This 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 (1980) through the AD years, subsequent solo albums plus 3 new songs written and recorded in 2002. Often times previously unreleased recordings on a "best of" album are used as padding or a hook to warrant buying the new album for those who already own the previous releases. In this case, the new songs truly belong in the best of category.
Not all the previously released songs are the original album versions. Several older songs were unavailable for this release. What could have been a roadblock, however, Livgren used to build a bridge from then to now as he recorded excellent new versions of these songs, using both original and new vocalists to recreate splendid "covers" of his own work.
Among the stand-out new material is a new version of "Exiles," featuring original AD vocalist Michael Gleason plus June Murphy. The result is decidedly funkier and more bluesy than the original. The pairing of Gleason and Murphy is excellent. It's awfully hard to pick a favorite on an album with so much good material, but this is one of my favorites.
Jake Livgren is in absolute TOP FORM for his vocals on "White Light," "When You Walk," and a recreation of "Ground Zero." These, with "Exiles" are my favorite 4 cuts off the album. Jake's voice is perfect for Livgren's music. His rendition of "Ground Zero" sounds amazingly like David Pack, yet is definitely Jake. Oh, if only Kerry and Jake Livgren had a band!
Warren Ham sounds the best he's sounded since his AD days. His work on the new "Time Line" sounds relaxed and comfortable, in contrast to the oversinging he did on Prime Mover 2. All the background vocals, including choruses are done by Jake.
Another treat will be hearing Ronnie James Dio, who sounds just like he did in 1980. The new "To Live for the King" sounds very similar to the Seeds of Change release but with a little different interpretation by Dio and a new ending to the song.
The two big question marks were including "On the Air" and "Incantos" as part of a best of collection, but then, this is not a "best of" as determined by how songs did on the radio charts, they are Livgren's choices as to his best material and they do round out the variety of styles in which Livgren has worked.
The Best of Kerry Livgren was delayed by the need to re-record the several songs from Seeds of Change and Time Line, which then snowballed into re-recording other songs as well. And then, as is the case with this musical perfectionist, the tweaking and re-tweaking began. Once, the project was ready to send to the manufacturer and then held for another two weeks while everything was remastered one more time. The result is a consistent sound quality which is crystal clear.
I think any Kerry fan will be pleased by the results and be able to forgive the long delay in release. It was well worth the wait.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #98Reviewed by Doug Van PeltAll 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…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…
