The discography of Kansas, an American rock band, consists of 16 studio albums, seven live albums, nine compilation albums, and 29 singles. Formed by members Kerry Livgren, Robby Steinhardt, Dave Hope, Phil Ehart, Steve Walsh, and Rich Williams, the group signed a recording contract with Kirshner Records in 1974. That same year they released their self-titled debut album.

Kansas discography
Kansas in 2008.
Studio albums16
Live albums7
Compilation albums9
Singles29

After the release of two albums in 1975, including Masque (which sold half a million copies in the United States), the group released Leftoverture in October 1976. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Carry On Wayward Son", which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, leading the album to sell over five million copies in the United States. The following year, their fifth album Point of Know Return was issued and certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America; it spawned the Top 10 single "Dust in the Wind".[1] After the release of a live album, the group sixth studio release Monolith was issued in 1979, which spawned two singles. Audio-Visions was released in 1980 and certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Their eighth studio album Vinyl Confessions contained the single "Play the Game Tonight", which became their first Top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in four years; however, the album itself did not sell well. Eventually, after the release of a ninth studio album in 1983, the group disbanded.

Kansas reformed again in 1985 and released the studio album Power in 1986 on MCA Records, whose single "All I Wanted" reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year. After the release of another album in 1988, the group reunited seven years later for the Freaks of Nature album (1995) on Intersound Records.[1] In 1998, Always Never the Same was released on River North Records, followed by Somewhere to Elsewhere in 2000 on Magna Carta Records. Lineup changes in 2014 motivated a return to the studio which led to the release of The Prelude Implicit in 2016 and The Absence of Presence in 2020.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Kansas have sold 15.5 million records.[2]

Albums

edit

Studio albums

edit
Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[3]
AUS
[4]
CAN
[5]
SWE
[6]
1974 Kansas 174
1975 Song for America
  • Release date: February 1975
  • Label: Kirshner Records
57
Masque
  • Release date: September 1975
  • Label: Kirshner Records
70
1976 Leftoverture
  • Release date: October 21, 1976
  • Label: Kirshner Records
5 68 2
  • CAN: Platinum[7]
  • US: 4× Platinum[8]
1977 Point of Know Return
  • Release date: October 11, 1977
  • Label: Kirshner Records
4 52 7
  • CAN: Platinum[7]
  • US: 4× Platinum[8]
1979 Monolith
  • Release date: May 1979
  • Label: Kirshner Records
10 69 18 27
1980 Audio-Visions
  • Release date: September 1980
  • Label: Kirshner Records
26 96 35
1982 Vinyl Confessions
  • Release date: June 1982
  • Label: Epic/Kirshner Records
16
1983 Drastic Measures
  • Release date: July 1983
  • Label: Epic/Kirshner Records
41
1986 Power 35 93
1988 In the Spirit of Things
  • Release date: October 25, 1988
  • Label: MCA Records
114
1995 Freaks of Nature
1998 Always Never the Same
  • Release date: May 19, 1998
  • Label: Magna Carta Records
2000 Somewhere to Elsewhere
  • Release date: July 11, 2000
  • Label: Magna Carta Records
2016 The Prelude Implicit
  • Release date: September 23, 2016
  • Label: Inside Out Music
41 59
[9]
2020 The Absence of Presence
  • Release date: July 17, 2020
  • Label: Inside Out Music
51
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
Source:[10]

Live albums

edit
Year Album details Peak positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[3]
AUS
[4]
CAN
[5]
1978 Two for the Show
  • Release date: October 1978
  • Label: Epic/Legacy Recordings
32 95 29
  • US: Platinum[8]
1992 Live at the Whisky
1998 King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas
  • Release date: October 20, 1998
  • Label: King Biscuit Flower
2001 Dust in the Wind
  • Release date: 2001
  • Label: Disky Communications Europe
2002 Device - Voice - Drum
  • Release date: October 8, 2002
  • Label: JVC Victor
2009 There's Know Place Like Home
2017 Leftoverture: Live and Beyond 20 (rock sales)
2021 Point of Know Return: Live and Beyond [11] 53 (current album sales)
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

edit
Year Album details Peak positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[3]
CAN
[5]
1984 The Best of Kansas 154 86
  • US: 4× Platinum[8]
1992 Carry On
1994 The Kansas Boxed Set
  • Release date: July 12, 1994
  • Label: Epic/Legacy Recordings
2002 The Ultimate Kansas
  • Release date: July 2, 2002
  • Label: Epic/Legacy Recordings
2004 Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection
  • Release date: August 31, 2004
  • Label: Sony BMG
2005 On the Other Side
2006 Works in Progress
  • Release date: May 23, 2006
  • Label: Comependia Records
2008 Playlist: The Very Best of Kansas
  • Release date: April 29, 2008
  • Label: Sony Legacy
2015 Miracles Out of Nowhere
  • Release date: March 2015
  • Label: Epic, Legacy Recordings
68
2022 Another Fork In The Road - 50 Years Of Kansas
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

edit
Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
Album
US
[12]
US Main
[13]
US AC
[14]
CAN
[15]
CAN AC
[16]
AUS
[4]
UK
[17]
1974 "Can I Tell You" Kansas
1975 "Lonely Wind"
"Song for America" Song for America
1976 "It Takes a Woman's Love (To Make a Man)" Masque
"Carry On Wayward Son" 11 5 58 51 Leftoverture
1977 "What's on My Mind" 89
"Point of Know Return" 28 13 Point of Know Return
1978 "Dust in the Wind" 6 6 3 1 52
"Portrait (He Knew)" 64 62
1979 "Lonely Wind" (live) 60 62 Two for the Show
"People of the South Wind" 23 59 Monolith
"Reason to Be" 52
1980 "Hold On" 40 Audio-Visions
"Got to Rock On" 76
1982 "Play the Game Tonight" 17 4 35 Vinyl Confessions
"Chasing Shadows" [airplay] 54
"Right Away" 73 33
1983 "Fight Fire With Fire" 58 3 116 Drastic Measures
"Everybody's My Friend" 34
1984 "Perfect Lover" [airplay] 54 The Best of Kansas
1986 "All I Wanted" 19 10 14 75 29 187 Power
1987 "Power" 84 38
"Can't Cry Anymore"
1988 "Stand Beside Me" 13 In the Spirit of Things
1995 "Desperate Times" Freaks of Nature
"Hope Once Again"
2020 "Throwing Mountains" The Absence of Presence
"Memories Down The Line"
"Jets Overhead"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Other album appearances

edit
Year Song Album
2001 "The Light" Sounds Like Christmas

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Kansas > Biography". Allmusic.
  2. ^ "Top-Selling Music Artists". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25.
  3. ^ a b c "Kansas Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 164. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ^ a b c "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada: Top Albums/CDs". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  6. ^ "swedishcharts.com - Swedish charts portal: Kansas albums". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Certified Awards Search
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - June 02, 2010: Kansas certified albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  9. ^ "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 30, 2016. Click on "Veckans albumlista".
  10. ^ "INSIDE OUT MUSIC - Kansas: : Launch 'Carry On Wayward Son' from 'Leftoverture Live & Beyond'". www.insideoutmusic.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05.
  11. ^ "Kansas Announces Live Concert Album Point of Know Return Live & Beyond to be Released May 28".
  12. ^ "Kansas Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  13. ^ "Kansas Chart History: Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  14. ^ "Kansas Chart History: Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  15. ^ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  16. ^ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  17. ^ "Kansas". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kansas)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "British certifications – Kansas". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2023. Type Kansas in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  20. ^ a b "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - June 02, 2010: Kansas certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
edit