TWO FOR THE SHOW

If you, like me, thought that the first CD version of Kansas double live album Two For The Road was an incomplete affair, because of the loss of the excellent live version of Closet Chronicles, there are good news! The new 30th Anniversary Edition not only includes that track alone but also ten new unreleased live songs of that same period. The recording company even brought back the original producer Jeff Glixman to remix those tunes and - at last! - gave it a slip case and booklet that´s really worth it´s importance.

The resulting album is startling! With no overdubs of any kind you get Kansas at their very peak, a seasoned band, that honed their skills for years on the road, becoming something much bigger than the sum of its parts. It´s absolutely amazing to hear those guys playing live: they are steaming with energy! All the band members shine here and Steve Walsh is one of rock´s best voices. If you like the studio versions of their material, then you should listen to them live just to see how powerful, creative and skillful they really were at the time. A time when samplers, sequencers and all the gadgets that improve live acts were not available. You had to be good to sound good. And Kansas was damn good!

Highlights are too many to mention. In fact, even the solos are good (and even the always awful drum solo is ok, I liked the way it merges to The Spider. Nice idea, Kansas). this is sure one of the best live albums of all time and now it got even better with the new tracks.

If you got the one disc version, get rid of it and run to buy the new edition. You´ll get an extra 75+ minutes of great music. If you don´t have it, buy the anniversary edition anyway. It´s one of the best live albums ever. A truly masterpiece and a must have for any prog lover. It took a long time to come in full, but it finally arrived in all its glory. 5 stars with honors!