Leftoverture (Kansas, 1976)

It's easy to get hung up on the album title as just a clear portmanteau but it is actually a fairly apt description of the composition of the album. Obviously "Magnum Opus" and somewhat "Opus Insert" are patchwork approaches, with little bits of songs brought together under a single track. However, it isn't a stretch to see the crazy bridge of "Cheyenne Anthem" and the bouncy intro and outro parts of "Questions of My Childhood" as more examples of bringing different song approaches under a single heading. Even the big hit of the album, "Carry On Wayward Son" employs two different (arguably more) styles, deftly switching among them.

For a band named after one of the flattest and most conservative states in America, Kansas has a pretty wild history. They were formed from a much more progressive scene (retroactively called Proto-Kaw), largely centered around guitarist Kerry Livgren. Although never tossing off the progressive elements, they found more success with a mainstream formula, of which this album is a good illustration. This lineup was solid until the end of the 1970's, and then the weirdness really began. Following Livgren's conversion to evangelical Christianity (his "seeking" lyrics finally locked on to something), the original lineup disintegrated, first with keyboardist/vocalist Steve Walsh, followed by violinist Robby Steinhardt. Livgren himself and bassist Dave Hope quit to form Christian rock band A.D. shortly thereafter. Reduced to a trio with two original members, the band eked out one more song, then died.... Suddenly a non-Livgren Kansas emerged around Steve Walsh, guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart (both from the ill-fated trio) and some new faces. The history got pretty sketchy after than, with a smattering of reunions featuring various members of the other half of the original band, though Walsh, Williams, Ehart, and Hope's replacement Billy Greer were mainstays throughout. Walsh is poised to retire this August and the band plans to continue. Man, I'm confused just writing this...

This is one of the earlier albums I picked up in life, probably around early college, as I was suitably impressed by classic rock standards like "Carry On". I haven't invested further in Kansas other than the 1986 album Power, featuring Steve Morse. In 1994 Kansas officially became a branch of the Deep Purple family tree through Morse. Congratulations!