THE BEST OF KANSAS

My father used to pull out his old 1956 Sears Silvertone acoustic (which he has since handed down to me) back when I was a child and pick his own simplistic version of a song he told me was "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas. In my mind, I lumped this "Kansas" together with the other folk / acoustic / country acts like America, Alabama, and Jim Croce (my dad also loves Boston- maybe there's something to be said about place names serving as bands). Years later, not much longer since I picked up that same guitar and tried learning songs by Johnny Cash and The Eagles by ear, I found this compilation, like a treasure, buried in a wall rack with a cache of other used CDs. I think the case was even broken. I was, to be honest, initially intrigued by the cover, as I tried to make out the band's name with that strange, block-like lettering. Unsuccessful, I turned to case over to look at the track listing, and there I saw, fourth one down, something that resonated with the back of my memory. "Oh, Kansas," I said. I didn't know any of the other songs, but my dad's amateur version of "Dust in the Wind" was all I needed to pay the man and take home my find. I believe I listened to "Dust in the Wind" a few times before anything else. Then I took it from the top, and was astonished for two reasons. First, "Carry On Wayward Son" was a song I was certainly familiar with as back then all I really listened to were the classic rock stations. Second, I had no idea Kansas played that song and could rock in that way. I also recognized "Point of Know Return" as a lesser radio hit. I listened to the other tracks from time to time (at that point, I was a bit flabbergasted by "Song for America," so I avoided it). I did fall in love with "Hold On" and "The Wall." It wasn't until after hearing a live version of "Miracles Out of Nowhere" did I see the majesty of this great progressive rock band, and from there I began to appreciate the complexity of songs like "No One Together" or "Song for America." This is by no means a great entry point to Kansas, nor is it a must for fans, except for one thing: One reason for a die-hard Kansas fan to have this is for "Perfect Lover," which, while admittedly is a Jon Elefante-era pop song, does not seem to be included anywhere else. For those new to Kansas and on a budget, this may be the way to go, but there are better compilations out there, and the first several studio albums are where the real magic is. It does feel good, however, to write a cathartic bit about this- my first- Kansas experience.