Category: KERRY LIVGREN

KERRY LIVGREN – Q​.​A​.​R. (2022)

Of course KERRY LIVGREN is best known as one of the founding members, guitarist, keyboardist, and primary songwriter for the group KANSAS, however the musician has a solo career much longer and prolific than his permanence in the iconic progressive rock act.
2022 Livgren is releasing a new album titled “Q​.​A​.​R.“, which curiously in the press release he said: ”What that mean? – Don’t ask”. Anyway, what matters is the music, and we have here a delicious collection of melodic progressive rock with many elements recalling classic Kansas.
Wonderful KANSAS violinist Robby Steinhardt (who passed away last year) makes a guest appearance – yes, “Q​.​A​.​R.” was many years in the making – as well as Steve Morse (ex Deep Purple), superb vocalist John Elefante (ex Kansas, Mastedon), Warren Ham (ex Kansas, Toto), Greg X. Volz (ex Petra) an more.
Longtime Kansas fans will love this new Livgren album (probably his final), as he even does a re-worked version of ‘Nobody’s Home’ (from Kansas ‘Point Of Know Return’ classic LP) re-titled ‘Everyone’s Home’…

KANSAS – Audio-Visions [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered]

We started posting here all KANSAS early albums as these are essential to understand how this great band and overall contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese reissue cardboard sleeve series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
1980’s “Audio-Visions” was to be the last album with the band’s original lineup until 2000’s, and where they started to embrace the rising AOR sound from the beginning of the decade, much like STYX did around the time.
Overall, several tracks here rank among the absolute best that Kansas has ever done, especially if you like their more melodic rock side, interspersed with very good proggy compositions with all Kansas trademarks.

KANSAS – Monolith [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +1] HQ

We started posting here all KANSAS early albums as these are essential to understand how this great band and overall contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese reissue cardboard sleeve series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
Their first studio album to be produced by the band themselves, ”Monolith” would be the third studio album release by Kansas to rank in the Top Ten of the Billboard album chart, including the single ‘Reason to Be’, a fan favorite from the the group’s catalog.
“Monolith” is a great Kansas album that has a bit of the prog punch of earlier works, while moving in a more mainstream direction. It’s commercial and intricate at the same time, joyful and plenty of amazing arrangements.
“Monolith” is one of Kansas’ albums in desperate need of an update, as in my opinion the keyboards were buried in the mix. While this isn’t a remix of the album, this remastering on Blu-spec make them and the whole instruments much more clearer and defined…

KANSAS – Point Of Know Return [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +2] HQ

Few days ago we started posting KANSAS early albums as these are essential to understand how this great band and overall contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese reissue cardboard sleeve series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
KANSAS fifth album ”Point Of Know Return” sports one of most iconic image from the album rock era, and of course, includes the timeless hit ‘Dust In The Wind’…

KANSAS – Leftoverture [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +3] HQ

We started posting KANSAS early albums as these are essential to understand how this great band and overall contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese reissue cardboard sleeve series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
KANSAS fourth effort “Leftoverture” was their breakthrough album and a thorough representation of its assorted musical sensibilities combining hard-driving group instrumentation (with a dearth of flashy solos) with short, tight melody lines and melodic singing.
And it has the timeless classic ‘Carry On Wayward Son’, but there’s much more inside…

KANSAS – Masque [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +2] HQ

We started posting KANSAS early albums as these are essential to understand how this great band and overall contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese reissue cardboard sleeve series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
Third effort ”Masque”, their second album of 1975 (yes, two albums the same year!) found Kansas stumbling upon their identity in real time, building from featherweight rockers to majestic instrumental progressive workouts. The sextet would seamlessly bridge those two paths by 1976’s ‘Leftoverture’, but ”Masque” laid a crucial foundation…

KANSAS – Song For America [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +3] HQ

Truth to be said, you need the very first KANSAS albums in your collection to understand how contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese cardboard reissue series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
“Song For America”, their second album released April 1975 is a killer full tilt symphonic rock LP comprising four lengthy intricate pieces and two very American style romps. Kansas’ second album very admirably showcases the band’s trademark duality as proggers and rockers…

KANSAS – Kansas [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +2] HQ

Truth to be said, you need the very first KANSAS albums in your collection to understand how contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese cardboard sleeve reissue series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
Kansas“, their debut album from 1974 still remains unheard by many, and it’s more than a regarding listen feeling fresh and innovative even today, 2021…

KANSAS – Miracles Out Of Nowhere (2015)

* KANSAS needs no introduction, one of the bands – perhaps the most important – that helped to forge the progressive rock music in America. The just released DVD/CD “Miracles Out Of Nowhere” gets a long-overdue look behind the scenes of the veteran band’s long journey. The video disc features a documentary film telling the story of the band supplemented...

KERRY LIVGREN – Seeds Of Change [Rock Candy remaster] (2014)

* If you are a Kansas fan, then “Seeds Of Change”, the solo release from keyboardist/guitarist KERRY LIVGREN is the stuff of legends. Quite hard to find for many years, now it’s being reissued by Rock Candy Records with a pristine remastering. Of all the greats to emerge from the vibrant American scene in the seventies, few could match the...