Leftoverture is the fourth album by American progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001.
Background
Steve Walsh began to experience writer's block prior to the recording, and his contribution to the album would ultimately be limited to co-authoring three songs. It fell on Kerry Livgren to fill the void. The new compositions retained much of the classically inspired complexity of Livgren's previous work. Kansas recorded the album at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The Studio in the Country was so named because, as Kerry Livgren described on In the Studio with Redbeard in the episode spotlighting Leftoverture that "It was in the middle of a swamp. We'd walk out of the studio and there would be gators in front of the studio, mosquitos the size of B-52s and at times armadillos would run into the control room, laughing."
Leftoverture begins with the hit single "Carry On Wayward Son". Kerry Livgren wrote the song as a sequel to the final song, "The Pinnacle", from the previous album, Masque.
Reception
The album was met with mixed reviews. Rolling Stone called Leftoverture Kansas's best album to date, and said that it "warrants Kansas a spot right alongside Boston and Styx as one of the fresh new American bands who combine hard-driving group instrumentation (with a dearth of flashy solos) with short, tight melody lines and pleasant singing."[3] In contrast, Robert Christgau said the album lacked the intelligence and conviction of European progressive rock, and that the self-deprecating humor implied in the song and album titles is completely absent from the record itself.[2]
Allmusic utterly condemned the album in their retrospective review, criticizing the band's "crippling ambition" and "lack of skills", and contending that "these compositions aren't particularly complex, rhythmically or harmonically, and are in their own way as ambling as boogie rock, which still feels to be their foundation." They concluded with the faint praise that Leftoverture is still better than any other Kansas album aside from Point of Know Return.[1]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Kerry Livgren except where noted.
|
| 1. |
"Carry On Wayward Son" | |
5:23 |
| 2. |
"The Wall" | Livgren, Steve Walsh |
4:51 |
| 3. |
"What's On My Mind" | |
3:28 |
| 4. |
"Miracles Out of Nowhere" | |
6:28 |
| 5. |
"Opus Insert" | |
4:30 |
| 6. |
"Questions of My Childhood" | Walsh, Livgren |
3:40 |
| 7. |
"Cheyenne Anthem" | |
6:55 |
| 8. |
"Magnum Opus"
- a. "Father Padilla Meets the Perfect Gnat"
- b. "Howling At the Moon"
- c. "Man Overboard"
- d. "Industry On Parade"
- e. "Release the Beavers"
- f. "Gnat Attack"
| Livgren, Walsh, Rich Williams, Dave Hope, Phil Ehart, Robby Steinhardt |
8:25 |
|
|
| 9. |
"Carry On Wayward Son" (live) |
4:43 |
| 10. |
"Cheyenne Anthem" (live) |
6:51 |
Personnel
- Phil Ehart - drums, percussion
- Dave Hope - bass guitar
- Kerry Livgren - electric guitar, clavinet, Moog, Oberheim synthesizer, ARP synthesizers, piano
- Robby Steinhardt - violin, viola, backing vocals, lead vocals ("Miracles Out of Nowhere" and "Cheyenne Anthem")
- Steve Walsh - organ, piano, lead vocals (all tracks), additional synthesizers, vibraphone
- Rich Williams - electric and acoustic guitars
Additional personnel
- Toye LaRocca – vocals
- Cheryl Norman – vocals
Production
- Producers: Jeff Glixman
- Engineer: Bill Evans
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
|---|
| 1977 |
Pop Albums |
5 |
|
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
|---|
| 1976 |
"Carry On Wayward Son" |
Pop Singles |
11 |
|
| 1977 |
"What's On My Mind" |
Pop Singles |
none |
|
References
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| | | | Studio albums | |
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| | Live albums | |
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| | Compilations | |
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| | Singles | |
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| | Tours | |
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| | Related topics | |
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