The premises were all there.
Formed in Topeka, Kansas, in 1970 under the name White Clover, they opened for one of the last concerts of the Doors in New Orleans, and that says a lot. Thanks to a trip to England by drummer Phil Ehart, where he had the chance to experience the grandeur of Genesis and ELP, the early raw style was immediately transformed into a delightful fusion of rock, folk, and classical music.
After numerous line-up changes, the band took on the name Kansas and stabilized as a sextet formed, besides the aforementioned Ehart, by guitarists Kerry Livgren and Richard Williams, bassist Dave Hope, singer and keyboardist Steve Walsh, and particularly the important figure of classically trained violinist and singer Robby Steinhardt.
The creation of the self-titled album in 1974 was characterized by the production of Don Kirshner, who had already discovered the Monkees. The style explicitly draws on the early '70s English prog, with boogie and hard-rock hues, and was an immediate success: they filled stadiums and arenas consecrating themselves as the greatest American prog-band, although initially, the sales were not exceptional.
Every song on this album is exciting, pompous, and at the same time captivating; songs like "Belexes," "Journey from Mariabronn," "The pilgrimage" and the closing "Death Of Mother Nature Suite" deserve more than just a listen; "Bringing It Back" even bears the signature of J.J. Cale!
The final consideration is that in a certain hard-prog context, together with the Canadian band Rush, Kansas far excelled over any other European band.
With the next four albums, they would reach full maturity and become one of the most beautiful and original, and if you will, underrated bands in history.
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