Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection专辑介绍
1970年成军的老牌摇滚乐团Kansas(肯萨斯合唱团)是第一个使用美国地名作为团名的摇滚团体,也是第一个将小提琴融入摇滚乐的团体,他们的音乐往往都在两种完全不同的方向中进行,不过在编曲和伴奏上往往也都能够配合着主题的化而有所转变,这也是他们特有的音乐风格。其扎实宽广的作风及前卫的实验精神,奠立了其在摇滚史上不可动摇的地位,许多对八O年代后期摇滚乐风影响甚大的作品皆出自他们之手,其中被民谣吉他界奉为圭宝的作品「Dust In The Wind」即为不可多得的传世经典之一。
这套精选辑搜集了1974~2002年之间重要作品,包括「Dust In The Wind」(#6)、洋溢着七O年代流行摇滚曲风的「Carry On Wayward Son」(#11) 、「Play The Game Tonight」(#17) 、1977年3白金专辑同名曲「Point Of Know Return」,散发浓郁民谣风的「Hold On」和长达9分多钟实验性格浓烈的经典「Song For America」。虽然很难在任何工具书上找到有关Kansas的资料,但是他们的作品是可以被肯定的。如果您仔细的去耹听他们的作品,会发觉他们那种对人类充满着绝望又充满着希望的想法。
Sony's Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection is certainly the most lovingly crafted of the many Kansas retrospectives. Featuring 27 album cuts that range from classic FM hits like "Dust in the Wind" and "Point of No Return" to fan favorites such as "Song for America," a 35-page booklet that includes extensive liner notes and career-spanning photos, and a 16-track DVD that collects numerous television appearances, videos, and live recordings, Sail On seems to be the definitive tome of the Midwest art rock band's very existence. The album tracks are dished out in a linear fashion, making Bret Adams' interviews with the rotating cast of bandmembers all the more resonant, and the much needed remastering -- the band's first two albums arrived in this form a month before -- crackles with the kind of indulgent glee that can only come from the combination of crispy Hammond B-3 riffing over crafty mid-'70s time signatures. There's not much new here for fans who bought 1994's Box Set besides the additional DVD and the inclusion of five tracks from albums released on post-Epic/Legacy labels MCA, Intersound, River North, Diablo, Compendia Music, and Magna Carta, but for fans who have yet to upgrade their Columbia House copy of The Best of Kansas -- with its inevitable scratches and fingerprints from late-night/post-bar fumbling -- Sail On may open up a whole new world of appreciation for this tenacious group of prog-pop gentlemen.