Kayak

Starlight Dancer (1977). Like fellow proggers Genesis, the late '70s saw Kayak make an abrupt shift to glossy but thin radio-friendly pop. Though Koopman remains as a lyricist and arranger, the rhythm section has been replaced by the quite conventional bassist Charles Schouten and drummer Theo DeJong. The ostinato bass and hi-hat on "I Want You to Be Mine," for one, smell strongly of a discothèque. "Ballad for a Lost Friend" shows an increasing predilection for Queen-like bombast by the guitarist, though it and "Still My Heart Cries for You" do revive some of the band's old aggressive sense of dynamics. But more typical is the bland closing instrumental "Irene." There's a certain coldness to the proceedings, and the band's virtuosity has been watered down for easy digestion. Though not a bad album on its own merits, it's likely to alienate fans of their early work…

Starlight Dancer is a 1977 album by Dutch progressive rock band Kayak. It was produced by Jack Lancaster and Kayak. It was released on the Janus label. There is much confusion about this particular album. This is because the North American release is very different from the original Dutch/European release with the same title. The North American release is in fact a compilation of songs from two European Kayak LP's: The Last Encore (1976) and Starlight Dancer (1977). To add to the confusion, the American record company Janus Records used the title "Starlight Dancer", but the sleeve design of "The Last Encore".

Royal Bed Bouncer is the third album by Dutch progressive rock band Kayak, released in 1975. Their progressive approach from the first two albums was mixed with a more basic pop/rock sound.[citation needed] Nine of the ten songs were written by Ton Scherpenzeel, with Pim Koopman only contributing the instrumental "Patricia Anglaia". The album was produced by Gerrit-Jan Leenders and Kayak. The original LP was released by EMI in the Netherlands (although copies on the Phonogram/Vertigo label also exist). In the USA, the LP was issued by Janus Records, with different sleeve design. The 1995 CD release was done by independent label Pseudonym. "Chance For A Lifetime" was the only single release from this album, reaching the Dutch top-40. In 1997, the line-up of this album reunited for a Dutch TV-special called "Classic Albums". This — along with a few live appearances — eventually lead to Kayak reforming in 1999.

The first half of this album is conceptual and revolves around the King Arthur legend. This is, as we know, hardly original because several Prog and Prog related bands and artists had already done this by 1981. Rick Wakeman's The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table from 1975 is just one example. But Kayak's version is, of course, quite different compared to Wakeman's. The first five songs here (Merlin, Tintagel, The Sword In The Stone, The King's Enchanter and Niniane (Lady Of The Lake)) form this half concept album. These songs are all very good and have a strong classic feel. Merlin and Niniane (Lady Of The Lake) are particularly beautiful songs that really deserve to be heard. The music is often rather mellow and serene with a strong presence of piano and symphonic keyboards with occasional outburst of harder rocking passages and some good guitar work…