Kayak

I picked up on KAYAK back in 1974(dates me I know)when they were what I called"the little progressive band that could".Lacking the virtuosos that worked in the progressive field(except for keyboard whiz Ton Sherpenzeel)Kayak specialized in fairly short,more poppy prog tunes that stressed melody and harmony rather than grandiose song structures.Many longtime Kayak fans(including me)still preferred the '70s output over the re-formed,bigger sound of the band this decade.However,with this disc(their 5th with the new lineup)they have arrived in the 21st century with a renewed purpose,plus an incredibly muscular and exciting sound.New guitarists Joost Vergoosen,and,especially,Rob Vunderink(think Steve Vai with a more precise and melodic style)were slowly integrated into this new style,but now give the music a new vigor and texture.Opening track,ALIENATION,just may be the bands finest tune since their '70s heyday.It also re-introduces the golden pipes of lead "crooner"Edward Reekers,who hasn't lost any of the unusual range in his tenor thru the years.Also excellent is co-lead singer Cindy Dudshoorn,with the band since 2003's MERLIN,who ,if there is any justice(there's not)could become an international star with her booming performances on FREEZING or SELF-MADE CASTLE.Actually,buy this and stop the disc on any of the 15 tracks and you'll discover one of the finest recording of progressive rock in ages.

i USED TO BUY KAYAK RECORDS BACK IN THE LATE 70'S, AND i LOVED EVERY ONE. BUT I NEVER BOUGHT THIS ONE AND THERE WAS A GOOD REASON WHY. WHEN JANUS RECORDS RELEASED STARLIGHT DANCER IT WAS A COMPILATION LP WITH SONGS FROM THE ORIGINAL STARLIGHT DANCER AND THE LAST ENCORE. bUT AT THE TIME I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. AND THAT PARTICULAR ALBUM WAS MY FAVOURITE. I RECENTLY PURCHASED STARLIGHT DANCER IN A 2 CD SET WHICH INCLUDED THAT ALBUM AND THE NEXT 2. AND I WAS WONDERING WHERE ALL THE OTHERS SONGS THAT I LIKED WERE NOT ON IT. I LATER FOUND OUT WHY. NOW I HAVE THE LAST ENCORE AND I LOVE IT. GREAT MUSIC. GET IT!!!

Kayak is, at least for me, arguably Holland's best rock band. While some would argue Golden Earring or Focus, neither band matches Kayak in either Kayak's ability to write and arrange or in their ability to just plain kick ass. These guys can rock but do it with a sense of drama, flair and embellishment that is very European in its sophistication -- even adding a degree of humor that you will not find in any but a handful of bands. But don't get me wrong, this is no comedy group and they can write rock that is beautifully poetic in its classical edge, complete with vocals that border on damned near being an angelic choir at times. They can also do it while creating an edge that most rock bands would die to possess. This is rock like few bands can play and if you've ever loved bands like Camel, Genesis, Ambrosia, Kansas or Yes, then you NEED to get this album. Simply put, these guys are every bit as good as any of the top bands of the progessive rock genre and most prog bands never released an album as good as this one. Just buy it, this will quickly become one of those albums that you listen to over and over.

It's strange that I have to order this CD in the USA, although I'm living in Germany, and Kayak is a Dutch band... That's even stranger, if you consider that Kayak once was one of Europe's finest prog bands! One of their typical hallmarks was that they managed a good balance between 70's pop sounds and progressive elements. "The last encore" from 1976 is a special album because it is the last one with Pim Koopman on drums. It's also a special one because it contains an unusual large amount of Pim's songs. Although main Kayak composer Ton Scherpenzeel and Pim are quite different songwriters, their songs integrate very nicely on this CD. Ton is more prog-oriented and writes terrific ballads, while Pim is a great author of "intelligent pop music". Both gave their best on "The Last Encore", and that's why this CD is a must-have. (By the way, Pim went on to become a successful pop music producer after leaving Kayak...)

As a progressive rock fan, I place Kayak as the perfect progressive pop band and no other album demonstrates their genius better than The Last Encore. This is an album of extremes from mellow and "sad" songs to all-out pop blisterers as well as some genuine progressive rock. In this way it is more adventurous than their previous album "Royal Bed Bouncer" but both albums are 5 star albums.

Some of their sounds remind me of Focus, Alan Parsons Project, and ELP, but the sound is not a copy. It doesn't meander as much as Focus or ELP -- it gets to the point -- and this is, in my opinion, more enjoyable than those bands' music. This group will not wow you with their virtuosity (save for the piano work, which is as good as Keith Emmerson in some songs) because their focus is on the overall sound and structure of the song. Take the vocals, for instance, they are more of an instrument than a lead (kind of like Yes). All songs on here are very well-written and played but they really excel with the songs "Evocation" (possibly their best song ever), "Do You Care", "Still My Heart Cries For You", and "The Last Encore".

It's ironic to me that this album has been the hardest of all their catalog to find on CD.

Though usually I prefer to have 3 albums individually, but for this compilation, I love to have them in 1 package (2 CDs). I have no more comment except : EXXXCELLENT!!. It brought me to when I first enjoyed KAYAK. Almost all, I have in it.. Thank you Polygram

What a pity that it's almost impossible to get the old Kayak records on CD in Europe! That's especially true for "Starlight Dancer (1977), "Phantom Of The Night" (1979), and "Periscope Life" (1980), which mark the second phase of Kayak after drummer Pim Koopman left, and which I have NEVER seen in any stores in Germany, although Kayak is a Dutch band. Some people say that these albums are crap compared to their earlier ones, but I would like to disagree. "Starlight Dancer" is one of my favorites, because it contains some of the best ballads Ton Scherpenzeel has ever written (e.g. "starlight Dancer", "Irene", "May", and "Dead Bird Flies Forever"). It's true that the Kayak sound has changed into a more pop-oriented direction, which is even more apparent on "Phantom Of The Night" and "Periscope Life". But even those two album have some great highlights. Again, it's the ballads who make them worthwhile. And can you really refrain from getting three classic prog CDs (with 5 bonus tracks, including three quite interesting single B-sides) for a good price?

Kayak never really made it world-wide, and this excellent bargain combination makes you wonder why. If you have tried and liked Merlin, this is a good point to continue. Otherwise, I would recommend to opt for Merlin first. That said, this is a beautiful collection, including some of my all-time favourites like the `space-opera' Starlight dancer, the haunting ballad Anne (about Anne Boleyn), the relaxed May and the underrated Dead birds fly forever with some Pink Floyd overtones. In response to some of the other recensions: the USA version of Starlight dancer is indeed totally different from the earlier Dutch version. In the present collection, you get the three original Dutch versions with some nice bonus tracks to boot. Warmly recommended.

Includes 3 albums as released in Europe + 5 bonus cuts. The sound is much better than earlier CD attempts. This European group was very underrated in America. Great songwriting, musicianship and arrangements. "Phantom Of The Night" is my favorite, though the American version of "Starlight Dancer" is wonderful too.

Includes 3 albums as released in Europe + 5 bonus cuts. The sound is much better than earlier CD attempts. This European group was very underrated in America. Great songwriting, musicianship and arrangements. "Phantom Of The Night" is my favorite, though the American version of "Starlight Dancer" is wonderful too.

This, sadly, is not as good as the original Merlin arc of songs on that CD. I was hopeful that the expansion of the concept would be a winner - as I really did enjoy the Merlin portion of the Merlin CD. It was not to be, however.

When I first purchased "Starlight Dancer" in 1978,I thought Kayak was one of the most unique bands I'd ever heard.still think so 25 years later.Though they were a british progressive band,they were more "pop" than the more favored prog-fusion of the time.I then trolled the record shops for anything Kayak--"See The Sun"(brilliant),"Royal Bed Bouncer"(even better!)and their other more commercial late '70s offerings.However,"Kayak","Last Encore",and "Merlin" were not available at he time.Recently I purchased all 3,including the original "Merlin".To my surprise,I found half a concept album,mixed with 5 other ,non-related, mediocre songs!The "Merlin" arc was brilliant,so I was ecstatic to discover the original band had,mostly,reformed and recorded a 70 minute,expanded version of "Merlin".I then bought it,cued it up on my machine,and heard....Andrew Lloyd Webber!!Not that it's bad,actually,just not your grandfather's(and mine)Kayak.Though still beautiful,and occasionally gut-wrenching,the rock energy has been completely drained out--leaving just what it is,music to be sung in Theater.I would suggest buying any of their first 8 records,especially"See The Sun","Kayak" or "Last Encore".Actually,even the original "Merlin",just not this snoozer.

Sigh. Well, shoot. I'm not sure about the other reviews here, but I found this album extremely lackluster and, well, rather boring. I am a huge fan of all things Kayak in the 70s (songs like "Lyrics", "Royal Bed Bouncer", "Evocation", "See See The Sun", "Phantom of the Night", etc) and the original first 5 tracks of their 1980 album "Merlin" are 5 of the best tracks ever written and recorded by ANYBODY -- such emotion! I was very excited when I read about this newly recorded, expanded edition of the concept.

But, woe and alas, on this new album, they do remake all of the original songs and fill in the story with newly written songs, but all of the songs, even the remade ones, are slow and dull. I tried over and over to get into this but just couldn't.

So, a big disappointment for me, unfortunately. I do admire that the band is still around and making music after all of these years, but for me, the magic is missing.

I love this album, it's melodic well done, enough guitars used. The first song 'Merlin' was found on the earlier Merlin album, but this one is slower, probably because they are getting older. 'Tintagel' is better in Piano, but I love it. 'the Future King' is very nice too, and the next two numbers ('The Sword In The Stone' and 'When the Seer looks Away') are wonderful. Actually, I can name up all of the songs, but all I can tell you is that they're great, except 'The Otherworld', it takes too much time. Highly recommended too all Pop and Kayak fans.
Keep On Rocking‼‼‼‼‼‼‼!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ;)

Amazing. I loved the 25 minute Version of Merlin (five tracks) that Kayak recorded in the early eighties, but this 70 minute version is simply breathtaking. All songs are great, some (Merlin, Niniane, When The Seer Looks Away, The Other World) are superb. The singing is fantastic (with special acknowledgement to Cindy Oudhoorns contributions), and the interaction of rock and classical instruments works better than I have ever heard before. After listening to this masterpiece over and over again, I have to conclude that this is my all-time favourite pop/rock CD, even when compared to albums like Genesis' Selling England by the pound, Pink Floyds Wish you were here, and Kate Bush' Hounds of love.

I can hardly begin to give praise to this album; I don't know where to start. First of all, Ton sherpenzeel's ability to write complex and sophisticated music while still making it accessible and catchy is phenomenal. Songs like the title track show sherpenzeel's keyboard prowess (in the solo) and songs like Chance For a Lifetime show his ability to write technically demanding classical influenced passages with much to offer true prog fans. Life of Gold and Bury the World boast typical prog keyboarding to create wonderful backgrounds but Kayak still keeps things rock based with strong guitar work in songs like Said No Word. Lyrically, the album also has a lot to offer. The Humor typical of prog-rock albums is present in several occasions. Perhaps the most important thing about this album is that it is catchy. Hardcore prog fans might shy away from the pop-based aspect of Royal Bed Bouncer, but ultimately, that's what makes this prog album accessible and memorable.

In 1975, the progressive rock category hardly existed and was defined more in terms of the Rock/Jazz fusion of the time and less in terms of the subsequent New Age, Cybermusic that now defines this category. So even while Kayak may have been one of the early forerunners of Prog and embraced that evolution in subsequent albums, the comparisons with what has ensued really does an injustice to this particular album, which goes far beyond the scope and limitation of any such classification. Comparisons with Kayak's contemporaries of that time such as Yes and ELP derive from comparisons of Kayak's keyboardist, Ton Scherpenzeel, with Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. But the comparisons end there. A more apt comparison needs to be made to its contemporaries in terms of musical themes and ideas expressed mainly in the lyrics but carried through beautifully in the music. On that score, Kayak was much closer to the pop/rock of Pink Floyd, the Who, and, dare I say, the Beatles. Royal Bed Bouncer is about terrorism (title track), exodus (Chance for a Lifetime) and romance (Life of Gold). It is a humorous and adventurous album. It succeeds in a more concise way of expressing these themes and ideas than does Pete Townsend's "Lifehouse" project or Roger Water's "Amused to Death". But, anyone who is a fan of Terry Gilliam's film "Brazil" would love this album. To be clear, this is not a rock opera, but it has that same quality in the way that concept albums like "Sgt. Peppers" and "Abbey Road" have in terms of evoking a romantic musical imagery and philosophy. In short, it kind of makes you think, perhaps in a profound, but not a complex way, that we do not live in the best of all possible worlds; except maybe when we are listening to music like this.

Kayak, along with Earth & Fire, Ekseption, Focus, Alquin, Supersister, Trace, and Finch, is one of the biggest names of Dutch prog. While Royal Bed Bouncer, released in 1975, is not the best prog album I have ever heard, it's not bad either. The music is all quite straightfoward, song-oriented format, so you won't find extended suites, complex time signatures and constant tempo changes. No killer Mellotron passages (the album does have some Mellotron, but it's hardly impressive at all). Or lengthy side length epics. If you want an earful of keyboard, you'll be disappointed as there is little to no solos or keyboards that stick out in general. The music is listenable for the most part, but there's plenty of more pop elements that might turn off the more diehard prog fanatics away. There are a couple of throwaway cuts on the album, but in general it still a worthy album, just that I don't consider it a classic or essential. At least it's not as bad as Kayak's largely uninspired and flat-sounding 1977 album Starlight Dancer. In my opinion, as far as Dutch prog is concerned, Earth & Fire's Song of the Marching Children (1971) and Atlantis (1973), Alquin's Marks (1972) and The Mountain Queen (1973), Focus' Moving Waves (1971), and especially Finch's Glory of the Inner Force (1975) are better albums to try.

25 years after it first came out, the third (and best) album of the Dutch progressive rock band Kayak remains as enjoyable as ever. From the opening sounds of the title track through classics such as Life of Gold and Chance of A Lifetime, each track shows the band at its peak creativity and performance. The 9 bonus tracks are primarily tracks from their first albums "See See The Sun" (tracks 11-12) and second album "Kayak" (tracks 14-15-16), as well as some B sides of various singles. This reissue is a companion piece to a compilation (not available anymore) simply called Kayak (not to be confused with their second album of the same name). These 2 CDs essentially put all of Kayak's materials of the EMI years (their first 3 albums, plus various non-albums singles) out on 2 (separate) CDs. As amply demonstrated by the other reviews on this album, Kayak (era 73-75) is a widely under-recognized progressive rock band and this album shows why. A must for every fan of progressive music!

So you've exhausted the back catalogue of Yes, Genesis, Crimson, ELP, and you're wondering -- what next? Then you need some Kayak, m'friend.

I didn't even know about these guys until a few years ago, but I've really gotten into their early albums. The other reviews here cover it pretty well... this release is a bit more pop than the 1st two, but it packs a wallop. And since it's more accesible, it's probably the best album of theirs to buy first.

Having scanned the other reviews for this disc,I felt it only fair to dispel a misleading point that was made.Love it or hate it(I'm firmly in the love it column)NOSTRADAMUS is most definitely 99% a KAYAK production.The songs are all either Scherpenzeel-Linders,or Koopman,the music is all played by the band,only some of the vocals are farmed out to guest singers,as on most rock operas.Though I must admit,the subject matter seems rather thin and undramatic for a 2-disc,110 minutes of music,KAYAK pulls it off by taking an unusual critical and humorous look at the astrologer.Former KAYAK lead singer Edward Reekers commentary,as the Monk,is especially hilarious.Besides all this,the music rocks like very little Prog-rock you've ever heard...also,there are no fewer than 6 or 7 of the trademark beautiful melodies Kayak fans have come to expect from Mr. Scherpenzeel(sample:the almost Gregorian "Secret Study" and all versions of "Seekers of Truth").If you liked the full,theatrical version of "Merlin",you will probably love this as it is more fully realized,and chock full of KAYAK's quirky Prog-rock.

Listening to Kayak music has been a great joy of mine for over 30 years. The band has never disappointed - until now. Because of the nature of this stage production, the release should NOT be credited to the band itself, although they contribute. Please do NOT start here if you wish to discover the band - try "Royal Bed Bouncer" or the first two. I regret feeling so strongly as to post this review. The band is phenomenal - "Nostradamus" is not.

After their Merlin - Bard of the Unseen album in 2003, they promised a next album in 2005 (on their website). I expected a lot from it, because they only let me down once, and I knew it wouldn't happen again. And then I saw it in the store, I bought it right away. I had months of fun with this album. It's a double disc, both very emotional. And, surprise: Edward Reekers, their lead singer on Ruthless Queen is back! This album is very good and I highly recommend it to other Kayak-fans, don't think, just do it! I'm not rating the list, there are too many songs with talking (Monk's Comment 1,2,3,4 and 5), but it's just very good. Definitively a masterpiece...
Keep On Rocking!!!

This Dutch prog. rock band never achieved the status they deserved. The vocalist is one of the best I have ever heard. He has the power to move you emotionally. Some of the tracks should not have been included, but most of the songs are really good. Anne is my favourite track on this album and is a good example of "medieval" rock. If you like this one, get "Merlin" - it is fantastic.