Friday 11 April 2014

Carry on Wayward Son (Kansas, 1976)

One of those widely known songs despite their patent prog inspiration. And this one's got all the features a hit should have: a catchy chorus, an enthralling rythm, a splendid vocal performance and a good 5 minutes of length. But this is also a prog song, displaying some tempo changes, a wide range of acoustic and electric instruments, a well structured interplay and even kind of a division into sections. The spirit of European prog, filtered through a strong American mainstream rock culture, results in a perfectly balanced up-tempo song.

This single was certified Gold, peaking at #11 in US charts.
Unfortunately, it's an edited version of 3:26 minutes.


The choral intro featuring the chorus of the song is stunning, then we enjoy the guitar riff - with a bonus piano - and a short guitar solo, followed by a melodic sung section and the chorus. The track goes on with more verse and chorus, then a different guitar riff and even a Hammond - electric guitar dialogue. Wow... there's a bit of everything here! And don't miss the guitar-lead finale. Pure music, pure joy.

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