the band. The first CD featured thirteen tracks and such juggernaut songs like “Song For America”, “Point Of No Return” and of course “Carry On Wayward Son” while the second disc features eleven more tracks from the gig. The interesting thing for the fans is that of these eleven tracks, only “Closet Chronicles” had been heard before on the original vinyl while the other ten were as yet unreleased gems from the bands repertoire performed on this tour. Another point of interest in that “Closet Chronicles” was omitted from the initial release of this CD and that has thankfully been rectified for the remaster. I must admit that my own exposure to Kansas during my youth was primarily focused around the bands hits which were all mainstays on Classic Rock and conventional Pop radio stations of the time because back then these were the kind of bands that one could easily find at the turn of a dial. Try finding the band easily in today’s realm and all you will hear is commercial drivel. The members of the band who recorded these selections are Phil Ehart (drums), Kerry Livgren (keyboards/guitars), Robby Steinhardt (violin/vocals), Dave Hope (bass), Steve Walsh (vocals/keyboards), and Rich Williams (guitar). Collectively the tracks do NOT come from a single performance are instead compiled from various shows over the span of three tours from 1977-1978.
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