KANSAS | Are they Prog? | Classic Albums Ranked
The music of Kansas discussed, including a look at many of their classic albums and in what order they should be ranked
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#kansas #ranking #classicalbum
@Sopmylo
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
No they are not Prog. Nor is Pink Floyd. History tends to blur things the farther you get from the events.
@stevemurrell6167
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
So this isn't a 'ranking' video after all…..more a 'here's their albums as they were released' sort of thing?🤔
To answer the title question….they were absolutely prog…..at least before the 80's corrupted them….then in the 2000's, back to full on prog. There's no questioning it at all.
I agree with you on Walsh and Gramm…..absolute vocal beasts.
@relativetimeworx8459
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Oh my… another invasion of the "prog snobs". People don't seem to realize that if you have a limited definition of what is "Prog", and the bands are very similar, they cease to be "Progressive", just derivative. Does "Prog" require banks of keyboards (no pun intended)? Then Kansas is prog, but King Crimson, from the Bruford-era forward) doesn't qualify… and that is absurd. When NEARFest was running back in the day, I'd have many "discussions" regarding Porcupine Tree qualifying as prog and after a couple of years, they were in the festival (though subject to the most anal Art Rock vs. Prog debates). If you can put amazing musicianship and compositional complexity into music that ends up being "commercial", that doesn't make it any less progressive. Hard core proggers even slag "Roundabout"… just ridiculous.
@matthiasmahnke4560
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Audio Visions was a strong album
@Steve-z2q4h
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Cerebral Rock
@buzzcrushtrendkill
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Great video. For me, their first six albums are most definitely prog. That was the years of the original band and was their finest era.
@klozz2080
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
“God is an omnipresent Yoko Ono” is one of the greatest sentences I’ve ever heard. I’m a christian but couldn’t resist to laugh to it.
@georgeknox1822
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Somewhere to elsewhere is a superb album. You must listen to it . Some fantastic tracks .
@paulgodbey304
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Would you consider Electric Light Orchestra progressive?
@paulgodbey304
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Define Progressive Rock.
@NVRAMboi
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Yes they are (American/Midwestern) prog. Certainly their first three LPs are. The fourth (Leftoverture) is mostly prog, but had the misfortune of producing 2-3 commercial hits. The fifth (Point of Know Return) continued to gravitate more towards mainstream pop/rock, and then it was over. The internal creative differences within the band did them in. I'm very happy for them that they did see some commercial success after years or hard work. It can be hard to get a record contract or to even eat otherwise.
Great band.
@SwisstedChef2018
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
But let me tell you, I LOVE Vinyl Confessions. I think it is wrong to compare them to Yes, ELP, Crimson, etc. no way but this is a very fine great band, you have to admit mate.
@kevhead1525
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
They were heavily influenced by prog but lack the originality. Not prog but wrote some good songs.
@markgreene6349
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Kansas is without a doubt Prog.. iand so much more.. lonely Street..heavy blues…mixed with fantastic melody..in fact they're the best prog band America has ever had… period…
@TechGently
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Magnum Opus, Apercu,. Journey to Mariabron, Song for America, Lamplight Symphony, Incomudro-Hymn to the Atman, no other band could even cover that, not even Yes or Genesis, because of the precision. Check out their song "Spider" on their live Two for the Show album, after the Manager and Creator of the Band Phil Ehart's drum solo, and how the band comes in, very difficult music execution. Also the Voyage of 8 18, not written by Livgren, a recently release is also very good prog. No other band could come close.
@georgeknox1822
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
My fav band ever. I saw them in Shepherd’s Bush. See them live. They are incredible . Point of know return my fav album. Check out somewhere to elsewhere album.
@howie5th
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
They were a progressive rock band until the 80's.
1. Leftoverture
2. Point of Know Return
3. Song for America
4. Masque
5. Audio-Visions
6. Monolith
@Doc_Tar
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Definitely prog and well worth the effort to explore beyond their greatest hits and multi-platinum selling albums. Just because their music is consistently listenable doesn't mean they're not prog.
@drimblewedge2789
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
I read a lot of the British sneering at Kansas as a prog band. I’ve noticed the English prog fans are slightly guarded of their greatest musical export, which this Texan understands. Zappa once said, “We invented the wheel and rolled it over to England. They reinvented the the wheel and rolled back to us. England gave us The Beatles. We had surf music.” Thank you England!
@thekeywitness
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Despite hearing Kansas on classic rock radio throughout my youth in the Midwest I never really got into the band. Not sure why. Maybe they were too normal for me.
@jtm7336
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
I would highly recommend Somewhere to elsewhere. Like Leftoverture all of the songs were written by Livgren. It is my fourth favorite Kansas album behind Leftoverture, Point and Song for America.
@kimbruns2084
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
“Omnipresent Yoko Ono” Hilarious!! , I am a Christian no offense taken. I saw them at an outdoor concert in Michigan when Leftoverture came out, good concert except their violinist was sick and couldn’t perform. Obviously he is a key element of their sound.
@timwendt1935
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Monolith is one of their best. Slightly less proggy but innovative and very polished.
@bertbecker7532
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
New Kansas is very good, seems that like Styx they have aged well and made some good choices and can recreate the older material well. It doesn’t hurt that they have an ex Yes keyboard player whom Yes should have kept imo.
@vdggmouse9512
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
If you have to ask – then the answer is probably no. Not prog but a rock band that employs prog or even many prog elements. Does anyone ask if Genesis/Yes/ELP/King Crimson/VdGG/Camel/Gentle Giant are prog ? Of course not.
@shiroibasketshoes
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Many bands do not love genre labels. I suspect Kansas is one. Clearly whether a great band like Kansas is progressive or not depends on who you ask and which song. Material such as "Magnum Opus," "Closet Chronicles" or material from the first few albums, which some consider progressive, has very little in common with a song like the Drastic Measures album's track "Everybody's My Friend," which I'd find hard to believe anyone would consider prog. As for your thinking of "God" as an "omnipresent Yoko Ono," I think there is no way a talented peace loving artist like Yoko Ono should be compared to an entity that chooses to not stop mass murderers, or blamed for the Beatles' breakup. If John Lennon could hear and read the Yoko Ono bashers' words, I believe he would despise every one of them. Have a nice day, Classic Album Review.
@NondescriptMammal
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Deciding whether a particular band is "prog" is a pointless endeavor, like deciding whether your socks are stylish. Or more like arguing whether Band X was the greatest rock group that ever lived… This person over here will say, "Yes! Of course! Definitely!" and that person over there will say, "No way! You're insane! Band Y was the greatest! You are wrong forever and ever!"
And back and forth it shall go, to no useful end, a fact which should be obvious from the start. "Rock" music, probably the broadest and most diverse of all musical genres, contains a few dozen sub-genres, one of which is "prog", possibly the most vague and ill-defined of them all. It is hard to conceive of a less productive or less interesting thing to debate.
For what it's worth, by the time Kansas got popular, many dyed-in-the-wool fans of sixties/seventies stuff they now call "classic rock", thought of them at the time as "corporate rock", the kind of slick, glossy, polished rock that lacked the rough-edged grittiness that defined the earlier stuff, music that wanted to produce radio hits, but didn't want to end up in the "pop" album racks… And this landed them in the same pigeon hole as Styx or Boston… all of whom made some fine music of course… at a time when the glory days of rock were coming to an end, when groups like the Cars were the last dying gasp of breath before descending into the seeming eternity of the Disco era…
If one must categorize their rock music to enjoy it, why not just put on The Yes Album or Thick As a Brick, then you can satisfy yourself that you have delved into the hazy realm of "prog rock" and tell all your friends about it on youTube or whatever it takes to resolve your obsession with whether such-and-such band is "prog".
@jefchance
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
I think you, pretty much, nailed it. 1st 5 albums are prog, after that the "God phase" and subsequent Walsh albums are not, then a return to prog on the last 3 "Somewhere to Elsewhere", "Prelude Implicit" and "Absence of Presence".
You did make one error. Rich Williams says "Drastic Measures" the follow-up to "Vinyl Confessions", is Kansas' worst record. And he is correct
@jupitermadcat
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
I agree. The first five albums are excellent, but I also like monolith as well. They definitely elements of Prog. But I wouldn’t put them with ELP Genesis, and the like that . Very good Band Though
@stevenwonchoba6133
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Great video as always. Somewhere to Elsewhere is definitely worth listening to. My personal rankings (and favorite song from each album):
1. Leftoverture (Magnum Opus)
2. Somewhere to Elsewhere (Distant Vision)
3. The Prelude Implicit (With this Heart)
4. Kansas (Apercu)
5. Point of Know Return (Hopelessly Human)
6. The Absence of Presence (The Song the River Sang)
7. In the Spirit of Things (Inside of Me)
8. Masque (All the World)
9. Monolith (On the Other Side)
10. Song For America (Song For America)
11. Vinyl Confessions (Crossfire)
12. Audio Visions (No One Together)
13. Freaks of Nature (final 2:24 of Peaceful and Warm)
14. Power (Musicatto)
15. Drastic Measures (Everybody’s My Friend)
@SpaceCattttt
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Of course they're prog. One of the very few American bands that deserve that title.
@timbates6309
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
My favorite Kansas album is "Masque", which to me would be a perfect album if it didn't include "It Takes A Woman's Love (To Make A Man)". Followed by Leftoverture, Point Of Know Return, Monolith, Song or America, the debut then Audio-Visions.
@timbates6309
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
"Somewhere To Elsewhere" is actually quite good. One of my favorite of the post "Audio Visions" albums. Highlight for me is "Distant Vision" sung by Steve Walsh.
@stevem79weprith47
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
On Somewhere to elsewhere, there is Icarus II, you may like it. I didn't care for the God years as well.
@lonegroover
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Nothing prog about them.
@stevesmith3990
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Monolith was the first one I got when it was released, I love it but the preceding albums are stronger for sure. Audiovisions is mostly good too and it's worth checking out Power and In The Spirit of Things from the 80's that feature Steve Morse. By the way yes, Somewhere To Elsewhere is well worth listening to, a return of the more classic 70's sound with Livgren, Hope & Steinhardt back on board.
@Sabotage8675
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Amazing band. ..absolutely adore them. Definitely prog imo. Complex melodies as well as stellar musicianship
Strayed for sure but what prog act hasn't?
@robertharvey2604
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
While they would do more arena rock, those early albums were definitely prog. I think their prog credentials get knocked because of the later years and they were more accessible and had hit songs. Those early albums are outstanding.
@dondebomm6329
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
That classic lineup was LOADED with talent as lyricists, composers and musicians. I agree with your opinions on album order EXCEPT for the dis on Two for the Show. I believe that double live album was an awesome showcase of their songs and talent in a live setting.
@NelsonMontana1234
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
They are the very essence of prog at its best. Technical virtuosity, elaborate episodic arrangements, with a nod to classical sensibilities. And they had great tunes. The musicianship served the composition as opposed to so many modern prog bands that are all a bunch of chops within lousy songs. Frankly, although they made some good albums I only really like Leftoverature. But it's an absolutely perfect album.
@magicalmystery1964
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Kansas is not prog. Icarus is the only song they have that has aspects of prog. That doesn’t make them prog. Neither is Styx. In comment to someone on this thread, I also don’t consider Pink Floyd prog. But that’s me
@glennthompson1173
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
The best Prog band from Murika.
I do agree with most everything you've said here. Their 70's hayday stuff make them my favorite American Prog Band.
@briancox8518
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
How about a review of styx
@grassrootsflshp
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
There are a lot of Kansas fans I knew who disliked 'Christian-era' Kansas not because of aesthetic reasons, but ideological. It's unfortunate that anti-Christian worldviews would get in the way of understanding and enjoying what is actually a work of art–regardless of the artist's persuasion (enjoyed "Audio-visions" and "Vinyl Confessions" as much as "Leftoverture" and "Point of Know Return" admittedly). By way of illustrating, most Christians hated black metal for its in-your-face satanism missing out on a beauty (albeit dark) that the genre can produce (eg. Burzum's "Filosofem"), inasmuch as most BM purists abhor Christian BM (Unblack Metal) or Extol ignoring the brilliance that these too can produce.
@ArtofBrandonTruster
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
I heard no mention of their album, "Power"? I was in 3rd grade when I bought the cassette at a gas station. It isn't that bad, either. The song, "Secret Service" is one of my faves to this day and sounds downright evil, like you are about to fall into hell.
@ODMUSICMAN64
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
My definition of prog is the resistance of conformity. For example, in a typical song where one might expect a "G Chord", the prog band says "no, that's expected, let change keys here". It can work well to make songs more interesting, however when it is done gratuitously, it can become an overkilling blob without any point to it other than to say, "look at us we're different". Whatever one decides to do in a song should support the song and lyrics, which Tony Banks does SO well whereas others fall prey to endless soloing and large detached interludes with no relation to the song. A great example is Jordan Rudess. A fine technical player, but I don't think he is able to mentally or physically play even a Beatles song without 32nd note arpeggios thrown in.
@SRV2013
February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am
Difference between Kansas and other mainline Prog giants: education. American education is practically useless, but British proggers know music, poetry and other cultural tropes of which most Americans are woefully ignorant. Thus Kansas is prog, and distinctly American prog.
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