There's really only one way to say this: everything you could want is here. The radio hits, the concert favorites, a few extras, with proper emphasis shown to the CBS/Kirschner years. Yet the packagers of Sail On manage to combine the songs that made them famous with a few of the newer songs from more recent recordings like Somewhere to Elsewhere -- fifteen different Kansas albums are represented here.
From "Journey to Mariabronn" to "Carry On Wayward Son" to "What's On My Mind" to "Icarus II," the sound never wavers. Keyboard solos, electric guitars and violins, and harmonies abound. The Livgren years are well documented, and John Elefante chips in with "Fight Fire With Fire."
After multiple lineup changes, Kansas is still touring, now with original members Phil Ehart, Richard Williams, Steve Walsh on vocals, and Robby Steinhardt. Billy Greer, an eighteen year veteran, rounds out the current lineup.
Bonuses on this set include a cover of "Eleanor Rigby," an electric guitar driven version that gives the song new depth musically, while not quite standing up to the original vocally. "Rainmaker," from In the Spirit of Things, is probably the only song that suffers by comparison to the other tracks contained. Other than that, listening to tracks like "Dust in the Wind," "Play the Game Tonight," "Point of No Return," and "Song for America" reveal how great and how influential this band truly is.
The bonus DVD contains several videos, some concert footage from their 2002 DVD Device Voice Drum, interviews, and concert clips from a very early (1974) performance. It augments the music set nicely, and provides a history of the band from beginning to present. While the repackaging and reissuing of bands gets old, once in a while, someone gets it right. Sail On is much superior to any of the previous Kansas compilations.
4.5 tocks
