KANSAS – Leftoverture [Japan Blu-spec CD remastered +3] HQ

We started posting KANSAS early albums as these are essential to understand how this great band and overall contemporary Rock music has evolved over its history. And how better than this Japanese reissue cardboard sleeve series pressed on high quality Blu-spec CD format, fully remastered and including bonus tracks.
Early KANSAS albums needed a proper remastering to update / clean the sound but also preserve the original harmonics and analog tapes warm nature. These Blu-spec CD are amazing, believe me.
KANSAS fourth effort “Leftoverture” was their breakthrough album and a thorough representation of its assorted musical sensibilities combining hard-driving group instrumentation (with a dearth of flashy solos) with short, tight melody lines and melodic singing.
And it has the timeless classic ‘Carry On Wayward Son’, but there’s much more inside.

The a capella vocal opening of ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ was a moment that signified the floodgates of success were about to open wide for Kansas.
It was one song among a stack of many others on the ”Leftoverture” album — including “Magnum Opus,” “The Wall,” “What’s On My Mind” and “Opus Insert” — that would become classic and well-known favorites.

Kansas were so prolific they put out ‘Song for America’ in February 1975 and had their third album, ‘Masque’, on the shelves by September that same year.
When it came time to record their fourth album, which would become ”Leftoverture”, Kansas had a problem — they didn’t have the material ready to go. The epic ‘Magnum Opus’ was originally titled “Leftoverture,” because it was made up of bits and pieces of music that the group had developed during soundchecks, as well as some parts leftover from the Masque album.
As album producer Jeff Glixman remembered, all the pieces fell together song-wise and they suddenly had their album title too: “We fell in love with the name and made it the name of the album instead and we changed the name of the song to ‘Magnum Opus.'”

Surprisingly, ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ was the last song to arrive for ”Leftoverture”. Kerry Livgren was on an incredible writing roll, and presented the song at the final rehearsals. So ‘Carry On…’ was essentially finished / arranged into the studio.

All of the work the group had done in the preceding years finally paid off in a big way with ”Leftoverture”. “We were really starting to get a lot of the recognition as an opening band, because we were out there with Queen, we were out there with Bad Company, we were out there with so many different bands,” drummed Phil Ehart said.
“We were starting to get the recognition as a musician’s band — not so much on the radio, but just as a band of musicians playing a certain level of music. The whole foundation was there from all of that work. So when Leftoverture hit, it was a much bigger fire than it probably would have been without all of that work we did before.”

These Japanese reissue series on Blu-spec CD get out the best of this awesome original recording and the pristine remastering preserving the original sound.
A MUST

ＳＯＮＹ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ ＢＳＣＤ ／ ＥＩＣＰ～２００７４
「 ＣＡＲＤＢＯＡＲＤ ＳＬＥＥＶＥ ＲＥＩＳＳＵＥ ＳＥＲＩＥＳ 」

01 – Carry On Wayward Son
02 – The Wall
03 – What’s On My Mind
04 – Miracles Out Of Nowhere
05 – Opus Insert
06 – Questions Of My Childhood
07 – Cheyenne Anthem
08 – Magnus Opus
JAPAN BONUS TRACKS:
09 – Carry On Wayward Son (Live)
10 – Cheyenne Anthem (Live)
11 – Carry On Wayward Son (Single Version)

Steve Walsh – vocals, organ, piano, clavinet, Moog
Kerry Livgren – guitars, piano, clavinet, Moog and ARP synths
Robby Steinhardt – violin, lead and backing vocals
Rich Williams – guitars
Dave Hope – bass
Phil Ehart – drums, percussion

Out of print
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/EICP-20074