The Ultimate Kansas cover

The Ultimate Kansas

Kansas · 2004

143 min · 26 tracks · hard rock · progressive rock · art rock

An expansive collection that intertwines progressive rock intricacies with melodic songwriting and virtuosic musicianship.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • dynamic journey with emotional peaks
  • long listening sessions for reflection
  • engaging narratives across multiple tracks
  • melodic interludes for thoughtful pauses
  • cathartic releases in expansive sound

Maybe skip if you want

  • prefer short, standalone tracks
  • seek instant gratification in music

Where this album fits

Career context
Released in 2004, 'The Ultimate Kansas' serves as a comprehensive retrospective of the band’s career, compiling tracks from their formation in the early 1970s up to their later works. By this time, Kansas had solidified their status as pioneers of the progressive rock genre, and this album highlights their evolution through key hits and deep cuts alike.
Stylistic neighbors
Boston· Styx· Yes

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 Carry On Wayward Son 5:22
  • 2 Song for America 10:01
  • 3 The Wall 4:47
  • 4 Lonely Street 5:42
  • 5 Journey From Mariabronn 7:57
  • 6 Child of Innocence 4:31
  • 7 Mysteries and Mayhem 4:12
  • 8 The Pinnacle 9:35
  • 9 Bringing It Back 3:34
  • 10 Down the Road 3:44
  • 11 What’s on My Mind 3:25
  • 12 Death of Mother Nature Suite 7:53

Disc 2

  • 1 Point of Know Return 3:12
  • 2 Cheyenne Anthem 6:53
  • 3 Fight Fire With Fire 3:42
  • 4 Dust in the Wind 3:27
  • 5 Hold On 3:51
  • 6 No One Together 6:58
  • 7 Play the Game Tonight 3:27
  • 8 Closet Chronicles 6:28
  • 9 Sparks of the Tempest 4:12
  • 10 Portrait (He Knew) 4:31
  • 11 On the Other Side 6:24
  • 12 People of the South Wind 3:37
  • 13 A Glimpse of Home 6:33
  • 14 Magnum Opus (live) 8:57

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata