LEFTOVERTURE

Thank you James Hill that we Americans can think with our brains sometimes ;-). Most criticism of Kansas is that they didn't stay true to progressive rock throughout their albums or career. This group played a variety of styles and I think that's why I like them so much. I comment on this one because it was a the one that defined them. They had three great albums before this and several good ones after but this one gave them headliner status. I grew up with this band from the first album onward. Kerry Livgren's songs have so much meaning to them. Heartfelt spiritual searching that all of us go through and identify with. Simple questions that have no answers except in the deepest regions of our own hearts (It's just love and miracles out of nowhere). Never mean spirited but not sappy either. Their music is both subtle and hard edged. So they had radio hits. So did Genesis, ELP, Focus, Yes, Frank Zappa and Jethro Tull. Does this take away from one essential point; That a band could survive and even thrive playing what they wanted not what they thought someone wanted them to play? I don't think so. They did so by not one person being greater than the whole. It was a band and without each member the sound and songs would have suffered. I used to think that classical music was an influence but I think that soundtracks was a better style are a better fit at least in Kerry Livgren penned songs. They set moods like Genesis did but in a totally different way. I love their melodies as one moves into another and then would just knock you down with some kick ass rock. They took along time getting known because no one wanted to play with them because they would blow other bands off the stage. Anyway, those are my memories and thoughts. Maybe not quite as sophisticated as the Europeans but then again not one of the Europeans could get down and dirty like these guys either and touch people who might never have been exposed to something higher than three chord rock. This album is a classic.