1976 Kansas Leftoverture vinyl. Cleaned, and tested. Outer plastic sleeve on album.
Vinyl: VG+
Cover: VG
Leftoverture kicks off with the a cappella intro to “Carry On Wayward Son,” which set the tone for the album while also serving as a microcosm of the things that set Kansas apart from other bands, including Walsh’s soaring vocals, abrupt time-signature changes, plaintive lyrics, and note-for-note riffing with guitars, bass, and violin anchored by a rock-and-roll sensibility.
Following “Wayward Son,” “The Wall” opens with another unique element – opening harmony passages played by Steinhart and Williams.
“You cannot underestimate the influence that the Allman Brothers’ harmony guitar work had on guitar players of that time, including us,” Williams said. “But ‘The Wall’ intro is my solo with Robby harmonizing on violin. To this day, I love how beautifully a guitar and violin work together as a section in ensemble.”
The album’s final track, “Magnum Opus,” lives up to its name, its six movements careening through arrangements ethereal to frenetic; at the 1:00 mark, Hope and the Precision step out front to play a lead melody with tone that foreshadows the 1983 Metallica/Cliff Burton solo “(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth.”
“It’s my bass cranked through Rich’s Marshall for distortion,” said Hope. “Bass players in the mid ’70s had to come up with their own sounds because the few effects that were available sounded like horrible toys.”
Leftoverture was released October 21, 1976. Its assortment of rock riffs and complex arrangements had a broad appeal, and the album climbed to #5 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Its sales eventually hit quintuple platinum. Released as a single in early ’77, “Carry On Wayward Son” reached #11 on the Top 40 and became the band’s signature song. ~ This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue.
https://www.vintageguitar.com/56680/kansas-leftoverture/
Kansas Leftoverture LP 1976
All records are visually graded on the Goldmine Standard of Grading. In depth grading explanations may be found at
www.goldminemag.com/collector-resources/record-grading-101
MINT (M)
These are absolutely perfect in every way.NEAR MINT (NM OR M-)
A good description of a NM record is “it looks like it just came from a retail store and it was opened for the first time.” In other words, it’s nearly perfect.VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) or EXCELLENT (E)
VG+ records may show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience.
Very Good (VG)
VG records have more obvious flaws, lack most of the original gloss found on factory-fresh records. Groove wear is evident on sight, as are light scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail.Good (G),
Good Plus (G+)
or Very Good Minus (VG–)
Good does not mean bad! The record still plays through without skipping, so it can serve as filler until something better comes along.POOR (P)
and Fair (F)
Records are cracked, impossibly warped, or skip and/or repeat when an attempt is made to play them.Sealed Albums
Still-sealed albums can — and do — bring even higher prices than listed.