Kayak "50 Jaar Nederpop" 1976-1980(orig) 2008(comp)***

I had heard of Kayak as being one of the best Dutch prog bands, so some time after moving to The Netherlands I picked up this CD to make a first acquaintance with them. Their original LP's are also easy to find in the record fairs here, I also have one I bought cheaply which I am going to present on another occasion. This compilation though was rather disappointing, more pop with progressive leanings rather than real progressive music. The bands I was most reminded of are The Moody Blues, Supertramp, and ELO. Later I found out that the compilation only covered 5 years of the band's life (1976-1980), which seemed strange since this series (50 Jaar Nederpop) usually presents a good overview of the bands' career. It is possible that the compilers had licencing issues, but it's just as possible that they just chose to present the band's more commercially successful period. I don't know how many copies of these LP's were sold (their ubiquitousness in Dutch second hand shops suggest a lot) but I can certainly imagine these songs becoming FM radio staples in the late 70's. Which isn't necessarily a good thing. Like I always do with compilations, I will present the songs chronologically. The Last Encore (1976): The CD begins promisingly with classical-style piano by keyboardist Ton Scherpenzeel and the excellent ballad "Relics From A Distant Age". Singer-drummer Max Werner's vocals are somewhat high-pitched but expressive. Why he was later replaced as a singer and relegated to playing drums only is a mystery. "Nothingness" is another winsome ballad with a dramatic mellotron swashes (also by Werner if I'm not mistaken) a la Moody Blues. "Do You Care" and "Back To The Front" are upbeat orchestral pop a la Supertramp. Starlight Dancer (1977): The eponymous song is a bombastic orchestral ballad that reminded me of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It's followed by the curiously disco-fied, but still pleasant, "I Want You To Be Mine". "Dead Bird Flies Forever" is another piano-based ballad. Same recipe with the previous ones, but blander-tasting. "Turn The Tide", and especially "Sweet Revenge" are the album's rockers but let's face it: this band doesn't do rock as well as it does ballads. "Ruthless Queen" from Phantom Of The Night (1978) plays to their strengths, featuring a catchy chorus and pretty melody. It became their biggest hit. New singer Edward Reekers is pretty good but not too different from his predecessor. Maybe a bit more suited to the band's new M.O.R. direction. "Phantom Of The Night" is another, typical of the period, dramatic ballad while "No Man's Land" is a forgettable fast rocker and "Keep The Change" a commercial upbeat number with nice harmonies. If I didn't know I'd say it was recorded in the 80's. I know it sounds like I'm saying it was ahead of its time, but given the quality of 80's mainstream rock this is no compliment. "Lost Blue Of Chartres" from Periscope Life (1980) is a symphonic instrumental, followed by "Anne", an emotive ballad enriched with a pretty melody and medieval-sounding parts. They raise the bar of expectations, but the last 3 songs from the album are upbeat commercial rock with no saving grace. The last track is named "Total Loss", which kind of says it all. To summarize, this doesn't seem to be the best introduction to Kayak. Only 5 out of 8 of the band's first period LP's are represented - not to mention none of the second period (2000-now). It certainly is of marginal only interest to prog fans. I'm not sure to whom exactly it would appeal to, except maybe for people who remember these hits from Dutch radio and want to have a souvenir of the era. Not that there's anything bad here, but there's also nothing memorable except for a few beautiful ballads. The best element is Ton Scherpenzeel's keyboards. No wonder he was later invited to join Camel, which is to say to play in prog's proverbial premier league.

**** for Relics From A Distant Age, Nothingness, Ruthless Queen, Lost Blue Of Chartres, Anne 

*** for Do You Care, Back To The Front, Starlight Dancer, I Want You To Be Mine, Dead Bird Flies Forever, Turn The Tide, Sweet Revenge, Phantom Of The Night, Keep The Change

** for No Man's Land, Periscope Life, Stop That Song, Total Loss