Kayak - See See the Sun. 1973 Netherlands

Kayak were about 3 years ahead of their time, whereby mixing pop music and progressive rock seamlessly. Their sound – as brought forth by others of course - would ultimately dominate American FM radio throughout the late 1970s, yet Kayak were nothing more than an aficionados pick for best band you’d never heard of. What’s most interesting, to me anyway, is that Kayak were the blueprint for the Midwest Progressive Rock sound that I frequently speak about here on UMR, and yet Kayak were not a band from St. Louis or Chicago – but rather from the distant Netherlands, a country more known for the quirky sounds of Focus or Golden Earring. While there is no doubting Kayak’s fondness for current era Yes, Kayak also pay homage to a number of popular bands including no less luminaries such as The Beatles. Alan Parsons’ contribution to this album can only be seen as an influence on the young engineer’s future career. Organ, mellotron, shifting signatures, and long tracks assure its progressive credibility, but in the end Kayak were pioneers of a later sound – one that wasn’t necessarily embraced by all, but for certain was popular in the arenas of the day. One track worth calling out is the stunning beauty of ‘Lovely Luna’.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Harvest (UK). Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2014)

CD: 2012 Esoteric. Jewel case release with full liner notes and one bonus track.

2009; 9/28/12 (new entry); 4/18/18