Aunt_Acid Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Well I couldn't find a thread on these guys. I love this band. I guess I don't really know that much by them though. I love Song For America. It's so great. I like lamplight symphony too. And Point of no return. and The Spider. They are all just amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Here's a little about the heyday of Kansas. Good hair too. The 1970s The Early Days Kansas is a classic/progressive rock band that first formed in 1970 in Topeka, Kansas. Original members Kerry Livgren (guitar) and Phil Ehart (drums) combined their two separate bands into one large band, which originally consisted of eight members, including vocalist Lynn Meredith and bassist Dave Hope. Kerry's band was called Saratoga, and Phil's was called White Clover. The united group was called The Kansas Band, and only lasted for about a year. Livgren and Ehart split the band up in 1971, and each pursued separate bands. Livgren created another seven member version of Kansas with vocalist Lynn Meredith, and other members, including Don Montre, Dan Wright and John Bolton. Ehart, meanwhile, left the country for England. Three months later, Ehart returned to Kansas (the state), and reformed his original band, White Clover. He chose bassist Dave Hope, guitarist Rich Williams, vocalist Steve Walsh, and violinist Robby Steinhardt. These five members recorded a demo tape in 1973, but were still searching for a second songwriter to complement Walsh. Ehart asked Livgren to join White Clover, and the original lineup was finally complete. The band changed its name to Kansas, and were signed to Kirshner Records in 1974. Their self-titled debut album, Kansas, was released that year, and reached #174 on the Billboard chart. Highlights included "Can I Tell You" and "Death Of Mother Nature Suite", but nationwide response was slow. Song For America, their second album, featured only six songs because three of them were over eight minutes long. The title track was much more widely received, and it became the band's first major hit. A long epic piece called "Incomudro-Hymn To The Atman", featured a drum solo by Ehart that is amazingly fast and quite hard to imitate. Most of Kansas' songs were written by Livgren, especially the long epic songs. Livgren tended to write about philosophical subjects, as he was soul searching at the time. This type of songwriting became Kansas' trademark style, but it put Livgren at odds with Walsh, who wanted to focus on more traditional rock themes. Kansas' third album, Masque, featured more pop songs, including Walsh's "It Takes A Woman's Love (To Make A Man)." and Livgren's epic "The Pinnacle". However, the album did not sell as well as its predecessor. Kansas suffered ridicule from people around the world, because they wore overalls and had a violinist, which made people think that they were a country music group. Their name didn't help their popularity, either. It was a slow climb, but success was just around the corner. The Best Of Times As Kansas started work on their fourth album, Leftoverture, vocalist Steve Walsh hit a wall of writer's block. Thus, all of the songwriting duties fell on Livgren. When it was released in 1976, the album was their breakthrough to success, with the popular single "Carry On Wayward Son", which Livgren brought in as a last-minute addition to the album. This single alone pushed the album to platinum success. Other hits included "The Wall" and "Magnum Opus", a long eight minute track which was pieces of music that were stuck together. The followup, Point Of Know Return, released in 1977, contained the ever-popular acoustic anthem "Dust In The Wind." Other notable songs on the album included "Paradox" and the title track. The album went double platinum, like its predecessor, and Kansas spent nearly a year on tour promoting the album. The album almost did not get completed, because vocalist Steve Walsh left the band briefly after conflicts during the recording sessions. He came back to the band three days later. During the tour, Kansas recorded their first live album, Two For The Show, which was released in 1978. The next studio album, Monolith, released in 1979, featured such hits as "People Of The South Wind" and "How My Soul Cries Out For You." Unfortunately, the album did not reach platinum success, which disappointed the band somewhat. Still, the album did reach #10 on the charts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted March 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrampledUnderFoot Posted March 1, 2005 Report Share Posted March 1, 2005 I'm glad you brought this band up! Carry On Wayward Son is an AMAZING SONG! I absolutely love it, and if you haven't listened to, I recommend you do. Also, Dust in the Wind is great. In Old School, Will Ferrel sings it at Blue's funeral I think. I haven't heard any other songs by them though...any recommedations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted March 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Yeah I've heard those and Point of Know Return. But anyone who listens to the radio has. Then I bought the album Song For America. The only song I'm not crazy about is Down The Road. The other songs are amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I'm glad you brought this band up! Carry On Wayward Son is an AMAZING SONG! I absolutely love it, and if you haven't listened to, I recommend you do. Also, Dust in the Wind is great. In Old School, Will Ferrel sings it at Blue's funeral I think. I haven't heard any other songs by them though...any recommedations? Dust In The Wind is also quoted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt_Acid Posted March 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 You know, I was going to quote them saying Socrates, but you can only do that in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windy1 Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Cris these guys were extrememly major in the 70's. I'm surprised you didn't know more about them, smart as you are. I'm glad you've been introduced to thier music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonJonSurfer Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 You know, I was going to quote them saying Socrates, but you can only do that in person. So Crates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miamisammy29 Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 So Crates. MUSICAL INTERLUDE: "You think that something's happening And it's bigger than your life But it's only what you're hearing Will you still remember When the morning light has come Will the songs be playing over and over Till you do it all over again Play, play the game tonight Can you tell me if it's wrong or right Is it worth the time, is it worth the price Do you see yourself in the white spotlight Then play the game tonight" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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