WingsOfSteel
09-14-2007, 08:33 PM
Man, guys, this is so official; you don't even know how official it is.
so very official...
As a fan of Prog in general and Kansas in particular, I very much hope to see one of their songs in Rock Band.
From Kansas (1974):
Belexes - Kickass guitar and drum solos. Only problem is that the vocals are pretty sparse, and using a Kansas song without much Steve Walsh is possibly punishable by law.
Can I Tell You (http://youtube.com/watch?v=gvkiq0D0HUQ) - Kind of a shuffling song moving on at a decent pace for a while before breaking into a crazy musical break at about 1:30 in and a really kickass guitar solo in the final minutes. Although again, the vocals are kind of sparse, which is rather common in the first album.
From Song for America (1975):
The Devil Game (http://youtube.com/watch?v=wddgkZzKEEA) - Kickin' song with a steady tempo and several amazing guitar solos with great drums throughout. Nice vocals, too.
Down the Road (http://youtube.com/watch?v=7WsfiUnH0so) - See description for The Devil Game. It applies here, too.
From Masque (1975):
Child of Innocence (http://youtube.com/watch?v=I44xJLn20hA) - Consistent guitar with great riffs and a solo that must be appreciated at full volume driving down the road at least once in your life. Good drums, and awe-inspiring vocals that alternate from soft and melancholy to loud and powerful.
Mysteries and Mayhem (http://youtube.com/watch?v=cxyomoQNkDI) - Hard-rocking song with a fast tempo. Instrumentally impressive and it never lets up.
Icarus (Borne on the Wings of Steel) (http://youtube.com/watch?v=rBRj7AF8YjQ) - It's an amazing song, the source of my name, and well-suited for Rock Band. The vocals are amazing all through the way, and the guitar is pretty fun for the first half of the song even though the focus is on keyboards and violin. The drums are changing tempo every so often, never content to just keep the beat. The bass is consistently good, too. However, once you get to the halfway point of the song, everything clicks. The tempo picks up, the bass is pounding steadily, the guitar throws in a few nice licks and a short but breath-taking solo. After that, the vocalist gets their moment in the sun where he's singing with some light synth accompaniment before everything kicks back in with what has to be one of my favorite moments in music. (And I! I WON'T COME DOWN! NO MOOOOORE!) The final minute of the song is amazing. The drums are steadily pounding away, the guitar is screaming, and the vocalist is going crazy... er... vocalizing. I can't hear the bass because there's also piano and violin, but I've watched the video of them playing it in concert, and I assure you, it's doing something. In conclusion, I am soooo *** for this song, it isn't even funny.
It Takes A Woman's Love (To Make A Man) - This song was made to be a single, and it shows. It's short and catchy, and while it doesn't have the astounding musical prowe ss shown in some other songs, it's a decent song with good instrumental parts.
From Leftoverture (1976):
Carry On Wayward Son (http://youtube.com/watch?v=CB17uWuBrL0) - Everybody knows this song, everybody knows it has awesome guitar, everybody sings along to it. We've already had it in GH2, and while I'd be disappointed if it was picked for RB, I hella want it as DLC. (PS the drums are good, too)
Miracles Out of Nowhere (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ugJ2tV9KLQ8) - I'm running out of good ways to describe these songs, but it has good guitar, excellent varied drums, and awesome vocals.
What's On My Mind (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ObFWdbGGd2s) - This is another straightforward rocker in the vein of the Devil Game, Down the Road, and Mysteries and Mayhem, but I'd say that the vocals are a good deal more polished in this song. Amazing drums and guitar.
Opus Insert - See above.
From Point of Know Return (1977):
Paradox (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_if2lDA3soY) - Another rocker that would fit the game well. I'm very sorry for the video
Lightning's Hand (http://youtube.com/watch?v=AsKdYY__9S8) - Starts off with some amazing guitar which stays consistently awesome, even though it's almost drowned out by the synth at times. The drums... The drums ROCK. The vocals are good, but it's subdued rather than soaring, which is when Kansas is at their best.
Portrait (He Knew) (http://youtube.com/watch?v=EzDee3_NrDk) - Good drums, guitar, and bass. Vocals are too much like they are in Lightning's Hand, unfortunately, but it'd still be a fun song. (Note: The video is live and has an extended drum solo. It's not in the song, but it showcases Ehart's talent quite well.)
Sparks of the Tempest (http://youtube.com/watch?v=k8q6xrOYMYw) - Nice bass, jaw-dropping drums, collection of good guitar licks, and powerful vocals.
From Monolith (1979):
People of the South Wind (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ihl77dHSo2E) - Written to be a single, so it's insanely catchy and would be a good fit for vocals, since it's seemingly made to sing along to. Good drums and guitar, too.
On the Other Side (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bSVULtkJqDQ) - Awesome guitar intro and solos, great drums with plenty varety, nice bass, and great vocals that run from slow and emotional to raw and powerful.
Away from You - Speedy tempo with great performances from all instruments and a chorus that grabs your ear and refuses to let go.
A Glimpse of Home (http://youtube.com/watch?v=3MUyobDzX2A) - Good on all fronts with a wailing guitar solo, kickin' drums and excellent vocals. (Note: Only half of the song is on the video)
From Audio-Visions (1980):
Relentless - Powerful rocker with great riffs, steady bass, soaring vocals, and a wide variety of interesting fills.
From Drastic Measures (1983):
Everybody's My Friend - Yes, this is from the Elefante era, but it's a good song with pounding drums, good guitar, and fun vocals. Not as good as Kansas in their prime, but still a worthy song.
From Power (1986):
Silhouettes in Disguise (http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJ6SFFCZ9Bo) - This is from after Livgren left, so the lyrics are nowhere near as good, but that doesn't really affect how good it is for the game. The guitar is AMAZING, but Ehart's normally amazing drums are relegated largely to keeping the beat, which makes me a bit sad. They're still pretty fun with a couple good fills here and there, and the guitar, again, is absolutely AMAZING. Vocals sound really fun, too.
Power - See what I said about Silhouettes, but with better drums and more average guitar.
Tomb 19 - Somewhere between Silhouettes and Power
From Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000):
Icarus II (http://youtube.com/watch?v=EU9mlIHT9JI) - 25 years later, a sequel to the first Icarus. It's written about a WWII fighter pilot and tells a story quite well. Instrumentally, it has drums back up to the usual standard with some good bass and great guitar that ranges from finger-picked background guitar to wailing solos to an actual heavy metal guitar solo, used to symbolize the enemy bombers. God, I love Progressive Rock. Oh, and the vocals are amazing.
Related:
In (Kansas guitarist) Kerry Livgren's solo album, he had a song called Mask of the Great Deceiver with Ronnie James Dio on guest vocals.
Kerry Livgren recently founded a new band, Proto-Kaw, formed of the original members of the first Kansas that he played with years before getting a record contract. It'd be sweet to see one of their songs as a bonus track.
so very official...
As a fan of Prog in general and Kansas in particular, I very much hope to see one of their songs in Rock Band.
From Kansas (1974):
Belexes - Kickass guitar and drum solos. Only problem is that the vocals are pretty sparse, and using a Kansas song without much Steve Walsh is possibly punishable by law.
Can I Tell You (http://youtube.com/watch?v=gvkiq0D0HUQ) - Kind of a shuffling song moving on at a decent pace for a while before breaking into a crazy musical break at about 1:30 in and a really kickass guitar solo in the final minutes. Although again, the vocals are kind of sparse, which is rather common in the first album.
From Song for America (1975):
The Devil Game (http://youtube.com/watch?v=wddgkZzKEEA) - Kickin' song with a steady tempo and several amazing guitar solos with great drums throughout. Nice vocals, too.
Down the Road (http://youtube.com/watch?v=7WsfiUnH0so) - See description for The Devil Game. It applies here, too.
From Masque (1975):
Child of Innocence (http://youtube.com/watch?v=I44xJLn20hA) - Consistent guitar with great riffs and a solo that must be appreciated at full volume driving down the road at least once in your life. Good drums, and awe-inspiring vocals that alternate from soft and melancholy to loud and powerful.
Mysteries and Mayhem (http://youtube.com/watch?v=cxyomoQNkDI) - Hard-rocking song with a fast tempo. Instrumentally impressive and it never lets up.
Icarus (Borne on the Wings of Steel) (http://youtube.com/watch?v=rBRj7AF8YjQ) - It's an amazing song, the source of my name, and well-suited for Rock Band. The vocals are amazing all through the way, and the guitar is pretty fun for the first half of the song even though the focus is on keyboards and violin. The drums are changing tempo every so often, never content to just keep the beat. The bass is consistently good, too. However, once you get to the halfway point of the song, everything clicks. The tempo picks up, the bass is pounding steadily, the guitar throws in a few nice licks and a short but breath-taking solo. After that, the vocalist gets their moment in the sun where he's singing with some light synth accompaniment before everything kicks back in with what has to be one of my favorite moments in music. (And I! I WON'T COME DOWN! NO MOOOOORE!) The final minute of the song is amazing. The drums are steadily pounding away, the guitar is screaming, and the vocalist is going crazy... er... vocalizing. I can't hear the bass because there's also piano and violin, but I've watched the video of them playing it in concert, and I assure you, it's doing something. In conclusion, I am soooo *** for this song, it isn't even funny.
It Takes A Woman's Love (To Make A Man) - This song was made to be a single, and it shows. It's short and catchy, and while it doesn't have the astounding musical prowe ss shown in some other songs, it's a decent song with good instrumental parts.
From Leftoverture (1976):
Carry On Wayward Son (http://youtube.com/watch?v=CB17uWuBrL0) - Everybody knows this song, everybody knows it has awesome guitar, everybody sings along to it. We've already had it in GH2, and while I'd be disappointed if it was picked for RB, I hella want it as DLC. (PS the drums are good, too)
Miracles Out of Nowhere (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ugJ2tV9KLQ8) - I'm running out of good ways to describe these songs, but it has good guitar, excellent varied drums, and awesome vocals.
What's On My Mind (http://youtube.com/watch?v=ObFWdbGGd2s) - This is another straightforward rocker in the vein of the Devil Game, Down the Road, and Mysteries and Mayhem, but I'd say that the vocals are a good deal more polished in this song. Amazing drums and guitar.
Opus Insert - See above.
From Point of Know Return (1977):
Paradox (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_if2lDA3soY) - Another rocker that would fit the game well. I'm very sorry for the video
Lightning's Hand (http://youtube.com/watch?v=AsKdYY__9S8) - Starts off with some amazing guitar which stays consistently awesome, even though it's almost drowned out by the synth at times. The drums... The drums ROCK. The vocals are good, but it's subdued rather than soaring, which is when Kansas is at their best.
Portrait (He Knew) (http://youtube.com/watch?v=EzDee3_NrDk) - Good drums, guitar, and bass. Vocals are too much like they are in Lightning's Hand, unfortunately, but it'd still be a fun song. (Note: The video is live and has an extended drum solo. It's not in the song, but it showcases Ehart's talent quite well.)
Sparks of the Tempest (http://youtube.com/watch?v=k8q6xrOYMYw) - Nice bass, jaw-dropping drums, collection of good guitar licks, and powerful vocals.
From Monolith (1979):
People of the South Wind (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ihl77dHSo2E) - Written to be a single, so it's insanely catchy and would be a good fit for vocals, since it's seemingly made to sing along to. Good drums and guitar, too.
On the Other Side (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bSVULtkJqDQ) - Awesome guitar intro and solos, great drums with plenty varety, nice bass, and great vocals that run from slow and emotional to raw and powerful.
Away from You - Speedy tempo with great performances from all instruments and a chorus that grabs your ear and refuses to let go.
A Glimpse of Home (http://youtube.com/watch?v=3MUyobDzX2A) - Good on all fronts with a wailing guitar solo, kickin' drums and excellent vocals. (Note: Only half of the song is on the video)
From Audio-Visions (1980):
Relentless - Powerful rocker with great riffs, steady bass, soaring vocals, and a wide variety of interesting fills.
From Drastic Measures (1983):
Everybody's My Friend - Yes, this is from the Elefante era, but it's a good song with pounding drums, good guitar, and fun vocals. Not as good as Kansas in their prime, but still a worthy song.
From Power (1986):
Silhouettes in Disguise (http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJ6SFFCZ9Bo) - This is from after Livgren left, so the lyrics are nowhere near as good, but that doesn't really affect how good it is for the game. The guitar is AMAZING, but Ehart's normally amazing drums are relegated largely to keeping the beat, which makes me a bit sad. They're still pretty fun with a couple good fills here and there, and the guitar, again, is absolutely AMAZING. Vocals sound really fun, too.
Power - See what I said about Silhouettes, but with better drums and more average guitar.
Tomb 19 - Somewhere between Silhouettes and Power
From Somewhere to Elsewhere (2000):
Icarus II (http://youtube.com/watch?v=EU9mlIHT9JI) - 25 years later, a sequel to the first Icarus. It's written about a WWII fighter pilot and tells a story quite well. Instrumentally, it has drums back up to the usual standard with some good bass and great guitar that ranges from finger-picked background guitar to wailing solos to an actual heavy metal guitar solo, used to symbolize the enemy bombers. God, I love Progressive Rock. Oh, and the vocals are amazing.
Related:
In (Kansas guitarist) Kerry Livgren's solo album, he had a song called Mask of the Great Deceiver with Ronnie James Dio on guest vocals.
Kerry Livgren recently founded a new band, Proto-Kaw, formed of the original members of the first Kansas that he played with years before getting a record contract. It'd be sweet to see one of their songs as a bonus track.
