Leftoverture is one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. The band really struck gold when they recorded and released it. At this time, Steve Walsh was having writer's block, so the album is largely a Livgren-penned affair, with Walsh co-writing three of the eight songs (with the rest of the band also receiving songwriting credits on the last song). This album continues many of the themes from Masque but offers a more hopeful outlook than that album did.
The first song is the Kansas song everyone knows. Carry On Wayward Son is just a great all-around rock song. On Masque, the band tried to write a hit song that was in one time signature all the way through. Ironically, the band got their first legitimate hit with this song, which alternates between sections in 4/4 and sections in 12/8. Considering how great a song this is, one might be tempted just to think it was just that: a great rock tune. Some have even speculated this song is about the prodigal son from the Bible. This interpretation is unlikely, as Livgren's conversion was still a few years away. However, if we consider Kansas' output in context, the song is rife with symbolism and becomes easier to understand. Livgren wrote Carry On as a sequel to The Pinnacle, so the song picks up where The Pinnacle left off. The first verse of Carry On begins, "Once I rose above the noise and confusion". The Pinnacle ended with "I stood where no man goes, above the din I rose/Life is amusing though we are losing/Drowned in tears of awe". "Din" means "a loud, confused noise". So Carry On is continuing where The Pinnacle finished by showing what happened after he rose above the din. Carry On could be seen as the third part in a trilogy: Mysteries and Mayhem, The Pinnacle, Carry On Wayward Son. Additionally, Carry On seems to continue some of the imagery from Masque, where Walsh sings "I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high", which could be an allusion to the myth of Icarus, which Livgren used to great effect for a song on the Masque album. So Livgren may still be contemplating death but this time with an added air of hope: "Carry on my wayward son/There'll be peace when you are done", and explaining that "now your life's no longer empty/Surely heaven waits for you".
Next up, we have The Wall, which continues the theme of hope regarding one's inability to escape death and see what waits ahead. The wall is a barrier that the protagonist has erected within himself and prevents him from obtaining peace and happiness. He knows he has to tear it down, so what's keeping him from doing so? In Seeds of Change, Livgren says he believes The Wall and The Pinnacle to be the best lyrics he's ever written (and it's hard to disagree with him). He says the wall was in him, and he didn't have the power to remove this barrier that was keeping him from the joy and harmony he desperately desired.
Third we have What's On My Mind. This one is a straight ahead rocker, and the lyrics are pretty much just a love song about how the relationship he's in has been mutually beneficial: she's made him a better man and they open each other's minds. Writing another love song was undoubtedly due to their label's constant pressure to be more commercially viable as a band, but this song is better than either of the two love songs on Masque. Musically, there's not a whole lot to talk about.
After that we have an absolute masterpiece of a song, Miracles Out of Nowhere. Of all the songs Kansas has ever written, The Pinnacle and Miracles Out of Nowhere are definitely in my top five. This is one of my very favorite songs they've ever done. They return to the overall theme of the album in this one, Livgren's search for spiritual truth. Each verse catches a different phenomenon, the beauty of the dawn, the ravings of a lunatic or visionary, and finally Livgren's sense of futility in his created work. Each phenomenon raises existential questions he struggles to find answers to. This is one of Kansas' more complex songs, including a lengthy instrumental interlude after the second chorus where the band moves into playing a fugue in 7/4 time where the synthesizer, electric guitar, and violin all get a chance to shine, and once the drums come in, the fugue continues but with more time signature changes, which could symbolize Livgren's confusion and the turmoil in his mind.
Fifth, we have Opus Insert. An opus is a composition by a particular composer (so in a work of classical music, if it says, for example, "Op. 16," that would be either the 16th piece that composer composed or perhaps the 16th piece cataloged by the person or organization grouping the music together). So I'm a little puzzled by the name "opus insert". I might guess it's a tongue-in-cheek reference to throwing in a song that is usually considered "filler" because they have an obligation to their label as per their contract. The problem with this theory, however, is that Opus Insert is a good song, certainly not filler, and even considered a classic by some. The solo in this song sounds a bit circus-y, with marching drums by Ehart and Walsh alternating between vibraphone and piano. Lyrically, this song fits the theme of searching that Livgren was well-known for, albeit a bit more optimistic than the material on Masque.
Coming up next we have Questions of My Childhood, a straight-ahead rocker from start to finish but moves to a half-time feel for the bridge. In this one, Livgren reflects on the questions he had as a child and how he hasn't yet found the answers. He believes the answers are out there and the journey will be made easier and more meaningful if he has a companion to share the journey with.
The penultimate song is Cheyenne Anthem. Cheyenne, of course, is a Native American tribe. The song here returns to the themes of Death of Mother Nature Suite and Song for America. In this case, Livgren takes on the voice of a Cheyenne and reflects how they think of nature, that it's not owned by anyone so we ought to share it peacefully. It goes even further, though, to talk about the Indians being attacked and moved by white settlers. The song is primarily a slower song, led by guitar, until the solo starts and it kicks into high gear, before slowing back down for the final verse.
Last we have Magnum Opus, Kansas' first instrumental piece. The piece is in six movements. The second movement has lyrics but the rest is purely instrumental. "Magnum opus" means a large and important work of art, usually used to express the most important work of an artist's career. Maybe the title was meant to express that this was one of their more ambitious works, having to rely primarily on the music to express the meaning. It clocks in at around eight and a half minutes long, so with five movements each one is pretty short.
Leftoverture (a portmanteau of "leftover" and "overture") was Kansas' first big hit as a band, primarily on the strength of Carry On Wayward Son, although this is definitely their best album so far in terms of overall quality of the music. There's another song that is very well-known, even by non-fans, which appears on the next album, another strong one from this band.
Album: Leftoverture (1976)
Band: Kansas
Phil Ehart -- drums, percussion
Dave Hope -- bass guitar
Kerry Livgren -- electric guitar, piano, clavinet, moog, Oberheim, and ARP synthesizers
Robby Steinhardt -- violin, viola, lead and backing vocals
Steve Walsh -- organ, piano, additional synthesizers, vibraphone, lead and backing vocals
Rich Williams -- electric and acoustic guitars
Track list:
1. *Carry On Wayward Son (5:23) -- Livgren
2. The Wall (4:48) -- Livgren, Walsh
3. *What's On My Mind (3:29) -- Livgren
4. Miracles Out of Nowhere (6:27) -- Livgren
5. Opus Insert (4:26) -- Livgren
6. Questions of My Childhood (3:37) -- Walsh, Livgren
7. Cheyenne Anthem (6:53) -- Livgren (Toye LaRocca and Cheryl Norman, children's voices)
8. Magnum Opus (8:26) -- Livgren, Walsh, Williams, Hope, Ehart, Steinhardt
a. Father Padilla Meets the Perfect Gnat
b. Howling at the Moon
c. Man Overboard
d. Industry on Parade
e. Release the Beavers
f. Gnat Attack
* denotes a single
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