Listening to Kansas: Leftoverture, Part 1
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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Well Jim, I'm sorry you lived under a rock in the 70's. Welcome to civilization. Enjoy your stay 😎😛🙂
I was under the roof of my parents house - I was 6 years old when this came out and my folks would never have listened to this.
Kansas fails to get their just acknowledgement. Their run of Masque | Leftoverture | Point of Know Return ranks up there with the best three album runs of all the legendary greats. Leftoverture is nothing short of phenomenal. Overplay of Carry On has degraded respect for this epic track in the same way that Roundabout has been sullied. Miracles Out Of Nowhere, The Wall, Cheyenne Anthem... all top flight classics. Nothing but love for Kansas. It was my first time listening to this in quite a while and I had goosebumps the whole time. Thank you
Great point re: Roundabout and Carry On 😊
Agreed
Don’t forget Song for America, their 2nd album and a stone cold classic. For that matter, so is their eponymous 1st album.
Please don't forget "Song for America"
Awesome LP!!!!!!
People always forget the first album, which is in my opinion their best
Having been 20 years old when you were born, I am glad you are discovering the music that really drove the 60s and 70s.
In the later 80’s I saw them open for Yes- The Longer Songs Tour. Kansas was just fantastic to watch them live as well as Yes would always be a great show. Chris Squire was right in front of me as I sat 3rd row at Pine Knob outdoor theater.
Loved your reaction to my fav band . Saw them in Shepherd’s Bush . They are amazing on so many levels …. I was addicted when I was introduced the the album point of know return ..
Carry on Wayward Son is one of the most iconic songs of that era for me. You couldn't have grown up in the 70's here and not know that one. Great song.
I love the quacking fingers! 🤣🤣 I find it hard to believe someone our age has never heard Carry on Wayward Son, but you ARE a Brit, so anything is possible. Leftoverture was a watershed album for Kansas. There is just SO much to enjoy on this record. Glad you did!
Not a mention of Steve's absolutely outstanding, brilliant and stunning vocals, especially on this one? Plus the perfect vocal harmonies with Robby? Steve Walsh was one of the best rock vocalists in his prime. And the band was so tight, you can hear this even better in the live recordings from that period. What still amazes me most is how well constructed these complex songs are, this was mainly Kerry Livgren's genius.
Everything was brilliant! It was a lot to take in.
@descantiano - I’d upvote your comment a million times, if I could. Steve and Kerry were an otherworldly combination - my favorite singer and songwriter, respectively, since the mid-70s.
You need to watch the live videos of Steve Walsh dancing while playing the keyboards!! Incredible!!
Congrats Mr podcast guy. You have the great privilege of hearing the most powerful band in the Midwest. You're welcome....... .
Carry On Wayward Son is very familiar to most Americans. It still gets played on classic rock stations to this day. Classic song!!
Lead vocalist / keyboardist Steve Walsh sang lead vocals on a couple of AMAZING STEVE HACKETT songs from his 2nd album, "Please Don't Touch." "Narnia" and "Racing in A" are surely worth your time... and don't forget to give the title track a listen, too! Great stuff!
I gotta tell you, it is very encouraging to see you actually really listen to music on your channel. I remember the first time heard the wall as a kid. It stops you and you have to listen.
Their debut album is great (just called "Kansas"), as well as Song for America and Masque.
I’ve seen the band twice in the last six months and they are still awesome! If you have a chance to see them be sure to do so.
Kansas is another excellent live band. I've seen them several times in concert (a few times opening for Yes and on their own). I saw them in Mass. a few years ago (pre-COVID) and was blown away. They are still touring. Their violinist (s) over the years astonishing. Tom Brislin who played briefly for Yes is now their keyboard player. If you haven't heard Kansas---they have a rich history of hits. I've worn out their "Greatest Hits," CD. I would suggest that album and "Song for America."
Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Neal Morse all owe a HUGE debt to Kansas. All the more reason to give the original respect and love due.
18:39 That's an acoustic guitar but it's so crisp and bright that it surely almost sounds like hapsichord. I just love Kansas, if you love this you should check out the follow-up Point of Know Return next, it's similar in style and just as good overall. It also has a super proggy instrumental called The Spider which is the track I play to people who think Kansas is just radio-friendly AOR.
Great reaction, loved it!!
Kansas and Styx (and the lesser-known Starcastle) were America's main contribution to the world of 70's prog bands. Good quality stuff on this album for sure. Wore it out in high school.
What is really fantastic was/is their ability to reproduce this live. Truly incredible.
You really didn't know "Carry on Wayward Son"? Some things are truly unbelievable. By the way, this was one of the first records I bought. I was born in 1963, maybe it was 77 or 78 when I purchased it, but I have to say that I already had a great taste as a teenager!
Hello Jim, I usually don't listen to 70's music, but as I knew the first song from our local rock radio station, I wanted to hear more! It's a wonderful album, I like it very much. I think transatlantic was at inspired by this album!
Hey Jim! Great album by an incredible band. I've seen Kansas several times in concert. A few times they opened for YES. In my opinion Leftoverture is a complete masterpiece as you will find out! Enjoy!😎
It blew me away!
@@JimNewstead YES, yes it did!😎
That's an awfully big smile you've got their Jim. I heard a story many years ago that their name would get them booked at country gig only to surprise the audience with American prog. Got them into some hot water, haha. Point of Know return for sure.
"That aint no Hank Williams song" -- Bob
Hi Jim......A little behind on my reaction videos. I been really busy. One question, are you a Kansas fan yet? I have seen this amazing band live several times over the years. They are still recording and touring. A must see for you when they come to the UK. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Well, I wouldn't say I'm a fan - I've only heard the one record so far, but the odds are looking good!
@@JimNewstead Listen to some more. You will definitely be a Kansas fan!
Kerry Livgren. How do you write that stuff!!!!!
It's like that first song should have been a hit.😁
It was.😎
As far as epic, I’d put this album’s journey alongside Operation:Mindcrime. Not musically similar but comparable in scope.
14:27 Octavarium's end...? 😂
You keep saying parts sound like Transatlantic, the proper reference is TA sounds like Kansas. One of my favorite bands up there with Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd
They get close to Awaken serious on the next side.
IT IS TIME! WOO! ^_^
Brilliant record - thank you so much!
This band has never had an album that was horrible, but there is a some amazing stuff even on their 'lesser' albums. The musicianship from every lineup including the latest from the last couple of years. Sadly Robby Steinhardt passed away...
Re your opening remarks about prejudice against bands like Kansas, Boston, Foreigner, I know what you mean. They are radio-friendly and perhaps overly polished but behind that there are good players, nice riffs, quality vocals and decent songwriting. Against that are the dreadful hairstyles, ease of attracting gorgeous women, reluctance to take huge risks and (at the time) ubiquity on the radio. Carry On was a classic single but I was bored by the end of the 20 minutes. There's an edge to Rainbow, Purple, Uriah Heep that's missing here.
I have been looking and it doesn't appear you have any STYX reaction videos. It is THANKSGIVING weekend. Please find some STYX to listen to. They have many great albums. Even if you watch someone else's reaction video just to get a taste, you will want more.
Jr. High vibes!
Carry on wayward son is the best song on side 1
America's finest progressive rock band. Shame on you for name bias against this fantastic band.
Great band. Loved their stuff up until Monolith at least 🤔 they got a lot of stick for having the temerity to have a hit with a ballad (Dust in the Wind…and it’s beautiful, so there 🙄) and for the more overtly God-bothering stuff but they sure knew how to write complex material that had memorable melodies and rocked too.
Steve Walsh was a top vocalist. He did a fine job on the two tracks he appeared on from Steve Hackett’s Please Don’t Touch lp. Brilliant 👍
Seriously good music here. Looking forward to exploring more!
There's no band that compares to Kansas.
The greatest band in the world! Saw them 8 times in their 70s heyday. Still going strong 50 years later! The composer, orchestrator, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist was Kerry Livgren, who wrote almost all of this album…a true genius!
There is absolutely nothing to dismiss from their 70s albums, and so little from the following ones. Kansas remains a staple of the progressive rock scene and has nothing to envy to bands like Yes or Genesis. I strongly advise you to listen to the Two For The Show live album because most of their best songs are there and even the live versions have more power and consistency than the studio songs. I swear you won't regret it !
Absolutely agreed. A GREAT live band. I feel so privileged to have seen them so many times in their first decade.
This is an iconic album. one of the few American prog rock artists that took the genre and made it their own infusing the rock /classical with Americana ,country .Great songs chorus's that are a joy to sing along with and one of the greatest singers in rock.
It's prog but it sounds American - really cool.
I fail to hear country in any Kansas song. Americana? Nope.
I've seen Kansas live probably 20 times they are as Garth Brooks once said after he heard them for the first time . There music has lots of meat. KANSAS FOREVER
From their first album they've combined soaring melodies, wild syncopation and killer vocals, all the while kicking ass and rocking hard. You've got a LOT of great stuff to hear.
This dropped when I was 12. My older brother bought the LP and I was sold. Loved their music growing up. Saw them live in December 1980 with the great Alvin Lee as the opener. That was their final tour with the "classic" lineup. Helluva laser show. Appropriate since they were touring in support of their album "Audio Visions."
These guys have my utmost respect as human beings. Their live double album "Two For the Show" was dedicated to a young man from my hometown named John Hoffert. He was in a traffic accident on the way home from a Kansas show in 1978 (I believe). He lost his eyesight in the accident. They dedicated the album to him because it was the last visual experience he would ever have. Kansas supported him in various means throughout the subsequent years and from what I understand still keep in touch with him. I didn't know John, but a close friend of mine was in the car with him. He was fortunate to walk away with a bloody nose.
Fast forward to 1988, I'm 24 years old in the Navy, doing laps off the coast of Oman on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. A USO tour came and played on my ship out there. Kansas was one of the bands. They were a shadow of themselves by that point, with Livgren and Steinhardt gone. Walsh did the string parts on his keyboard and a they had a very able hired gun to replace Livgren. But yeah...I saw these dudes in the Indian Ocean.
Much respect for these guys for much more than their music. ❤
The Wall is one of my favourite songs of all time.
Mine, too.
I was actually given pointers from Steve Walsh (he sang most of the vocals on this album) back when I was 17 and had my own gigging band. In the late 90's/early 00's my dad was a minister of a small church in North Eastern Kansas, and Steve's younger brother (they're both adopted by the way) was a member there. Through John (the brother) we met Steve one weekend, and after I played a little for him (at his request) he started giving me all sorts of advice on being in a band and playing out. He was nice and very attentive, and I've never forgotten the things he told me. I went on to play in MANY other bands, and a couple of my progressive metal bands garnered a good following in the Kansas/Nebraska/Missouri region. I don't gig anymore (having a young family takes most of my free time), but his lessons were invaluable. Even though I never reached the heights he had, I myself continue to pass on that knowledge to young musicians when I can.
Steve Walsh...he will never get his due.. as a musician, keyboardist, songwriter...live performer..
That break and build in the track miracles out of nowhere ....... the synth.... then acoustic guitar..... then violin....... more synth...... then bamm drums and bass has stuck with me since I first heard this album in my late teens.
The build and layering omg.... it's sooooo good.
It's phenomenal songwriting layering those 4 distinctive parts together. Even more amazing , Steve Walsh plays the first 2 parts of that instrumental section live. Just amazing talent they had.
I believe that instrumental break would classify as a fugue, and it’s one of the absolutely most amazing parts ever written in modern music.
@@philsmith2444 I believe you are right about it being like a fugue. And I don't think Kerry (if it was Kerry writing that instrumental part) had any classical training ever in his life. I'm like WOW.....truly God-given talent there.
Jim,
I can't believe you haven't heard Carry on.....before! Even Radio 2 play it!
Yeah, I was sure he'd have heard at least Carry On.
I don't think I was listening to Radio 2 in the 1970s.... I would have been 10 or less years old. When I did start listening to radio it was local and Radio 1.
I grew up right down the road from these guys.....listened and followed them intensly. I was about 16 at this time and we all would cruise in our cars wearing our speakers out with album. I say.....that this is an all time top10 record. Right up there with Dark Side of the Moon, and a few others. I still throw this on the turntable and back to 1976 I go.
The first six Kansas albums rule!!!
ABSOLUTELY!!!😎
Cool - lots more to dig into then!
@@JimNewstead You are in for a treat!😎
Welcome! Kansas is just amazing. Enkoy
A band that never really took off here in the UK despite some brilliant albums. Most people fixate on the 1970s run of albums where they seemed incapable of writing a bad song, however, I have to say their last two albums (Prelude/Absence) are also a wonderful update of their 70s sound and well worth a listen.
Have a look at The Band Geek youtube video of Carry on Wayward Son.Amazing!
Hey Jim! I strongly suggest you play every Kansas album that you own. If you don't have any more I suggest you get at least the first six. Their last album last year was incredible! They got back to their prog roots. Awesome album titled The Absence of Presence. Sorry it was 2020. Last year they released Another Fork In The Road-50 Years Of Kansas. A 3 disc set with 39 songs. It is PHENOMENAL!!!! Like with YES, you have a lot of catching up to do. Don't want to bury you with info right now. Do some research on Kansas. A band that went from rags to riches in a small town in Kansas. I love this band!! Hopefully you do side 2 later today!!! See you then.👍👍👍😎
Side 2 dropped today as well!
@@JimNewstead I was the first one there!😎
Cheyenne are a North American first people....the name is pronounced SHY - ANN (at least that's the common pronunciation)
Ok, thanks
I'm sure you've gotten requests for 2112 by Rush I really wish you'd get to it you'll be incredibly pleased.
Listening to Rush - 2112
ua-cam.com/video/3dDbGc-B_hw/v-deo.html this was about 3 years ago!
“Carry On Wayward Son” was a real anthem back in the late 70’s when I was a teenager. I always believed that someone must’ve been living under a rock to have never heard this song. But I understand that you are from another generation, and classic rock has become a thing only from the last couple of decades. 🤔
Love this band and everything from their first 6 studio albums plus their first live album.
Btw, I keep expecting to hear you say “let’s go have a pint down at the Winchester”. Lol.
Killing zombies with old records….
Hey,Jim-- never knew you'd not heard aNY Kansas,matey....you've gone and opened up a HUGE rabbit hole now,bro! You simply must check into any of their first 6-7 albums (the original 6 guys). Anything from the debut through Audiovisions will reap huge rewards! They haven't ever really released a bad album,per se,but I'm partial to their first 7. Trust me-- you'll be thrilled to hear them...all of 'em! Cheers, T
In fact....Maybe just start with the debut. Your jaw will hit the floor realizing that it's their very first album! ;-)
Thanks for listening to Leftoverture! I enjoyed your reactions to it. It is one of my favorite albums and always a good listen for me. Kansas often gets overlooked in the prog community despite some truly epic prog moments.
Right from the start, Kerry Livgren was one of the key writers for the band, but this record was his masterpiece . With Steve Walsh battling writer's block, Kerry had to be the sole composer of the album and he crushed it! Some of his very best writing (though he had some fantastic pieces on Song for America and Point of Know Return) appears right here on this record. It is an absolutely fantastic record from start to finish. Re: the cover, the Da Vinci-like composer is working left-handed, thus - Leftoverture.
Hi Jim. In my opinion, Leftoverture and Song for America are their 2 best albums. I haven't listened to all of their albums though. Hope you listen to Song for America. The album, and that song, are great. Interesting story with Leftoverture though. Their last piece 'Magnum Opus' was originally called Leftoverture, and the album was called Magnum Opus, but at the last minute, because they liked the way Leftoverture looked on the album, they switched it. So this album was 'Their Great Work', and Magnum Opus was music created from parts of music that was 'leftover'. Magnum Opus is my favorite piece by them. It's one of the best pieces of Prog Rock that I've ever heard... but Song for America comes pretty close.
Thank you for the infos concering song/album title, where did you get that from ?I agree with you on the top albums, my favourite song is lamplight symphony.
@@rudolfbecker4313 I'm just a genius 😎 😜
I believe I read it on Wikipedia. Pretty sure 🙂
@@Lightmane I read a lot about bands and discography but forget, that many albums have their own page 😏
I've always just listened carry on wayward son, but these are all such bangers.
A great American Progressive Hardrock Rock Band, Kansas.. Leftoverture was a phenomenal album!The seventies were the best decade of music across all genres…
Yes!!!!! American Prog at its best!! You need to add early Styx and Utopia to your list. More American prog goodness
Excellent!
Yes! Utopia is outstanding. Early albums are more prog. Later more diverse. (I like all of them 😎)
One of my all time favorite stadium bands from the 70s.....this band was a regular staple well into 80s.
I like to think of Kansas as prog rock with an American accent 😉
That's a good description 😜
They're from Kansas 🤣😜💯👍🏻
Another prog rock masterpiece. One of my favorites.
Thank you for playing my favorite album ever........
Rip Robbie Steinhardt violin virtuoso...... God bless....
Kansas is like some crazy combination of ELP, Tull and Yes .. along with the other bands mentioned.
The prominence of instruments not usually found in rock .. like Ian's flute (Kansas' violin via Robby) is noticeable, and gives them a unique angle much like it does for a lot of Tull's works.
My all-time favorite band. Go deep on this band. Listen to the Song For America LP. Cheers!
They were even better live! Was able to see them twice….once in ‘77 and again in ‘79……GREAT!
Hi Jim... It's been fun listening to your album reaxes! I have always loved listening to the entire album... the way I did when I rushed home from the record store to play it (4 or 5 times)! Glad you tapped into Kansas. I started listening to Yes at 12, Ash shortly after, as well as Uriah... and when Kansas blew up in '76, I was enthralled! "Finally, a great American prog band that can also rock out... with the flavor of Americana in its lead vocals, and a lead composer who carried a bit of the baroque in him.
I backtracked after I got Leftoverture.. and picked up their eponymous release, then Song for America, then Masque. So good! For every Starship Trooper, there was Journey from Mariabronn, for every Argus, there was Icarus: Borne on Wings of Steel... for every Magician's Birthday, there was Carry on Wayward Son. I loved, loved Kansas.
And then I saw them live, and they remain one of the best 5 bands I've ever had the pleasure of hearing (several times). They had one and a half more good albums... then went into the pop morass. They still have a couple of the original members touring today, and remain a great live experience. Cheers. I'll check in on ya whenever I can!
Nice……a Brit listening to American Prog!!!!
Great BAND, but Livgren was the genius behind the music, lyrics, etc. Only "derailed" by his "crime" of becoming a committed Christian and finally leaving the Band for a solo career that found it's apex in his instrumental effort of One Of Several Possible Musics. These albums chronological Livgren's journey to faith in all it's facets. The music? Phenomenal!
I personally rank Happy the Man as a better prog group than Kansas, although I get why Kansas were more popular. They were obviously influenced by the first gen British prog bands, although there are equally strong similarities to groups like Styx and early Journey. As far as UK groups go, yeah -- Rainbow and those early NWOBM groups are good picks. This is Kansas' peak in many respects, so if you only own one album this is probably the one to get. It's interesting that you hear a similarity to Transatlantic, Jim. IMO a lot of the modern ear-friendly prog bands like Spock's Beard owe more than a little of their sound to Kansas. I just have a hard time listening to this stuff and not picturing a group of teens with feathered hair-dos, wearing bell bottoms, drinking beer and making out in someone's basement. Kansas were such a big part of the stoner-rock-party-crowd lifestyle in the states circa 1977.
My favorite Kansas album. I like Kansas but they never became one of my favorite bands. I got their first 5 albums and I have probably heard all of their studio albums. There is a documentary called Kansas - Miracles out of Nowhere that does a good job covering the classic time period of the band. I've seen them live twice. Once opening for Yes and another time at a festival. Carry On Wayword Son is an unavoidable in the US. It is their Roundabout. Absolutely a Great song, but I have a tendency to skip due to it being overplayed.
That album was a staple for 16 year old boys in 1976.
Steve Walsh...
What a VOICE!!!
Well well, tell me what do you think . Please play the B side to......
Wait till you hear Cheyenne anthem....
STEVE WALSH ON THE HIGHER VOCALS……
Great choice... too Bad I don't havr time mow to listen😮
“Haver Time Mow” is a Cocteau Twins song… I think? 😂
…For me, I mean, it’s a journey like Mindcrime takes me on.
Kansas is incredible..
Kansas is kind of like the American version of Yes.
What a band is right.....
I have had this album for forty plus years
One of the first albums I ever bought.
Jim has another "Aqualung" moment! Kansas is a prog band the Left-wing snobs at such places like Rolling Stone magazine hated and dismissed - similar to the attitude they took to other prog bands like Yes, Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues and E.L.P. Tells you everything you need to know. Point of Know Return (1977) should be next in your Kansas discovery.
KANSASFOREVER
Prog without being boring.
What a great album❤️
A feast for the ears.
Love, love, love me some Kansas. Glad you got past the album art, Jim. I am left wondering about the one thing all those band names have in common... wait... all American city names? Are you a recovering America hater?
Haha! No, not even slightly, but I must have heard something horrible by one of those bands during the 80s and kinda bundled them all together!
23:38.........."Gawd what a Band". They were, huh? Not too many bands i've ever seen that were even WAY more impressive Live, than on record. Still ARE !!
Check Two for the Show........their live album. With no overdubs. Trust me, they were COOL to see............