Kayak
Band members Related acts
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- Theo de Jong -- bass (replaced Bert Veldkamp) (1976-78) - Bert Heerink -- vocals, percussion (2000-06) - Pim Koopman -- vocals, drums, percussion (1972-76, 99-) - Katherine Lapthorn -- vocals (1978-81) - Irene Linders -- vocals, (1978-81) - Cindy Oudshoorn -- vocals (2002-) - Edward Reekers -- vocals, keyboards, flute (1978-81, 04-) - Peter Scherepenzeel -- bass (1977-) - Ton Scherepenzeel -- vocals, keyboards, bass (1972-78) - Charles Louis Schouten -- drums, percussion (replaced Pim Koopman) (1972-78) - Johan Slager -- vocals, guitar (1972-81) - Monique van der Ster -- vocals (2003-) - Cees van Leeuwen -- bass, (1972-74) - Jan van Olffen -- bass (2005-) - Bert Veldkamp -- vocals, bass (1974-76, 99-04) - Joost Vergoossen -- guitar, vocals (2003-) - Rob Vunderink -- guitar, vocals (2001-) - Max Werner -- vocals, keyboards, drums (1972-81, 99-01) - Rob Winter -- bass, vocals (1974-76, 99-04)
line up xxx (1980) - Katherine
Lapthorn -- backing vocals - Edward Reekers -- lead vocals - Peter
Scherpenzeel -- bass - Johan Slager --
lead guitar
supporting musicians - Jim Gordon --- drums - Jim Price - sax - Lee Thornberg --
trumpet, flugelhorn
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- Balderdash - Camel (Ton Scherepenzeel) - Cobra - Concrete - Diesel - Earth & Fire - Ekseption - Europe - Formation - HighTide - Taurus - Joost Vergoossen (solo efforts) - Max Werner (solo efforts)
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Starlight Dancer Company: Janus Catalog: JXS-7034 Country/State: Hilversun,Holland Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original lyric inner sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5554 Price: $8.00
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The Kayak discography gets a little confusing in the mid-1970s. Left without a US distribution deal, neither 1976's "The Last Encore", nor 1977's "Starlight Dancer" saw an American release. To some extent that was rectified when the band signed a US distribution deal with the California-based Janus label.
Note the words 'to some extent' ... For some reason Janus management decided to release a compilation set that pulled together roughly half of the two earlier studio albums. Packed in a slightly modified version of the original "The Last Encore" cover, the US-only set was released with the "Starlight Dancer" title. Confused yet?
So what' did this marketing abberation sound like? Well if you were a longstanding Kayak fan you probably weren't thrilled. The two original studio sets were released in the midst of a round of personnel shifts that saw founding member/drummer/writer Pim Koopman sidelined by asthma. He was replaced by Charles Louis Schouten. At the same time bassist Bert Veldkamp was replaced by Theo De Jong. Those changes came as the band made significant changes to their sound. Perhaps under pressure to adopt a more commercial style, the band's more progressive leanings were largely dumped in favor of a shift to radio-friendly AOR moves. The results weren't bad, just different. Multi-instrumentalist Ton Scherepenzeel remained responsible for most of the material (though former drummer Koopman was represented by four songs), and aptly displayed he'd been listening to popular radio. Not quite a dance track, the leadoff number 'I Want You to Be Mine' sure came close to the disco genre ... the big surprise; it was one of the highlights. Equally good were other accessable pop numbers like 'Turn the Tide' (the first time I heard it I thought this was a composition by the German band Lake), the rocker 'Love Victim', the harmony-rich 'Land on the Water', and in spite of some over-the-top instrumentation, the pretty ballad 'Nothingness'. Yeah, 'Back to the Front' and the closing instrumental 'Irene' offered up flashes of their earlier sound, but those efforts came off as being little more than afterthoughts. Another irony; released as a single 'I Want You Back' b/w 'Irene' (Janus catalog number J-274) provided the band with a top-100 US hit. In turn, peaking at # 117 this proved to be their biggest selling US release. Progressive fans will grown (I can already see the hate mail), but I'll readily admit to liking the more open sound. How about we call it a transitional effort and move on?
"Starlight
Dancer" track listing: 1.) I Want You to Be Mine (Ton Scherepenzeel) - 4:46 2.) Ballad for a Lost Friend (Ton Scherepenzeel) - 4:14 3.) Turn the Tide (Ton Scherepenzeel) - 3:34 4.) Nothingness (Ton Scherepenzeel) - 3:56 5.) Still My Heart Cries for You (Pim Koopman) - 4:34
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2) 2.) Love of a Victim (Pim Koopman) - 2:48 3.) Land on the Water (Pim Koopman) - 2:28 4.) Do You Care (Pim Koopman) - 2:56 5.) Back to the Front (Ton Scherepenzeel - Johan Slager) - 4:32 6.) Irene (Ton Scherepenzeel) - 4:22
By the way, the band has a nice website at: http://www.kayakonline.nl/e_home.html
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Genre: progressive Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Periscope Life Company: Mercury Catalog: SRM-1-3824 Country/State: Hilversun, Holland Grade (cover/record): VG+/ VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 401 Price: $8.00
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I guess you couldn't blame Kayak for wanting to pursue commercial success (or caving into record company demands for a more radio friendly format), even if it meant shedding what little originality they'd demonstrated across recent albums. Against that backdrop, 1980's "Periscope Life" offered up a surprisingly good collection of pop and AOR tunes. Co-produced by John Tilly and the band, pretty much any one of these ten tracks would have slotted well on top-40 radio which went a long way to explaining why three European singles were released off the LP. Longtime creative front man Ton Scherpenzeel was again responsible for the majority of the material, though this time out several tracks were co-written by his wife Irene Linders and Katherine Lapthorn (who happened to be the wife of bassist player Peter Scherpenzeel'). The ladies also sang back-up throughout much of the album). And here's where the album gets strange. If I listened to it from a progressive angle, then it was a major disappointment. With the exception of the instrumental 'Lost Blue Of Chartres' (which had been written for the Dutch movie Spetters), you were hard pressed to label any of this as progressive - well, unless you believed bands like Phil Collins-era Genesis, Kansas, and Lake were progressive. On the other hand, if I listened to this as a pop, or AOR album then it was a different story. Tracks like 'Astral Aliens', 'What's In a Name', and 'Beggars Can't Be Choosers' were all tight, melodic, and highly commercial. If you liked "Duke", "Abacab", or "Invisible Touch" era Genesis, then this was probably up your alley.
"Periscope
Life" track listing: 1.) Astral Aliens (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 3:41 Having listened to 'Astral Aliens' dozens of times I'm guessing the lyrics suffered a bit during the translation process (not that I would do better writing and singing in Dutch). Say what you will about the tune, but it was certainly catchy (in a bubbly '80s way). rating: *** stars 2.) What's In a Name (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 4:11 An upbeat, bouncy AOR rocker, 'What's In a Name' could have easily been mistaken for any one of dozens of late-'70s/early-'80s pop-progressive groups - for goodness sakes, this one sounded a lot like Phil Collins-era Genesis which meant you either loved it, or simply detested everything about it. rating: *** stars 3.) Stop the Song (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 3:16 'Stop the Song' found the band jumping headlong into pure top-40 pop with a Dixieland tinge (not sure why Europeans find Dixieland so cool). Not something I found particularly enjoyable. rating: ** stars 4.) If You Really Need Me Now (Irene Linders - Ton Scherpenzeel) - 4:12 'If You Really Need Me Now' was one of the prettier songs they've ever recorded, but also one of the most conventional - very '70s AOR, which isn't meant as a criticism. rating: *** stars 5.) Periscope Life (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 3:29 Hum, as mentioned above, anyone who thought these guys were progressively oriented might want to rethink that after hearing 'Astral Aliens'. I guess it was progressive, but only to the extent you thought Kansas, or 10cc were progressive. Come to think of it, this actually sounded a bit like a 10cc tune - quite commercial with a roller rink flavor on the chorus. Their lip synching, but YouTube has a cute clip of Kayak performing the song on Dutch television. Peter Scherepenzee's neon bass was pretty cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwbptsYaWI rating: *** stars
(side
2) Folks will laugh, but to my ears 'Beggars Can't Be Choosers' recalled a cross between Phil Collins era Genesis and ABBA (backing singers Katherine Lapthorn and Irene Linders could take credit, or blame for the ABBA comment). And here's where it gets weird - the song was actually great. Highly commercial and it did have a small progressive component. I even liked the horn section. rating: **** stars 2.) The Sight (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 4:04 A bouncy 10cc-ish pop tune, 'The Sight' also served as the 'B' side to the 'Annie' single. rating: *** stars 3.) Lost Blue Of Chartres (instrumental) (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 3:24 The album's lone instrumental, 'Lost Blue Of Chartres' sounded completely unlike anything else on the collection. That may have had something to do with the fact it was written for the Dutch film "Spetters" (in case you were wondering - romance on the Dutch motor cross circuit). The closest thing to a progressive track on the album, the song featured some nice Johan Slager guitar, but actually sounded like a piece of incidental music for a film (which it was). If you've ever heard Mark Knopfler's 'Local Hero' soundtrack you'll know what to expect. The track was released as a single. rating: *** stars 4.) Annie (Irene Linders - Ton Scherpenzeel) - 4:22 The acapella opening sounded like something off a Crosby and Nash album and then the track switched over to Genesis-meets-Fairport Convention territory. It probably didn't sound particularly appealing (Ducth band doing English folk-rock), but was another surprisingly enjoyable track. rating: **** stars 5.) One Way or Another (Ton Scherpenzeel) - 3:23 For all it mattered, the opening section of 'One Way or Another' could have easily been mistaken for a Journey track. Quality corporate rock, but still rather soulless ... rating: ** stars 6.) Sad To Say Farewell (Irene Linders - Ton Scherpenzeel) - 4:30 Unfortunately 'Sad To Say Farewell ended he album with a big, bloated, and bland ballad. Perfect for early-'80s radio which probably explains why I disliked it so much. rating: ** stars
As mentioned, the album spun off a series of Dutch and European singles:
- 1980's 'Annie' b/w 'The Sign' (Vertigo catalog number 6012 972) - 1980's 'Lost Blue Of Chartres' b/w 'Theme From "Spetters"'' (Vertigo catalog number 6017 032) - 1980's 'Periscope Life' b/w 'Astral Aliens' (Vertigo catalog number 6017 061)
For anyone interested, the band ahs an extensive website at: http://www.kayakonline.nl/index.php/muzieknl
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