Bang The Drum All Day: February 2018

Kansas may just be the ugliest band in the world. Not hip or trendy in any way, but if you can put that aside and you have an appreciation for progressive rock, read on.

Most people in the UK have barely heard of the band Kansas. To put my interest in context, 1977 was a schizophrenic year. My old concert tickets show that I saw Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd, but I also saw The Clash and the Sex Pistols.

In the middle of all that, in the summer of ‘77, I went to America for the first time and stayed with the family of one of the girls from a school exchange trip in ‘76. We bonded over a shared appreciation of Boston’s first album.

The music on the American FM radio at the time - WPLR out of Newhaven, Connecticut was our favoured station - included Aerosmith (Toys In The Attic), Foghat Live, Frampton Comes Alive, Rumours (you couldn’t get away from it) and Leftoverture by Kansas, which contained their big hit at the time, 'Carry On Wayward Son'. Some of it has stayed with me. All of it, in fact, except Foghat.

Carry On Wayward Son

Leftoverture has great songs and playing, progressive in style with some intricate but not too complex arrangements - just the right mix of guitar and keyboards to keep the whole thing interesting. It was on heavy rotation in my bedroom in the late 70s. I saw them live at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1978 too, playing the set you can hear on the live album from that time 'Two For The Show'.

One of the key facets of the album is Kerry Livgren's guitar playing, which manages to be heavy, but in a sophisticated way that brings in elements of classical guitar. The interplay and harmony between the guitar and keyboards is also way more sophisticated than most rock bands at the time could manage. Make no mistake, this is progressive rock.

The extended songs and the wonderful melodies are topped off with the incredible singing of Steve Walsh. He broke out of his rather nerdy look on their early albums (tbh, none of them were lookers) to become a much more showy front-man. Still a little strange at times, with his '70s sports look, bouncing around his keyboard, but there can be no dispute that he was a fantastic singer.

Kerry Livgren, the main songwriter on Leftoverture

Kansas have recently released a 40th anniversary 'Leftoverture' concert CD, with a second CD of other classic material. It's probably not the best starting point, but it does at least highlight their prog credentials, including as it does many of their long-form compositions.

This latest incarnation of Kansas contains only two original members out of six – drummer Phil Ehart and rhythm guitarist Rich Williams. Leader and songwriter Kerry Livgren left many years ago, while more recent departures include Steve Walsh, along with their other original singer and violinist Robbie Steinhardt.

So, the first thing anyone familiar with the originals will have to get over is the change of singer. Vocals are now handled mainly by new keyboardist Ronnie Platt, supported by bassist Billy Greer. Platt can carry a tune, but prog singing requires a certain delivery to match the ostentation of the music. Steve Walsh had that in spades. A song like Journey from Mariabronn, from the first Kansas album, is one of their most successful compositions, made especially effective by Walsh’s impassioned delivery. Platt, while he hits the notes, can’t convey the drama in the same way.

Journey From Mariabronn

This clip is a little fuzzy but it's the real thing. Early Kansas in all their prog pomp.
Listening to ‘Journey from Mariabronn’ again on this live disc, I’m reminded they did some really good long-form compositions that mark them out as the best of the few US bands that could be compared with their UK prog peers.

Those who bought the Best of Kansas because they liked 'Carry On…' and 'Dust In The Wind' may have missed that point, which is why Kansas get lumped in with the pomp rock bands like Boston and Styx.

Here's 'Icarus - Wings of Steel'

I had hoped for a large dollop of nostalgia listening to them play Leftoverture, which takes up disc 2. It was OK, but I felt I was listening to a tribute band. If you don’t have the originals, this is not the place to start. Get a copy of Leftoverture and the original live album, Two For The Show.

This youtube video of Rick Beato dissecting Carry On Wayward Son is terrific. He breaks the song down, isolating the different instruments and the way they harmonise in key passages. It's really insightful - and he plays the riffs! Outstanding work.

If you want to investigate further, the albums either side of Leftoverture – Song For America and Point of Know Return, as well as the first album – are worth checking out.