The Great Steve Walsh (Kansas)

Steve Walsh (born June 15, 1951) is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock band Kansas. He sings lead on Kansas' four best-known hits: "Carry On Wayward Son," "Dust in the Wind", "Point of Know Return", and "All I Wanted", the last two of which he also co-wrote. During Walsh's time with the band, Kansas recorded two enormously successful albums, 1976's Leftoverture and 1977's Point of Know Return. With Kansas, Walsh has released 12 studio albums, six live albums, and numerous singles. He has released three solo albums thus far. Walsh left Kansas after 1980's Audio-Visions due to creative differences with the band's primary song writer Kerry Livgren. Earlier in 1980, he released his first solo album, Schemer-Dreamer, which included band mates Kerry Livgren, Rich Williams and Phil Ehart, as well as guitarist Steve Morse (who in 1985 would join the revamped Kansas). It contains the popular song "Every Step of the Way". In 1982 he formed a rock band called Streets, which released the albums 1st in 1983 and Crimes in Mind in 1985 before disbanding...

Steve Walsh - Schemer Dreamer (1980)

Schemer-Dreamer is the first solo album by Steve Walsh, the former and original keyboardist/vocalist of the progressive rock band Kansas. It was released in 1980. Although this is his solo album, it features other members of Kansas including Kerry Livgren, Phil Ehart, and Rich Williams. In their retrospective review, Allmusic sarcastically suggested that the self-aggrandizing front cover of Schemer-Dreamer "very well could be the greatest album cover in rock history." They criticized the music itself as "a big, loud, dumb arena rock record, one that sounds completely tied to its year, if not month, of release", but also avouched that "it's kind of fun because of that".

Steve Walsh and Kansas "There's Know Place Like Home"

Quando ainda era um lobo adolescente (ih lá vem história!!!) nas tardes de sábado havia alguns compromissos sagrados que eram os seguintes nesta ordem:
- Ir até a casa de uns amigos pra sairmos.
- Dali íamos a avenida Paulista em sampa, onde tinha o que queríamos no mesmo lugar ou bem próximo.
- Fuçar nas lojas ao lado de um colégio famoso pra ver os lançamentos de discos e importados que poderiam ter chegado também.
-Depois de horas a fio nessa empreita cansativa(rs), um belo lanche pra reabastecer e uma sessão de cinema.
-Na saída, não iríamos embora sem marcar ponto no fliperama (alguém aí não é dessa época? me desculpe heim?,rs) e ficarmos horas infindáveis disputando com aquelas malditas bolinhas de aço quem era mais inteligente!!!
-E claro que na maioria das vezes ela ganhavam mas achávamos que nossos recordes nunca seriam batidos,rs

Bem, mas o que isso tem a ver com o post de hoje?
Tudo!

Numa destas tardes de sábado chegando na loja de discos dou de cara com uma bolacha e na capa um ancião a lá "Da Vinci" ou sei lá o quê, um mago, um merlin, etc e etc; isso em 1D (é prq essa história de 3D vem bem depois, ali era tão chapada a imagem que era só uma dimensão mesmo,rs)e mesmo assim a capa do álbum "Leftoverture" me fez viajar aquele mundo onde o ancião meditava e cada detalhe daquele desenho foi vasculhado e cada centímetro daquela capa e da contracapa foram medidos, sentidos, admirados e claro ao som da musicalidade e da teatralidade desses caras fantásticos e sua música maravilhosa.

Há de se lembrar que pelo menos pra mim, os álbuns não apareciam na ordem em que eram lançados lá fora, e as lojas as vz traziam um só exemplar de cada grupo pra ver se daria certo, e aí se perdeu muita coisa que só o tempo, e hj a net nos ajuda a resgatar.

Existem histórias hoje que fico abismado em ler e ouvir, prq eu acompanhava as transmissões direto do exterior, com entrevistas, destaques, recebia revistas e tal e de repente hoje alguns "experts" simplesmente contam outra que não a original ou algo próximo a ela e realmente fico perplexo; ou eu viajei ou alguém tá louco,rs.

Mas voltando ao Kansas, só tenho boas recordações, depois veio o "Point of Know Return" e seu navio caindo mar abaixo no final do mundo, e por aí afora; com integrantes de rostos até estranhos mas de um talento absurdo como Robbie Steinhardt e sua cabeleira ao violino ou um cara com o nome de John Elefante no vocal e teclado e por aí afora só somava a mística pra mim do "KANSAS".

Sim, em letras maiúsculas como eles mesmo gostavam de ser vistos e o são até hoje; apesar que alguns analisam fase a fase e acham esta melhor que aquela e este disco melhor que o outro.

Eu acho o Kansas quase perfeito, não fossem tantas as idas e vindas e até este show que trago pra vcs se deliciarem aqui na alcatéia seria perfeito não tivesse o nome que tem, deveria ser "KANSAS" e pronto, mas a vida é assim não é?

Separações, reuniões, conflitos, amores, desejos e vontades contrariadas; assim são vcs seres humanos e nós lobos que somos animais?Garanto e olha que já disse não gostar de postar vídeo por vários motivos, e um deles é que alguns não conseguem baixar do Mandamais, prq seus navegadores não são configurados pra ele.
Mas aceita arquivos grandes, não deleta com o tempo e mesmo sendo delatados, os links permanecem um bom tempo por lá o que dá um prazo razoável pra valer o trabalho.

Este show pra quem ainda não viu é um dos melhores da nova geração e ainda por cima foi gravado em "HD" e comprimido em .avi e não perdeu muita qualidade, pelo menos não se nota isso.

E apesar de algumas entrevistas entre algumas músicas, são curtas, interessantes e só dão vontade de se continuar a ver mais.

Sou suspeito, amo o Kansas desde o primeiro acorde, tenho praticamente tudo original, e este show foi meu filho que me trouxe (é de uma turné em 2009) sabedor que gosto mas sou muito exigente com vídeos, e ele aprendeu bem isso comigo e por isso posto e aposto que os amantes da boa música irão assistir um show dos melhores que já viram; envelhecidos sim , mas com muita dignidade.To celebrate their 35th anniversary, Kansas returned to their hometown of Topeka and recorded a live album, aptly titled “There’s Know Place Like Home”.

Starting in the 1990s, quite a few hard rock bands decided to go “the symphonic route,” by putting on concerts that merged big guitar riffs with swirling strings. For this live album, Kansas recruited the local Washburn University Symphony Orchestra.

This is an interesting collection that covers quite the breadth of the band’s career. Several tracks are no-brainers, including the instantly-recognizable hits “Point of Know Return”, “Song for America”, “Dust in the Wind” and “Carry on Wayward Son”. Others are more surprising inclusions, especially the instrumental “Musicatto” and the 1983 single “Fight Fire with Fire”.

Many tunes on the album fits quite well here and kudos to the band for reaching back in their catalog for a few songs that don’t get played much in concerts.
Of particular note are “On the Other Side”, the opening number from the band’s 1979 album “Monolith”; followed by another unusual but welcome choice, a montage of “Ghosts” and “Rainmaker” from 1988's “In the Spirit of Things”.The rest of the album is a bit more predictable and more instrument-centric, probably because Walsh’s voice would be wearing down after the strenuous first half.

“Icarus II” followed by the original Icarus span a quarter-century of the band’s discography but fit well together both thematically and musically. “The Wall” is a crowd-pleaser and highlights the band’s outstanding ability to meld rock, melody and progressive music into a tight package.

This is followed by the obligatory and totally predictable encores “Dust in the Wind” and “Carry on Wayward Son”, and although that would be it for them at most concerts, they return for one more number, a jam session centered on the “Down the Road”.

Many fans will likely nitpick about the song selection, but for a band with a catalog as vast as Kansas it would be very hard to come up with just two hours of music that wouldn’t leave someone disappointed.

(Review from progarchives.com, classicrockrevisited.com)Steve Walsh & Kansas "There's Know Place Like Home" - Topeka 2009

There's Know Place Like Home

We got to the meet and greet about 15 minutes after it began at Washburn University. The line was long but full of great people, all eagerly awaiting to meet the band and get a treasure signed.

The band patiently signed everything and took photos with each of the people who paid to be in the "Golden Triangle". Later we also got the opportunity to hear the band rehearse and were allowed to take non-flash photos, a dream come true for me, I finally got some decent ones.

Of course with flash they would have been better, but I'm happy nonetheless! You could tell how excited the Washburn University Orchestra was to play.During the rehearsal I can't tell you how many people I heard say this was the best $200 they had ever spent, and the show hadn't even begun yet!

The day of the show, there was an empty seat next to me, one of the folks in the group next to me couldn't make it at the last minute... not wanting that $200 ticket to go to waste we asked Debbie to find someone, she found Connor, he was 13... I asked him if he was a musician... he was... a violinist! He was going to be an arm's length away from David Ragsdale, what a treat for him to be able to see such an amazing violinist ... you couldn't get any closer! Bet he's glad now he picked violin to play!

Kansas mesmerized the crowd which gave a standing ovation to every single song! I've never seen that at any show before. Steve's voice was powerful and moving even through songs that I admit aren't my favorites, he made me forget that... it was like all the numbers were new and exciting. Time flew by too fast and the audience was absolutely pleased, the energy was amazing!

Kansas WebsiteLine-up Kansas:
- Steve Walsh / keyboards, vocals
- Phil Ehart / drums
- Billy Greer / bass, vocals
- David Ragsdale / violin, guitar
- Rich Williams / guitars
- Kerry Livgren / keyboards
- Steve Morse / guitarFull Personnel:
Larry Baird - Conductor
Jonathan Beckner - Post Production
Mathew Bell - Percussion, Timpani
Carlos Cabezas - Violin, Principal
Caroline Drexler - Bass, Principal
Phil Ehart - Director, Drums,
Jeff Glixman - Director, Producer, Mixing
Brandon Graves - Percussion, Timpani
Billy Greer - Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Kansas - Producer
James Kirkwood - Trumpet
Kerry Livgren - Guest Appearance
Neil McKay - Trombone
Steve Morse - Guest Appearance
Darcy Proper - Mastering
David Ragsdale - Violin, Guitar, Vocals
Steve Rawls - Post Production
Zak Rizvi - Director
Raul A. Rodrigue - Horn, Principal
Christopher Roth - Flute
Jose Salazar - Oboe
Steve Walsh - Keyboards, Vocals
Richard Allen Williams - Acoustic Guitar, Guitar
Alex Wise - Assistant Conductor
Mario Martin Zelaya - ViolinSetlist:

Magnum Opus Intro - Howling at the Moon
Belexes-Lightnings hand (new symphonic arrangement)
Point of Know Return
Song for America
Musicatto (with Steve Morse on electric guitar)
Ghosts-Rainmaker (with Morse on electric guitar)
Cheyenne Anthem
Hold On-Peaceful and Warm coda (with Kerry Livgren on electric guitar)
On the Other Side (new symphonic version)
Nobody's Home
Icarus 2 / Icarus
Incomudro Intro (with Kerry playing the pipe organ)
The Wall (with Kerry playing the pipe organ)
Fight Fire with Fire (new symphonic version)
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Dust In the Wind (with Kerry on acoustic and Morse on 2nd violin)
Carry On Wayward Son (with Kerry on electric guitar)
Encore: Down the Road

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!