The Best Of Kerry Livgren

Track Listings

1. Konelrad (enhanced, re-mastered)

2. Exiles (new recording)

3. White Light (previously unreleased)

4. Time Line (new recording)

5. Incantos (re-mastered)

6. On the Air (re-mastered)

7. When You Walk (previously unreleased)

8. Eerie Cove (re-mastered)

9. To Live for the King (new recording)

10. The Fury (re-mastered)

11. Utopian Dream (re-mastered)

12. Smoke is Rising (re-mastered)

13. The Navigator (re-mastered)

14. Ground Zero (new recording)

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Kerry Livgren was born in Topeka, Kansas the first son in a family of six. Drawn to music at a young age, his first musical interests developed with classical and jazz influences while his peers were embracing Elvis Presley. Starting with an electric guitar he built himself, Kerry focused on writing songs as he learned to play -- seeking to create songs that if nothing else, were original. Kerry's first band was the Gimlets, which he formed with several close friends in high school. After school and on weekends, they soon found themselves booked throughout Kansas and neighboring Missouri. Kerry's involvement with the band continued through college, before joining the Mellotones, a mainstream rhythm and blues band. Driven by a desire for more creative expression, Kerry formed Saratoga, who played for audience members around the area, including a young drummer named Phil Ehart and a bass player, Dave Hope. In 1970, they formed the group, Kansas, combining the best members from their respective bands. Known for their sometimes bizarre originality, the band went through several iterations before becoming the six-member group signed by Don Kirshner in 1973. Kerry remained with the band for 13 years as the band's primary song writer, lead guitarist and keyboard player. Penning such hits as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind," Kerry propelled the band to worldwide success and critical acclaim, with numerous gold and multi-platinum albums. In 1980 Kerry Livgren released his first solo work, Seeds of Change, featuring vocalists Ronnie James Dio and David Pack of Ambrosia, drummer Barriemore Barlow, and guest spots by friends from Kansas. Also accompanying the album was Kerry's book of the same name. Together, they expressed the passage and resolution of Kerry's spiritual journey, often the subject of his songs with Kansas. Following his departure from Kansas in 1983, Kerry recorded his second self-produced album for CBS, Timeline, in the same year. With the musicians involved in that project, he formed the band, AD. Between 1983 and 1986, the band released two albums and toured extensively. Kerry next signed with Sparrow records and released Prime Mover in 1988, followed by his first instrumental work, One of Several Possible Musiks in 1989. Exploring a new musical direction, this confluence of orchestral and rock styles received the Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. Livgren concluded this period with his final album for Sparrow. Decade was a double CD retrospective marking ten years since his first solo recording. Featuring two complete albums, excerpts from others and previously unreleased songs, the set continues to be highly regarded among enthusiasts of his music. In 1994, Kerry moved from Atlanta back to his home town of Topeka Kansas. Once there, he initiated his production companies, Grandyzine, and record company, Numavox Records. As part of this work, he constructed a state-of-the-art recording and production facility on his farm, in the frame of a restored barn. This studio would serve as the nexus of his and many other musician's work through the present day. "Though I dearly love Georgia, it was great to be back in Kansas (the state) again. I immediately felt at home. There's something about returning to your roots that's inspiring." Composed over the period of two years, Kerry's next album clearly expressed this sentiment as one his most celebrated. Entitled "When Things Get Electric," this 1995 release was also the debut album for Kerry's new label. Over the next several years, Mr. Livgren worked on recording projects with other artists, before returning to solo work in 1997. That year saw the release of his first soundtrack, for the third SONY's Mind's Eye computer animation feature, comprising the work of more than 100 computer artists. Numavox released Prime Mover II in the spring of 1998, a complete re-recording of Livgren's original 1988 album (Sparrow), plus five new tracks featurin

Product Description
"The Best of Kerry Livgren"

Dove Award winning recording artist Kerry Livgren celebrates two decades since his first solo album with the release of The Best of Kerry Livgren. A contemporary retrospective, the CD highlights his diverse songwriting and composition, both past and current.

Renown for his poetic lyrics and innovative compositions, this collection showcases Mr. Livgren's ability to musically reinvent himself over a twenty year period. Working interchangeably as songwriter, arranger, guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, engineer and producer -- Kerry creates music that is uniquely personal, in both solo and collaborative contexts.

For this collection, Kerry started with 11 personal favorites from 9 releases. Four of these songs were revisited with completely new recordings, with original vocalists Warren Ham, Michael Gleason and Ronnie James Dio. All other previously released tracks have been remastered by Kerry, himself. Concluding the album are two brand new songs, including the new single, "When You Walk."

Kerry Livgren first came to mainstream attention with the progressive-rock band, Kansas, penning such hits as "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry on Wayward Son." Kerry recently reunited with the band to compose their acclaimed 2000 release, Somewhere to Elsewhere (Magna Carta records).

Album: Seeds of Change (Sony, 1980)
Songs: "To Live for the King", "Ground Zero" (new recordings)
Album: Time Line (CBS, 1984)
Songs: "Time Line" (new recording)
Album: Art of the State (Kerygma, 1985)
Songs: "The Fury" (re-mastered)
Album: Reconstructions (Kerygma, 1986)
Songs: "Exiles" (new recording)
Album: One of Several Possible Musiks (Sparrow, 1989)
Compositions: "And I Saw As it Were Konelrad" (enhanced and remastered), "Eerie Cove" (re-mastered)
Album: When Things Get Electric (Numavox, 1995)
Songs: "Smoke Is Rising"
Album: Odyssey Into the Mind's Eye (Numavox, 1997)
Composition: "Utopian Dream"
Album: Prime Mover II (1998, Numavox)
Songs: "Incantos" (re-mastered)
Album: Collector's Sedition, Volume I (2000 Numavox)
Song: "The Navigator" (re-mastered)
New songs: "White Light", "When You Walk"

The Best Of Kerry Livgren,Kerry Livgren

The Best Of Kerry Livgren

Tracks:

Konelrad (enhanced, re-mastered)
Exiles (new recording)
White Light (previously unreleased)
Time Line (new recording)
Incantos (re-mastered)
On the Air (re-mastered)
When You Walk (previously unreleased)
Eerie Cove (re-mastered)
To Live for the King (new recording)
The Fury (re-mastered)
Utopian Dream (re-mastered)
Smoke is Rising (re-mastered)
The Navigator (re-mastered)
Ground Zero (new recording)

Album Description

"The Best of Kerry Livgren"

Customer Reviews:

Introduction to Livgren.......2002-06-18

For those unfamiliar with Kerry Livgren, this is perhaps a good place to start for Post-Kansas material. For those already familiar with Livgren, what makes this a MUST HAVE are the new songs and the absolutely great re-recording of Ground Zero! Jake Livgren turns in his best vocal performance ever as Kerry's current vocalist of preference. It must be nice for Uncle Kerry to have a set of pipes like this in the family.

The hardest part about this collection must have been choosing what to leave out. There is just too much "best" to put on one CD; Oh well, Livgren chose these songs himself to represent the spectrum of his diverse work over several years and several albums ranging from strictly instrumental to gentle acoustic to all out rock.

For would-be Livgren fans, this is an appetizer ... a sampler ... that serves up with much more substance than expected. For the Livgrenite, it represents a little polish and shine on some of the excellent Livgren material we've come to know and love already with some worthy new material AND one of the best re-makes of a classic you're likely to hear in Ground Zero.

Highly recommended!

- Scriptor

The old is made new........2002-06-15

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 paring 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 Kerry's music. His rendition of Ground Zero sounds amazingly like David Pack, yet is definitely Jake being Jake. Oh, if only Kerry and Jake had a band!

Warren Ham sounds the best he's sounded since AD days. His work on the new Time Line sounds relaxed and comfortable, in contrast to the oversinging he did so much of 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 for me 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 a 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.

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