KAYAK - II - 1974

Kayak - II (1974) (@256)
(Review from progarchives.com)

Kayak II is the perfect marriage of the band's hard rock tendencies, their dazzling symphonic edges and the adventurous middle ground between the two. The songs are top-notch slices of upbeat, exciting progressive.

“Alibi” opens the album with an addictive dose of high energy, but it’s the second song, “Wintertime”, that really sets the tone. Somewhat melancholic in the verses, the chorus becomes almost Supertramp-ish in its brightness. Side 1 is rounded out by two very different songs: “Mountain Too Rough”, a mostly-mellow trip into folky atmospheres with some deliberately disruptive sound effects occurring. “They Get To Know Me” offers a killer momentum, symphonic and Genesis-like in spots, with a healthy bit of aggression, especially when guitarist Johan Slager takes over. It’s always so enjoyable to witness this song unfolding.

Side two is even more diverse in scope than side 1. “Serenades” is a bouncy number, hinting at the sound they’d perfect on the ‘Starlight Dancer’ album. “Woe And Alas” offers slightly tricky timing and an impassioned Max Werner vocal. Some gorgeous layers are built up as the song moves along. We get the more gentle side of Kayak with the caress of “Mireille”, a short, to-the-point instrumental that provides a good balance to the more involved stuff here. The album’s final moments couldn’t be better: “Trust In The Machine” has a demented bit of vocal from Werner and swirling keyboard sounds that envelop the rest of the music, that music being kinetic stuff that’s wild but never out of control. Almost Fripp-ish guitar squeaks by Slager rear their head in here. There’s even a fair bit of noise in the middle, making you feel like you’re visiting “The Waiting Room” again. This gives yet another facet to the song, a well-rounded journey, a song full of paranoia and triumph that is perfect in its completeness. “His Master’s Noise” ends things nicely, with vocals that almost sound like Paul McCartney (with a Dutch accent, of course). A simple track that is all vocal layers and straight piano. It offers a cooling off period that brings this eventful album to a satisfying close.

Line-up :
- Ton Scherpenzeel / keyboards, vocal, accordion
- Pim Koopman / percussion, vocals
- Johan Slager / electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
- Max Werner / mellotrons, percussion, vocals
- Cees van Leeuwen / bass guitar, harmonica

Track List :
01. Alibi - 3:41
02. Wintertime - 2:52
03. Mountain Too Rough - 3:58
04. They Get To Know Me - 9:19
05. Serenades - 3:34
06. Woe And Alas - 3:02
07. Mireille - 2:12
08. Trust In The Machine - 6:07
09. His Master's Noise - 1:46
10. We Are Not Amused - 3:01

http://www.fileserve.com/file/EMQDKw4

KAYAK - SEE SEE THE SUN - 1973

Kayak - See See the Sun (1973) (@160)
(Review from progarchives.com)

An undeservedly underrated group is Kayak. Perhaps part of the reason for its relatively low profile is that it occupies a strange middle ground, with an unlikely combination of pop/rock vocal segments that owe more to Todd Rundgren than any main progressive rock group, interspersed with strong symphonic progressive rock as well. The vocals of Kayak's first lead singer Max Werner aren't that great, but are not a negative factor for me either while the classic line-up of Werner (vocals/mellotron), Tom Scherpenzeel (keyboards), Johan Slager (guitars), Cees van Leeuwen (bass) and Pim Koopman (drums) that cut the first two albums is highly competent, but far from flashy ... even during the lengthy instrumental interludes.

To top it all, Kayak have made many line-up shifts and passed through a number of styles. While the current outfit is making strong, neo-prog tinged music, I'm one of those who thinks that this early progressive pop phase saw Kayak at its best. In fact, I don't think it gets any better than See See The Sun.

Reason For It All ( with a healthy dose of Yes influences), the storming Mouldy Wood, the sparse, melodramatic Lovely Luna and the beautiful Beatlesque title track are probably my personal highlights, but this album has to be taken as a whole, for it is well balanced and possesses a great flow ... best exemplified by the moment when the edgy rocker Hope For A Life comes right after the seduction of Lovely Luna. Kayak also prove that you don't need length to be progressive ... Mammoth goes through a number of phases in a period of less than three minutes! I really like this record, and even my least favourite track, the schmaltzy Forever Is A Lonely Thought has a very nice Scherpenzeel piano solo.

There is a light (but not lightweight) feeling about Kayak's music that makes me think that this is one classic-era prog band that neo-prog fans will really enjoy. And even though they sound nothing like either ELO, Supertramp or the Alan Parsons Project (and indeed are emphatically more progressive) I do believe it is fans at this end of the scale who will derive the most joy from Kayak's music. And See See The Sun, surely Kayak's finest album, is the best place to start.

Line-up :
- Ton Scherpenzeel / piano's Synths, organ, harpsicord, vocals, accordion
- Pim Koopman / drums, percussion, Marimba, vocals
- Johan Slager / guitars, vocals
- Max Werner / mellotrons, percussion, vocals
- Cees van Leeuwen / bass, harmonica

Track List :
01. Reason For It All (6:29)
02. Lyrics (3:42)
03. Mouldy Wood (5:16)
04. Lovely Luna (8:19)
05. Hope For A Life (6:49)
06. Ballet Of The Cripple (4:39)
07. Forever Is A Lonely Thought (5:26)
08. Mammoth (2:57)
09. See See The Sun (4:13)
10. Still Try To Write A Book (Bonus) (2:01)
11. Give It A Name (Bonus) (2:44)

http://www.fileserve.com/file/kNp7Hsx

KAYAK - ANYWHERE BUT HERE

Artist: Kayak

Album: Anywhere But Here
Released: 2011
Style: Rock

Tracklist:
01 – Credible Lie
02 – November Morning
03 – Behind The Scenes
04 – Anywhere But Here
05 – Most Underrated Band In The World
06 – Hunter And Prey
07 – In Between Tides
08 – Passing Cloud
09 – Demon In Her Eyes
10 – Life Is Good
11 – Wherever She Goes
12 – Messinian Skies
13 – Over You
14 – Bang
http://www.fileserve.com/file/N6C2PMq