LEFTOVERTURE

I've owned and listened to a few Kansas albums and this LP was among my first twenty records or so when I started collecting age fifteen. I listened to it for a while, but I never really got my head around its cheesy and poppy sound. Make no mistake, this is obviously a symphonic progressive record by a very professional group of musicians and composers, but they just hear their music differently than I do. Among their influences I hear Yes (complex vocal arrangements), Gentle Giant (lot of that multi-noodling going about here) and perhaps some prog-glam of Styx and Journey. The band offers a strong classic rock (and prog) opening song 'Carry On My Wayward Son'. The album is quite consistent quality-wise and the production is also very good for the sound that is has. I just don't like it very much, because it rids the progressive rock from all its mystique, individuality and obscurity. Even when listening to the Flower Kings I'm happy to have the obvious Kansas-moments give way to the next thing.