Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Kansas - Song for America CD (album) cover

SONG FOR AMERICA

Kansas

 

Symphonic Prog

4.15 | 842 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

alainPP
5 stars KANSAS and the start of some epic albums!

1 Down The Road I don't know if they invented anything in rock, but it's well used... like it's been overheard; good the solo yes I'm on it already, very good, it turns in all directions; the voice yes nervous, but harder than prog, in short surely a prototype! In short I listen to this and I stop if I had not been forced! 2 Song For America ah it feels good finally to listen to it again; prog rock, sympho they say, a nice progressive opening; how could I have missed this? bad listening with a best of no shit and I put this group in the closet; Kerry assures the keyboards with a whirling solo, sympho; Rich assures the solos and Steve ben Steve on vocals, ah a real vocal there at least... and on the synths he sets fire; the violin solo... yes, some are the violin, other flutes, other cellos, here it's the violin, you have to get used to it; well I come back to this tune which alone is worth the trip of the said album! A marked grandiloquent side, prog that is far from YES with rock that is above all very punchy 3 Lamplight Symphony on the same US proto-prog rock tune; it's funny to remember that it was on BOSTON that I threw my ardor rather than KANSAS... Yes for the voice which I found too high; otherwise question orchestration it's just perfect, the vitaminized prog as we imagined it before it was named; much better than RUSH at the instrumentation level, a superb piece with the break and its wall of synths; it goes up, a bit nasty, even a lot nasty, then a second break with a crystalline violin and piano declination, yes very/too classic; at the time I was going on KISS, JUDAS PRIEST so the classical instrumentation balked me... when I say that I'm not perfect... well in my future chronicles of MYSTERY I could cite KANSAS as a landmark group! the final phew I get up for the second side, yes in K7 it still works! 4 Lonely Street begins softly, rocking, with a high voice, the guitar too... it sounds like KANSAS, you know, the US group that forged a specific drawer over time... how was it at that time? perceived? rock, prog, heavy prog? I come back to the sound, to the groove, it's well used, well aged... that doesn't mean it's bad far from it, we can hear Dave's bass and the sound like the SCORPIONS from the very beginning , a zest of JUDAS PRIEST from the ... very beginnings, yes it is well stamped future heavy prog rock, in short 5 The Devil Game ah the violin comes back, I was fine without it...well, we'll deal with it, and everything I've just written suddenly crumbles; finished the metallic side, although the solo of Rich rocks really well, quickly assisted by the keyboards of Kerry and Steve, it rocks; it spurts all of a sudden from all sides and the choirs amplify the air, the moog goes there on its side, a bit of violin quickly drowned out by the power of the other instruments, punchy this title.. it looks like KANSAS in fact! 6 Incomudro?Hymn To The Atman yes from GENESIS in the background, symphonic what; the gypsy violin sends nostalgia, the air is extraordinary; well I really missed it, that's the point of discussing; we come back to the piece we are of course on the symphonic declination which has its eye on certain classical authors, like a waltz tune all of a sudden, it really goes everywhere and it's well constructed; keyboards refer me to ELP here; like a Phil solo in the middle, you had to dare, it shoots in fact; we are not on the mule of DEEP PURPLE, it's drier, more rhythmic and it allows to amplify the grandiloquent air of this monstrous title; go violin before the vocal return and the final musical cavalcade that comes, one of the most beautiful musical orgasmic surges in my ears; ah a clap of thunder, I'm going to unplug .... but what did I enjoy!

Well what can I say, that I was wrong, yes! That I should have dug a little deeper at the time, surely; that I will love more and seek to acquire the albums that I miss, no! KANSAS released from its 2nd album a musical bomb, thank you Hubert, thank you Philippe!!

alainPP | 5/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this KANSAS review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.