Lost/Forgotten Album #230

[Jon]

This week's post was going to be something different, but it was changed due to a recent conversation.

RichS supplied a tidy write-up of Proto-Kaw at the above link, so what else can I do here? 

Nothing, except to mention that I beat Scott. 

That's all I have to say.

Before Came After

1. Alt. More Worlds Than Known
2. Words Of Honor
3. Leaven
4. Axolotl
5. Quantum Leapfrog
6. Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David, Smith & Jones
7. Gloriana
8. Occasion Of Your Honest Dreaming
9. Heavenly Man
10. Theophany

Availability: Around $17 for the 2004 and the 2014 versions. It appears the 2014 version was"Partially Re-Recorded, Re-mixed, and Re-Mastered in 2014 by Producer Kerry Livgren", while the 2004 version listed only has 9 tracks. But I have the 2004 version from InsideOut and it has 10 tracks, but it doesn't have "Special Edition" on the cover and it only has one disc. So, I have no clue what version I bought (well before Scott).

[Scott]

Its about time a post was all about me!!!  Me me me me me me me ....

[Scott]

Me likey! 

But...

I can see why the band never took off nationally, the vocals are defintnitely not as strong as Walsh brought to the band and the music is far more prog and melodic with Walsh in the mix as well.  Not sure Walsh was the missing ingredient but you get what I'm trying to say.

Now, this is good stuff though.  Love the bass work groove and flute work in the opening track.  Livgrens adds, dare I say, a funky kind of groove with his geetar work.  Opening track is right-on solid!!  Words of Honor is really nice as well.  Great acoustic backdrop and heavy lyrical content and a prog feel as well.  Geetar is solid, as expected.  Like it!

Leaven is cool.  There is definitely a difference in the song writing and feel of this band.  This isn't as Kansas-like as I thought it may be.  Though there are moments, this is far more intense of a listening experience and the songs, so far, have each been a journey.  Far more woodwinds than I would have expected as well.  But everything is working...

Quantum Leapfrog is killer quirky.  This is a very cool rock and roll ride!  Even though they get a little odder with that song with all the last names, it works!  The chorus, especially the closing was Yes-Like (think 90125 Yes).

There is nothing here to complain about unless your looking for a more commercial appeal, but prog lovers will love this, Kansas fans will love this, and that's enough for me.  I'm firmly in purchase-vile and looking into others.

Best LAOTW for 2015 already?  You will have to work hard to beat this one...

[RJhog (Admin)]

The first track is really cool.  The vocal style reminds me of that used by The Eagles on the song King Of Hollywood.  Do I hear a flute?  The guitar work is super.  Even that reminds me of The Long Run.  Well, the vocals at the end of the song aren't too good.  And track two is kind of sappy.  Other than the keyboards, I don't care for it.  I like the way track three moves from light to heavy and back again.  The whole album to this point has a very cool atmospheric tone to it.  I love this kind of production.

Next track keeps up the light to heavy movement, but the song sounds a bit more symphonic to me than what we've heard so far.  And the nice guitar playing is followed up by some hot guitaring on the next track (Quantum Leapfrog). And I've heard this lawyer song before.  You used it on one of those IMHO playlists.  Didn't you?  That's a rhetorical question.  I know you did.

The rest of the album is just okay.  It seemed to lose that atmosphere I referred to earlier starting with Quantum Leapfrog.  I will say that Heavenly Man is pretty good.  

So this was a pretty good listen, with the first half being much more interesting than the second half for me.  I do own one Proto-Kaw album, Forth.  I think that is their last album to date.  Anyway, maybe last week's post has the edge for me, but this was worthy.