KERRY LIVGREN

Kerry's return to focused music with more substance. This realease is all instrumental - it makes it easier to stay focused on the core of the things without vocals or melody dominance. Every single track is worth listening to and it can reveal more shifts upon subsequent listenings.

On the other hand, the album is marred by obsolete and cheap-sounding electronic synths and drumming patterns - this is a debt to Kerry Livgren performing on all instruments. The sound diminishes the compositional quality by one star at least.

I recommend this album for all Kansas fans for non-essential moments when music is supposed to be heard in the background.

Kerry's return to focused music with more substance. This realease is all instrumental - it makes it easier to stay focused on the core of the things without vocals or melody dominance. Every single track is worth listening to and it can reveal more shifts upon subsequent listenings.

On the other hand, the album is marred by obsolete and cheap-sounding electronic synths and drumming patterns - this is a debt to Kerry Livgren performing on all instruments. The sound diminishes the compositional quality by one star at least. I recommend this album for all Kansas fans for non-essential moments when music is supposed to be heard in the background.

The best Kerry Livgren's solo album as far as I am concerned. Kerry is able to pull off enough magic from the previous glory years, update it to the contemporary simplified prog and pop-rock sound and make it almost as accessible as the Kansas album by then. The choice of multiple singers is effective and even the undisputed Steve Walsh appears as a vocalist. Focus on ornate keyboards and sober guitars is natural for Kerry.

The first track resembles Kansas sound significantly. "Mask of the great deceiver" has a very simplified rhythm section; Kerry listened to Tony Banks 76-78 before writing this track, indeed. The instrumental parts sound better to me than the dramatic vocal ones, albeit with a good voice. "Whiskey seed" is a return to Kansas's roots, a slowlier and bluesy track worth listening to. The following two tracks don't belong to the strong ones, in my opinion, they are very accessible and flowing but boring to some degree, since not much happens. The finale comes with "Ground zero" - the epic suite could enrich any Kansas album, too. Analog synths, piano, ARP are on display here but the male and female vocalists don't stay behind. The pompous track is well composed and leaves a very positive and emotional impression after the CD stops spinning.

Kerry on wayward son!

Seeds Of Change was the debut solo album by Kansas-mastermind, Kerry Livgren. I finally own this album now as part of a 2CD collection called Decade. The decade in question being the 80's and the collection brings together tracks from all the non-Kansas albums Kerry did in that dreaded (by Prog fans) decade. As always, I prefer to rate the individual albums as they were originally released and to avoid "double-rating" I will not rate the compilation also. But Decade is still the recommended way (and perhaps the only way on CD?) to get hold of Seeds Of Change.

The title of the album presumably refers to Kerry's conversion to the Christian religion, a message which is also heavily expressed in the lyrics. The Decade collection comes with a 30 page booklet in which Kerry claims that god wanted this album to be made! He also tells the story of his religious conversion, the recording of Seeds Of Change, the formation of A.D. (a band led by Kerry in the 80's and whose first album Time Line is also featured in its entirety in the compilation) and him eventually leaving Kansas. But when Seeds Of Change was released Kerry was still a member of the band and this was released the same year as Kansas' Audio-Visions. Some of the music here is not very far away from late 70's/early 80's Kansas.

Seeds Of Change features several different singers including one of my favourite vocalists of all time in Ronnie James Dio on two songs. Some Kansas members are also present with Steve Walsh doing lead vocals on one song and Phil Ehart and Robbie Steinhardt both appearing on Ground Zero (this was many years before 9/11). Another famous musician present is Barriemore Barlow from Jethro Tull contributing drums on several tracks. Having so many people involved does almost always create a problem with inconsistency. The songs may be tied together by the lyrics in some sense, but musically the album is all over the place. If I didn't know that the first seven songs on disc one of the Decade compilation constituted this album, I could just as well have thought that these songs were taken from different sources.

The quality of the songs also fluctuates a bit with some excellent moments and some rather forgettable moments. The best of the bunch is without doubt the seven and a half minute The Mask Of The Great Deceiver. This is one of the two songs with Dio on lead vocals and he does a fantastic job here! Kerry tells us in the booklet that he had known Dio's voice already from Elf which was Dio's pre-Rainbow band, but that he didn't know Ronnie James personally before. Kerry handpicked Dio for these songs and he was pleased that he agreed to sing on the album. With this music being, at least partly, aimed at a Christian audience, Kerry felt the need to stress in the booklet that "even though [Ronnie James Dio] had begun to sing for Black Sabbath, Ronnie is no Satanist." I just had to laugh!

The other song with Dio on vocals is To Live For The King, a slower and less progressive song, slightly similar to Rainbow's Catch The Rainbow. The vocals are simply mesmerizing! How Could You Live has Walsh on vocals and this song is a bit similar in style to the Audio-Visions material; hardly a great song, but not terrible. Whiskey Seed stands out as being a Country/Blues song with some of the vocals being by Kerry himself!

In terms of Prog, there are only really two songs worthy of special mention and these are The Mask Of The Great Deceiver and the closer Ground Zero. If you are a major fan of Kansas and Kerry's solo career and/or Ronnie James Dio, you should not miss out on this rare album as it has some very good moments on it. It is, however, uneven and lacks a general direction.

The Decade compilation is a good place to get hold of this album. But that compilation is unfortunately itself very rare.

Leftover(ture)'s from Somewhere To Elsewhere

For those who like Kansas' great comeback album Somewhere To Elsewhere, Kerry Livgren's Collector's Sedition - Directors Cut is highly recommended. The songs on this album came from the same writing sessions as the songs that ended up on Somewhere To Elsewhere. Kerry wrote all of these songs and thought that many of them sounded like Kansas songs. This led him to approach his old band (that he had left in the 80's) to suggest a reunion. The band agreed and Kerry gave them the choice of songs for what was to become Somewhere To Elsewhere. The Collector's Sedition material consists of the rest of these songs i.e. the songs that were not chosen by the band for inclusion on that album. Kerry writes in the booklet that he was surprised by some of the band's choices and he is right that some of these songs could have been excellent inclusions to Somewhere To Elsewhere.

These "leftover" songs were first released in 2000 (the same year that Somewhere To Elsewhere came out) as Collector's Sedition Vol. 1. But Kerry was not happy with the result; he thought that the release was somewhat rushed. This induced him to re-record these songs again with a full band sound and better production. While I have not heard the original Collector's Sedition album, I must say that the result is mostly very good. Some songs remind of Kansas while others remind me more of Kerry's later work with the reunited pre-Kansas band Proto-Kaw. While the material here is not among Kerry's best song writing work, as a collection of leftovers it is very impressive indeed and provides even more evidence of what a great songwriter he is (as if that was ever in doubt!).

I think that Kerry was in a strong period as a writer when he wrote these songs. Together with the period in the 70's that resulted in Kansas' Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return albums, and the period in the new millennium that resulted in Proto-Kaw's Before Became After and Wait Of Glory, the period that produced Somewhere To Elsewhere as well as the present album was one of Kerry Livgren's most creative periods ever. For fans of these albums, Collector's Sedition - Directors Cut should not be missed.

The Navigator is only one of several excellent songs here. Cold Grey Morning resembles the excellent later Proto-Kaw material in both sound and quality. There are no bad tracks here, but some songs are clearly less good than some of the others and there is nothing here that is up to par with the fantastic Icarus II from Somewhere To Elsewhere or the better Proto-Kaw songs. Still, this is possibly Kerry Livgren's best solo album (I can't say for sure because I have not yet heard them all) and it is even better than some Kansas albums!

Collector's Sedition is, despite its title, not only for fans and collectors. For anyone who appreciates Kansas and/or Proto-Kaw, this album will be a very worthy addition to your collection. It constitutes a great place to start investigating Kerry's solo career, but it is not a very good place to start if you don't yet know anything of Livgren's amazing work as a writer and performer; start with Kansas and Proto-Kaw.

At the turn of the century, Kerry Livgren experienced a prolific period of musical creativity. Thinking much of the music was suited for his musical alma mater, as it were, he contacted Phil Ehart and the band agreed to record a reunion album. The band had their choice of the songs, and so the brilliant Somewhere to Elsewhere was born. The remaining pieces found a home as a Livgren solo project entitled Collector's Sedition. Years passed, though, and Livgren decided that the recordings (elaborate demos, he called them) needed to be upgraded with proper musicianship and mastering, effectively given the treatment they deserved. Hence, the "Director's Cut" portion of the title. This album is a precious jewel; when I first received it in the mail, I greedily tore into it, knowing I was about the hear what was essentially the second half of my favorite Kansas album. As it is, I regard it as the pinnacle of Livgren's solo career. This comes highly recommended.

"Am Juengsten Tage" Stunning strings set a breathtaking mood, like the grand opening of a cinematic masterpiece. Halfway through, it becomes very similar to "Byzantium," from the aforementioned Kansas album, boasting a majestic palette of Near Eastern sounds. The title is German for, "On the Last Day."

"On the Air" My favorite track on the album, this has a straight ahead rock groove for verses with a great vocal melody. The chorus is stellar, having a gorgeous melody and strings to compliment. While I would have loved to have heard Kansas's interpretation of this one especially, this piece sounds very close to what Proto-Kaw has done this decade. The heavy middle section likewise lends it that impression.

"The Sentinel" Acoustic guitar and piano dance gracefully under thoughtful and meditative lyrics. Musically, this piece sounds like an extension of that gorgeous middle section of "Distant Vision." A powerful bridge in 5/4 leads into a gloriously symphonic instrumental passage.

"Hindsight" This straightforward song has heavy pop leanings and is solidly performed. Fortunately, there are some symphonic touches in the upbeat middle section. The instrumental ending is rather unbefitting, and the chorus is on the cheesy side, however.

"The Navigator" Livgren treats listeners to a peaceful, acoustic song that would be right at home just before the sermon in a small rural church. It has country and bluegrass flavor due in no small part to the Appalachian instrumentation, all while retaining a substance similar to "Reason to Be." And then a bluesy, David Gilmour-like guitar solo adds another dimension.

"No More Time For Love" This is a rocking blues number similar to "Grand Fun Alley," just more upbeat and heavier. The bass and harmonica are outstanding in this context. Of course I have a suspicion that Livgren pens this ditties for an opportunity to cut loose and show off his chops on the fret board, which he certainly does during the middle.

"Safe Alone" Adding even more variety to the album is this one, which is more in the vein of a 1990s R&B / party song. In that respect, it sounds like a cut from the Kansas album Vinyl Confessions. It has a busy sound, with funky guitars and brass.

"Cold Gray Morning" Not all of the songs were pieces not selected for Kansas's 2000 release and relegated to a Livgren solo project; fans of the band will recognize this as the only Livgren-penned song on Freaks of Nature- a fantastic album in its own right. I honestly have a difficult time deciding which version I prefer. It is one of the more symphonic tracks on the album, and is given a bold treatment with some mighty fine guitar playing.

"As It Should Be" This instrumental almost smiles in its jubilance. There's exquisite organ, brass, electric guitar, fabulous bass work, competent drumming, and an acoustic guitar chunking out the chords in the background.

"Red Money" Here is another gritty number. This has a real Stevie Ray Vaughn smokehouse blues flavor, though. This is a second opportunity for the songwriter to just have some fun and jam.

"At Every Turn" This transitory piece features one of the best vocal performances on the album. It becomes complex very suddenly, however, with gorgeous feminine vocal counterpoint and a beautiful melody.

"The Man With An Iron Heart" A blend of symphonic and blues, this piece has a static rhythm for the most part that makes up the bulk of the song. Livgren has a fantastic guitar solo at the end. I liked this song a lot for some reason when I first heard it, but its lack of dynamics makes it depreciate just a little with each listen.

"The Dragon" Music suited for the climactic battle between a sword-wielding hero and the titular creature abound in this piece. Livgren engages in a spirited guitar solo- one of his best performances on the album.

"So Ends The Show" This ninety-second conclusion is reminiscent of a pompous Styx song.

A truly eclectic and diversified creation from Kerry Livgren this one.

In just over an hour, we're served compositions ranging from mellow folk-inspired affairs to majestic soundtrack.inspired symphonic creations, with detours to AOR-tinged territories as well as a funk-tinged blues-rock affair that sounds like it was pulled off one of Robin Trowers earlier solo efforts.And a couple of fusion escapades are thrown in for good measure as well.

The first half of the album is a slightly mixed affair, with "The Sentinel" as a standout venture here; but on the second half of the album one gem after another appears; with the latin-tinged energetic fusion tune "As It Should Be" and the more laid-back organ-dominated "The Man with an Iron Heart" as two of many highlights in a diversified collection of songs exploring a multitude of stylistic variations.

Those looking for a well made album covering a broad spectrum of styles should try to get hold of this album; and especially the last seven compositions should charm and fascinate many purveyors of progressive rock.

Kerry Livgren had been saving some songs he'd been working on for a solo project, withholding them from Kansas after his conversation to Christianity in 1979. The music on this album is fairly diverse, and while there are many moments of brilliance, everything is pretty bland overall, especially compared to the amazing compositions he wrote for Kansas. There's an array of guest musicians, not the least of which is Barriemore Barlow of Jethro Tull fame and vocalist Ronnie James Dio.

"Just One Way" The first song from Livgren's debut has a fairly simple chord progression during the singing, but overall this song sounds like it was ripped right from the Audio-Visions sessions, especially the introduction. The soloing is good, but a little bland over the same chord progressions; what is missing are the carefully crafted sophisticated instrumental sections Livgren is known for.

"Mask of the Great Deceiver" The music here sounds rather different from Kansas, and Ronnie James Dio's gravelly voice alongside electric guitars give this song a somewhat heavier edge at times. It also has some subtle elements of R&B during the verses. The synthesizers in the instrumental section are intriguing

"How Can You Live" This, I believe, is the clearest "window" (no pun intended) that exists with regards to the question, "What would Kansas have sounded like if Steve Walsh hadn't left before the turn of the decade?" There's some slightly cheesier music that's riddled with pop-sounding melodies, basic chord progressions, and, of course, Christian lyrics.

"Whiskey Seed" Livgren is known to dabble in other styles of music from time to time ("Dust in the Wind," he admits, did not sound like anything Kansas would be doing). Here is a down home cornbread-and-biscuits blues song, with whiny slide acoustic guitar, harmonica, and this: Livgren actually takes to the microphone for once, and get this- the guy's voice sounds good on this sort of gritty, bluesy music. He actually sounds a bit like Greg Allman. This song is a curiosity more than fantastic music, but I take it for what it is.

"To Live for the King" Now this is something very different; if one were to ask (and I doubt I'll ever get asked this in my life), "What would it sound like if Livgren collaborated with Pink Floyd," I'd put this track on. The music, with that clean, chorus-laced guitar in the background, simple drumming, the choir piping in sometimes, the squealing lead guitar- take away the Christian lyrics, and what's left is something that would have fit right snugly in the middle of Wish You Were Here.

"Down to the Core" My least favorite song on the album is this one. The exaggerated vocals (which sound a little like those of the late Layne Staley from Alice in Chains, but in a bad way) are a little silly, and the music is nothing special. There are some good bits, but mostly it's boring and does nothing for me.

"Ground Zero" The longest piece is overall superior to everything else no the album. Finally, there's the elegant and more complex musical arrangements Livgren is so blessed with inventing. The piano playing throughout is very classy, and Kansas violinist Robby Steinhardt and drummer Phil Ehart join in. The music generally, however, sounds very similar to what Livgren would have on his instrumental album One of Several Possible Musiks.

Kerry Livgren is a master of composition, and his body of work with Kansas alone proves it. Kansas, however, was not known for their instrumentals (The two-minute exercise "The Spider" is the only one, and Steve Walsh wrote that). While this instrumental work may not be on the same level as Camel's The Snow Goose, it has several pieces which are excellent listens, and despite the time period, solidifies Livgren's place among the great progressive rock composers. It gives one pause to consider what these pieces might have evolved into had they been preserved for the later Kansas album Somewhere to Elsewhere or one of the Proto-Kaw releases.

"Ancient Wing" The beginning piece on this album has an uplifting introduction, but mainly serves an opportunity right off the bat to showcase Livgren's talents as a tasteful guitarist. The bass throughout sounds almost exactly like what would appear during the instrumental section of "Alt. More Worlds Than Known" on the Proto-Kaw album Before Became After.

"And I Saw, As it Were.Konelrad" This is probably the most dynamic and exciting piece on the album. There is the sound of brass instruments at first, followed by an extremely fast drum and bass beat that introduces Livgren's piano playing at his best. There is the sound of someone announcing "Red alert, red alert- this is not a drill," followed by electric guitar soloing. There are sound effects, additional keyboard, and further piano that make this track quite exciting. It ends with sound of newborn baby crying.

"Colonnade Gardens" Following a short brass introduction, Livgren plays some soulful electric guitar over some fairly cheesy 1980's sounding music (particularly the drums). After two minutes, the piece slows to a keyboard-based section over a lone snare drum. It is highly enjoyable, but could have used to more build, especially since the piece goes into a short harmonica section that leads into a second guitar solo all of a sudden.

"In the Sides of the North" These strings have an epic feel, making this sound like something that belongs in a grand war movie (perhaps Braveheart)- nothing short of beautiful.

"Alenna in the Sun" Several stringed instruments and a Grecian feel are what this is all about. There are some fantastic guitar leads on this one, as well as further piano soloing. The only trouble is that the main riff is overused; other than that, I have no complaints. It happens to be one of my favorites on the album, though.

"Tannin Danse" This piece has a tribal feel, with more primitive-sounding instruments. It probably represents Livgren's urge to be diverse on this album. There are a few interesting parts, but for the most part, it's decent background music, but nothing more.

"The Far Country" This piece sounds like it could have belonged in the Kansas discography (despite the instrumentation). Initially it makes me think of the instrumental section of "Journey from Mariabronn." Livgren uses the harmonica and the electric guitar as lead instruments throughout. It is neither the best nor the worst on this offering.

"Diaspora" Featuring more "world music" sounds and blending them with other synthetic sounds, this piece is a bit unique. It features a rare organ solo, again demonstrating Livgren's prowess on the keys.

"A Fistful of Drachma" Another excellent piece from this album, this one again features a sound similar to what will be heard on the later Proto-Kaw releases. Livgren gives us one of his best piano performances here, one that makes me think of "Distant Vision" from the Kansas album Somewhere to Elsewhere. Soon enough, there is a grand guitar solo that fades out with the song.

"Tenth of Nisan" It was on the tenth day of Nisan (the Hebrew lunar calendar) that the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River to begin their conquest of the promised land of Canaan, beginning with the seemingly insurmountable city of Jericho. Hence the music sounds like a royal procession, with a marching snare drum and a choir.

"Eerie Cove" The final track (a bonus track, it seems) has strong guitar work and wonderful keyboard passages, along with what sounds like an acoustic bass guitar. It has an intriguing middle section, laden with the sound of bass and clarinet.

AD is the short lived (4 albums over three years) 1980's group founded by Kerry Livgren This is the only live release form the group who did tour extensively through the two years surrounding the first two major label releases Time line and Art of the State. Judging by the set list this comes from the latter albums tour. Certainly these was no studio doctoring as the recording has all the warts of a live performance missed notes, beats and missed harmonies. Not many thankfully and in general this band was pretty tight.

Besides a few solo parts the songs don't differ much from their studio sound overall. The songs are generally the more accessible songs from both albums and missing somethings like The Fury, Up From the Wasteland and Welcome to the War which I would have enjoyed more. There still is some good things here Warren Ham's vocals for one and his flute and sax that are really important to the overall sound. The one dated drawback of this sound is the cheesy 80's keyboards. Kerry and Mike Gleason do their best with them but you can do so much. In the keyboard solo Mike includes some of his melodies from his now out of print solo album called Voices From the Old World. These are really good. Dave Hope's bass lines are great too as are Kerry's guitar work. Some of the best things are Tonight, Lead Me to Reason, The Only Way to Have a Friend and New Age Blues

Still even though this collection of songs might introduce someone to this band who might explore them more I still think this might be just for fans of Livgren's work with Proto-Kaw and Kansas for those who haven't heard this before or people who want to hear Kerry say "Toto were no longer in Kansas". 2 stars