Published on Sep 30, 1997
With the vastness of the Pierce Memorial Archives (is there an
echo in here?), it sometimes becomes very difficult for me to
choose an album to feature here on “The Daily Vault.” Trying to
remember which artists have made it onto our pages and which
haven’t can get pretty difficult – and making it harder is keeping
a fair mix of music.
Thankfully, whenever I have problems making up my mind, readers
like Dan Zink come to my rescue with requests. Dan wrote to me last
week asking us to take a look at Kansas’s fourth release,
Leftoverture. As soon as I read his letter, I thought, “Now
there’s a hell of a suggestion!”
Three albums into their career, Kerry Livgren and crew had built
up a fan base, but had yet to do anything that would light people’s
speakers on fire. All of that changed with one song, “Carry On
Wayward Son,” a track which not only helped define AM radio in 1976
but also gave the band their first top 10 album.
And while critics could claim 21 years later that this is
overblown and pompous, I would disagree to a point. I found
Leftoverture to be pleasantly entertaining – when it didn’t
have a message behind the song.
(Editor’s note: Since this review ran, a remastered version,
with two bonus live tracks, has been issued.)
The centerpiece of
Leftoverture is “Carry On Wayward Son,” a lovely mixture of
harmonized vocals and frequent time changes. Normally, I would say
that time changes in a song were distracting. However, in this
case, it works surprisingly well. Walsh’s vocals ring out strong on
this one, as do the guitar work of Livgren and Rich Williams.
For most of the first side,Kansas is able to mix uptempo numbers
with slightly more moody works without becoming overbearing. Cuts
like “What’s On My Mind” rock as well as the top 40 hits, while
“Miracles Out Of Nowhere” also features some interesting musical
style changes. The rhythmic bass line of Dave Hope also does
wonders for this song.
The second side of
Leftoverture has the only two mistakes the band makes. Cuts
like “Opus Insert,” like many of those on this album, ended up
being pleasant surprises. However, “Cheyenne Anthem” becomes a
little too preachy about the horrors we inflicted on the Indians,
and the track itself is weaker. The other, “Magnum Opus,” would
have been an okay track, albeit a little overblown – but
why do bands insist on breaking songs like this into
sections? In my mind, I see this as meaning the track is a little
more cerebral, and that can tend to scare me away. If I want deep
thought, I’ll try reading
Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance in the john.
While Kansas would have had a harder time making it today (and
judging from the way their reunion albums tanked, you didn’t need
to be a brain surgeon to figure that out), but for 1976, they were
exactly what rock radio needed.
Leftoverture has some very strong moments on it, and is
definitely worth checking out for an enjoyable 40 minutes.