LEFTOVERTURE

I can think of no better way to begin putting down my thoughts on this album than mentioning this fact: Magnus Opus was initially named Leftoverture since its parts were leftovers from soundchecks and the recording sessions for the Masque album and the guys decided to splice them together and come up with a song and eventually they liked the title so much that it was upgraded into an album title. So just think of this: these parts were leftovers! We are talking about tons of inspiration! The album is famous for the opener Carry on Wayward Son alone (which, by the way, was the last one written and it barely made the album!) and here I'd like to make another remark that one can write progressive music that can also strike a chord with people who are not musicians. Of course this goes not only for this song, but The Wall also could fare as well, if it was promoted as such. And aside The Wall it could also be What's on My Mind, Miracles Out of Nowhere....literally the entire album which is melodic, adventurous, it rocks, it oozes with feeling with not a single note to spare and top-notch vocals. It is absolute perfection and a monument in our beloved music. Some dyed-in-the-wool pog fans claim that Kansas gave in to a more radio-friendly sound. There is some truth in it, since Kerry Livren himself (who, incidentally, has written almost the entire album since Steve Walsh was experiencing writer's block) has admitted it by saying that if they hadn't done so, only die-hard collectors would know of them and after that there wouldn't be Kansas any more. But the bottom line is they possessed the musicanship, intelligence and aesthetic to balance all these elements in the most beautiful way.

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