SEE SEE THE SUN / KAYAK

This classic album, released in 1973, (now remastered) was a debut for the band. It's one of my favorite bands because most of their music were composed wonderfully. With the waves of psychedelic and symphonic / art rock during that time, the band was successful enough to create a music of their own identity: combining pop, classical and progressive rock with beautiful melody and vocal harmony.

"Reason for It All" is good enough to represent the kind of how unique Kayak music is. Opened with a classical piano solo in moderate tempo the music flows continuously with nice melody and excellent music harmony. Some stunning solo guitars are added to accentuate the music flow. It's an excellent song. The second track "Lyrics" is performed in slower tempo, opened nicely with tympani and melodic piano touch. The vocal quality and harmony are really top notch! Piano and keyboard dominate the music. It's a wonderful track! The melody is really memorable and it stimulates me to repeat the track.

"Mouldy Wood" melody seems like a continuation of the first track "Reasons for It All" but performed in faster tempo. This one is relatively more complex in composition compared to the first two even though the flow sound monotonous. It has great transition / interlude piece when the church organ solo is played, augmented with nice guitar fills. Oh man . what a great composition this track is!

"Lovely Luna" starts off quiet with a spacey and melodic keyboard performed softly. It is followed by acoustic guitar rhythm and soft voice line. The music turns up a little bit with soft electric guitar accompanied by piano as rhythm. The nuance of this track is dark. There are passages with classical music influence as well as symphonic with the use of mellotron in the middle of the track.

"Hope for a Life" does not suit my personal taste; the composition seems too loose. It's rocking but not melodic. "Ballet of the Cripple" is an excellent track with nice melody and symphonic nuance through the use of mellotron. Vocal harmony is excellent; augmented with electric guitar and keyboard / mellotron. Great composition and is accessible to most listeners, I believe.

"Forever Is a Lonely Thought" is another mellow track with nice melody. The composition is simple; poppy with a bit of classical music influence. "Mammoth" is a short track with different singing style but maintaining the harmony with mellotron sound. "See See the Sun" concludes the album with symphonic and classical nuances. The vocal melody and harmony are top notch! The piano works accentuates the voice line nicely. Oh man . I like the melody; it's so catchy and memorable.

Overall, this album is excellent. It's not a kind of prog like Genesis or Yes or King Crimson. Kayak has its own sound. Most of Kayak music are accessible to a vast majority of listeners, including this album. The CD that I have contains two bonus tracks: "Still try to write a book" and "Give it a name". Recommended! GW, Indonesia.