Listening to Kansas: Leftoverture, Part 2
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2024
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Far and away, America's finest progressive rock band. Amazing talent. Kerry Livgren is so underrated its a crime.
Masque and Song For America are also unbelievably good as well. I saw Kansas as the starter band for Bad Company and they blew Bad Company out of the water. They were amazing live. One of my favorite bands ever.
I saw that tour as well...first time getting to see them live. Wheatheads were packed down front for them and,of course they were AMAZING! It was the Masque tour,and yup--they blew Bad Company out of the water! :-) T
Masque was my favorite...Jim, you must check it out. I was lucky to see them live twice...and I gotta say that they were among the best live concerts I've seen. These guys were incredibly tight, and the album Masque I felt was their VERY BEST!
'Cheyenne Anthem' is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.... that ending SLAYS me every time! Make sure to go back and read the lyrics of that one.
Kerry Livgren was another extreme talent of the 70s and 80s.
Love love Steve Walsh & Robby harmonizing. Simply amazing. Steve’s voice was one of the best in the 70’s and 80’s. Oh and Steve’s single vocal lyric in Magnum Opus is magic!
So pleased that this forgotten masterpiece moved you as much as it has. Seek out their autobiographical film "Miracles Out Of Nowhere" for the history of the band and how it all came to pass. Great story.
Great documentary. 🙂
I second that.😎
Indeed. A "forgotten" 5x platinum album. Who's listening?
Leftoverture is the 4th album by Kansas. Widely considered their breakthrough album. Their first three albums Kansas, Song for America and Masque are all very quality records as well (contaning no 'hits') while seemingly setting the stage for the masterpieces that are Leftoverture, Point of Know Return and to a somewhat lesser extent, Monolith. After their 7th album, Audio-Visions (containing the 'hit' Hold On), internal squabbles and religious differences fractured the band resulting in numerous personnel changes and sub-par record releases for decades. The band came roaring back in 2000 with an original line-up reunion album titled Somewhere to Elsewhere, then again in 2016 with The Prelude Implicit and recently with The Absence of Presence in 2020. These three later albums in addition to the first six are the essential Kansas catalogue to seek out.
Audio Visions was better than Monolith. Monolith was good though! But, if your going to throw it in there as a mention, crazy not to include the next album that was even better with the original 6.
@@David4Jesus, yeah, Audio-Visions was indeed much better, the band was very tight and songs are fantastic, very catchy melodies. But the songs had radio-friendly, 80's, AORish sound; it's not really a prog album, so I understand why some progheads don't care about this album.
@@nicksm7980 I think sometimes people pick out one song then mistakenly label an album by that song. For instance, no one thinks of "What's On My Mind" as the typical Leftoverture song.
Audio Visions has a bit more of an early 80's rock feel in the sound (foreigner, journey, etc.), but you can't mistake the LIvgren in it. And that makes it progressive almost by definition. So, don't be fooled by simply comparing the instrumental sound/texture or some songs that drift into an 80's rock direction. The creativity in the music and tempos are still there, and Robby's playing.
Give it a new listen, and skip the hits!
I just witnessed a Kansas fan being born! Love it!!
My only other comment.....is Kansas, had an incredible pair of vocalists who taught each other & worked so hard on that. And paired so well. THAT kinda is what set them apart among " so called prog" bands. That, their lyrics, ability to absolutely shred or get "deep" as needed. Thank you very much Jim Newstead for your insight.
This was recorded in my hometown of Bogalusa Louisiana at Studio in the Country. I heard Carry On at a class tour of thr Studio right before this was released. My favorite album ever, not just because it was here, my friend Bleu Evans was the creator of the studio now in its 50th year. A shame Kansas isn't in the Hall of Fame is a travesty! Beautiful album from start to finish! ❤😂
Their debut album is my favorite…
Absolutelly the best one and the proggiest too.
@@airluc And sounds great remastered,I might add! T
Indeed. Bought that the next day after hearing them on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. 1973.
Not quite there debut, but one of their best. Their first was something I took to college with me. They were a little bit before me at Topeka West. But, I watch him performed at the high school and in town. The picture on their first album was taken on a mound about 100 yards behind the first house we lived in in Topeka. Their mastery of the instruments/ songwriting speaks to every generation. Their storytelling speaks to not only the proud culture of the indigenous , but the struggles of integration without knowledge. Sides one and to take you through a journey... Enjoy
Jim, ive been listening to this album since I was 12 years old and I'm now 58. it never gets old or stale. They are on tour and I plan on seeing them for the umpteenth time this summer. RIP Robbie Steinhardt.
Was just watching your Elder reaction and saw you did this. Leftoverture is just one of those albums; huge album for me as a kid. My personal favorite is Masque. Can't go wrong with that one if you want to check out other albums. Can't say I love every Kansas album, but there are good songs on all of them. Masque and Leftoverture are classic though.
The best Kansas album right here!!!!!! Still love Kansas at 63!
Thanks for playing this one Jim. I was only familiar with Carry on Wayward Son, but I will be buying this album after your video.
Yay!
The first 5 Kansas albums are phenomenal, however I will list my favorites in order: 1. Leftoverture, 2. Point Of Know Return, 3. Song For America, 4. Masque, 5. Kansas, 6. Absence Of Presence, 7. Prelude Implicit, 8. Vinyl Confessions, 9. Audio Visions, 10. Monolith
Kansas is my favorite band! I started in 1974, I was 9, when i started listening to Kansas! My first two albums were the first Boston album and Leftoverture from Kansas! Looking forward to more reactions from you! By the way, my name is Karl, 57, from Albuquerque, New Mexico USA!
Oh yeah. Someone mentioned the first six albums. All absolute gems. I have pretty much everything they've produced.
They could write memorable ‘tunes’ which so many great musicians can’t
Fantastic reaction mate.......that's the same reaction I had over forty years ago. Thanks for having great musical taste. I'm sitting here with a beaming smile.
By the way, they were an incredible live band. Please check out their double album Two for the Road. Their rendition of Magnum Opus is just fantastic.
You absolutely have to listen to Magnum Opus from the album Two For The Show!! Much longer and punchier. Playing this sound cathedral live is simply breathtaking. And this eerie intro OMG ! You'll love it.
This album was my constant companion during my senior year of high school. I saw them twice in concert, once opening for Aerosmith, then a year later they headlined for Cheap Trick. I went back to their roots with Masque (my fav), Song for America, and the debut self title. Kansas, Gentle Giant and Genesis (Trick of the Tail was also from '76) were my entry into proper Prog.
Ps, now you know why I'm such a Spock's Beard and Transatlantic fan. They manage to combine, and elevate, my three favorite bands from the seventies.
I was born and raised in Kansas and became aware of the band via a friend in Topeka before the first album dropped - so I can say I was ready to be a fan before I even heard their music and I have been ever since. Radio stations in Kansas tended to refer to them as the 'Home State Band' and I have seen them live a couple of times over the years. They are incredibly precise and musically perfect on stage. FYI: this is their fourth studio album. The predecessors were entitled 'Kansas', 'Masque', and 'Song For Amerrica'. The follow up for this, 'Point of Know Return' was also a massive album radio hit. All five of those records are sensational.
The tightest band ever.
Thanks for the info, Randy. Priceless knowledge.
Mr. Livgren in his composing prime. And the musicianship to pull it together...wow
And snubbed by the RRHOF!!!
It’s just a travesty!
LOL Knew you'd be floored,brother Jim! Can't wait for you to react to another one of their early albums... Debut/self-titled, Song For America, Masque, (Leftoverture), Point Of Know Return,Monolith, and Audiovisions. Get them,bro...and ENJOY!! :-) T
Loved your reaction! Keep them fingers quacking!
I was 11 when this came out. My older brother got it on vinyl and I never had heard of there before. I just came home from baseball practice and stood in the front room in my tracks listening to the middle part of Miracles out of No where. They were my favorite band from then on.
OK I subscribed 😀 Kansas is one of my favorite bands of all time. I hope you have listened to Masque, or at least All The World, Mysteries and Mayhem right into the Pinnacle!! It will blow your mind!
Welcome to the amazing world of Kansas!
you could have discovered this 45 yrs ago-- now you understand why people love Kansas (wheatheads ) welcome to our Kansas world,
Thank you Jason! I haven’t heard the full album in soooo long, that I felt like Jim’s priceless reaction at the end. Holy shit indeed!! Magnum… seems like a culmination of the entire album, all rolled into a finale.
Just spectacular in every conceivable way. America’s answer to the monster British prog bands 🎉
Magnum Opus!!!!
Indeed!
👍⭐️😎
My son-in-law who is a professional musician and was well-trained on prog and 70's music by his father had never heard Magnum Opus before I played it for him. His comment was great: "It sounds like they took a bunch of music graduate students and told them to write a prog song. They hit every proggy trope and it's amazing".
I had the same reaction to this album. Just so much to digest.
Loved watching your first reaction to an amazing album. You only experience hearing something for the first time once and you put a smile on this old boomers face.
Ty
Finally, a channel that evaluates albums and not just singles! Keep up the good work.
Kansas was a prog band with a few mainstream hits but they are often defined by those hits even by fans of prog rock. These guys were one of the best bands of the era and they continue to rock to this day.
This happened to me, a prog enjoyer - I mostly knew Kansas for wayward son, when I got notice of them being proggy I thought it was a different Kansas mentioned. Boy was I unaware, great prog band!
They recorded their debut album in 73, but it took a year to get it released.
So that whole year they hone their songs; playing, touring and that's the main reason why they sound equally good live what on album, they practised so much playing together that they perfected it.
Unfortunately they burned bright but for relatively short time and was forgot by time, until 2000's, when people rediscovered them and.. they got lots of new fans too.
Their 1979 Monolith is their last good album and second to last with the original composition.
Really enjoyed watching and listening along - great album very underrated by most prog folks in the UK at least. In addition to your comparisons they do take on many aspects of Genesis IMO. This is their best album overall - most consistent anyway. Really beautiful melodies and just the right amount of freak out.
Kansas is one of the top five Progressive Bands in the history
Thanks for the fantastic reaction to one of my top favorite albums. Yeah, I purchased it new in 1976 at age 15. Took my first girlfriend to see Kansas live. I do highly recommend Song for America and Masque.
Their first 4 albums were amazing!!
This is what it was like in the 70's, each new album from prog, explored more and more areas of music.
Glad you loved it as much as you did. Worth every penny.
And yes, the catalogue is strong. ^_^
Glad you enjoyed it. The first half dozen Kansas albums are uniformly good. I don’t know what you have in your collection, but get them all. This album was huge in the States. I can’t imagine anyone of our age over here that wouldn’t recognize “Carry On Wayward Son.” Carry on!
And Supernatural revived it for a new generation!
Ehart and Walsh played/sang on a couple of tracks on Please Don't Touch by Steve Hackett.
4th studio album. Jim, check out all of it! The hits are not what to judge this band on. Song For America is incredible.
JIM Wonderful to see such an enthusiastic reaction as you also have down with YES. There are numerous other Kansas albums you should listen to including 'Song For America' from their first album. Also the album 'Masque.' A title harder edge than other albums but a few songs you'll love, no doubt.
Masque and Song for America. You will NOT be disappointed.
One of the greatest American Prog Bands ever!
At about 21:54 in Magnum Opus, the organ reminds me so much of ELP’s “Toccata” at around 0:35.
Well, your manuel dexterity in Magnum Opus is absolutely unbelievabel too.
Gotta love prog. So good. This album is a masterpiece.
Favorite band❤
have a listen to their live album "Two for the show", greatest American 70ies prog...
I’ve got it waiting in the wings!
Their first three albums are also a must. Song for America and Masque for certain.
Kansas were lucky in that they were signed to Don Kirshner's label for their half dozen albums. For those who don't know, Don Kirshner was an American music impresario who also helped to launch the careers of Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, and Carole King, plus he was involved with The Monkees on the music side. So he had an ear for bands (think "artists" in a broad New York accent 😄) that weren't necessarily "progressive", but they could definitely make money!
Kansas came along just when British rock and prog was taking off in the states, and he was interested in having that kind of band in his portfolio so he signed them. Kirshner also had a television show called Don Kirshner's Rock Concert that ran from '73 to '81, and it's no accident that Kansas made several appearances, which definitely helped boost their profile with their core audience.
Glad you had a chance to enjoy them.
A great band.
Magnum Opus is simply amazing. You were right, how did they write and perform this!!
Thanks for this one Jim! In 1976 this was one of only a few albums that would get me to remove the near permanent fixture of my then(and still now) favorite album; The Minstrel in the Gallery.
Yeah, this was a slam dunk as they say here in the U.S. Kansas were the classic definition of American Prog rock. I disagree with some of the comments saying that this album is forgotten. I don’t think that’s the case at all. It just did not get the worldwide notoriety of the classic UK Prog bands. Their first six albums are fantastic, again, as everyone else has said. Another band that I feel does not get mentioned enough is Ambrosia. Their first two albums are proggy, perhaps on the same level as Kansas. The third was a bit of a mixture of pop/Prog as they were moving in that direction, but 1975’s self titled album (engineered by Alan Parsons) and 1976’s Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled (produced by Alan Parsons) are worth a listen. Glad you enjoyed Kansas, it was a great suggestion. Can’t wait to hear more.👏
Magnum Opus takes my minds eye right to ancient Egypt and the building of the pyramids. The crack of the whip and the drudgery sound of the masses dragging huge stones in the desert heat.
I think the sound is a flyswatter. It fits better with the subsections about gnats. Just a thought.
Magnum Opus and a number of the tracks from Leftoverture are on Two for the Show - Live double album. I would suggest you check it out so you can see how they played it live - and it is impressive
Point of Know Return is quite a good album - maybe darker and more thematic - but good.
Yes, Leftoverture is (easily) the best prog album to come out of the USA. Magnum Opus is (easily) the greatest prog track to come out of the USA. I would also say that, just for pure technique and musicianship, Kansas is probably the best band to come out of the USA. Very few American bands could pull of that "fugal" section in Miracles Out of Nowhere, for example, at least in 1976.
Notice that I didn't say "North America" so as not to clash with Rush, but honestly, I think Leftoverture beats Moving Pictures (at least, for me -- Andy Edwards would probably disagree). Kansas occupies a unique position in prog, sounding to me like a hybrid of Southern Boogie Rock and Genesis (that final descending organ figure from Miracles Out of Nowhere sounds like it was lifted straight off of Foxtrot).
In my view, no other Kansas album even comes close to Leftoverture, unfortunately. They are all good, but none rises to the elysian heights of this album.
Here's another album suggestion for you from an American "prog" band (who ceased to be prog after a couple of albums): Ambrosia (from 1975) -- their eponymous debut album. After this, they went on to record quite a few smash hits (of the "soft listening" variety) but their first album is stunning and very proggy -- nowhere near as proggy as Magnum Opus, mind, but proggy nonetheless.
No arguments here.
I think it doesn't make sense to compare Kansas and Rush ... you can't measure music ... it's all a question of taste. I love both, Leftoverture and Moving Pictures and if I had to do a ranking, one day Kansas would lead and the other day Rush 🤘
Cheyenne is pronounced more like "shy-anne" and for reference, the song is about a native tribe. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne. I still remember picking this up in a used record store in maybe 1981. Listened at home. Mind blown.
I have been listening to "Leftoverture" since it came out about 50 years ago. It will always be one of my favorites. I was so thrilled to watch you discovering this for the first time. It took me back to mine. Especially your slowly dawning awareness that "Magnum Opus" was one of the greatest songs ever.
"Point of Know Return" is their second best (apart from live albums). It's the only logical choice for your next trip. They started to slide downhill after this one thought. There's still good stuff, don't get me wrong, but their first 5 were the best.
Kansas, Genesis, ELP, Yes and Pink Floyd were big early influences on me musically and cemented my love for Prog Rock.
I couldn't believe you never heard "Carry On" before, but I am fairly certain there are people in the Amazon rainforest that have heard "Dust In The Wind"!
To paraphrase their concert intro "Hello Jim and Welcome to Kansas!"
Since you loved leftoverture a very underrated album of there's is The spirit of things is amazing and my favorite and I wish you'd give it a listen 👂
Oh Jim. I got a kick out of your reaction on Magnum Opus. Definitely my favorite Kansas song, BUT... you need to check out the live version from "Two for the Show". Every time i have a gig, listen to that song, and figure if they can pull that off live, my band can manage our paltry little gig.
Also, remember, Rockin and a Rollin..it's only Howling at the Moon!
I told you. Yes level music. Almost
HOLY cow!!!!!!!! It was great.
And in concert in 1977
Jim, please listen to the first album titled Kansas.
Hey Jim! Awesome! Side 2. You are in for a treat!!!😎
Future Jim to reactor Jim.... Yes I am!
@@JimNewstead You loved it!👍⭐️😎
Never heard this album before apart from the obvious track on side 1.
Brilliant side 2 was great 👍
"Song For America" (thier 2nd album) would be one to visit next. More of thier "symphonic" side. Several masterpieces there!
One of the greatest bands ever!
Got to submit a mix tape of my favorite American prog songs. Stay tuned. As a side note you scratch your head when you see the.big burly guys who created that music. All from the plains of Kansas.
You should have heard it in 1976 when I was13 it was mind boggling
I scrolled down and didn't find a Point of no Return reaction from you. You liked Left Overture so much Point of no Return is a must. And I don't think I saw any STYX. my god man you MUST absolutely must hear some STYX. Grand Illusion, Equinox, Cornerstone, Crystal Ball. All great albums. I grew up with both of these bands as favorites. Seen both in concert more than once. I need to check your list closer, but if you haven't done any STYX. Please, for YOU.
I'm gonna see these guys play in March and I wish they would play opus insert but they probably won't ha ha... They'll play miracles out of nowhere so I'll Be happy...
Love the band, particularly their first seven albums, although the first five are their peak: Kansas, Song for America, Masque, Leftoverture, Point of Know Return - but there are also some very good tracks on Monolith and Audio-Visions (which includes one of my favorites - No One Together).
Later albums do have good stuff as well, but the next album (Vinyl Confessions) was the start of membership changes - Steve Walsh (lead vocals and organ) left before that one. Drastic Measures followed that and was the last with multi-instrumentalist and primary songwriter Kerry Livgren. Steve Morse was a member for a few albums following that.
Masque!!!!!!
Not really won over by the MOR-sound of side 1, but this is a lot better all of a sudden.
Check out Masque next. It was the album before this one and IMO their very best. You'll love it.
Everything in the 1970's Kansas are great albums. After that they were hit and miss with some good songs and some forgettable ones. They did change with the times, and not always for the better -- less prog more AOR as time went on.
Their first album , self-titled Kansas, was actually a nice mix of bluesey rock, with some of the prog stuff thrown in, a real mix of styles.
"Cheyenne Anthem" , a kind of tribute and requiem for that American Indian Nation that spanned from the Northern border of the US to Texas, wiped out and moved to small reservations
in Montana and Idaho in present day -- is a beautiful war cry of love to a lost people of dignity and grace. Always hit me in a different way than any other "rock" song.
Good luck on your Kansas Journey -- you made a great start. They are often compared to Styx, and rightly so, but in my humble opinion, they are better musicians and rock harder, prog harder, and take more risks musically than Styx, tho I love both bands from their 70s periods.
Quiet Sun was a band doing similar-sounding electronic rock to Kansas around mid 1970s, but they were French, and an instrumental band, not sure if there is any records left of theirs around.
Onward to Boston, Chicago, Georgia Satellites and Miami Sound Machine.....😜
Funny, I just purchased this on vinyl for cheap from a local second hand record store recently. Haven't listened to it yet!
Point of Know Return was there most commercially successful album and had some of their, arguably, best material including my favorite 2 minutes in prog history called The Spider. Also a masterpiece album in my opinion.
Great album. One of my all time favorites. You may also want to check out or ourvirtualkansas covers of Cheyenne Anthem and Magnum Opus (among others) here on RUclips.
If you think that this is incredible you should check out their live album Two For The Show where you find out just how amazing they are as a live band.
Perhaps the next Kansas album Point of no Return is in order Jim…
In due course 👍🏼
Their initial albums, first 6 are all with a listen the same way, play the whole album.
Masque and the 1st album should be your next stop. Song For America and Point of Know Return. Monolith isn't shabby either.
now you know🙂
Seems as if you liked it! Lol! Just like YES, now I urge you to check out some live videos on y/t. Fantastic musicianship!!!🔥💥⚡️😎
Jeff.... just wonderful.
@@JimNewstead Like YES, Kansas will blow you away!👍⭐️😎
Listen to Masque for the previous stepping stone to the album.
The subtitles are just a goof, for fun, BTW they pull it off live. They played the entire thing in concert a few years ago.
Cheyenne is pronounced shy Ann. They are a First Nation tribe in the USA.
That said, Kansas is a native American word usually interpreted to mean 'People of the south wind' which was the title of a Kansas song off the Monolith LP. The band formed in the Topeka, Kansas area - in fact, the cover of their debut album is from a mural that decorates the wall of the rotunda in the state capitol building. They incorporated native American themes into a few of their albums.
That's really useful info.Thanks!
On to side 2 with the absolute highlight : Magnum Opus - Nomen est omen 😄 To me the whole record sounds as fresh as back in 79 when I bought it.
If you look back at Kansas' history, you can compare it to Deep Purple with its Mark 1 to I don't know how many ... the same with Kansas. After the first split up in 81 being together with the same members for all the time, after that there were so many changes, you can't really count. As I wrote in part 1, for me the real Kansas is basically everything with Steve Walsh ..... there was a comeback record in 2001 Somewhere to elsewhere with a onetime return of the musical mastermind of most of the great tunes of the first record, Kerry Livgren. And he did a great job composing the whole album with prog pearls such as Icarus II, The coming Dawn, Myriad, Byzantium.
I've seen Kansas live twice, one was in 1981 open air in Darmstadt soccer stadium, being part of Golden Summernight #4, seeing Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Blue Öyster Cult and Foreigner also. During this concert I saw something, I'd never seen before, but also never after again. I was standing in row 3 or 4 right up front. Next to me a girl/woman waving with a piece of paper at Robby Steinhardt, I could see it had here telephone number. Between 2 songs Robby sent a roadie, he pulled her up on stage and guided her to the background. I think they had a couple of beers later 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤘 PS: it was a great concert by Kansas that I'll never forget
Ah….. to be a famous musician with the girls throwing themselves at you….
@@JimNewstead 😆🤭🤟
I agree on your comments. And if you see them live, I'm not sure, maybe you've seen more concerts than me....are there many bands that sound EVEN better live, than on recordings? Kansas in my experience, somehow does.
Masque, Point of know Return. Leftoverture is their best work. IMO. Song for America and even their debut are good. But most the stuff up until 1982 is really good.