THE WAIT OF GLORY

Before Became After was a great album with a great title. Proto-Kaw was Kerry Livgren's pre-Kansas band, that reunited many years later when Kerry's days in Kansas where long since past. The Wait Of Glory is another great album with another great title. These two subsequent albums constitute the most consistent period in Kerry Livgren's career since the Leftoverture/Point Of Know Return period in 1976/77. It has indeed been a glorious and long wait for him to return to this kind of form. He did reunite with Kansas in 2000 for the excellent Somewhere To Elsewhere, but it was only a one-off thing. Proto-Kaw was also a relatively short-lived project, but they left behind an impressive couple of albums (as well as a compilation of their pre-Kansas material).

Like on Before Became After we find here excellent progressive rock with Symphonic, Hard Rock and some Jazz influences. The Hard Rock side of the band is somewhat emphasised compared with that first album. The material is strong and melodic and excellently performed. This time Kerry's nephew Jake Livgren joins the band which is now a seven piece! We have again Lynn Meredith's excellent and distinctive lead vocals, Kerry's great guitars and keyboards and the other members play assorted keyboards (though mainly organ and piano), flutes, saxophones, bass and drums and different percussion instruments.

The feel of the music is classic but the production values are modern which creates a timeless sound. The music of Proto-Kaw might appeal to any fan of classic progressive rock. Different aspects of the band's sound might remind of different other bands; Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Deep Purple, Queen, Kansas and others. But they have their very own style and sound and they are not derivative at all. We should keep in mind also that Proto- Kaw were there already in the early 70's helping to define progressive rock in the first place even if they never broke through to a wider audience like Kansas did.

There is also a slight World-Music influence in some songs due to the flutes and the exotic percussions creating a somewhat 'mystical' and perhaps even 'religious' feeling. Some have complained that the lyrics are too religious, but this does not bother me at all. I am an atheist myself but I have no problem with Kerry's religious inspiration.

Picking out favourite tracks from The Wait Of Glory is hard since everything here is very good, but Nevermore and When The Rains Come are especially good. The album is varied and contains many different moods and emotions as well as different styles. But it all holds together very well creating a diverse yet unified whole. The buffalo is once again on the cover art, here depicted as a tribal painting on the wall of a cave (presumably) with fossils in the stone one of which is a saxophone! It looks really cool.

The wait of glory was worth it, both Proto-Kaw albums are excellent additions to any Prog collection but I tend to think that The Wait Of Glory is even better than Before Became After.

Highly recommended!

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