Kansas – Two For The Show (CD)

Kansas’s “Two For The Show” was originally released in 1978, and Sony Legacy has decided to re-release the CD right, adding an entire disc of new tracks – 9 in number – that were originally recorded for the album but were ultimately dropped due to time constraints. Of course, the classic live sound of Kansas comes through on the original tracks, whether the band is going through their hits (“Carry on Wayward Son”, “Dust In The Wind”), or tracks that may have fallen through the cracks in the years that have followed (“Lonely Wind”, “Mysteries and Mayhem”).

Where there are a blend of known and less popular songs on the first disc, the gems that are on the second CD shine even more brightly than the first. The band’s version of “Belexes” will send shivers up and down listeners’ spines, while the drum solo seems like Hephaestus eirself was pounding out a divine set of armor. “Miracles Out Of Nowhere” is much more intense, showing a side of Kansas that simply did not show up much during the band’s biggest hits. “Two For The Show” is really, in my opinion, a greatest hits type of album for the period of Kansas’s career from their founding up until 1978. If individuals wish to hear a band at the height of their popularity and creative ability, “Two For The Show” will give listeners a sense of how capable the band was.

Where “Magnum Opus” seemed a good enough end to the original version of “Two For The Show”, the new ending – “Bringing It Back” – significantly changes the overall impressions left by the album. Where “Magnum Opus” seemed to be an ending, “Bringing It Back” is a track that shows that Kansas could conceivably be kicking for another set, if need be. Beyond the inclusions of the previously-excluded tracks, the packaging will give listeners (viewers) a sense of where the band was at during the years immediately preceding the release of “Two For The Show”, which will undoubtedly foster more appreciation for the tracks that are present on this release. Make sure to pick up “Two For The Show”, as high sales figures for this type of release will ensure that Sony BMG will continue to re-release and expand upon both Kansas and other live albums alike.

Top Tracks: Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel, Sparks of the Tempest

Rating: 7.7/10

Kansas – Two For The Show (CD) / 2008 SonyBMG / 24 Tracks / http://www.kansasband.com / http://www.legacyrecordings.com /