Kansas - Two For The Show - 1978

If you are looking for a great recording or rip of this release, you have come to the wrong spot. This is a beat up record and I'm sure there are better copies out there. You can also still find this for sale on CD through many online channels. One of the reasons I ripped the record with the thought of sharing was that at the time a few years ago the CD release lacked a couple tracks. However since that time there has been a nice new 30th anniversary edition that has everything the vinyl record had. So if you like what you hear through all the dust and crackling go out and find the record or the 30th anniversary release of the CD.

So a few words about Kansas and how it relates to me. After all that is the whole point of me writing this thing. You can get the music just about anywhere. Hopefully there is some fun in reading about my experiences with the music that you can relate to and get some enjoyment out of it. Then again maybe that is just my self delusion. In which case, please humor me for a few more rambling sentences or paragraphs.

I'm really a music child of the 80's. I was pretty little in the 70's and so my association with a lot of 70's music is after the fact. Such is the case with early Kansas. I knew and listened to Kansas songs for many years purely based on the rock radio staples that played throughout the 80's on into today. "Dust In The Wind", "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Point Of No Return" were what I knew. Short well constructed rock songs, tailored for the radio. I really knew nothing of their more prog-rock roots or leanings. So this album really was my introduction to their earlier work. Some songs are better than others. It is by no means a must have record. If you already are inclined to be bored with prog-rock and it's indulgences you may want to just skip this all together and stick to the radio friendly classic rock staples. However if you like Emerson Lake and Palmer or early Genesis or Yes, you might want to give this a try. There is a good chance, thought that if you like those bands I just mentioned, then you have already checked this out.

After this record on into the 1980's Kerry Livgren became a born again Christian and their music shifted to reflect this conversion. It was during this phase that I was introduced to Kansas. I was listening to the radio when singles like "Hold On" and "Play The Game Tonight" were on the airwaves. They are still decent songs, but you don't hear them too much these days.

My memories of Kansas are tied to a couple things. The first thing is my best friend back in 5th and 6th grade, Jay Nelson. He introduced me to a lot of music. His allowance was more than mine and he bought an album just about every week. For some reason I think he bought vinyl confessions and he may have played it for me one time when I slept over at his house. That could be a faulty memory, though. I say that because Kansas also reminds me of Triumph who were gracing the airwaves also at the time. In case you missed it, the connection to Triumph is the second thing Kansas reminds me of.


In doing research I was looking at the various album covers. For some reason the cover to Audio-Vision didn't ring much of a bell for me. I don't know why I don't remember the cover. It cracks me up because it is a mixture or Mr. Roboto and disco. It's not exactly rock. The Vinyl Confessions cover is kind of boring, but at least it seems like a rock record.

So this one won't stay up long because it is a major label release and I'll probably get complaints if it remains up.

Enjoy!

Side 1
01 Song For America
02 Point Of No Return
03 Paradox
Two For The Show Side 1.zip

Side 2
04 Icarus Borne On Wings Of Steel
05 Portrait (He Knew)
06 Carry On Wayward Son
07 Journey From Mariabronn
Two For The Show Side 2.zip

Side 3
08 Dust In The Wind
09 Acoustic Guitar Solo
10 Piano Solo
11 Lonely Wind
12 Mysteries And Mayhem
13 Excerpt From Lamplight Symphony
14 The Wall
Two For The Show Side 3.zip

Side 4
15 Closet Chronicles
16 Magnum Opus
Two For The Show Side 4.zip