In 1969, Don Montre (keyboards) and Kerry Livgren (guitar) were performing in a band called the Reasons Why in their hometown of Topeka, Kansas. After leaving to form the band Saratoga with Lynn Meredith and Dan Wright, they started playing Livgren's original material, with Scott Kessler adding bass and Zeke Lowe coming in on drums. In the meantime drummer Phil Ehart was playing with his band White Clover, alongside Ferdy Baumgart on keyboards, Forrest Chapman on bass, Greg Gucker and Bill Fast on guitars, and Greg Allen on vocals. Ehart contacted Livgren about joining him in his band after hearing that Livgren's band Kansas (a renamed version of Saratoga) had recently disbanded. Livgren, along with vocalists Lynn Meredith and Greg Allen, keyboardists Don Montre and Dan Wright and saxophonist Larry Baker, joined Ehart and bassist Dave Hope in White Clover, recording some of their rehearsals in November 1968 for a demo tape, and then performing at the New Orleans Pop Festival in 1969. In 1970 they changed the band's name to Kansas, and this band (sometimes called Kansas I) lasted until early 1971 when Ehart, Hope and some of the others left to re-form White Clover. In 1972, after Ehart returned from England, where he had gone to look for other musicians, he and Hope re-formed White Clover with Robby Steinhardt (vocals, violin, viola, cello), Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, percussion) and Rich Williams (guitars). In early 1973 they recruited Livgren from the second Kansas group, which then folded, and in February 1973 this new line-up of White Clover recorded a $300 six-song demo tape, which, after winning fleeting interest from the Grunt label of Jefferson Airplane fame, was picked up by Wally Gold of Kirshner Records, who signed them to the label for £10,000.00. After signing with Kirshner the group decided to return to using the name Kansas (now referred to as Kansas II), and they rush-recorded their eponymous debut at New York's Record Plant over a few days in July 1973, kick-starting a 50 year career as one of the best US progressive rock bands of all time. Both sets of demos have surfaced over the years, and of the two I much prefer the 1968/1970 ones, as the 1973 session consists mostly of covers from Steppenwolf, Cream, The Doors, The Beatles, and The Bee Gees, whereas the earlier demos included a lot of original material. So here is some great music from the first version of White Clover, including one final track from the 1971 incarnation of the band, which, after some convoluted line-up changes, eventually morphed into the Kansas that we know and love today.
Track listing
01 (Keep Your People) Dancin'
02 Color Rise
03 Instrumental #1
04 I Will Be The One
05 Imaginary Woman
06 If I Were Free
07 The Organ Plays For Me
08 Bongo Queen
