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"I close my eyes, only for a moment…" and the music begins.
Baroque arias from a distant past, yet so current.
The Kansas sing their America, with their art rock that encapsulates the most varied influences. From classical to folk, even touching on progressive sounds. All filtered through the rock soul of their land. The band certainly represents the most convincing response to European progressive, at a time when the latter was already showing the first signs of creative crisis. Although they had nothing to envy of their overseas colleagues in terms of technique and compositional ability, what distinguishes them most is the great sense of melody and the constant search for airy and captivating refrains. "Two for the Show" is a double live album that captures the group at the peak of their artistic career and simultaneously marks their inevitable downward trajectory. This is their point of no return.
I let myself be overwhelmed by the wave of freshness of their music, in a stormy sea of moving emotion. Steve Walsh's keyboards are decisively placed at the center of a structure teetering between impulse and romanticism. Upon which rise the guitars of the eclectic Kerry Livgren (also on keyboards) and Ric Williams, alternating between powerful riffs and acrobatic interweavings. The refined textures of Robby Steinhardt's violin seal everything, drawing enchanting melodies. The notes flow, moving from the baroque embellishments of the anthem "Song for America" to the hard rock incursions of "Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel". The live songs gain more power and dynamism compared to the studio versions, and the sound is more aggressive.
It is impossible not to be swept away by the drive of "Carry on Wayward Son". The perfect alchemy between Steinhardt's deep voice and Walsh's more powerful one constitutes a significant added value. And what about the splendid and timeless ballad "Dust in the Wind"? One of those songs for which any artist would sell their soul to write.
However, Kansas are not only excellent musicians but also give us verses of great substance and depth, that brush against poetic language. Lyrics that know how to move both when they sensitively embrace naturalistic and humanitarian themes, and when they touch on more introspective topics. Like in the poignant "The Wall", which addresses the theme of doubt and human fragility, while guitar and voice vie to give us moments of great intensity. "Mysteries and Mayhem" and "Magnum Opus" finally make us understand on which scores the beloved/hated Dream Theater practiced for years to give rise to the "progressive metal" phenomenon.
The silence reclaims the room. The calm after the storm. As the mind begins to process the wave of notes, images, and emotions. That sense of excitement that music and art, in general, can give us. Reason meeting passion.
"… Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind."
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Song for America (07:31)
Virgin land of forest green, dark and stormy plains, here all life abounds
Sunlit valley, mountain fields, unseen in the rain, here all life abounds
No man rules this land, no human hand has soiled this paradise
Waiting patiently, so much to see, so rich in Earth's delights
Painted desert, sequined sky, stars that fill the night, here all life abounds
Rivers flowing to the sea, sunshine pure and bright, here all life abounds
No man rules this land, no human hand has soiled this paradise
Waiting patiently, so much to see, so rich in Earth's delights
So the maiden lies in waiting, for the sails to reach the shore
Land of beauty and abundance, innocent, you opened wide your door
Wanderers found the waiting treasure, full of gifts beyond their measure
Milk and honey for our pleasure.....
Across the sea there came a multitude, sailing ships upon the wave
Filled with visions of Utopia, and the freedom that they crave
Ravage, plunder, see no wonder, rape and kill and tear asunder
Chop the forest, plow it under.....
Highways scar the mountainsides, buildings to the sky, people all around
Houses stand in endless rows, sea to shining sea, people all around
So we rule this land, and here we stand upon our paradise,
Dreaming of a place, our weary race is ready to arise
02 Point of Know Return (03:07)
I heard the men saying something
The captains tell they pay you well
And they say they need sailing men to
Show the way, and leave today
Was it you that said, "How long, how long?"
They say the sea turns so dark that
You know it's time, you see the sign
They say the point demons guard is
An ocean grave, for all the brave,
Was it you that said, "How long, how long,
How long to the point of know return?"
Your father, he said he needs you
Your mother, she says she loves you
Your brothers, they echo your words:
"How far to the point of know return, to the point of know return"
"Oh Oh, how long, how long?"
Today I found a message floating
In the sea from you to me
It wrote that when you could see it
You cried with fear, the Point was near
Was it you that said, "How long, how long, how long
To the Point of Know Return?"
How Long? How Long to the point of no return?"
No Return
How Long?
(Repeat and Fade)
03 Paradox (04:09)
I'm on fire
Burning with the question in my mind
Strange desire
Seems there's nothing else for me to find
'Cause I've been here, and I've been there,
Seems like I've been everywhere before
I've seen it all a hundred times
Still I think there surely must be more
I've been livin', I had to take my time and change my style
Now I wonder is something gonna make it all worthwhile
I know there's more than meets the eye
Like to see it 'fore I die for sure.
Something tells me it's all right
Only one step farther to the door
There ain't no feelin', feels the same as findin' out the key
Now I'm reelin', thinking of the things that I might see
I'm not afraid to face the light
I'm not afraid to think that I might fall
I was going nowhere fast
I was needing something that would last
06 Carry On Wayward Son (04:36)
''Refrain:''
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Ahhhh....
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say
''Refrain:''
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say
''Refrain:''
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you
Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)
07 Journey From Mariabronn (08:55)
Two began together, lived as one
Each one to the other had become
More than a friend, living to meet a common end
They were true, each one knew all is well
Still the elder knew it could not last
Hidden memories from the young one's past
Drew them apart
Both knew that deep within his heart they must part
Each their own separate way
It puzzles me how we can be so close and yet worlds apart
Can it be, my memory has torn my life in two
From the very start
I screamed for the devil to let me be
I called to the heavens to set me free
Today I prayed for the answer and not one
Of the gods in the sky would rescue me
Dreams of fortune fill the young one's mind
Learn the worldly ways of hope to find
Love on the way, searching to find the light of day
In his soul he had found his own way
But to each other they soon will return
Destiny fulfilled, their words will burn an eternal flame
08 Dust in the Wind (06:18)
I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind, oh
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind (all we are is dust in the wind)
Dust in the wind (everything is dust in the wind)
Everything is dust in the wind
The wind
10 Mysteries and Mayhem (04:00)
Well I'm trying to tell you about a thing I thought I saw
It came to me in a dream one night
When a voice began to call
I heard my name being summoned as I looked around to see
A hooded judge and jury
There was no mercy there for me
Well I can't make it, I just can't figure it out
This dream is drivin' me crazy
I gotta know what it's all about
The mark is upon me, and the mark of Cain brings fear
A cold wind's blowin' right down my back
I'm runnin, I'm runnin' from a figure that's dressed in black
I think my legs are made out of lead
Cause I'm runnin' but I'm going nowhere
The bad dream is coming closer and closer
I got a feelin' he'll always be there
Forever is a long time to spend in agony
And the demons of confusion have got a place for me
The mark is upon me, and the mark of Cain brings fear
I was tired, so tired of runnin'
I had to turn and look around
I saw eyes that looked right through me
And a voice that made no sound
My body froze and I stood and stared, unearthly face before me
From the depths of a hooded nightmare, I saw what could not be
Mysteries and mayhem from the pinnacle I see
There's no answer when there's no question
The mark of Cain bears hard on me
12 The Wall (04:53)
I'm woven in a fantasy, I can't believe the things I see
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 be
It's just a travesty, towering, marking off the boundaries my spirit would erase
To pass beyond is what I seek, I fear that I may be too weak
And those are few who've seen it through to glimpse 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 I know it well
The riches 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 and 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
13 Magnum Opus (11:17)
Instrumental:
a. Father Padilla Meets the Perfect Gnat
b. Howling at the Moon
c. Man Overboard
d. Industry on Parade
e. Release the Beavers
f. Gnat Attack
This foolish game, oh it's still the same
The notes go flyin' off in the air
And don't you believe it's true, the music is all for you
It's really all we've got to share
Cause Rockin' and Rollin', it's only howlin' at the Moon.
It's only howlin' at the Moon.
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