Album Review

Robert Taylor [allmusic.com]

This is the definitive Kansas recording and includes their most famous tune, ''Dust in the Wind.'' The band is in peak form and also churned out the single ''Point of Know Return,'' which is still played daily on classic rock stations. While their pop-oriented approach and standard rock guitar sound helped define the classic rock sound of the '70s, careful listening reveals that this band's talent goes beyond colleagues such as Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Boston. Their arrangements and time signatures more accurately reflect the music of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ''Paradox'' and ''The Spider'' are both excellent examples of their progressive approach. Unfortunately, the band always struggled to maintain a healthy balance of progression combined with pop. That made for such awkward moments here as ''Portrait (He Knew)'' and ''Lightning's Hand.'' Yet despite the minor inconsistencies and a dated sound, their interplay and superior musicianship make this both an essential classic rock and progressive rock recording.