All of us have that small group of artists that we'll buy anything created from; whether it's solo projects, books, videos (heck, even t-shirts and posters!). Kerry Livgren is one such artist in my elaborate tastes. This "Best Of" project was put together entirely by Livgren himself, so we get a chance to hear what songs move him; rather than the politics of a record label after said artist has departed. Everything here is either re-mastered or a new recording. While gems from his Kansas repertoire and epics like "Up From The Wasteland" and "Welcome to the War" were excluded, what is included serve well as cross-section of this (true) artist's work. Instrumentals from his ...Several Possible Musiks are here, as well as rockers from his Seeds of Change album — most notable of which is an alternate vocal version of Ronnie James Dio's performance of "To Live For The King."
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Chris MacIntoshDon't let the title of this album fool you, this is far from the average best of or greatest hits collection. There are two brand new songs and everything else has either been re-mastered or re-recorded. Drawing on Kerry's post Kansas material this is a masterful collection of tunes from the solo and AD albums. Back in action are AD vocalists Warren Ham and Michael Gleason as well as Jacob…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Ken WestphalThis is simply a must have album for any fan of Kerry Livgren, Kansas, or the blend of rock and progressive elements that made them international stars of the genre in the first place. For anyone who is not familiar with Livgren's solo work or his '80s band, AD, this would be an excellent sampler as it spans the 3 decades of his work apart from Kansas, beginning with songs from Seeds of Change…
