Kansas Kansas/Aichi,Japan 19999 DAT Master

The 1999 KANSAS came back to Japan with a lineup that also included the late Robbie Steinhart. The original recording, vacuum-packed from that memorable event, is now available. This work features the “March 11, 1999: Nagoya Bottom Line” performance. This is the finest audience recording. Although it is not well known, in fact, KANSAS came to Japan twice in 1999. First, let’s look back at the schedule at that time to recall the situation. March 10: Umeda Heat Beat March 11: Nagoya Bottom Line ←★Here★ March 12: Shizuoka Media Hall March 14: Club Citta Kawasaki March 15: Tokyo Welfare Pension Hall “Kelly Livgren Returns” December 31: Okinawa Camp Kinser This is the 1999 Japan tour. The main Japan tour was realized in March, but Kelly Livgren returned a few months later. On New Year’s Eve, they appeared at a special event held at a US military base in Okinawa. The Nagoya performance of this work is, of course, the former. Unfortunately, Kelly was not there, but it was Robbie’s first visit to Japan since his first visit in 1980. This work, recorded at such a site, is a superb audience with a clear atmosphere that will make your heart skip a beat. You won’t mistake it for a sound board because of the super-realistic applause and snare tone, but you will want to mistake the strength of the core and the fineness of the details. Anyway, the air is crystal clear, and each sound of all the instruments has a clear and vivid outline and a great sense of separation. It is wonderful that no matter how much the complex phrases and rhythms are entangled, they never mix. Since the site is the size of a club, the sense of space is also transformed into a closed room feeling rather than a sense of distance. The sound is a treasure chest of masterpieces centered on the two major masterpieces “LEFTOVERTURE” and “POINT OF KNOW RETURN”. Let’s summarize the contents here. 70’s Classics Eternal Prelude: Miracles Out Of Nowhere/The Wall/Cheyenne Anthem/Carry On Wayward Son Towed to Darkness: Point Of No Return/Portrait (He Knew)/Dust In The Wind Song For America: Song For America/Down The Road Others Medley: Fight Fire With Fire/Sparks Of The Tempest Others: Hold On/Play The Game Tonight/Eleanor Rigby … and so on. Although it is sprinkled with representative songs of the 80’s such as “Hold On” and “Play The Game Tonight” and a cover of the Beatles “Eleanor Rigby”, it is mostly a rush of great representative songs of the 70’s. “SONG FOR AMERICA” also selects the title songs of masterpieces, and exudes plenty of the scent of the golden age. And what makes the golden age shine more than such a set is the performance itself. Robbie Steinhart’s violin is particularly catchy. David Ragsdale’s previous visit to Japan (1996) was also wonderful, but the originator has a different presence. The familiar masterpieces seem to have regained their original brilliance (I would like to hear the Okinawa recording with Kelly Livgren!). The masterpieces and ensemble of KANSAS in 1999 reminded me of the legendary first visit to Japan. This is a cultural heritage-class masterpiece album that allows you to fully experience that wonderful live performance on a club scale. The quality is comparable to a soundboard, but the original recording gives you a sense of being in a closed room that is impossible with line recording. The best audience recording of the “March 11, 1999: Nagoya Bottom Line” performance. The strength of the core and the fineness of the details are soundboard-class, and the air is crystal clear. Each sound of all the instruments has a clear and vivid outline and a great sense of separation. It is wonderful that no matter how complex the phrases and rhythms are intertwined, they never mix together. You can experience the ultimate full show where the late Robbie Steinhart plays a treasure trove of masterpieces based on the two major masterpieces “LEFTOVERTURE” and “POINT OF KNOW RETURN”. Live at THE BOTTOM LINE, Nagoya, Japan 11th March 1999　ULTIMATE SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (55:29) 1. Intro 2. Fight Fire With Fire / Sparks of the Tempest 3. Song for America 4. Miracles Out of Nowhere 5. The Wall 6. Cheyenne Anthem 7. Hold On 8. Eleanor Rigby Disc 2 (38:27) 1. Point of Know Return 2. Play the Game Tonight 3. Drum Solo 4. Portrait (He Knew) 5. Down the Road 6. Dust in the Wind 7. Carry On Wayward Son Phil Ehart – drums, percussion Rich Williams – guitars Billy Greer – bass, vocals Steve Walsh – keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, vocals Robby Steinhardt – violin, vocals