THE BEST OF KANSAS (1999)

This is essentially a release of a compilation released fifteen years prior, but with some very important changes, changes which make this compilation much closer to the best of Kansas. I recall that, while skiing in West Virginia one beautiful Saturday afternoon, a friend showed me this CD he'd picked up. I told him I'd already had it and knew what was on it (he didn't), but thanks, because I'd love to listen to some Kansas anyway. I was in for a surprise toward the end. This was the very first time I ever heard "The Pinnacle," and being so high up on those snow-covered West Virginia mountains, with the crisp air and the misty air of bygone youth to shroud my memory of it all now, I consider it one of my fondest moments ever hearing my favorite band. That and one other experience brought me into the cult that is a deep love of progressive rock. "Perfect Lover" is gone, but this is of small consequence given the appearance of not only one of the bands greatest epic pieces, but also "Closet Chronicles" and "The Devil Game." With all of these fantastic inclusions (though a couple more certainly could have been added, especially with the removal of other, far less interesting tracks), this is a step in the right direction, and more worthy of the title "The Best of Kansas."