Kansas - The Best Of Kansas

30/07/10 9:45 pm

I think this is the first time I've reviewed a 'best of' album. No shame in that right? So many of these 70s bands have gigantic discographies, no way I'm listening to that much crap to get to the only three songs that people actually remember.

Aaah, the heady days when it was edgy to name your band after a geopolitical boundary: America, Kansas, Europe...

Anyway, the headlining track here is Carry On Wayward Son, which is a absolutely fantastic classic rock song. This one thing keeps niggling me: it feels Kansas is totally trying to emulate Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody. Consider:

However instead of the operatic vocals, there's a staccato guitar instrumental.

It really strikes me though that this is very much a 70s sound through and through - it lacks the timeless quality of really transcendental music (e.g. Queen). It was like I had accidentally tuned into a baby-boomer nostalgia-rock station on the radio. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't make it bad, just...it feels out of context? They also consistently use reverberated multi-tracked vocals like Auto-tune.

In the end, they're a great performing band, and it's easy listening.

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