The band's classic lineup consisted of Steve Walsh (lead vocals and keyboards), Richard Williams (lead guitar), Kerry Livgren (keyboards and guitar), Robby Steinhardt (violin, lead and backing vocals), Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums). The band currently consists of Ehart and Williams alongside Ronnie Platt (lead vocals and keyboards), David Ragsdale (violin), Billy Greer (bass and vocals), and David Manion (keyboards and vocals).
The debut album, 'Kansas', was released in March 1974, nearly a year after it was recorded in New York. It defined the band's signature sound, being comprised of a mix of American-style boogie rock with complex, symphonic arrangements featuring changing time signatures similar to British art rockers. Steinhardt's violin was a distinctive element of the group's sound, which set them apart from other progressive rock groups of the era. The band slowly developed a cult following, due to promotion by pop/rock impresario Don Kirshner and extensive touring for their debut album. Two follow-ups, 'Song for America' and 'Masque', both came out in 1975 and brought them additional acclaim, the releases showing the band's philosophical-based lyricism in songs such as the myth-inspired "Icarus (Born On Wings Of Steel)".
Kansas released its fourth album, 'Leftoverture', in November 1976, which produced a massive hit single in "Carry On Wayward Son" and brought comparisons to other records such as Yes' 'Fragile'. The aforementioned tune has became a kind of 'signature song' for the band and been a staple of rock radio for years, also appearing in various TV shows and video games. Kansas' follow-up, 'Point of Know Return', was released in October 1977. Featuring the title track and "Dust in the Wind", both hit singles, it received critical praise from many reviewers.
'Leftoverture' and 'Point of Know Return' each have sold over four million copies in the U.S. Both "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind" have also been RIAA certified as gold singles, selling over one million units each. In particular,"Dust in the Wind" was certified gold as a digital download in 2005, almost 30 years after its first run, having sold over one million copies as a single. Forming somewhat of a career high point, 'Leftoverture' was certified five times platinum by the RIAA in 2001.
During this period, Kansas became a major headlining act and sold out the largest venues available to rock bands at the time, including New York's Madison Square Garden. The band documented this era in 1978 with 'Two for the Show', a double live album of recordings from various performances from its 1977 and 1978 tours. The band gained a solid reputation for faithful live reproduction of their studio recordings. In 1978, the band was named UNICEF Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill as well.
The follow-up studio album to Point of Know Return was Monolith (1979), which, like the live album, was self-produced. While the album produced a Top 40 single in "People of the South Wind"--the title refers to the meaning of the Kanza word 'Kansas'--it failed to garner the sales and radio airplay of its two predecessors. Nevertheless, the album went platinum. Kerry Livgren's platinum award for the album is on display at the Kansas History Museum.
Kansas' band members began to drift apart in the early 1980s. Livgren became a born-again Christian, and this was reflected in his lyrics on the next three albums, beginning with Audio-Visions. "Hold On," a Top 40 single from that album, displayed his newfound faith in a pop setting. Hope soon converted to Christianity as well. Walsh left in October 1981 to form a new band, Streets. In early 1982, Walsh was replaced by vocalist/keyboardist John Elefante. Initially unbeknownst to the other members of Kansas, Elefante was also a born-again Christian. Elefante was chosen over other applicants including Sammy Hagar and Doug Pinnick. John and brother Dino Elefante were later successful producers for contemporary Christian artists, including Sweet Comfort Band, Petra, Bride, Rick Cua, and Guardian.
Kansas' first album with Elefante, Vinyl Confessions, released in June 1982, was their most successful studio release since Point of Know Return. The record renewed interest in the group and generated the band's first Top 20 hit in several years, "Play the Game Tonight." The album's overtly Christian lyrics attracted an entirely new audience. Still, sales of the album fell short of gold status, and the album has yet to be certified gold.
Drastic Measures followed in 1983. Because Livgren was holding back some Christian-oriented songs for another solo album, he contributed only three songs to the album. The rest were penned by the Elefante brothers, and without the violin of Steinhardt (who left the group before the recording sessions), the result was a more mainstream pop-rock album. The single, "Fight Fire with Fire," did not crack the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached #3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, making it the highest chart position of any Kansas release on any chart.
During the band's time with Elefante as lead vocalist, Livgren became increasingly uncomfortable with Kansas representing his Christian worldview. After a final New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 1983, Livgren and Hope left to form AD with former Bloodrock member Warren Ham, who had toured as a sideman with Kansas in 1982, and Michael Gleason, who had done the same in 1983. They were joined by drummer Dennis Holt. Elefante, Ehart, and Williams sought to continue as Kansas, and recorded one more song, "Perfect Lover," which appeared on the retrospective The Best of Kansas (1984). That was to be the final Kansas recording with Elefante, and the group disbanded after its release. Since leaving Kansas, Elefante has become a popular contemporary Christian music artist but has never again performed with the group.
n 1985 Ehart and Williams reformed the band with Walsh, but without Livgren, Hope or Steinhardt. The new line-up included bassist Billy Greer (of Streets) and guitarist Steve Morse (formerly of the Dixie Dregs). The re-formed band released Power in November 1986. The first single, "All I Wanted," became the last Kansas single to hit the Billboard Top 40 chart, peaking at #19. Two more singles, the title track and "Can't Cry Anymore," were less successful. The new lineup released a second album, In the Spirit of Things, in 1988, but it was met with weak sales and Morse left the band at the end of the tour in 1989.
In 1990, a German promoter arranged to reunite all the original members of Kansas III (except for Steinhardt) for a European tour. Greer joined them, along with keyboardist Greg Robert, who had first joined Kansas on tour in 1986. At the end of the tour, Hope left again, but Livgren remained on into 1991. That year, violinist David Ragsdale joined the group and the return of the violin allowed Kansas to perform earlier material in arrangements closer to the originals. Livgren left during the 1991 tour, to be replaced temporarily by Steve Morse again. After the tour, Morse left and Ragsdale took over the extra guitar parts, leaving Williams as the primary guitar player. The resulting lineup of Ehart, Greer, Ragsdale, Robert, Walsh, and Williams lasted from 1991 to 1997. This period saw one live album and accompanying video, Live at the Whisky (1992) and one studio album Freaks of Nature (1995). On July 28, 1996, Kansas was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood.
In early 1997, Robert and Ragsdale left the band and Steinhardt returned. The following year Kansas released Always Never the Same, which featured Larry Baird conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The album was a mix of older Kansas material (with new arrangements by Baird), several new songs, and a cover of "Eleanor Rigby". Somewhere to Elsewhere, released in July 2000, featured all the original members of Kansas, plus Greer, with all songs written by Livgren.
In 2000 Kansas was the opening act for Yes during their "Masterworks" tour. In 2002, Kansas II (the lineup prior to the recording and release of Kansas' first album) released an album under the group name Proto-Kaw, featuring demos and live material recorded from 1971 to 1973. This led to a new studio album, Before Became After (2004), with most of the Kansas II members participating. Proto-Kaw released a third album, The Wait of Glory, in 2006.
Kansas has continued to tour every year. The 2006 tour was delayed for a few weeks due to Steinhardt's second departure, and Ragsdale subsequently returned to the lineup. In 2008, the Kansas website announced that four of the five current members (Ehart, Ragsdale, Williams and Greer) had formed a recording group called Native Window, and they released their self-titled debut album in June 2009.
In February 2009, Kansas recorded a concert in Topeka, Kansas featuring a full symphony orchestra, with Larry Baird conducting. Morse and Livgren appeared as special guests on several songs. The performance was released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray and the DVD hit #5 on Billboard's Music Video Chart the week after its release.
As of July 13, 2010, Kansas had recently completed a 30-day "United We Rock" tour with fellow classic rock legends Styx and Foreigner.
Kansas will be touring September 2010 to January 2011. They will be performing with Symphonies of various colleges around the U.S. in an effort to raise money for the individual schools' music programs. The final show of the series, on January 28, 2011, is to be performed at McCain Auditorium on the campus of Kansas State University to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the state of Kansas being granted statehood. The concert will be filmed by PBS to be used in a future broadcast special in the region. Kansas will perform live on stage at the Glasgow, Kentucky Kentucky Plaza Theater on Friday May 13, 2011.
The Wall
Kansas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The path that I have chosen now has led me to a wall
And with each passing day I feel a little more like something dear was lost
It rises now before me, a dark and silent barrier between
All I am and all that I would ever want to be
It's just a travesty, towering, marking off the boundaries
My spirit would erase
And those are few who've seen it through to glimplse the other side
The promised land is waiting like a maiden that is soon to be a bride
The moment is a masterpiece, the weight of indecision's in the air
It's standing there, the symbol and the sum of all that's me
It's just a travesty, towering, blocking out the light and blinding me
I want to see
Gold and diamonds cast a spell, it's not for me to know it well
The treasures that I seek are waiting on the other side
There's more that I can measure in the treasure of the love that I can find
And though it's always been with me
I must tear down the wall let it be
All I am, and all that I was ever meant to be, in harmony
Shining true and smiling back at all who wait to cross
There is no loss
"The Wall" by Kansas is a song about the barriers that we erect around ourselves due to our fears and insecurities. The singer talks about being "woven in a fantasy," where he can't believe the things he sees, and how this has led him down a path that has now led to a wall. He feels like something dear was lost and that there is a dark and silent barrier between him and who he wants to be.
The singer seeks to pass beyond the wall, but fears that he may be too weak. He realizes that few have seen it through to glimpse the other side and that the promised land is waiting like a maiden that is soon to be a bride. The wall is a symbol and the sum of all that's him. He wants to tear down the wall to find harmony and be true to himself.
The song is a reflection of the human experience, where we often create walls that hold us back from living our best lives. These walls can be mental, emotional, or physical. However, understanding the weight of indecision and overcoming our fears can give us the courage to tear down the wall and find our true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm woven in a fantasy, I can't believe the things I see
I'm lost in a world of illusions where I see things that are unbelievable
The path that I have chosen now has led me to a wall
The choices that I've made have brought me to a dead end
And with each passing day I feel a little more like something dear was lost
As time goes by, I feel more and more like I'm losing something important to me
It rises now before me, a dark and silent barrier between
A dark and silent obstacle has appeared before me, separating me from what I desire
All I am and all that I would ever want to be
Everything about me and everything I aspire to become
It's just a travesty, towering, marking off the boundaries
It's an injustice, this towering obstacle marking the limits of what I can do
To pass beyond is what I seek, I fear that I may be too weak
What I want is to surpass this obstacle, but I fear that I lack the strength to do so
And those are few who've seen it through to glimpse the other side
Only a few have managed to overcome this obstacle and see what's on the other side
The promised land is waiting like a maiden that is soon to be a bride
On the other side of this obstacle lies the land of promise, waiting eagerly like a bride about to be wed
The moment is a masterpiece, the weight of indecision's in the air
This moment is priceless, but the heaviness of my indecision weighs me down
It's standing there, the symbol and the sum of all that's me
This obstacle is a representation and a culmination of everything I am
It's just a travesty, towering, blocking out the light and blinding me
It's unjust, this towering obstacle blocking out the light and leaving me blind
Gold and diamonds cast a spell, it's not for me to know it well
Riches and treasures have an allure, but I don't fully understand them
The treasures that I seek are waiting on the other side
The things I'm searching for are on the opposite side of this obstacle
There's more that I can measure in the treasure of the love that I can find
There's more to gain in the love I can find on the other side of this obstacle than in any amount of riches
And though it's always been with me
Even though this love has always been within me
I must tear down the wall let it be
I need to demolish this wall and let what's on the other side be revealed
All I am, and all that I was ever meant to be, in harmony
Everything about me, all that I was ever meant to be, working together in harmony
Shining true and smiling back at all who wait to cross
Radiating truth and joy to all those who are waiting to cross over to the other side
There is no loss
There's nothing to lose by demolishing this wall and seeing what's on the other side
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kerry Livgren, Steve Walsh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John D
The Wall is so incredibly haunting and beautiful. It demonstrates the monster sized writing talent within this band. I can listen to this song on an endless loop and never get sick of it. It's THAT emotional for me.
Heathaze
+John D You said it perfectly. Really powerful song.
derail14
+John D one of the best songs kansas ever made,that you don't hear on the radio anymore,i was 13 years old when the album came out,not a weak track on it.
Scott K
John D Agreed, musically I still love that 1992 live at the whiskey version, Steve was a little too jacked up LOL but he definitely put his heart into it on that version, but again musically it was brilliant all the musicians Richards guitar sounded menacing
VCorvelli
I agree totally
lightwav1550
John D me too! always was my favorite
Google Earth Creep
Sadly no one is writing music like this anymore. Very few bands today know the meaning of what a "concept album" is. Few can write lyrics with any deep and simultaneously clear meaning as Kansas always did. These gentlemen are true musicians with one foot in the the world of classical and the other in the world of '70s rock 'n roll. I have seen them three times in concert since 1979. I miss Steinhardt, Livgren & Hope, but they still sound damn good!
carolannaugustus
I saw them 3 times also. I still have my first concert ticket and it says $9.50
Lionheart Roar
Beautiful song..one of the best of the 20th century. The lyrics are genius and thought provoking.
Frmr Christian
Walsh's voice still sounded great after all of those years!