Toto! We are in Kansas!
Being a big fan of progressive rock and its multitudinous incarnations, stretching from early Genesis, Procol Harum, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Yes all the way to XTC and early Styx, I do love a big keyboard. I am not sure how big keyboards became such a prog-rock requirement, but they were and are, and I am all good with that.
If you find yourself loving the church organ sounds of “Whiter Shade Of Pale” or the keyboard explosion at the end of Yes’ “Starship Trooper,” (the live version from the original Yessongs, the 1972 triple album), then you must really, truly be a prog-rock fan.
By the middle of the 70′s, the whole thing was kind of winding down. Most of the prog bands were finding it harder and harder to find or keep their audience. ELP had faded away, Yes was still pretty big but not selling many albums. Genesis at this point had never sold albums but were minor deities to their fans until Peter Gabriel left and Phil Collins picked up the microphone, but then they headed off into a much more pop style. Who was left?
Kansas was…
Or rather, they started later and had a bit of a different approach to prog than their predecessors. While fiddle was by no means unknown to rock or pop music, it was truly a lead instrument with Kansas, and that made it different. You still had the keyboards, drums, bass, and guitars happening, but you also had this fiddle right up front with the same swagger of any big rock star guitar player. That was pretty cool!
Kansas had made it big with their Leftoverture album the year before and were on a roll. Fully backed by Don Kirschner, who was a true rock n’ roll impresario at the time, having formed the Monkees in the 60′s to having his own late-night television show to promote his own acts and others, Kansas had the door opened, and they crashed right on through. While nearly every other prog act was fading away or changing style, Kansas became a radio and sales monster.
“Portrait (He Knew)” is an almost perfect counterpoint to “Stargazer.” Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh were writing about a guy who did know what was going to happen. Rather than just walking off of the tower to fly, this guy would tell you what was going to happen if you did.
Nostradamus was the guy. The guy who knew.
Kansas also knew something, they knew how to write a killer hook and how to make some magic with a song about a guy who always professed he was not a magician. That he just knew.
Categories: Cheese Wizardry
1 Comment »
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July 24th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
Pete, this was a great bit of Cheese, thank you for posting it.
I love how the song builds, and seems to drive to something,
the lyrics are pretty amazing as well.
Can’t argue with the instrumentals either
the keyboard is sweet, not to mention the guitar around 2:28 especially
it almost seems like a call and response when the keyboard kicks in around 2:49
I really enjoyed the whole piece.
Thanks again for this one!
(Of course it doesn’t hurt that I’m a Kansas fan)