Kansas Album: “Leftoverture”

Arguably, Kansas is to America, what bands like Yes, Genesis, E.L.P., Queen, The Moody Blues and Jethro Tull are to England--progressive rock with mystical and patriotic tendencies. The other resemblance to these bands is their constant hybridization of musical styles. But, make no mistake--they are original, not clones of the above English counterparts. Throughout the early part of Kansas' career (i.e. the 1970's), Kansas mixed the worlds of hard rock with blues, classical, jazz, country and more. This can be heard throughout their classic years--which brings us to _Leftoverture_.

_Leftoverture_ deserves all the recognition and praise it gets. It's a solidly crafted progressive rock album that happens to be catchy, while containing an amalgamation of musical styles, and all along, still manages to save room for extended instrumental jams. Carry On Wayward Son is the big hit of the album--the greatness does not end there. The Wall is an anthemic rocker. What's On My Mind combines funkiness and hard rock. Miracles Out Of Nowhere is mystical and dramatic progressive hard rock at it's finest. Melodic vocal harmonies can be found here as well. Opus Insert features vocal harmonies reminiscent of CCR and Queen. Questions Of My Childhood features some country-esque influences. Cheyenne Anthem starts off with some nice acoustic guitar passages, then segues into a quirky romp/waltz. Magnum Opus ends this gem perfectly as mostly quirky, virtuosic instrumental insanity.

Kansas is arguably the most _accessible_ progressive rock band. If you want melodic, dramatic and mystical music, armed with diversity and touches of ambiguity and accessiblity, check Kansas--and this album out.

5 stars? Asolutely!

I do not know why I'm writing a review of this album. Reviews usually include objective comments on the merits of a work and insights into where the work falls short. Leftoverture does not fall short in anyway. By far one of the best albums ever produced and clearly THE standard for arena rock breakouts of the 1970s.

Kismet was at work for this quint in 1976 when they put this disk together. Walsh was experiencing a bit of writers block, but Livgren more than filled the void with Carry On (which almost never made it to the disk), The Wall, Miracles Out of Nowhere, and Cheyenne Anthem. Swelling anthems to be sure! Great hooks in each of em. Inspired lyrics that no other American act comes close to and few Brits could best.

Cover art set the standard for the band. They bested it with Point of Know Return, and Monolith's covers but Leftoverture remains among the best cover art of all time.

Bottom line, there is nothing that misses in this album. If you're a Kansas newbie, here's where you get your start. Try Leftoverture and you'll fill your basket with the rest of the discography.

Questions? email me . . .

This is a great album from 1976 that shows Kansas bridging the gap between their excellent prog rock epics and the shorter hard rock tracks. The result is a collection of extremely tight and intricately arranged pieces (Magnum Opus is incredible in this regard) that feature the nimble ensemble work that characterized their proggiest material, yet are presented in a more cohesive format. Gone too are the shorter "boogie rock" pieces, resulting in a very balanced and proggy sounding album. In short, Leftoverture is an exceptionally fine example of progressive hard rock and shows Kansas starting to mature their sound.

All of the band members were in top form on this album and Kerry Livgren (guitars, piano, clavinet, and synthesizers) was positively on fire - in fact he contributed most of the material, including one of my favorite Kansas compositions (Cheyenne Anthem). I especially like the instrumentation on Leftoverture (and all Kansas albums for that matter), which includes nice Hammond organ and tasteful use of synthesizers (ARP, Moog, and Oberheim synths), along with the electrifying sound of heavily distorted electric guitars courtesy of Rich Williams and Kerry (the acoustic guitar work by Rich is also very nice too). There is also the fantastic rhythm section of Phil Ehart (drums/percussion) and thunderous bassist Dave Hope - Dave provides some nice counterpoint and together they give the tracks a proggy punch. Last but not least, I also appreciate the vocals - Steve Walsh (lead/backing vocals; Hammond organ; piano; synthesizers; vibes) can really belt out and Robby Steinhardt (lead and backing vocals; violin/violas) is no slouch either.

The remastering on this CD is very good and features extensive liner notes, crystal clear sound reproduction (this was a well-produced record to start with), along with photos of the band and a few bonus tracks including live versions of the smash hit Carry on Wayward Son and my favorite, Cheyenne Anthem.

This is a great album of progressive hard rock by Kansas that features some of their most focused songwriting and arranging. Combined with the superb musicianship that the band was (and is) known for, Leftoverture makes for a very enjoyable listening experience. Very highly recommended along with Kansas (1974); Song for America (1975); and Point of Know Return (1977). For those folks that are discovering this style of music for the first time, the albums Farewell to Kings (1977) and Hemispheres (1978) by the Canadian band Rush might also prove to be of interest.

What a classic recording this is. Wonderful production, excellent musicianship, and songwriting that rivals much of what else came out over the last 30 years. This is a classic recording which belongs in any real collection.

Queen had "Bohemian Rhapsody", The Beatles had "Sgt Pepper". Leftoverture is Kansas' peak recording. Grand in scope and stylish in execution, this CD shows a great band at the height of it's power.

Judging Leftoverture only from hearing the radio staple "Carry On Wayward Son" is unfair...and while that song may have been played to death by classic rock radio over the years, the rest of the recording remained (for the most part) off the airwaves. "What's On My Mind" is a rocker that reminds me of Boston to a degree, and "Cheyenne Anthem" is a rocking, yet emotionally moving song about the loss of indian lands. To me, the gem of this album comes in the five-part suite "Magnum Opus". This is a progressive rock masterpiece on par with "2112" by Rush, "Supper's Ready" by Genesis, or "Close To The Edge" by Yes.

Some albums have masterpiece written all over them, and this is one of them. I say 5-stars all the way!

As I see it:

5-Stars: If you like Kansas, progressive rock, or classic rock with strong musicianship.

4-Stars: If you like more modern music, but want to add classics to your collection.

3-Stars: If you lean more toward metal, alternative, or any of the numerous other newer genres of music.

2-Stars: If your taste in 70's music leans more toward Velvet Underground, Ramones, etc., or you really like much more straight ahead rock.

1-Star: If you are tone deaf, or just won't listen to anything before 1988.

Leftoverture (1976), Kansas's fourth album, is (as the sticker which comes with the remastered version says) "An all-time great classic rock album." No truer words have been recorded. This album, while I personally consider Point Of Know Return (1977) to be superior, marks a turning point in the band's career. Basically, after the minor reception of the band's first three albums, reality poured in: Produce an album of universal appeal or the jig's up. I strongly suspect the poor recording quality of the album is a direct result of this ultimatum; the band obviously couldn't afford to record the album in a top-of-the-line studio.

Despite the recording quality, this album is a real standout in the scope of classic/progressive rock. If I had to compile a list of twenty-five albums which I would force every person in the world to sit down and listen to (yes, most assuredly the adolescent crowd as well), this one would without a doubt be in the top ten. Keep in mind that I, at the time of writing this, am an adolescent myself.

Without further ado, here's the track-by-track analysis:

1. "Carry On Wayward Son" (album version) - What could I possibly say about this song? It's the product of about ten minutes worth of fiddling (no pun intended, especially because Steinhardt's signature instrument is absent from this track). It's a classic rock treasure, and in my younger (therefore stupider) days, it was the reason I bought this album. It suffers from a disease called OVERPLAY. It's EVERYWHERE. If you love listening to it when it comes on the radio, just put on any random movie (like Happy Gilmore) and you'll probably hear it there, too. Just as a side note, the remaster seems to have placed the sound stage farther forward, because whenever this song comes on the radio there is a huge amount of reverberation which is utterly absent from this release of the album.

2. "The Wall" - By-and-large, one of the greatest songs on this album. The lyrics are deep and engaging, the vocals are impeccable, and the instrumentation is that special blend which makes Kansas unique. The instrumental ending, which I at first though sounded like Rugrats music, is really nice. This is definitely a great song.

3. "What's On My Mind" - Here's a straight-up rocker which (reportedly) experienced a fair amount of airplay. Why it has utterly disappeared from classic rock stations is beyond me (why, for instance, do these stations continue to play "Carry On Wayward Son" as though it were the only song on the album?). It's nice, bombastic, totally uninspired (in the progressive sense), undiluted rock. In other words, it's absolutely wonderful. The word "filler" isn't in Kansas's vocabulary; every song on this album is there for a reason (which, as we'll discuss later, scares me a little when you consider "Magnum Opus").

4. "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" - This is one of my three favorite songs from this album. The immediate draw of this piece is the continually shifting time signature--it's really intriguing and satisfying, in a strange sort of way. It's the kind of thing which can change your entire perspective concerning the endless monotony of music which follows all the rules. It inspired me; I can honestly say that my entire keyboarding style has been drastically affected by this one song. This may well be my favorite song on the entire album.

The organ entrance is hypnotic, and as the drums (including some dramatic tympani) and Robbie Steinhardt's ubiquetous violin enter, the piece gains drive and purpose. The melody is extremely catchy, the vocals are performed with virtuosic skill, and the proclaimation "I sang this song a hundred, maybe a thousand years ago; no one ever listens. I just play and then I go" is more powerful and meaningful than any other moment on the album. The piece ends on a dramatic tympani roll and with the crash of a gong. Wow. This is Kansas at its finest.

5. "Opus Insert" - The last song is a tough act to follow, but I think "Opus Insert" is a valid attempt. I really like this song. The beginning is unassuming and misleading; the tune is more in the vein of "What's On My Mind," although elements of "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" make themselves heard as well. Personally, this music just makes me want to get up and move; the harmonies are lush and inspiring. The only thing I really hate is that, right in the middle of the piece, there's a section which sounds like a carousel organ song. Kansas has done much better instrumental breaks; if they had done so in this song it would certainly be, hands down, the greatest of the mainstream-oriented Kansas songs. As such, it still gets five stars. Awesome.

6. "Questions Of My Childhood" - Ironically this song's title has a specal significance for me when coupled with the ARP synthesizer line which is used basically as an obbligato throughout the song. Because of some unsavory events in my past which occured while ELP's "Lucky Man" was playing on the radio, any synth solo whose major component is the square wave has awoken within me undercurrents of discomfort and unease. "Questions Of My Childhood" is the song which broke that for me, as its title urged me to question the utter absurdity of my childhood-derived aversion to those square waves.

It's not at all a bad song. It probably doesn't even rank among the top twenty-five Kansas songs, but it's still nice. The piano is very pretty, as is the fiddling. And that ARP-generated square wave is unmistakable (and relentless).

7. "Cheyenne Anthem" - I'm more than a little tired of these songs that whine endlessly about how man--particularly American man--is all that is wrong with this planet. Kansas has produced (at least) three such songs, and the only one I can stand is "Song For America" (Song For America, 1975), and only then because the latter has an irreplacable melodic intrigue. Needless to say, I am not qualified to comment upon "Cheyenne Anthem" other than that which I have already said.

8. "Magnum Opus" - Remember back a few descriptions where I said we would get to this one? Well, here it is. I'm sorry; I have tried on FIVE separate occasions to like this song. I just can't do it. I know that this song has a great following among those who have reviewed this album. I don't at all mean to impugne the collective preference of those who think highly of "Magnum Opus" (and that goes for the previous song as well). In fact, I commend you folks for having minds which are obviously far more open than mine.

The first 2:30 are actually quite nice, but it goes downhill for me from there, and by the time we get to the beavers, we've reached full-tilt lunacy. I'm sorry; I have heard some of the epic Kansas songs from the past albums ("The Pinnacle" from Masque, 1975, is one of my favorite songs of all time), and in my opinion "Magnum Opus" could not hold a candle to any of these. As I have said, this is my own opinion (and I acknowledge and proport the validity of any dissenting opinion on the matter).

And now the extras:

9. "Carry On Wayward Son" (live) - This is just a live performance of the classic hit. There is nothing exciting about this performance; to be truthful, I have never heard Two For The Show so when I say that I have yet to be impressed by a live performance by Kansas, there is always that bias present.

10. "Cheyenne Anthem" (live) - See above for "Cheyenne Anthem." Even so, the recording effect Glixman talked about in the album notes is very nice. It's just a shame you have to listen to "Cheyenne Anthem" to experience it.

The remastering job is hard to describe in qualitative terms. Seeing as I have never heard the album in any other incarnation, I have nothing to compare it to except for Point Of Know Return, which has an obvious remastering flaw (see my review of the latter fine album for details). As I said above, the intrinsic recording quality of the entire Leftoverture album sounds pretty bad. I imagine the remastered version is head-and-shoulders above any previous releases, but I often wonder what the album would have sounded like if it had been recorded decently. The album notes mention new recording techniques. Whenever the album notes start talking about the recording techniques, you know that either the album or the recording quality sucks. And we have established that the album is exceptional...

Some of the tracks could use some extra bass, while other ones are quite fine unspoiled. The treble is awful, but I have a sneaky suspicion this is just part of the original mastering tapes. That's a real bummer, but what can one do?

Overall, this is a worthwile album. Everyone and her ugly cousin has heard the first track, but the next five are what make this album an essential part of any self-respecting classic rock fan's music collection. My only real complaint is the album art; the colors are awful when compared to the original. I would recommend Leftoverture to just about anyone (yes, even those in the teenage generation--it might do them some good to hear some real music for a change). More likely than not, you will not be disappointed.