Disco de Kansas: “Two For the Show [Digipak]”

I am overwhelmed at how amazing this 30 year old live album sounds! I had the cassette version, the lps, and the first release of the cd, but Legacy and KANSAS have taken this 2 cd re-issue release to a new level!! The first disc is an amazing upgrade of what was already a great sounding recording and performance. When the cd was released, CLOSET CHRONICLES was omitted due to disc space. (the track was later released on the second version of THE BEST OF KANSAS)

So, now for the bonus material... blistering and stellar sound quality! CLOSET CHRONICLES is included on the cd as well as a brilliant version of HOPELESSLY HUMAN. CHILD OF INNOCENCE begins with the dual guitars of Richard Williams and Kerry Livgren and is a breathtaking lead-in to the main song. There is another amazing dual guitar track called LONELY STREET that sounds like the guitars are bleeding pain! Steve Walsh's vocal performance is one of his very best. (I would say this track is worth the purchase alone, but EVERY track is worth the money!!)

Robby Steinhardt's violin sounds amazing and his placement in the mix allows his talent to shine. Dave Hope's bass playing couldn't be better than on these tracks. And also, there is a great Phil Ehart drum solo that leads into THE SPIDER. This is just a perfect cd re-issue for any KANSAS fan! All of the early hits, and also the epic pieces of music that super serious fans enjoy.

Rather than go on detailing every track, I will move on to the actual recording. The quality is amazing... Jeff Glixman outdoes himself on the mix and mastering. The stereo placement of instruments really brings the live recording into a sonic paradise. There are little bits of things in this version that I had never noticed through all of the years of listening. KANSAS at their best in the early years. (If only there could be more live releases from the KANSAS tour vaults!!?? Hopefully MONOLITH will get this special treatment as well!!) It is really an honor to review this classic KANSAS album... Thank you!

One of the best live albums ever is re released surpassing expectations!

If you are a Kansas fan and own the original Two for the Show, you will LOVE this. You already know disk one, but wait 'till you hear disk two!

The previously unreleased live songs will amaze you.

If you don't really know Kansas, this is the place to start. They are/were at their best live, and were at their peak when this was recorded. What I like best are the guitar jams leading into Child of Innocence, or in between Portrait and Carry on Wayward Son. They showcase a side of this band that you wouldn't know even existed with commercial radios sorry playing of them.

This band is so diverse, from near Metal (Mysteries and Mayhems twin guitars are Priest like) to Blues, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Prog Rock, Jams,etc. and they pull it off better than anyone.

Did I mention the vocals?!! Unreal!

This recording should be played for anyone who doesn't give this band the credit they so richly deserve.

Since Amazon insists on including all these older reviews of Two for the Show (that don't apply) and doesn't care enough to include only reviews of the newly remastered and expanded 2 disc version, I have been forced to edit and update my review. So here goes:

Finally, and I've been waiting for this for YEARS! KANSAS's stunning Live album, Two for the Show has gotten Remastered and Expanded to 2 discs. I was beginning to think this would never happen. I have heard no complaints about this one (unlike Led Zeppellin's The Song Remains the Same Remaster). For one thing, the song Closet Chronicles, included on the original 2 record set, but omitted on the single disc version of Two for the Show, has been included. And obviously it is the same version, or people would be shouting in the streets. I was curious about why Amazon had a strange thumbnail picture of some kind of clouds as the cover art? Well, when you ope up the tri-fold digi-pak, that is what you see (check my scans under customer images for more info). Amazon has actually dropped the ball in many ways on this one, but more on that later.

Finally, after years of endless touring, KANSAS gives us a Live album that comes as close as you can get to the stunning spectacle that is KANSAS Live in concert. Culled from various shows during the Point of Know Return tour from 1977 to 1978, Two for the Show has a nice cross section of KANSAS music on it. Reaching all the way back to their debut album and touching on every album in between, right up to the then current, Point of Know Return.

As some other reviewers have noted, the sound quality of the recordings on this album is quite astonishing. It really sounds great. And what's most astonishing is that these guys can recreate their very challenging music in a live setting. It is one of the best live rock albums of all time and definitely deserved to be remastered in a deluxe version.

Included with this deluxe packaging is a 10-page booklet with more individual band member photos, liner notes, and production info. The product description on Amazon's web page is wrong. It says there are only 2 previously unreleased tracks on disc two. Actually ALL the tracks on disc two are previously unreleased except Closet Chronicles, which was on KANSAS's 1999 Best of disc.

KANSAS has no less than eight different live album offerings put out by various record labels and Import companies, but by far, Two For The Show is the Best one out there, and an essential addition to any fan of KANSAS's music.

***** Highly Recommended *****

Adding a perfect balance to the previous release, this reissue shows a little more of the side of Kansas that doesn't take themselves too seriously although they had every right to. Though their works have been blasted as being too ambitious both lyrically and musically, they have proven beyond doubt that they are up to the challenge of combining classical, progressive, and pop rock.

The second disk also showcases the superior talents of Phil Ehart on the drums not as evident in the commercial hits of the first disk. This drummer had something so special that it was actually his talents that helped set the band apart in the beginning when trying to be discovered. Steve Walsh is untouchable in these previously unheard versions of the songs. He always keeps things fresh and new. Could anyone be better behind the mic? Sorry Tommy, Lou, Steve P., Paul! The band was at their peak and it shows. Some other bands have been dubbed the "Greatest of All Time", even though they have a fraction of the musical (and vocal) talent. I couldn't believe that some of those bands could compare to Kansas even if I was Rolling Stoned.

This work is absolutely crucial for any Kansas fan to own, and one of the best live works to ever enter my ears. It is a fairly raw mix with no overdubbing except for Robby's voice on Man Overboard of course. This is the true Kansas experience that also is a must own for any true fan of live rock of any era.

These additional tracks have been in the vaults for 30 years and just recently discovered. Makes you wonder what else is in those vaults. This makes an already perfect album even more perfect if that is possible.Kansas smokes live.