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ROYAL BED BOUNCER

Kayak

Crossover Prog


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Kayak Royal Bed Bouncer album cover
3.67 | 137 ratings | 10 reviews | 20% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 1975

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Royal Bed Bouncer (3:55)
2. Life of Gold (3:24)
3. (You're So) Bizarre (3:29)
4. Bury the World (4:23)
5. Chance for a Lifetime (4:12)
6. If This Is Your Welcome (4:54)
7. Moments of Joy (4:00)
8. Patricia Anglaia (2:12)
9. Said No Word (5:16)
10. My Heart Has Changed (2:31)

Total Time 38:16

Bonus tracks on 1994 remaster:
11. Alibi (from Kayak's 2nd album) (3:40)
12. Mountain Too Rough (from Kayak's 2nd album) (3:57)
13. Woe and Alas (from Kayak's 2nd album) (3:00)
14. Mouldy Wood (from Kayak's 1st album) (5:15)
15. Lovely Luna (from Kayak's 1st album) (8:19)
16. Forever Is a Lonely Thought (from Kayak's 1st album) (5:26)
17. Still Try to Write a Book (single B-side from 1973) (2:01)
18. Give It a Name (single B-side from 1973) (2:43)
19. Bulldozer (demo, edited version) (2:21)

Line-up / Musicians

- Max Werner / lead & backing vocals, Mellotron, percussion
- Johan Slager / acoustic & electric guitars, backing vocals
- Ton Scherpenzeel / keyboards, double bass, horns & violins arrangements, backing vocals
- Bert Veldkamp / bass, backing vocals
- Pim Koopman / drums, lead (4,15,16,18) & backing vocals

With:
- Patricia Paay / vocals (8)
- Cees Van Leeuwen / bass (11-18)
- Gerrit-Jan Leenders / co-arranger & co-producer
- Willem Jongbloed / horns & violins arrangements & direction

Releases information

Artwork: Cream with G.D. Plage (photo)

LP EMI-Bovema Holland ‎- 5C 064-25271 (1975, Netherlands)

CD Pseudonym ‎- CDP 1012 DD (1994, Netherlands) Remastered with 9 bonus tracks
CD Esoteric Recordings ‎- ECLEC 2356 (2012, UK) 24-bit remaster by Ben Wiseman

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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KAYAK Royal Bed Bouncer ratings distribution


3.67
(137 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(20%)
20%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(41%)
41%
Good, but non-essential (28%)
28%
Collectors/fans only (8%)
8%
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
2%

KAYAK Royal Bed Bouncer reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by richardh
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars This album has sort of crept up on me over the years.At first I only listened to the title track, a classic, which I first heard on Radio Caroline.However the rest of the album has it's charms for certain.This is restrained almost mellow prog rock but played with plenty of conviction.I don't think there is a better song based prog album in existence.
Review by greenback
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Kayak is a progressive rock band which sounds a bit like The Beatles in a much more complex way. The songs here are surprisingly progressive, varied, rhythmic, rather joyful, addictive and catchy. There is always this very good structured piano. The songs are rather rock, with many electric guitar solos. The guitar sound is not extremely well crafted, but it absolutely fits perfectly with the Beatle-esque style of the ensemble. The floating mellotron and sustained organ give the ensemble a typical progressive touch of the 70's. The bass is melodic and not timid. "Patricia Anglaia" is a wonderful song: you can hear a mellow female voice to chant, floating mellotron and sentimental accordion: you must listen to that jewel! The songs are varied. It is one of the best Kayak's albums.
Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars Another excellent album from the Dutch band. This album indicated their consistency in the direction of Kayak's music. Composition wise, this album has demonstrated improvement from their previous 2 albums "See See The Sun" and "2nd". This is an example of melodic prog band with its own identity that has rarely been emulated by others in the later days. However, I have seen their significant influence in the writing of neo-progressive music in 80s, 90s and 2000. The influence was not that obvious in the songs presented by neo prog bands but it's more on the piece of melodic nuances of the bands. Even lately I found that a recently made album of neo prog band has similar piano intro with one track of this album. This might happen accidentally or the influence of this Dutch band has unconsciously been around us or even become part of our daily life melodies. Probably .

The album kicks off with a title track "Royal bed bouncer" that indicates an upbeat tempo tune with classical music influence, great piano track. Some bits of melody are really memorable. "Life of gold" starts off with an ambient and beautiful piano work and it flows nicely with wonderful melody in moderate / mellow tempo. Throughout this tune, piano dominate the sound that accompanies excellent vocal harmony. I can still sense a classical music influence in this track. The tagline melody of this track is the kind that most people would like to emulate. Very nice track. "(You're so) bizarre" combines nicely the influences of jazz and classical music with electric piano / keyboard serves as main rhythm. It sounds like a pop song but the marriage of nice melody and jazz/classic influences has made this track enjoyable and not boring at all. "Bury the world" is another strong track with a beautifully crafted composition. This time electric guitar opens the track followed by a melodic voice line that brings the music in ambient style. "I am a simple man. Dreaming is all I can .." is a piece of lyric which has catchy melody. I notice how simple this tune is. But it's so successful in creating great nuance of Kayak music. The keyboard and clarinet interlude in spacey mood has enriched the music really well.

"Chance for a lifetime" is an upbeat and energetic song performed in poppy style but with a touch of classical music. It's a happy mood track. The interlude that features acoustic guitar is stunning. This track would later become the band's live album title "Chance of a Livetime" that was made after the "Close To The Fire" album. See my future review on this album sometime next year.

"If this is your welcome" is another happy mood track with an upbeat tempo, opened with simple electric guitar. When vocals enter the track it commemorate the typical Kayak's melodic music with great vocals. The simple guitar solo at the ending part of this track is memorable. "Moments of joy" is heavily influenced by classical music with some mixtures of jazz elements. The vocal harmony (again!) and piano work are both top notch! Another memorable catchy melody!

"Patricia Anglaia" is a lyric-less tune with a female vocal and male backing vocals. It's a short but beautiful track. "Said no word" starts rocking followed by punchy piano line and energetic voice. It's the most rocking track compared to others. The interlude part with keyboard and piano solo accompanied by dynamic bass line is excellent. "My heart has changed" concludes the album with an excellent piano intro in classical vein. It's a mellow track with a wonderful melody.

My CD has 9 bonus tracks of which most of them are beautiful ones. It includes my all- time favorite Woe and alas. All tracks in this album are accessible to most people. I don't see any complexity in its music. However, it's definitely a prog album and it's highly recommended! Rating: 4.5/5. GW, Indonesia.

Review by slipperman
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars I guess this is when Kayak started to be referred to as an "art rock" band instead of "prog", as they streamlined their sound and went for less involved tunes that retained elements of the sublime. But 10cc it ain't. This is basically a band that never followed up on the promise of their first two albums (but I've not yet heard 2003's 'Merlin - Bard Of The Unseen', which a few people have told me is the ultimate Kayak). A low 3.

Nothing could signal the band's intentions more clearly than the title track, which opens the album with high-energy pop, still retaining an earthy edge thanks to Johan Slager's driving guitar. And geez, after that, I almost wish they would tempt the Yes comparisons as their first album did, because it remains a conventional, unchallenging album throughout. Short, uncomplicated songs blow by nicely enough without leaving much of an impression: "Life Of Gold", "Patricia Anglaia", "If This Is Your Welcome", "Moments Of Joy". Though it tries for something different, "(You're So) Bizarre" is just too cute for my tastes, a light little bounce that draws a Beatles comparison. But there are certainly some fine moments that help save the day. "Chance For A Lifetime" tells a great tale to the tune of an urgent pop/prog backdrop. "Said No Word" checks in as the longest track, which does not necessarily a good song make, but sure enough, it is a highlight, offering some ear candy on an album the desperately needs it. And though it's not a great song overall, the keyboard layers from leader Ton Scherpenzeel on "Bury The World" are something to behold.

Third album and I already miss the more progressive (ie. interesting) Kayak from the first two, but there are still enough good moments to justify a purchase if you can get it cheap. And all was not lost, as their next two albums, despite continuing the less-is-more ethic, weren't total disasters. That would come later.

Review by friso
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Kayak was a major progressive rock group in the Netherlands. By combining the symphonic sound of the early seventies with some strong song-writing or even pop sensibilties the band also managed to reach some major charts successes, among whose is the title song of this album 'Royal Bed Bouncer'. With a renewed, and slightly over-compressed sound the band sounds more intense than before, especially on songs 'Chance for a Lifetime' and 'If this is Your Welcome'. The band excels in creating songs that switch between optimistic and melancholic, a trait which reminds some people of the Beatles. Moreoever, the comedic song 'You're so Bizarre' also sounds like a back-catalogue song by the Beatles. On piano-based songs like 'Life of Gold', 'Moments of Joy' and (my favorite) 'My Heart Never Changed' the band shows its rare talend of creating those warmest of harmonic/melodic songs. The high-pitched vocals of Max Werner have always sounded a bit strange, but at least Kayak is a band with an original sound and feel. On this album I actually prefer the ballads over the pumped-up heavier songs ? but that's mainly because of the production. Some of these tracks are live favorites. When comparing this album to my favorites ? Kayak's 'II' and 'The Last Encore' ? this album falls short on delivering that magical progressive vibe Kayak's music can have. The short ending song 'My Heart Never Changed' is however one of the most magical songs the band ever recorded. Three and halve stars for this one.
Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars This third ''Kayak'' effort sounds at times more achieved than the pretty pop-oriented ''Kayak II'' (with the noticeable exceptions of ''They Get To Know Me'' and ''Trust In The Machine'').

The title track and opener is some sort of a combination of ''Gentle Giant'' meeting ELO. High pitched vocals and a superb rock'n'roll beat are such a fine mix. Truly dynamic and full of enthusiasm.

Vocal harmonies are very good throughout the album and catchy melodies are plenty (''Life Of Gold'', ''Bury The World'') which even reinforce the ELO feeling. But there is nothing wrong with that I believe.

There are still pop-oriented songs though, but none of them are mellowish nor embarrassing. The gently ? bouncy ''Chance for a Lifetime'' is another pleasant yet simple song which, again, is highlighted by very good vocals and fine piano. Vaguely (or more) Supertrampish perhaps.

You shouldn't look for too complex stuff while listening to this album, but to be honest, it is a pleasant exercise to hear fine music like ''Moments Of Joy'' (the well named).

''Supertramp'' is definitely around the corner while ''Said No Words'' starts. These piano notes do share a lot, really. This one has probably a harder sound to differentiate both bands, but when it gets quieter, the similarities are obvious. A good song though.

The CD release almost double the original length of the album and allows to discover several tracks from their first two albums. A good idea.

Review by kenethlevine
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Team
2 stars Kayaks tend to skim the surface of the water, allowing them to eclipse the speed of other human powered watercraft. The downside is that they can be less stable and more prone to flipping out. Such qualities, though admirable or acceptable in a river or sea kayak, result in music as limp as any remotely linked to the progressive movement on "Royal Bed Bouncer".

Indeed this is all surface except when it plunges, and so fast on the abysmal title cut that I kept thinking my iTunes had naughtily downloaded Alvin and the chipmunks and that I should start shutting it down at night for punishment. But there are no less than 3 other nadirs here, tunes like "Chance of a Lifetime", "If This is Your Welcome" and "Said No Word" with all the warmth and phonetic charm of the most soulless combination of 10CC, DAN FOGELBERG, and GENTLE GIANT imaginable. Some 20 second passages make me feel I have unfairly judged these guys, but then the lyrical and production cliches, slap me around and I huddle in a corner waiting for a reprieve.

"Bury the World" and "Moments of Joy" are among the only tracks that actually sound like a semi-serious professional band pretty much all the way through, even if the latter's piano is overwhelming in typical Kayak fashion. "Patricia Anglaia" is a tasteful instrumental which shows that all you need to do is distract the boys for 2 minutes with some downers and you can actually get results.

It's hard to find people to speak badly of KAYAK these days, presumably because those who heard them in their early days are still dumbstruck. Luckily I came to them late in the game and am careful never to look directly at them and, like the title track's protagonist, face "occupational mortality".

Latest members reviews

5 stars It's been a while since I have given an album this kind of a review. I've had this album for several years and listened to it a few times and shelved it. You know how that goes when you have a bunch of prog and are in a bunch of different moods. This past 2-3 weeks though, I've returned ba ... (read more)

Report this review (#1046883) | Posted by progbaby | Saturday, September 28, 2013 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Kayak started in 1973 with a Genesis and Yes inspired "See See the Sun". Their second record (often called "the second") shows more Pink Floyd influences and a more distinctive "Kayak" sound. This "Royal bed Bouncer" may be Kayak's first effort which is only typical Kayak with no obvious links any ... (read more)

Report this review (#915877) | Posted by the philosopher | Tuesday, February 19, 2013 | Review Permanlink

3 stars I had just got into the Dutch band "Alquin" who had to date released "The Mountain Queen" and "Marks", both great progressive albums (don't bother with their later releases though! ) when a friend from Holland suggested Kayak. I gave "Royal Bed Bouncer" a try and had ( still do) very mixed feelings ... (read more)

Report this review (#4136) | Posted by | Saturday, January 10, 2004 | Review Permanlink

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