It was also during this period that Livgren started to get into various forms of mysticism and Eastern philosophies that increasingly influenced both his music and his lyrics.

Many fell by the wayside while others made their way onto the demo tapes the band recorded between 1971-73. Kansas II proved to be a very prolific songwriting period for Livgren who literally 'cranked out songs nonstop'.

The end result was the second version of Kansas that, for the most part, was a musical continuation of Kansas I in which the band tried to be as unorthodox and original as it possibly could. (They were able to use the moniker due to trademarking it.) The four original members of Saratoga - Livgren, keyboardist Don Montre, vocalist Lynn Meredith and keyboardist Dan Wright - were soon joined by drummer Zeke Low, bassist Rod Mikinski and saxophonist/flutist John Bolton. Musical differences, in the end, caused the group to split apart: Ehart and Hope wanted to go in a more conventional hard rock direction, while Livgren desired to pursue an 'orchestral jazz-rock-classical sound'.Īfter the breakup of Kansas I in 1970, the members from White Clover reverted to their original moniker while those from Saratoga continued on under the name Kansas. When Kansas I was booked at an outdoor pop festival with Deep Purple in Albuquerque, for instance, the event was broke up before they could perform when a group of bikers incited a riot. Several disappointing experiences, however, helped lead to the bands demise. The first incarnation of Kansas proceeded to tour the Midwest extensively over the next year with its main claim to fame being opening for The Doors in New Orleans. When the issue of choosing a name came up, the new seven piece unit decided upon Kansas, a title which reflected not only the bands background but where it came from as well. The union brought the best members of both bands together, with the end result a local 'super group' in which guitarist/keyboardist Kerry Livgren (Saratoga) and drummer Phil Ehart and bassist Dave Hope (both White Clover) performed together for the first time. The origin of Kansas dates back to the early seventies and the merging of two Topeka based bands, Saratoga and White Clover. ' Every great composer I've ever looked up to has always refused to let the ways of the world dictate what their art would be.'

Carry on my wayward son lyrics meaning