22-08-2018, 09:32
KAYAK – Royal Bed Bouncer
![[Image: 220px-Kayak_RoyalBed.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/Kayak_RoyalBed.jpg/220px-Kayak_RoyalBed.jpg)
Personnel:
Max Werner leadvocal – mellotron
Ton Scherpenzeel keyboards – vocals
Pim Koopman drums – vocals
Bert Veldkamp bass – vocals
Johan Slager gitars – vocals
(^as per liner notes)
Just acquired the record – Dutch pressing – from a fellow vinyl dabbler who happens to be from Holland and had a spare copy. Whoop! I like it very much – bit confused by the cover artwork but it’s striking, if not easily interpretable - perhaps it's not meant to be - an antelope in full flight - hmmm. A gatefold with lyrics written in the style of a paragraph under various seemingly random black and white photographs which somehow represent the song below. The title refers to someone who would (back in the days of yore) test the wine for royalty in order to pre-empt any possible poisoning, and also ‘jump’ on the beds to make sure there were no sharp objects or other deadly implements hidden beneath the sheets – unusual subject matter! Homage to those myriad unknown and unheralded who held/hold jobs that might lead to ‘occupational mortality’. Made in 1975, it's not heavily progressive - no epics, although there are some lovely proggy moments reminiscent of Genesis and the like - vocals coloured by a Dutch accent which is rather appealing, IMHO. Great songs, instruments and production – generally regarded as one of their better offerings. Love Ton Scherpenzeel’s keys – he wrote nine of the ten tracks. Some snippets …
“Bury the World” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMMgh7BdRU0
“If This Is Your Welcome” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW9mpZ8wgD4
“Chance for a Lifetime” – released as a single … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81YEb54WeE
“Life of Gold” ….
Personnel:
Max Werner leadvocal – mellotron
Ton Scherpenzeel keyboards – vocals
Pim Koopman drums – vocals
Bert Veldkamp bass – vocals
Johan Slager gitars – vocals
(^as per liner notes)
Just acquired the record – Dutch pressing – from a fellow vinyl dabbler who happens to be from Holland and had a spare copy. Whoop! I like it very much – bit confused by the cover artwork but it’s striking, if not easily interpretable - perhaps it's not meant to be - an antelope in full flight - hmmm. A gatefold with lyrics written in the style of a paragraph under various seemingly random black and white photographs which somehow represent the song below. The title refers to someone who would (back in the days of yore) test the wine for royalty in order to pre-empt any possible poisoning, and also ‘jump’ on the beds to make sure there were no sharp objects or other deadly implements hidden beneath the sheets – unusual subject matter! Homage to those myriad unknown and unheralded who held/hold jobs that might lead to ‘occupational mortality’. Made in 1975, it's not heavily progressive - no epics, although there are some lovely proggy moments reminiscent of Genesis and the like - vocals coloured by a Dutch accent which is rather appealing, IMHO. Great songs, instruments and production – generally regarded as one of their better offerings. Love Ton Scherpenzeel’s keys – he wrote nine of the ten tracks. Some snippets …
“Bury the World” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMMgh7BdRU0
“If This Is Your Welcome” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW9mpZ8wgD4
“Chance for a Lifetime” – released as a single … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T81YEb54WeE
“Life of Gold” ….
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson