Saturday 10 April 2010

Kayak - Starlight Dancer US (1977)

Tracklist:
1. I Want You To Be Mine (demo)
2. Ballad for a Lost Friend
3. Turn the Tide
4. Nothingness
5. Still My Heart Cries For You
6. Starlight Dancer
7. Love of a Victim
8. Land on the Water
9. Do You Care
10. Back to the Front
11. Irene (demo)


A good mix, but... – 7/10

Starlight Dancer got a different release in the United States of America and was actually a bit of a mix between The Last Encore and the genuine release of Starlight Dancer. Furthermore there is one entirely new track and two demo versions the American record label Janus Records apparently preferred. Since I’m not an American, it’s hard to see this release as a real album instead of a compilation.

Why the hell they replaced the official versions of “Irene” and “Want You to Be Mine” with demos is beyond me. The original versions sound a lot more complete and less empty. Besides that, they renamed the track to “I Want You to Be Mine”, and I think the “I” makes the title less flowing. But I guess the panpipes in “Irene” are enjoyable. Then they included “Ballad for a Lost Friend” on the album, which later appeared as a b-side of “Phantom of the Night”. The song reminds again of The Last Encore, whose best tracks are also included on this edition. Furthermore I find the selection of tracks from Starlight Dancer quite surprising. Why choose “Turn the Tide”? Why not “Where Do We Go from Here”, “Dead Bird Flies Forever” or “May”? Or even “Golddust”? I do understand the title track, of course, there would be no naming this album like that without the song. And then there is the different cover art, which is identical to The Last Encore’s cover art, except from the album title of course.

The selection of tracks from The Last Encore is very well chosen and covers the best of the album. I understand not all good tracks could feature on this release, but there’s a significant selection nonetheless. The great anthemic “Land on the Water” and “Do You Care”, combined with the more aggressive “Still My Heart Cries For You”; the obscure “Back to the Front” alongside the fast-paced “Love of a Victim” and the great ballad “Nothingness”. I think it’s quite a good compilation, but it’s evidently lacking songs and is incomplete. I would probably recommend this compilation to possible new fans, but with the knowledge of the full versions of both albums in mind, this release is not desirable. The demo versions and the new song feature on compilation box Three Originals anyway, together with the genuine Starlight Dancer, Phantom of the Night and Periscope Life releases.

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