The Best Of Kansas
Here, unfortunately, is a simple-minded greatest hits collection from a band known for concept albums, not singles. This Arista collection will please fans of the group's best known tracks: "Carry On My Wayward Son," "Dust in the Wind," "Point of Know Return," and the maudlin 1982 hit "Play the Game Tonight." But the digital remixes of "The Wall" and "Wayward Son" from 1976'sLeftovertureare superfluous (the originals sounded warmer) and the absence of any tracks from the band'sself-titled debutand the excellentMasqueis inexcusable, albeit commercially safe. The song sequence also leaves a lot to be desired: the jump from 1975's Genesis-like "Song for America" to the corporate pop of 1984's "Perfect Lover" is jarring at best, and does little to make the case that Kansas deserves any more than the belittled reputation they've unfortunately inherited.--James Rotondi