Dutch symphonic pride Kayak has sailed the waves of the progressive rock scene for 50 years. In 1972 they left the shore to finally dock again in 2022 for a well-deserved retirement. It has led them to great successes in the Netherlands and abroad. Many musicians came and left again but the band always stood tall with great albums which were performed very strongly during the many concerts they have done. Now it is over and they have ended up on shore again. To celebrate this, the band recently released a great live double CD and DVD! Properly titled Back To Shore - The 2022 Farewell Tour! The bands captain and keyboard player Ton Scherpenzeel called it a day in 2022 after releasing the final two studio albums, Seventeen (2018, see review) and Out Of This World (2021, see review), with drummer Hans Eijkenaar, guitarist Marcel Singor, bassist Kristoffer Gildenlow, lead singer Bart Schwertmann and of course Scherpenzeel himself. He probably thought enough is enough, I'll have to take care of my health after having a heart attack in 2019. Moreover he also said the following in an interview:" With the songs I have, I could easily record a Kayak record, but for me this chapter is closed. Yes, I also think it's a shame that it's over, but for me personally it's the best decision. I actually couldn't muster the motivation to keep the band going and I wanted to prevent it from becoming a kind of end-of-life and then it would become a bit sad. Stopping at your peak might be forty years too late, but I don't want to become an increasingly sad version of myself and the band". But the way he says goodbye to his loyal fans and lovers of progressive rock with an excellent live release, it is the best way to do it I guess! Fortunately, during the farewell tour held in 2022, audio and video recordings were made for this release. They were done at De Vorstin in Hilversum and Poppodium De Boerderij in Zoetermeer. All in all, this turned into an excellent document and shows a band which is on top of their game. These live recordings capture the essence of their performance at the time. The twenty-two live tracks unfold as a meticulously curated journey through Kayak's rich discography in which each selection is illuminating several different facets of their musical identity. Of course, you can have a discussion about the setlist they played during the final concerts of the band but most of it is focused on the last two aforementioned studio albums. Maybe not so strange because they were recorded with the musicians mentioned earlier. From Out Of This World you can enjoy the Toto-like Traitor's Gate (concert opener), the beautifully carried instrumental Kaja, the more poppy sounding tunes Waiting and Cary (sung by Marcel Singor) and one of the musical highlights, the symphonic title track. This includes a short piece of a classic Kayak tune. From Seventeen you can enjoy good versions of Somebody and La Peregrina. La Peregrina is another musical highlight. This almost 12 minutes long composition is a true epic progressive rock piece. For the rest of songs performed on this live release the band takes the listener through the illustrious history of the band. Several Kayak classics can be enjoyed because they are done in an excellent way! The oldest tune they did is the bands second single Mammoth taken from their debut album See The Sun (1973). Alibi is another rather old piece and comes from their second album, simply titled Kayak (1974). Well, they could have done Wintertime, the bands fourth single but they chose otherwise and is fine by me. From the bands third album Royal Bed Bouncer you can enjoy the Said No Word and the single Chance For A Lifetime in two parts. Included is here the farewell speech of the captain which takes the floor to thank the former members of Kayak, the current band and the fans for the past fifty years. Special thanks go to the late Pim Koopman (co-founder of the band) and his wife, Irene Linders (who used to be one of the two female backing singers from 1978 until 81). He also mentioned that a few hundred metres further on, fifty years ago, the first demos of Kayak were recorded and that the circle is now nicely complete. Furthermore, he leaves the door ajar for the future. Whatever that may mean only time will tell. Maybe the captain wants to set sail again. From the The Last Encore (1976) comes the emotional Still My Heart Cries For You and is dedicated by Scherpenzeel himself to Pim Koopman who wrote the song. Pim was the original drummer and co-founding member who died far too early on November 23, 2009, because of a heart attack. From Starlight Dancer (1977) you can enjoy two tracks. The excellent instrumental Irene (dedicated to his girlfriend at the time and his love of his life) and the title track which was a hit single when it came out. From Phantom Of The Night (1978) Daphne is included. But also, the bands biggest hit Ruthless Queen is taken from this album and played as the final encore. From Periscope Life (1980) unfortunately no songs were played. However, the strong instrumental and thirteenth single Theme From Spetters was played. It is a composition which the band wrote as a part of the soundtrack of Paul Verhoeven's film Spetters. It can be found as Lost Blue Of Chartres on the album. The song filled both the A and B sides. However, its successful successor Merlin (1981) is very well represented with no fewer than 3 songs. Namely the medieval-tinged Niniane (Lady Of The Lake) and Merlin. Plus, Seagull was taken from the final album of the bands first period. From the bands comeback album Close To The Fire (2000) unfortunately also no songs were performed. Although there is an alternated version of Ruthless Queen on it. However, the follow up to this album, titled Night Vision (2001), is represented by a good live version of A Million Years. Unfortunately, no songs were taken from the two excellent rock operas which the band made. Merlin in 2003 and Nostradamus- The Fate Of Man in 2005. Although the two medieval-tinged songs mentioned earlier also appear on the remake/ extended version of Merlin (the rock opera). Also, from the albums that followed Coming Up for Air (2008), Letters From Utopia (2009), Anywhere But Here(2011) and Cleopatra- The Crown Of Isis (2014) no songs can be founded on this live document. These are all albums that were dominated by vocal duo Cindy Oudshoorn and Edwar Reekers. Not so strange I guess, because during the farewell tour no female singer was in the bands line up. After the rock opera of the life of Cleopatra the band had a little break of 4 years before they got together in an almost complete new line up to record the final two studio albums mentioned earlier. Going through the track list is also going through the history of the band in a way. Which had several different musical periods due to the fact the band went through several different line ups. Everybody has of course its own favourites and therefore it is difficult to please everybody when you hear this collection of songs. As for myself I would have loved to hear even more songs taken from the first three albums. Because I consider them as the bands best work together with the aforementioned rock operas. But its fine for me how it came out this way. Because I enjoyed the live performance of the band all the way, done by a band who played as a well-oiled musical machine. Playing the old and new material in an excellent way! As for the audio and video quality I can only put my two thumbs up. The audio sound is mixed by guitarist Marcel Singor perfectly and gives you a live feeling and with the way team John Vis filmed everything makes you feel you are present at the concert yourself. First row seats and sometimes you get a free tour around the stage to see the musicians play on their instruments at close range. You can almost touch them! Unfortunately, no bonus material on the DVD, such as a Behind The Scenes or interview with band members. I guess they just forgot to do this. However, on the second disc of the live album there is a bonus. The two studio tracks which are included (Looking Down From My Window and Regardless) are recorded with the latest line up and fit in perfectly with the band's recent material. With this album, Kayak has created a great piece of history that is not only a must for their fans. This is also an album that every music lover should listen to at least once. Kayak's farewell document manifests not as an epitaph but as a celebration of 50-years of Kayak! What emerges most of all from this collection is not a sense of ending but of completion. It's done with a big smile on the captain's face. He can look back on a satisfied musical journey. A journey which put the band not only on the progressive rock map of his own country but also on the map of the world! Thanks for all the wonderful musical years. You say goodbye with a BANG!!! **** Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
