Kayak - Letters from Utopia (2009)

Tracklist:
1. Rhea
2. Because I...
3. Turbulence
4. Before the Angels Fell
5. Breaking the News
6. For All the Wrong Reasons
7. Under the Radar
8. Hard Work
9. Nobody Wins

1. Circles in the Sand
2. Never Was
3. Glass Bottom Boat
4. Horror in Action
5. A Whisper
6. Parallel Universe
7. Let the Record Show
8. Brothers in Rhyme
9. When the Love Has Gone
10. Letters From Utopia

Good, but could’ve been better – 7,5/10

The celebrated lineup that produced Coming Up For Air has hereby released their second and last album. This is the last album ever to feature drummer, composer and founder Pim Koopman, which makes this album quite special. A quick listen lets us conclude that the band continued in the same vein of the previous album. Yet there is one thing... it is a double album?! And there’s not even a concept... They must have a VERY good reason for doing this. Coincidentally, they stated on the site that they simply recorded too many songs. And that’s just the reason why this album is not as great as it could’ve or should’ve been.

Oh yes, there still is that heavy prog sound of deep and heavy guitars combined with the clear and fresh synthesizers. There’s a good variation of the powerful voice of Cindy Oudshoorn and the sweet voice of Edward Reekers, with the occasional entry of the somewhat hoarse voice of Rob Vunderink. Surely, the vocal performance on most of the songs is absolutely great and one of the stronger elements of Letters From Utopia. Only Edward Reekers sometimes seems to let himself go on auto-pilot, thus sounding rather uninspired at for example “Circles in the Sand”. This album mainly expands on the sound of the previous album, but this time also includes true epics and anthems such as “Before the Angels Fell” and “Nobody Wins”. Also, Pim Koopman seems on fire with his compositions as they are among the best songs. They are few, but great. The majority is written by Ton Scherpenzeel, who is responsible for some true gems, but also for the mindless filler material. It’s also good to see Edward Reekers having written his first song for Kayak. “Horror in Action” that is, and it’s got a bit of a nostalgic early 70s sound.

This album is overlong. We’ve got 19 song spread over two discs, but I can tell you it would’ve been a better idea to release one disc with a little less tracks. They could’ve used the other tracks as bonustracks or b-sides, if they wanted. Now let’s begin with the album-worthy tracks. “Rhea” opens the album with an insane synth-riff and some wah-wah guitar underneath. The verses are a real treat with cool guitarlicks by Joost Vergoossen between the words. “Because I...” is the first Koopman song you’ll meet. It’s an enchanting ballad with the heights on Reekers’ voice instantly reminding of the good ol’ 70s period. The transition from Reekers to Oudshoorn on vocals is a brilliant move. There’s the 8-or-9-minute epic “Before the Angels Fell”. All three vocalists feature here, beginning with Oudshoorn and a piano background, which soon turns into Reekers and a cheerful dragging synth-rock accompaniment. Not long after it becomes a truly symphonic masterpiece when the epic guitar melody is blown into your ears. Soon Oudshoorn comes back for some rock, and a little later Vunderink will accompany you through a fast-paced rock piece. And then it goes back to Reekers, the melody, Oudshoorn, a climax, and a sad instrumental outro. Without a doubt it’s one of the best songs Kayak released since 2003’s rock opera. “Under the Radar” sounds very nostalgic and sounds like it could’ve been released in the early 70s, just like “Horror in Action”. Other great tracks will have to be the Koopman tracks “Nobody Wins”, “Brothers in Rhyme” and “Let the Record Show”. The first two are downright epic, and the third is a pop song that just sounds very fresh.

Then the darker side of this album... I appreciate Kayak is trying to grow balls and implements more hard rock tracks on their albums, but “Turbulence” is not the way to go. It features a non-catchy synth-theme with VERY boring and hectic drums. There’re some perhaps funny things in the chorus, like the little screams by Rob Vunderink, but overall it’s just not well found. There are some good hard rock tracks on this album though, like “Hard Work” and “Glass Bottom Boat”, although they might not always fit in between the other tracks. “Circles in the Sand” is a ballad without power. That being said it mainly features Scherpenzeel on piano and synth and Reekers on the microphone; there’s no build up, which I take it, was done on purposely to let the lyrics gain a climax, but it’s the worst way ever to open a disc. “Never Was” sounds like it could’ve been epic and I guess it is a little, but it’s nothing we haven’t heard before on this 2CD. “Parallel Universe” is a power ballad with Oudshoorn on vocals, but again we’ve heard it before. We don’t want too many of the same, and that’s this album’s biggest mistake.

All in all, this is not a bad release, but it contains too many songs. Luckily, modern technology allows us to delete those tracks we don’t want to hear in any media player, thus giving us the destined but subjective tracklist of Letters From Utopia. Here down below I will put my suggestion of the tracklist. I sincerely recommend this album to Kayak fans, since it’s just another good album, really.

Strongest tracks: “Because I...”, “Before the Angels Fell” and “Nobody Wins”.
Weakest tracks: “Turbulence” and “Circles in the Sand”.

Suggested tracklist:
1. Rhea
2. Because I...
3. Under the Radar
4. Before the Angels Fell
5. Breaking the News
6. Hard Work
7. For All the Wrong Reasons
8. A Whisper
9. Glass Bottom Boat
10. Let the Record Show
11. Brothers in Rhyme
12. Letters From Utopia
13. When the Love has Gone
14. Nobody Wins

Kayak - The Anniversary Box (2008)

The Fan's Choice
1. See See the Sun
2. Lovely Luna
3. They Get to Know Me
4. Mountain Too Rough
5. If This Is Your Welcome
6. Life of Gold
7. Still My Heart Cries For You
8. Relics From a Distant Age
9. Daughter or Son
10. Phantom of the Night
11. Daphne
12. Anne
13. Lost Blue of Chartres
14. Love's Aglow

1. Frozen Flame
2. Forever
3. Icarus
4. Tradition
5. Avalon
6. The Last Battle
7. Friend of the Stars
8. When Hearts Grow Cold [live 2006]
9. Broken White
10. Cried for Love
11. Love Lies
12. Never Before
13. Dear Lover

The Anniversary Concert
1. Alienation
2. Time Stand Still
3. Man in the Cocoon
4. Merlin
5. When the Seer Looks Away
6. Niniane
7. Freezing
8. Sad State of Affairs
9. Medea
10. Behold the Firelight
11. Hold Me Forever
12. Only You and I Know
13. Where Do We Go From Here

1. Medley: Lyrics/Mammoth/See See the Sun
2. Irene
3. Close to the Fire
4. Undecided
5. Coming Up For Air
6. Celestial Science
7. Pagan's Paradise
8. Settle Down
9. The Flying Squadron
10. Act of Despair
11. Starlight Dancer
12. Chance for a Lifetime
13. Sad to Say Farewell
14. Selfmade Castle
15. Ruthless Queen

Rejoice... or perhaps not – 7,5/10

Kayak’s Anniversary Box is perhaps the most expensive Kayak item to be found in the store. As soon as I see a price tag that high, you’d want to conclude that the content of this Box must be pretty special. Well I’m here to reveal the mystery for you all... it’s not that special really. What we’ve got is a fan-assembled double compilation album and a concert from the Anniversary Tour on 2CD and DVD. That makes it five discs to enjoy or endure.

Really this Box is quite interesting, even though I might sound a little unenthusiastic towards it. It’s just not something you’ll be likely to listen to a lot. Let’s begin with the compilation album The Fan’s Choice. They were allowed to pick their favorite track from each album, and so the songs with the most votes made it to this album. It’s practically a time travel from 1973 to 2008. A true collector would already own most of these songs, but it’s good to hear them in remastered state for once. The best thing about the compilation is the inclusion of three rare tracks and one brand new song. The Japanese bonus tracks from Close to the Fire and Night Vision were included here. “Cried for Love” and “Love Lies” are from the former album, and are quite good songs with a little bit of a poppy sound, while “Never Before” from Night Vision doesn’t really fascinate me. The new track called “Dear Lover” is a very ambient power ballad with Cindy Oudshoorn on the vocals. The song is definitely worth checking out.

Then we get to the live part of the Box. The 2CD version of the Paradiso concert makes the exact same mistake as done with 2001’s Chance for a LIVEtime. They cut out all the talking in between the songs, while the DVD testifies that there in fact were conversations with the crowd. Now it’s just the new Kayak lineup playing their songs and older songs with applause in between. Perhaps it’s Eyewitness part III, you’d think if you would not have seen the DVD. The DVD gives us the full concert experience and shows perfectly how Kayak was on stage in 2008. Having been at a concert in that very tour, I can say it’s just a perfect rendition and reliving of the show I attended, which is exactly what the DVD should be all about. A shame I can’t say the same thing about the 2CD. Kayak need to understand what live albums are all about; it’s not about the songs and the applause, it’s about the ambience and the live feel of the album. Just songs and applause do not create a live atmosphere.

With possibly one of the most time spanning compilations of Kayak ever and with an excellent concert on DVD, The Anniversary Box makes a good Kayak collector’s item. I wouldn’t recommend this to the new fans though, simply because the price you could invest in this Box should go to the full-length studio albums instead.

Kayak - Undecided [Single] (2008)

Tracklist:
1. Undecided
2. Beat the Clock
3. [enhanced cd-rom part]










Great Track and Great Extras – 8,5/10

After hearing the Coming Up For Air album a few times, it’s not really a curious decision to release “Undecided” as a single. It’s catchy, well-composed and has a quite modern sound. If it was not Kayak, but some top 40 band who released this, I think it would even have been a hit.

The song starts with an intro played on acoustic guitar, accompanied by the piano. Towards the chorus more weight is thrown in in terms of guitars and drums and in the chorus there are obvious signs of the modern radio ballads in the arrangements. It holds a bit of a catchy epicness inside, but at the same time sounds a bit cheap. Of course, Kayak hides the cheapness with multiple voices, irregular drum patterns and a shrieking guitar solo by Joost Vergoossen.

This is one of my favorite Kayak singles due to the b-side. We got a totally new song here! “Beat the Clock” is understandably not on the album, yet still is a great track, featuring Rob Vunderink on lead vocals. It’s an up-tempo rock track with a steady pace and contains a lot of energy. It’s no earkiller, but it’s certainly enjoyable to say the least.

Other extra’s are featured in the enhanced part. Put the disc in your CD-ROM drive and you’ll be allowed to watch a part of the Nostradamus live show! It’s only a bit of backstage footage and a large part of the second CD of Nostradamus performed live with the cast and crew. It’s really awesome to see this, recorded from the audience by a Kayak official. Where I think the Nostradamus album was dull, it totally comes to life when performed, and this release gives us a teaser of how great a possible DVD could have been.

Conclusion: this is a great release. I don’t doubt this is one great release. With a great lead track, a very enjoyable previously unreleased b-side and very rare and previously unreleased footage to a Nostradamus performance, I can safely say this single is worth every cent of your money. Highly recommended to Kayak fans; this is essential.

Kayak - Coming Up For Air (2008)

Tracklist:
1. Alienation
2. Man in the Cocoon
3. Time Stand Still
4. Freezing
5. Medea
6. Daughter of the Moon
7. Undecided
8. Sad State of Affairs
9. About You Without You
10. The Mask and the Mirror
11. Selfmade Castle
12. What I'm About to Say
13. Wonderful Day
14. Broken White
15. Coming Up For Air

Back to Business – 7,5/10

Kayak decided not to continue the line of rock operas and released a ‘normal’ album with Coming Up For Air. Such a normal full-length album with concept-less tracks shows the true capabilities of the lineup, just like Close to the Fire and Night Vision showed what that very lineup was capable of at that time. Coming Up For Air is no different and features another totally new lineup, one that would last for two studio albums, which hasn’t happened since 1978-1981. Bert Heerink has left the band again and Edward Reekers is now a full member of the band again, and the male lead singer; Cindy Oudshoorn decided to stay with Kayak after having sung roles in the rock operas; the new bassist found to replace the departure of Bert Veldkamp in 2005 is Jan van Olffen, one who deserves the spot without a doubt. The lineup is technically very strong and the success of the album would have to rely on pure songwriting.

In this department Kayak almost never disappoints and so this album did not do so either. They’ve adopted quite a heavy progrock sound, but still very different from the sound on Night Vision, mostly due to the changes on vocal area and the lead guitarist. There’s a bright atmosphere, partly due to the bright and clear use of synthesizers combined with often quite heavy guitar riffs in good variation with softer ballads with a lot of emotion. And still, the trademark Kayak sound is throughout every note they play. Even though there’s so much difference with the Kayak from the 70s, it still sound like it’s that very band after all. The album opens most impressively with the bombastic “Alienation”. A burst of melodic synthesizer melody combined with a heavy guitar blows in your mind and the heavy prog tunes are impossible not to notice. The verses are quite mellow, but the chorus quickly links to that killer synth-melody. What comes to mind quite instantly is the privilege of Cindy Oudshoorn to sing all the heavy rockers such as “Man in the Cocoon” and “Selfmade Castle”. These songs might even remind of progressive metal if not for the Kayak-esque arrangements. It is to Edward Reekers to sing the typical Kayak progrockers such as “Time Stand Still”, “About You Without You” or the cheery “Wonderful Day”. Vunderink does not get to sing lead very often, but does a good job on the funny “Sad State of Affairs”.

Interesting on this album are the ballads. Oudshoorn gets to sing two of them, “Freezing” and “What I’m About to Say”, two of which hold great power and epicness, especially the former. Oudshoorn holds this power in her voice Reekers lacks, which is probably why she is chosen to sing the more powerful songs. Reekers gets to sing the sweet ballads, which he does very well, as we already know from his earlier recordings with Kayak. “Medea”, “Daughter of the Moon” and “Broken White” are excellent examples of his great vocal performances, but he tends to sound uninspired at times, depending on the mood of the listener. I think it is safe to say he lost some of his vocal abilities throughout the years, but that still doesn’t mean he can’t sing; he sings outstandingly, just not as well as I remember. Notable is the album single, “Undecided” sung by Oudshoorn, which is a surprising track as it sounds very modern, which is probably the reason it was released as a single. “The Mask and the Mirror” is an odd track as it at first seems like a(nother) good pianoballad with Reekers, but later all five vocalists go wild in a chaotic scene just before an instrumental outburst of guitar solo. From there it repeats a few times and closes with an accordion melody. Last, not least, the title track is the only track longer than four-and-a-half minutes, peaking at a little over six. The song has just started or Oudshoorn enters in panic and soon it turns into a true heavy progrocker. There’s a great riff, a great melody and everything to turn this into a good song... until the break comes. Some waltz-rhythm takes us to Reekers and some stupid rhymes, just before we go to the reprise of the rock riff and guitar solo (which is good again). How you can force a long song like this? And then ruin it with a waltz that totally doesn’t fit the rest of the song? ...

In the end, this album is far from bad. But I wouldn’t rank it with the best albums ever either. Even though I have constantly been quite positive, there’s something on the album that’s unlikable. Perhaps it is the ballad overload; perhaps it is the song quantity; perhaps this is more just a collections of written-and-recorded songs rather than an album... ah well. It doesn’t matter. Though it might be bit messy, long and balladish at times, this album is a true definition of Kayak in 2008. This is what this lineup is capable of. I would still highly recommend it to true Kayak fans; they would probably like this.

Strongest tracks: “Alienation”, “Freezing” and “Broken White”.

Kayak - Kayakoustic Live (2007)

Tracklist:
1. See See the Sun (intro)
2. What's in a Name
3. Only You and I Know
4. Anne
5. Threesome
6. Hold Me Forever
7. (You're So) Bizarre
8. Land on the Water
9. First Signs of Spring
10. Daughter or Son
11. Want You to be Mine
12. Ivory Dance
13. The Fate of Man
14. See See the Sun
15. Royal Bed Bouncer [*]
16. When Hearts Grow Cold [*]
17. Act of Despair [*]
18. Chance for a Lifetime [*]

The First Real Kayak Live Album – 7,8/10

After the frustrations of the financial problems concerning a possible second leg of the Nostradamus tour, Kayak decided to take it easy and do an acoustic tour with many old hits that have not been played in the tours of the rock operas. This album introduces the new bassist Jan van Olffen, who does a good job playing his instrument. Vocalist Bert Heerink has left the band and is now fully replaced by Edward Reekers, the man who sung “Ruthless Queen” in 1978.

In a way this is the first real Kayak live album. That title was something the band gave to 2001’s Chance for a LIVEtime, but with all those cuts and edits it could’ve easily been Eyewitness II. Kayakoustic features less edits and has got true speeches and words of thanks. Apart from that it’s got the greatest tracklist, featuring a lot of uncommon tunes from both the 70s and the 00s. It even goes as far to add a guitar solo, or at least a solo song by guitarist Joost Vergoossen, called “Threesome”, which serves as a beautiful intro to “Hold Me Forever”, now sung by Cindy Oudshoorn, who decided to become a permanent Kayak member after the last rock opera. As the name of the album might suggest, it’s all acoustic. Shows in the tour featured one half entirely acoustic, and the other half entirely electric. This album features half a concert, with four bonus tracks from the electric half including great surprises such as “Royal Bed Bouncer”. I am also very glad to see “Land on the Water”, “(You’re So) Bizarre” and “First Signs of Spring” on the acoustic side. All of them are true album tracks and true gems, and I’m glad Kayak decided they deserved to be played live twenty years after they were written. Another great surprise is the inclusion “Ivory Dance”, originally an instrumental b-side to “Phantom of the Night”. When b-sides get a live version, anything is possible. Perhaps a bit of a downside to this album is the sound quality. Everything sounds perfect, except Rob Vunderink, he is a lot softer than the other vocalists. Actually the whole backing vocal-section can use a bit of an overhaul.

You see, I don’t need a Freddie Mercury type frontman to make my live albums enjoyable; I just don’t fancy too much edits. This album features the necessary edits, but still maintains its live ambience by keeping some speeches intact and by letting the vocalists thank the audience for their applause. These are two necessities live albums should have, and this one has both. If you need a live album by this band, then it’s this one I’ll recommend, even though it’s acoustic.

Highlights: “Threesome/Hold Me Forever”, “Land on the Water” and “Ivory Dance”.

Kayak - Act of Despair [Single] (2006)

Tracklist:
1. Act of Despair
2. The Inquisition [New Edit Version]
3. The Fate of Man










An act of despair? – 7,5/10

To release this single from the Nostradamus musical from all the other songs, was that an act of despair? Perhaps. Although the musical contained a lot of single-worthy material, there’s no surprise the old symphonic rockers chose this very song to promote their album. It pretty much sums up Kayak as a band and it features Edward Reekers, the man who sung on the big hit “Ruthless Queen”. What better promotion is there? If fans who disbanded the band when Heerink joined would have heard this on the radio they would certainly need to come back to the band instantly.

Yes, I am convinced “Act of Despair” was the proper track to be released as a single. It’s a beautiful piano ballad with a slightly sad tone featuring our beloved Edward Reekers on vocals and boy he can still sing those ballads with so much passion. A really fine guitar solo by Joost Vergoossen adds the finishing touch to another Kayak classic. It’s accompanied by two b-sides. The first is a new edit version of “The Inquisition” with Rob Vunderink on vocals. I never was struck by the album version, but all this version seems to change is to shorten the Gregorian chants in the middle. The vocal performance is great; the riff is great; but the finishing is poor. The chorus lacks a lot of originality in the chorus, which just ruins the song. The second b-side is “The Fate of Man” with Cindy Oudshoorn on main lead vocals. It’s a good epic ballad with a sad tone and concludes the single release well. It’s quite funny they chose to add three songs each featuring one of the three remaining vocalists on the lead vocals. This single was probably released by the time the tour was over and Bert Heerink had left the band to record with his sister.

All in all, this is a good single. Though the b-sides may not be all that original, it’s good song material for two-third anyways, and it will do well to promote the album and the band’s current status. Highly recommended for those who collect Kayak singles.

Kayak - Nostradamus - The Fate of Man (2005)

Tracklist:
1. The Secret Study 1
2. Overture
3. Friend of the Stars 1
4. Celestial Science
5. The Student
6. Dance of Death 1
7. Fresh Air, Running Water, Rose Pills
8. The Monk's Comment 1
9. Seekers of Truth 1
10. Dance of Death 2
11. Save my Wife
12. The Monk's Comment 2
13. Pagan's Paradise
14. The Inquisition
15. The Wandering Years
16. The Monk's Comment 3
17. If History Was Mine Alone
18. Friend of the Stars 2

1. A Man With Remarkable Talents
2. Settle Down
3. The Monk's Comment 4
4. The Flying Squadron
5. Dance of Mirrors
6. A Royal Invitation
7. A Cruel Death + The Monk's Comment 5
8. Tell Me All
9. The Tournament
10. The Golden Cage
11. Seekers of Truth 2
12. Living in Two Realities
13. Act of Despair
14. The Secret Study 2
15. The Centuries
16. (You Won't Find Me) Alive at Sunrise
17. Friend of the Stars 3
18. Epilogue - The Fate of Man

From Rock Opera to Musical... – 6,8/10

I always like to think of Nostradamus as a rock opera gone out of hand; Scherpenzeel and Koopman’s enthusiasm that took the project too far. The success of Merlin – Bard of the Unseen probably caused them to go this far. They released another concept album; a double album. And this time it’s not 14 tracks of sheer brilliance, this time it’s 36 tracks with lots of tracks containing just some storytelling. A limited edition containing 12 tracks (or so) has also been released, for those who can’t stand musicals... maybe I should take a look at that.

The problem with this musical is not that it’s boring or badly composed; it’s just overlong. I love concept albums, but the problem with each and every single one of them is the unity as an album, thus making it almost impossible to single out standout tracks, since they’re all part of the album. At the time of release, I couldn’t really grasp this album. I have less trouble with it now, but it won’t be one of my favorites. There is a very large role-playing aspect to the album; Rob Vunderink takes care of all the enemies of Nostradamus; Bert Heerink plays Nostradamus; Cindy Oudshoorn (again) sings as Nostradamus’ second wife Anne Ponsarde; Monique van de Ster will star as the queen of France Catherine de Medici; Syb van de Ploeg plays the part of Jules Cesar Scaliger, Nostradamus’ friend and later enemy; and we see a returning Edward Reekers as a monk who comments on the story from heaven and is the storyteller. Apart from that, there are a few backing vocalists and Bert Veldkamp left the band so Ton Scherpenzeel plays bass here. Not that it matters; I hardly noticed Veldkamp’s bass playing anyway.

The first CD starts off quite fresh, but soon becomes dull and uninspired, with a few exceptions. The musical is introduced with “The Secret Study”, featuring Edward Reekers on vocals for the very first time since 1981. “Friend of the Stars 1” is the true entrance of the cast with each party introducing themselves a bit in a verse in a cheery ode to Nostradamus. The atmospheric “Celestial Science”, which contains a great melodic guitar solo by Joost Vergoossen, begins in the youth of our seer and the uplifting pace in “The Student” with Vunderink on vocals promise us a nice journey. Both “Dances of Death” feature depressing and slow signs of the plague entering the city, but are oh so tempting to skip. The beginning of “Fresh Air, Running Water, Rose Pills” features organ and lead guitar, and soon evolves in a melodic and slightly epic rocker to show how Nostradamus thinks the plague must be fought. A few chit-chats by Reekers later Van de Ploeg makes his entrance in “Seekers of Truth 1”, whose instrumental theme sounds like a rip-off of ABBA’s “Supertrouper”. The song itself sounds more straightforward rock than others, but ends up without having anyone impressed. “Save my Wife” is a highlight of the first CD, being a sad piano ballad where Nostradamus’ first wife and children have died. Heerink portrays the man and his situation expertly; he sounds as if he’s almost crying, and that works contagiously. “Pagan’s Paradise” is an uplifting introduction to queen Catherine de Medici disguised in a synth-rock track with slight resemblance to “The King’s Enchanter”. Then “The Inquisition” features a nice Hammond riff and verses, but blows everything with lacking originality in the chorus and an annoying Gregorian chant in the break. The rest of this album is not worth mentioning or listening; they don’t get stuck in your head anyway.

The second CD also begins strongly and gets weaker. “A Man with Remarkable Talents” sounds like an 80s disco track with Vunderink really starring as a vocalist. Nostradamus gets married again in the romantic duet of “Settle Down”, a piano ballad with an epic touch and a wonderful guitar solo. “The Flying Squadron” increases the pace with a touch of up-tempo rock. Highlight here would be the instrumental “Dance of Mirrors”, featuring a violin in the main theme, a driving rhythm on the drums and a disarming theme. “A Royal Invitation” shows the quality of Kayak’s ballads and “Tell Me All” takes it all back to rock ‘n roll, though beginning with a piano intro. An instrumental depiction of battle later we have a great power ballad in “The Golden Cage” with Van de Ster shining on vocals. Later songs really focus on the pathos and are increasingly depressing. Better tracks are the classic Kayak ballad “Act of Despair”, classic mostly due to the familiar vocals of Edward Reekers, and the instrumental “The Centuries” with its uncommon rhythm and time signature. Tracks like “Living in Two Realities” tend to rock but just sound like one chaotic mess, partly good because that’s probably what Nostradamus’ head is like at that time in the story, but partly bad because it really lacks any hooks. The “Epilogue – The Fate of Man” is a good closing track, though I find it wanting to be as good as 2003’s “Avalon”, while it doesn’t even come close.

There you have it. I see this album does not work as an album. If performed as a musical, which Kayak did, it could be great and unforgettable, but as an album it bores halfway and just is too long. I never liked listening to musical CDs anyway, and this is a musical only performed for one year and without a DVD performance... If all we have of this musical is this album, then the memory WILL fade away. Recommended to advanced Kayak fans.

Strongest moments: “Save my Wife”, “The Golden Cage” and “Act of Despair”.
Weakest moments: “Dance of Death”, “The Inquisition”, “The Wandering Years” and “The Tournament”.

Kayak - Merlin - Bard of the Unseen (2003)

Tracklist:
1. Merlin
2. Tintagel
3. The Future King
4. The Sword in the Stone
5. When the Seer Looks Away
6. Branded
7. At Arthur's Court
8. The Otherworld
9. The Purest of Knights
10. Friendship and Love
11. The King's Enchanter
12. Niniane (Lady of the Lake)
13. The Last Battle
14. Avalon

Kayak goes Rock Opera – 8/10

Now Rob Winter left the band and is replaced with soon-to-seem great guitarist Joost Vergoossen, thus leaving Kayak as unrecognizable to the older lineups. The reunion only lasted for one album since almost every lead instrument has seen multiple musicians (except for the keyboards of course). Especially after the estranging Night Vision I bet Kayak wanted to show the fans they were still Kayak and not just a Scherpenzeel/Koopman collaboration, so they took an old idea from the shelve. Remember the LP Merlin from 1981? They decided to take this story, rework all the old concept songs and include lots of new ones as well, thus creating their first rock opera ever. They even started dividing roles among the singers and hired Cindy Oudshoorn as a guest singer to play the role of Morgan LeFay. Promising, isn’t it?

This might all seem like a lame publicity stunt among the fans, but the funny thing is this trick does work and the band has become Kayak again. The fact that opening song “Merlin” is the same track as on the 1981 album is recognizable, albeit that this version is re-recorded and a true old-men’s version. It’s as slow as a snail but has a little more balls to it when it comes to solo guitars. Heerink’s vocals do not reach as powerful as Reekers, but we must not set too many demands and give Heerink a chance on the new songs. “Tintagel” has been transferred from piano ballad to synthesizer-atmospheric track and again lacks the strength of the original. “The Sword in the Stone” is actually a little improved. In the old version’s break we had a few barbarians shouting some words and cheering, but here we have Heerink singing the same words so we can hear what they are in a nice melody. “The King’s Enchanter” has been transferred from medieval panflute rocker to modern synth-guitar rocker with Oudshoorn singing it, which also makes a little more sense when looking at the story. “Niniane” did not change a great deal, except for the higher sound quality and the different vocals. It still holds all the magic it did when first released in 1981. The best thing about the album is that the new tracks have the same medieval atmosphere as the old tracks and mix quite well. Perhaps it was a good thing to change the things changed in the old songs just in order to make them sound better with the new ones.

Now the concept is complete and we finally know how Arthur came to die. The roles are Heerink as Merlin, Oudshoorn as Morgan and Vunderink as Mordred. This results in great duet songs of two enemies such as in “When the Seer Looks Away” or “The Last Battle”. Heerink and Oudshoorn take the roles of Lancelot and Guinevere for one song, which is the sweet little love ballad “Friendship and Love”. Oudshoorn soon proves to be able to sound very scary as Morgan in “When the Seer Looks Away”, as soon as the song explodes halfway. Vunderink gives us a taster of his voice on the fast-paced rocker “Branded”, filled with the anger of Mordred, but it all goes wild in his duet with Merlin in “The Last Battle”, an 8-minute epic with the war of words at first but soon the music will depict a true battle with both guitarists going wild in their solos and the wild themes flying in. The death of Arthur will be ‘celebrated’ in the closer “Avalon”, a very touching ballad which made me weep when heard for the first time. It once again features a duet between Merlin and Morgan, but this time without them being enemies. There are of course some other tracks worth mentioning. “The Otherworld” is another 8-minute epic (how does Kayak manage to get all their long songs last around 8 minutes?) disguised in a mysterious piece of progrock, featuring an intro of at least three minutes. An ode to the great adventures of the Knights of the Round Table is “The Purest of Knights”, featuring this heroic main theme and powerful knight-worthy vocals by our dearest Bert Heerink.

It’s a funny thing, really, how I came across this album for the first time. Someone once let me hear a cassette tape featuring Kayak’s 1981 album Merlin. I really liked it and decided to go and buy it. He never told me there were two versions of Merlin, so I got this one instead. It never disappointed me, except for the speed difference on the title track. Other than that this album is worth the price tag and the name Kayak. This was my first Kayak album, and I really recommend anyone who is curious to start with this one. It gives a good example of the more modern Kayak.

Strongest tracks: “When the Seer Looks Away”, “The Last Battle” and “Avalon”.

Kayak - Night Vision (2001)

Tracklist:
1. Icarus
2. Miracle Man
3. Cassandra
4. A Million Years
5. Water for Guns
6. The Way of the World
7. Hold Me Forever
8. Tradition
9. All Over Again
10. Life Without Parole
11. How
12. Carry on Boy
13. Good Riddance
14. Rings of Saturn

Still Kayak, yet different – 7/10

After a very successful comeback it’s hard to hold on to that line of success, especially when you just changed vocalist. Really, for the first album after a success you need some good ideas to at least compensate for the lack of familiarity in sound. After all, the addition of second guitarist and backing vocalist Rob Vunderink, who also featured on the previous live release, also gives a whole new dimension to Kayak, and a whole different sound. Well, the ideas are present, but they’re not half as good as they should have been. Yet I don’t understand one thing of it. When I look at the tracks there’s always something positive to say for each track, yet as an album it doesn’t work. On this record, Kayak sounded a lot less like Kayak by sounding real solid and sometimes even heavy. Alright, now they got two guitarists they need both of them to play something, and there are two different vocalists in the band, so it’s not very surprising this sounds all different. The name Night Vision suits the album very well, as it might be Kayak, but looked at through night goggles and thus sounding different.

Night Vision begins with “Icarus”, a track somewhat like “Close to the Fire” as they both open with 8-minute mid-paced epics with their somewhat mysterious atmospheres. “Icarus” is a good way to open this album as well since it shows us some well-composed progrock and some powerful vocals by newbie Heerink. The piano (and later synth) accompaniment sounds a bit stressful and knowing what will happen to Icarus in the myths there an excellent attempt at making the lyrics come alive. Somewhere in the middle the song collapses a little and falls into a depressing and sad prayer for Icarus not to fly to close to the sun, which is again a great lyric-theme-cooperation. “Miracle Man” is a mid-paced heavy song and a pretty dragging one. Place a heavy guitar underneath the song and you’ll get a downright metal song. It’s a pretty killer track but sounds very unlike Kayak at any point. Again there’re sad and depressing breaks after each chorus, and don’t worry, we’ll see more of those on this album. There are a few ballads on the album that don’t really stand out and are thus labeled as filler. Under this category fall “A Million Years”, “All Over Again” and “How”. All three are good to hear, but none of them will get stuck in your head. Fourteen songs after all is a lot and obviously do not contain solely diamonds. However, ballads like “Cassandra” and “Hold Me Forever” have a lot more character, thus resulting in at least one of them being played live in later years.

We return back to rock ‘n roll songs with fast-paced tracks such as “Water for Guns” and “Life Without Parole”. The former stands out with its great contrast between verse and chorus; swinging staccato in the verses and chaotic symphonic rock in the chorus, where Rob Vunderink grabs a piece of the lead vocals. The latter of the two features a good guitar riff and a light atmosphere with again Vunderink sharing lead vocals with Heerink. The two voices do sound very well together. Lesser rock songs turn out to be almost total failures, such as “Good Riddance” and “The Way of the World”. While I really don’t mind brass being added to rock music, they do, believe it or not, totally ruin the kickass ambience a good rock track has. Both these songs suffer enormously from the addition of brass, albeit synthesizer-fake brass. Apart from that, the songs are not very nice either. In the middle of the album Pim Koopman presents us with another 8-minute song called “Tradition”. The guitar riff is downright awesome and the song itself turns out to be among the better ones on the album, if only the depressing break would’ve been omitted. The “boy wants girl, girl wants boy”-part is not very bad in itself, but it returns quite often and there’s actually not a valid reason for the song to last 8-minutes. In “Carry on Boy” and “Rings of Saturn” we see catchy and AOR melodies we would have never thought Kayak would write, or record. Funny enough, I like them. The melodies are somewhat catchy and cheap, but they are cheerier than most of the album’s ballads and carry a positive ambience with them. They are unique for Night Vision.

Having given these descriptions, I don’t think this is a bad album at all. Sure, it’s not Kayak the way you are used to them (with exceptions), but that’s no reason to discard this album. I would definitely recommend this album to those interested, unless you are getting to know Kayak for the first time.

Strongest tracks: “Icarus”, “Miracle Man”, “Water for Guns” and “Tradition”.
Weakest tracks: “How” and “All Over Again”.

Kayak - When Hearts Grow Cold [Single] (2001)

Tracklist:
1. When Hearts Grow Cold (live)
2. See See the Sun (acoustic live)











Nothing to see here – 6/10

When a live album is not that great, it’s worth to be spat at, but when a live single lacks what the album lacks, it’s less of a deal. After all, here we have only two songs, so we’re not expecting anything, especially not because there are no new songs on the b-side.

We have two tracks taken from Chance For A LIVEtime, both with Heerink on vocals, who tries hard but can’t top the original vocalists on these classics. The performance of the band is quite fluently, there are no mistakes as far as I can hear. “When Hearts Grow Cold” is amazing in studio, but I fear this live version does not capture the same magic. The second voice added to the chorus quite decreased the beauty, even though they did try. The acoustic version of “See See the Sun” is quite nice, as it’s good to hear the multiple voices work quite well in live. So in fact these two tracks CAN make you have a good time for as long they last.

The big question is, why release this single? What is so great about the main song that it needs a single release? If you would release the studio version with Max Werner as a single, now that would make sense. It could even become a small hit. But this version just doesn’t add anything, doesn’t do anything stunning and in the end is just reduced to being essential for extreme completists, to which I would recommend this. If you’re not like such, then ignore the existence of this very item.

Kayak - Chance for a LIVEtime (2001)

Tracklist:
1. Close to the Fire
2. Crusader
3. When Hearts Grow Cold
4. Mammoth
5. Wintertime
6. Periscope Life
7. Sweet Revenge
8. See See the Sun (Acoustic)
9. Anne (Acoustic)
10. Anybody's Child (Acoustic)

1. Two Wrongs (Don't Make a Right)
2. Forever
3. Merlin
4. Niniane
5. Chance for a Lifetime
6. Starlight Dancer
7. Ruthless Queen
8. Full Circle

Chance Wasted – 3/10

What better way to celebrate a successful comeback is there than to release a live album where the fans can enjoy the classics mixed with the new songs and a good live ambience? It would also be the first REAL live album by the band and definitely something to look forward to. That’s exactly what I thought when I got this double-disc album from the store after managing to decrease the price, which was a good thing, since this is not something you’d want to waste much money on.

Kayak is a great band, with great and unique vocalists, but this live album just doesn’t capture it. The first thing you’ll notice immediately is... where is Max Werner? During the tour Werner was backed up by ex-VanderBerg singer Bert Heerink, and halfway he left the band and Heerink fully replaced him as the singer of Kayak. He doesn’t sing awful, not at all. But there’s something missing as he sings Werner songs. Above all, why not add some material with Werner; there have to be some recordings. It all sounds like one edited piece of pie anyways. And that’s the second problem, which I really dislike at live albums. They once again cut out all the communicating with the audience; the songs aren’t even announced, never! In the liner notes Ton Scherpenzeel so praises playing live with Kayak again and especially mentions the interaction with the audience as one of the highlights. Well show us how you do that then. Don’t fade away after a song; just let Heerink do a speech ON RECORD. This ruins entire albums. Scherpenzeel’s notes add: “This is for you to relive the memory of the tour...” Well, how can we relive it when we are estranged by the singer and we don’t hear audience speeches? There’s no live atmosphere. For all we know this could be Eyewitness Part Two.

Here’s a reason why Kayak should include the speeches, even though they’re in Dutch. Not only do they give the impression we’re listening to a live concert and not a studio LP with clappings, but also do they show how Kayak interacts with the audience. I’ve been at Kayak concerts and the speeches and talks are mostly funny and very nice to hear. So far I’ve heard only one live album by this band that understands what a live release needs, but the other joy I had to have from bootlegs. Recommended? No way. No wonder this abomination has been out of print, no one ever listens to it.

Kayak - Dream Child [Single] (2000)

Tracklist:
1. Dream Child
2. Starlight Dancer (live)











A Surprising Dream – 7,4/10

When you hear the entire Close to the Fire album, you start to wonder if some songs would’ve made it as singles... but not this song. It’s a good track, nevertheless, but a single has some things a single needs to be a successful single, but this song lacks those things. It’s not material for airplay, it’s not that catchy at all and it’s just too mellow. Apart from that, the song still is good, just not good as a single.

The A-side features “Dream Child”, a mysteriously arranged ballad about a kid that can’t sleep. That’s about it. It begins with plucking on a synth-drenched guitar and the commanding vocals of Max Werner. In this beginning it even threatens to become a really powerful song, but after a promising break the chorus stays in the gentle vibes and arrangements. The song is not bad at all, but not a chartbreaker and not immensely good as a stand-alone song. It’s an albumtrack, and keeps its power and charms when listened right after “When Hearts Grow Cold” and right before “Frozen Flame”.

The B-side is worth buying this single... the only official true live recording with Max Werner! “Starlight Dancer” is an old favorite and still stands as one of Kayak’s live classics, but no other vocalist can capture the essence of this song as well as Max Werner. There has not been any official Kayak live recording with Max Werner released before or after, so this makes it pretty special.

To conclude this review, if you are a Kayak collector, you should get this for the live b-side. If you are not a collector, then don’t bother searching for this single and you won’t find it either.

Kayak - Close to the Fire (2000)

Tracklist:
1. Close to the Fire
2. When Hearts Grow Cold
3. Dream Child
4. Frozen Flame
5. Forever
6. Worlds Apart
7. Crusader
8. Two Wrongs (Don't Make a Right)
9. Anybody's Child
10. Here Today
11. Just a Matter of Time
12. Full Circle
13. Ruthless Queen [*]

The Great Comeback – 8,5/10

About eighteen years after the breakup of Kayak in 1982 there finally appears a new studio album in store. It features almost the same lineup as on Royal Bed Bouncer and The Last Encore, which is my favorite lineup. The only difference is the absence of Johan Slager, who has been replaced with Rob Winter, thus not recapturing the magical sound of that very lineup. Furthermore, this was an album many looked forward too, and I don’t think they would have been disappointed.

Present is once more the somewhat raw and unique voice of Max Werner, who preferred to drum on the last Kayak albums before the breakup rather than sing. But we all rather hear him sing and we are given the joy of hearing him on the studio record for the last time. Bassist Bert Veldkamp and drummer Pim Koopman have both returned to Kayak as well, and this rhythm section still sounds as enchanting and subtle as ever. And of course, the always present Ton Scherpenzeel never dropped the value of his compositions. New guitarist Rob Winter is not Johan Slager, but nevertheless plays very satisfying. We get to hear the very impressive entrance to the album in the epic title track, changing from the mysterious intro with cold winds all the way to the adventurous and epic feel in the chorus. Not to mention the great flute melody that almost makes the song. The melody of the vocals leaves a powerful impression, especially with the power Max Werner gives to them. He sounds a lot fuller and lower on this album than on previous Kayak releases with his voice. The interplay is also nothing but a sign that Kayak returned to their fans not to play, but to demonstrate they are really back and not only for a one-effort. The massiveness of the title track is not really mirrored in the other tracks on the album. However, they’ve got their own beauty. “When Hearts Grow Cold” is a sad song with mostly piano and Werner. Like Kayak can do so well, the melody is incredibly beautiful, original and catchy. It’s magical. Just close you eyes and listen to the crying guitar of Rob Winter in combination to the piano and Werner’s sad vocals.

The album does not consist solely of massive epics and magical ballads. Track like “Two Wrongs” or “Just a Matter of Time” are happy pop songs heard and dismissed before on the Periscope Life album. Apart from that I think I can say there’s really good material on here. “Dream Child” recaptures the mysterious feel of the title track with powerful commanding vocals by Werner. There’s a sad epic in “Frozen Flame”, which might as well be the finest track of the album. Again the crying guitar theme makes the song and recaptures that magical feel of “When Hearts Grow Cold”. When Kayak go up-tempo they often produce less-quality tracks like “Two Wrongs”, but “Forever” is a true exception. It reminds a bit of “Dream Child”, but certainly has an own face as there’s much more energy in this track. The tension is built up brilliantly and this results in a pretty good rock song. Ballads like “Worlds Apart” and “Here Today” don’t end up as good as the earlier ballads, but still are decent songs, with both another sad theme. That’s quite depressing actually; all songs seem to have a theme related to lost love and failed relations (with the exception of “Close to the Fire” and “Full Circle”). “Crusader” gets noticed because of its strong guitars in the intro, soon swept aside by the main panflute melody which adds a cool ambience to the song. Halfway the power of the crusader decreases and there comes a soft break with the guitar weeping gently. After a few tears shed by Winter we get back to the great mid-paced main theme. It’s a great song... only a pity they go back to the guitar-cry-part somewhere near the end... a bit of a nasty way to end the song.

Two gems a bit more near the end are the last of your ear-worthy tracks. “Anybody’s Child” was written by Pim Koopman and is slightly anthemic in the chorus. It recaptures the magic set by “When Hearts Grow Cold”, but in a more cheerful way. A bit of a light between the dark themes of all the other songs. “Full Circle”, the album closer, is among the best tracks of the album. It starts off with a bit of a Caledonian folk gentle part and soon evolves into a wild folk dance with the drummer having a lot of fun. Guitarist Andy Latimer from Camel makes an appearance here, and I guess he does the well-sounding folk melodies. There’s a bonus track added to every edition, which is a re-recording of their biggest commercial hit “Ruthless Queen”, with Syb van de Ploeg from De Kast on vocals. I always hated this version. Van de Ploeg does not sing it well at all. They should not have included it.

All in all, Close to the Fire does not rank up with Royal Bed Bouncer and The Last Encore, but is a damn good attempt at doing so. This album will belong to any Kayak fan’s top 5 without question. Highly recommended if you like Kayak.

Strongest tracks: “Close to the Fire”, “Frozen Flame” and “Full Circle”.
Weakest tracks: “Two Wrongs” and “Just a Matter of Time”.

Kayak - Close to the Fire [Single] (2000)

Tracklist:
1. Close to the Fire [radio edit]
2. Close to the Fire [album version]











Extract from the Comeback – 8,5/10

About eighteen years after the breakup of Kayak in 1982 there finally appears a new studio album in store. The title track was chosen to be the first single. I don’t know whether they expected commercial success again, but I doubt this track, though a masterpiece, would’ve made it to the charts.

There are two tracks on this cardsleeve release. “Close to the Fire” and its radio edit. Since the non-edit version easily reaches the 8-minute mark, it’s not an odd decision to release a radio edit as well. First the album version. It starts off very mysteriously with some kind of storm coming up; later on atmospheric synthesizers join the adventure and Max Werner comes in with his unmistakably recognizable voice, making sure we’re listening to Kayak, and not one of Ton Scherpenzeel’s many projects since 1982. After a commanding first verse, everything falls silent and recorders take over to play an epic melody. And then the song has really started with the same cold and mysterious atmosphere that lasts all the way to the powerful chorus. This is progressive rock at its best. The radio edit cuts away the mysterious atmosphere by completely removing the intro and the first verse. We instead begin straight away with the flute melody, accompanied with powerful drums by Pim Koopman. And the length has been reduced to a little over four minutes, which means an incredibly large part has been removed. Ah well, luckily we’ve got the album version too, which really signifies Kayak is back and strong.

All in all, this promises a lot for the comeback album Close to the Fire. I would gladly recommend this single to you, but since it’s pretty rare and expensive you would rather get a copy of the full album instead (if you can even find that one). The radio edit is not that interesting anyway and is just a little goodie for the real collectors.

Kayak - Eyewitness (1981)

Tracklist:
1. Eyewitness
2. Periscope Life
3. Ruthless Queen
4. Want You To Be Mine
5. Lyrics
6. Chance for a Lifetime
7. Who's Fooling Who
8. Irene
9. Only You and I Know
10. Winning Ways
11. Starlight Dancer
12. No Man's Land
13. The Car Enchanter [*]
14. Ivory Dance '94 [*]

Supposed Swan Song of a Great Band – 5/10

Due to Merlin’s lack of commercial success things went drastically wrong with Kayak and before we knew it they were facing their end. The female backing vocalists left the band, reducing the band’s size to five members. They recorded this fake live album just before Max Werner, Peter Scherpeneel and Edward Reekers left. Soon afterwards new members were hired, like ex-member Bert Veldkamp on bass, but they eventually were a different band under the name of Europe. In other words, the original Kayak legend was ended with Eyewitness, a studio live album.

So what does this album feature? There are three songs never heard on a genuine studio album before: “Eyewitness”, “Only You and I Know” and “Who’s Fooling Who”. They could all have been on the Starlight Dancer LP in terms of style. All three songs are worth listening to. The rest of the album is filled with the bigger hits and mostly with songs from their commercial period. It’s sad to see there’s no Merlin material played. Now this is not the only sad thing. A live album can still be saved by the great interaction with the crowd. As I bought the CD with its beautiful front cover, I was expecting to hear the crowd welcoming me. Unfortunately, there’s no crowd. You heard me, there is no crowd! No fans cheering. It seems Eyewitness is recorded ‘live’ in the studio, featuring overdubs and everything. They asked five fans (or perhaps a bit more) to listen to the recordings and clap and cheer as they would do in a real concert. Apparently, Ton Scherpenzeel was ashamed of that decision (and he should be!) and released the CD version without the crowd. So what we have here is a stripped down live performance.

*sigh* Well... yes the performance is tight. Yay, we have three new songs. Even if it were a live album it would be very boring. There is never a ‘Thank You!’ or a ‘This is Ruthless Queen!’ announcer anywhere. Of course, recorded in the studio this is obvious, but hey! If you’re trying to fake a live album than at least give it a good shot! These re-recordings are not at all fun to listen to, even if they might sound good. The only song that is different from the studio version is “Periscope Life”, which now features a heavier guitar riff and some better keyboard arrangements. Apart from that, it’s all the way we know it. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the new songs of course, which are good. But still, I’d like to hear the version with the crowd once. As all CD releases released through Pseudonym records, Eyewitness features two bonus tracks as well. “The Car Enchanter” is just the same as Merlin’s “The King’s Enchanter”, but then with different lyrics to promote a paint-factory. “Ivory Dance ‘94” is a re-record of the b-side “Ivory Dance” and is funny and nice, but not essential. No matter how you see it, this album is far from essential and nowadays it is more of a Best Of than a live album.

All in all, Eyewitness is not a good record. Don’t expect anything breathtaking. The band plays good, the singers sing good, but hey: they always do so in studio. Get the new tracks through iTunes or something like that, and forget about the rest. This album is for collectors only.

Kayak - Merlin (1981)

Tracklist:
1. Merlin
2. Tintagel
3. The Sword in the Stone
4. The King's Enchanter
5. Niniane (Lady of the Lake)
6. Seagull
7. Boogie Heart
8. Now That We've Come This Far
9. Can't Afford to Lose
10. Love's Aglow



A Milestone - 8/10

After two to three substandard albums Kayak delivers Merlin, a return-to-prog record featuring the same lineup as on Phantom of the Night and Periscope Life, how unbelievable it may seem. The first half of the album is led by the story of Merlin, the wizard who guided King Arthur during his reign. For the first time since 1976’s The Last Encore, the band sounds fresh again, and that’s exactly what makes this record stand out. It’s also the final album featuring both female backing vocalists, Irene Linders and Katherine Lapthorn, although the former will remain to write lyrics on later releases. Unfortunately, due to the lack of success at that time for this album, this makes the group’s final full-length release before the reunion in 1999.

We have seen many sides of Kayak, but never a symphonic record with our dearest Edward Reekers on vocals. Therefore the opening track sounds recognizably Kayak, but yet refreshingly new. “Merlin” has this arctic wind intro with Reekers singing the best melodies he has done since he took the vocal duties from Max Werner. After a while the song bursts out into a fast-paced symphonic rocker with heroic melodies and great atmospheric synths. Reekers sounds powerful in the rock verses and for the first time really fascinates me in a rock song. The song also shows the full potential of Kayak’s multiple vocalists. Though they never lent lead vocals to someone else since Pim Koopman left in 1976, they always had backing vocalists. In the break they perform a multi-vocal interplay with great harmonies. “Tintagel” takes the enchanting atmosphere created by the title track even further into a mystic ballad with piano accompaniments. On to a more rock song again with “The Sword in the Stone”, they took some royal melodies and make the listener feel medieval, as if he were living in the medieval ages. “The King’s Enchanter” features more of the catchy melodies and high-quality symphonic music, but the final blow is being given by “Niniane”. An epic end to the sad story of Merlin and King Arthur, depicted by a gentle piano ballad with a stunning reprise of “Merlin”-‘s vocal melodies and a great piano solo by Ton Scherpenzeel. There’s something magic about these five tracks. They belong together as they bear the concept of Merlin the Wizard with them. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard music of this great a quality from Kayak, even though previous albums had good songs.

The second half of the album continues the stuff already heard on Periscope Life, yet is infected with the same freshness of the first half that makes it more worthwhile. “Seagull” is the hitsingle for the album; a yearning ballad with an epic touch. “Boogie Heart” is a relaxing track with a funny hue to it. It’s actually a bit of a hippy song. “Now That We’ve Come This Far” is a ballad with, as usual, great vocals from Reekers and a very epic theme included. This might as well be one of the finest ballads Reekers recorded. There’s a disco-influenced track in “Can’t Afford to Lose”, which might as well be a left-over from Periscope Life, but it’s likeable. Album closer and atmospheric ballad “Love’s Aglow” features Ton Scherpenzeel on lead vocals for the first and last time. His voice has a sound closer to Max Werner than to Reekers, but still sounds different. It’s a bit more hoarse and puffy, yet fits this song perfectly as it goes absorbed in the ongoing atmosphere of the song. It’s a pretty satisfying album closer. The second half is not as good as the first and continues more in the pop-style we’ve already heard on the predecessor. This doesn’t take away that it features some of the more brilliant material of the era of this Kayak lineup.

All in all, Merlin is a true comeback into the symphonic/progressive rock scene and finally features this lineup at its full potential. Unfortunately it’s also the last studio album Kayak would release in the 20th century. The album is however highly recommendable, though very hard to get. Nevertheless I can say it’s worth the trouble to get it.

Strongest tracks: “Merlin”, “Tintagel”, “Niniane” and “Now That We’ve Come This Far”.

Kayak - Periscope Life (1980)

Tracklist:
1. Astral Aliens
2. What's in a Name
3. Stop That Song
4. If You Really Need Me Now
5. Periscope Life
6. Beggars Can't Be Choosers
7. Sight
8. Lost Blue of Chartres
9. Anne
10. One Way or Another
11. Sad to Say Farewell


Chilly, funny, forgettable - 5/10

Periscope Life, the follow-up to the very successful Phantom of the Night, was being looked forward to by many American fans that got hooked by its predecessor. Despite its disappointing charting and success, the album pretty much picks up where Phantom stopped. They’ve continued down the line of commerce and pop music and this time there are no songs like “Daphne” or “Poet” to add some content. With an even more commercial sound than Phantom, this lineup produces its second full-length Periscope Life.

Have you ever heard ABBA? My guess is Scherpenzeel and the guys did so and quite liked it. Add a Dutch touch and what you’ve got are songs like “Stop That Song” or “Beggars Can’t Be Choosers”. Happy sweet and swingy pop songs with a request to be played in the discotheques. This kind of songs doesn’t do it for me, with the exception of the latter. “Stop That Song”, “Periscope Life”, “Sight” and “One Way or Another” all fall under this category. Sweet songs with perhaps a hook or two, but these hooks are not sharp, making you get lose from them as soon as the song is over. These tracks don’t have anything to them that makes you want to hear them all over again. They’re just way too happy, which makes them falter. “Beggars Can’t Be Choosers” sounds nice though; reminds a bit of “Golddust” with its offbeat drums. It also maintains one of the nicer, though happier, themes on the album.

And of course there are these ballads. “If You Really Need Me Now” features some classic Kayak melodies and is soothing. Just like on Phantom, vocalist Edward Reekers mostly shines on the ballads, as is the case here. “Sad to Say Farewell” is so beautiful a ballad that it makes tears come up in your eyes when listening to it. When you hear these songs you’d really think Kayak is back. Of course these ballads are based mostly on piano and synths, mostly due to Scherpenzeel the composer being a keyboardist. “Lost Blue of Chartres” is one of the greatest instrumental songs I have ever heard. Again based on piano, it contains these powerful themes and melodies... Truly amazing. “Anne” features recorders whistling the main theme and Reekers again shining bright. If it were for these ballads, Periscope Life would be a good record.

But there’s more to this record than ballads. “Astral Aliens” is the album opener and again attempts to be a rock song, which we saw failed enormously with this lineup previously with “Winning Ways” from Phantom of the Night. Since the production is just as slick as on Phantom and the lineup is the same, I don’t think they’ve improved that much, and right I am. It might fit in the ‘happy ABBA influenced song’ category again. “What’s in a Name” comes directly after the opener and features a fast-paced track and yet another attempt at a rock song. Though the attempt might have succeeded here, it doesn’t mean the track is all that great. It’s far from bad though, but I guess it’s the same problem as with all the other songs on here.

All in all, I think Periscope Life is a boring album. When it’s in the radio and plays I can enjoy it for the moment, but I’ve forgotten most of it afterwards. The ballads are good, since Reekers has a true ballad voice, but the rest is very forgettable and not worth the trouble it is to get hold of this album. Whether you are a pop-fan, a prog-fan or an ABBA-fan, stay away from this album. Collector’s only.

Strongest tracks: “Sad to Say Farewell” and “Lost Blue of Chartres”.
Weakest tracks: The others.

Kayak - Phantom of the Night (1978)

Tracklist:
1. Keep the Change
2. Winning Ways
3. Daphne
4. Journey Through Time
5. Phantom of the Night
6. Crime of Passion
7. The Poet and the One Man Band
8. Ruthless Queen
9. No Man's Land
10. First Signs of Spring



Commercial Success Strikes Once Again – 6,5/10

Phantom of the Night is the album to mark a lot of changes concerning both the band and its success. The entire rhythm section has been renewed once again and so has the vocal section; this is the first lineup that would hold on for more than just two albums. With their first release they marked their big breakthrough in the USA with top-5 hit “Ruthless Queen”. Kayak has never succeeded in making a truly bad album, so when they went commercial, they still did it with style. Though not as great as their previous works, they still delivered an album that would top most other commercial albums, yet I don’t believe the current lineup is showing their full potential here.

As said before this album again features changes in the lineup. Vocalist Max Werner suddenly didn’t like his voice anymore and wanted to drum instead. He only sings lead vocals on “No Man’s Land” here. Together with Ton Scherpenzeel’s little brother Peter Scherpenzeel on bass he takes care of the rhythm section. Who’s to sing now? Edward Reekers was promoted from Kayak-fan to Kayak-vocalist and no matter what you say, wow that man can sing! He is totally different from Werner, having a more accessible and less raw voice. His range is impressive and the sound he emits is beautiful. He was the right man for the charts. The backing vocals have been enforced with two ladies, Irene Linders, Ton’s wife, and Katherine Lapthorn, Peter’s wife, resulting in a whole different Kayak sound. All these changes, a more accessible vocalist and a female backing choir, are destructive to the trademark Kayak sound, yet it creates a new sound. Phantom of the Night is a lot more polished, very smooth and very accessible. The only problem is: since when is Kayak accessible? And that’s where this record goes wrong. Though this album made them tour in the USA, they disappointed the progressive rock fans.

It’s all clearly visible with opening song “Keep the Change”. Though it’s a nice song to hear, there is nothing to recognize here. Werner’s voice, the classic Scherpenzeel compositions; it’s all gone. They are truly going mainstream, releasing such hits like “Ruthless Queen” and the title track. Supposed rock tracks like “Winning Ways” have become polished and smooth, resulting in a poppy track. There are some recognizable Kayak themes in “Journey Through Time” and “Crime of Passion”, but they are not executed like in the past. “No Man’s Land” is the sole track to fully sound like the old Kayak, mainly due to the absence of Reekers and the female backing vocals. Since it’s Werner singing here it sounds mostly like a leftover from the Starlight Dancer sessions. Reekers soon seems to shine mostly in the gentle tracks. Ballads like the title track, “Ruthless Queen” and “First Signs of Spring” rely mostly on his voice, but do sound very nice. He has a truly enchanting voice at those ballads, but does less good a job on the more ‘active’ songs like “Keep the Change” or “Winning Ways”. There he is just the singer, not a notable one. The compilation of these tracks sounds good, but not great and do not leave you hungry for more. There are however two standouts.

Every album has their classics, and so does Phantom of the Night. The first you’ll come across is “Daphne”. Lyrically based around the myth of Apollo and Daphne, it has this classic epic formula: it begins gently with gentle pianos and the vocals, which by the way are excellent here, and soon becomes faster and shows Reekers at his full potential. In structure and style it’s a bit of a copy of “Starlight Dancer”, but certainly stands its own. The second classic would be “The Poet and the One Man Band”. It’s quite a strange song with a poppy ambience, but has this special touch to it: a bit of a mix between pop and funk with its fair share of prog. The neat synth solo near the end finishes it with style. And that’s another good thing about the album. How slick the production and the songs might be, Kayak still has solos. They still have songs with substance and that is why this album is not bad. They might have pursued a direction I’d rather not have them pursue, but they do it with style.

All in all, Phantom of the Night is very different from older Kayak albums. The main change would of course be the switch of vocalists. The album sounds quite slick in both sound and production, but that’s probably why the mainstream embraced this album. If you are new to Kayak I guess I could recommend this album, if you are a pop fan. If you prefer progressive rock then check out masterpieces such as Royal Bed Bouncer or The Last Encore.

Strongest tracks: “Daphne”, “The Poet and the One Man Band” and “No Man’s Land”.
Weakest tracks: “Winning Ways” and “Journey Through Time”.

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.

Kayak - Starlight Dancer (1977)

Tracklist:
1. Daughter or Son
2. Starlight Dancer
3. Want You To Be Mine
4. Letdown
5. Irene
6. Golddust
7. May
8. Turn the Tide
9. Dead Bird Flies Forever
10. Sweet Revenge
11. Where Do We Go From Here


Take a Step Down – 7,6/10

Alas, the great rhythm section of the previous two albums decided to call it quits and thus drummer and composer Pim Koopman and bassist Bert Veldkamp leave the band, leaving Ton Scherpenzeel the only composer in the band. The new combination of Charles Louis Schouten on drums and Theo de Jong on bass has, though unintended, clearly dismissed the enchanting sound of the previous two albums, yet didn’t give an awful sound in return. Scherpenzeel was still in charge of the songwriting and this guy rarely has bad ideas (with the exception of “Love me Tonight/Get on Board”).

Starlight Dancer is one of the most difficult albums to rate. Though it contains real gems and treats like the title track, “May” and “Dead Bird Flies Forever”, there are those songs that don’t really turn me on, but are quite nice when being played such as “Daughter or Son”, “Turn the Tide” and “Letdown”. At times it sounds as just a random compilation of songs recorded around the same time. Yet a bad album this is not. Those songs I mentioned in the latter group mostly don’t have anything really memorable to keep them going. There is a good theme or two, some enjoyable tunes at the moment of listening, but afterwards, no one remembers them. Quite a “Letdown” that is. Tracks that leave a more memorable impression include the first group. “Starlight Dancer” is easily a classic Kayak song; it begins with a gentle piano intro and vocals but later emerges into a heroic and epic up-tempo symphonic rock song of the likes only Kayak can produce. The same formula is spotted in the brilliant “May”, which I consider even more glorious than the hit “Starlight Dancer”. Kayak also never disappoint in the instrumental tracks, which are few, but really beautiful. “Irene”, dedicated to Scherpenzeel’s wife, is one of the most sensitive and beautiful instrumental tracks I have ever come across. No wonder it’s still a live track in today’s setlist.

Apparently vocalist Max Werner felt sorry for Scherpenzeel having to write all the songs alone, so he wrote one as well. “Golddust” was the result and to be honest I quite like it. It’s a short and swift offbeat track with memorable melodies and great piano accompaniment. The song sounds like Kayak through and through, even though it lacks either Koopman’s or Scherpenzeel’s hand, since it seems there is a different keyboardist playing here. Considering Werner’s composing qualities, it would’ve been nice to hear more of them on Kayak albums. Scherpenzeel doesn’t disappoint either with the funk-influenced “Want You to be Mine”, which also became a hit and a favorite stage track. “Dead Bird Flies Forever” and “Where do we go from Here” are always considered a duo by me. Why I do not know. Both are very epic in sound, slightly reminding to The Last Encore album, which always is a positive song. And there’s of course solid rock track “Sweet Revenge”, which really shows some balls, yet is produced with too poppy a sound, causing it to come alive only on stage, yet the studio version is quite good and blends in nicely with the ballads. As you see the majority of the tracks are still good quality, as Kayak’s albums will always have, yet there are uninspired tracks scattered throughout the album in the shapes of “Daughter or Son”, “Letdown” and “Turn the Tide”. The fact that one of them is the opening song on my version of Starlight Dancer decreases my will to listen to this album.

In short, Starlight Dancer is a good record, but doesn’t live up to Royal Bed Bouncer or The Last Encore, and is slightly more commercial in sound, thereby containing more hits. But, if you are not familiar with Kayak, Starlight Dancer might be more easy to ‘get’, so I guess I would recommend this to those unfamiliar with the band.

Strongest tracks: “May”, “Dead Bird Flies Forever”, “Where do we go from Here”, “Starlight Dancer” and “Irene”.
Weakest tracks: “Daughter or Son”, “Letdown” and “Turn the Tide”.