AmeriKayak (Part 3: Sad to say farewell)

In Holland, “Phantom Of The Night” was very successful. As a result, Kayak are allowed to record the next LP in Los Angeles, using more or less famous American studio musicians. Amateur footage of their USA adventure can be seen on YouTube. In the USA, there are talks about Arista being the new record label, taking over from the collapsed Janus.

Move to Arista... (not!)

But “Periscope Life” is released by Mercury Records in the USA. A promo 12”-single is sent to radio stations, but doesn’t make a lasting impression. The album does not reach the charts either. 

The label

The 12"-promo

From then on, things get worse. In spite of some announcements, no further Kayak LP’s are released in America, and a tour never happens. Kayak remains a cult band, but I don’t think they are too worried about that. For a Dutch band, trying to make it big in America is a risky thing, with very little chance of success. Kayak were working hard enough to remain wellknown in Holland and Europe, and I don’t think they wanted to go through the necessary sacrifices to conquer America. 

In july 1981, Billboard reports yet another new record company for Kayak. This time it is WEA/Atlantic. I don't know of any Kayak releases on the Atlantic label. Anybody who has Merlin on Atlantic? Please send me a message!

To end the story on a happier note: the invention of the Compact Disc and of course the Internet helped to prevent Kayak from vanishing into complete obscurity. The Renaissance Record Company released a couple of Kayak CD-compilations in America, and through the Internet all Kayak albums are available to American fans. Kayak’s music still appeals to many Americans, as you can read from guestbook entries, blogs, customer reviews etc. I think it’s fair to say that nowadays Kayak’s music reaches a larger audience than it did in the 1970’s. Maybe there will be another “100% confirmed” American tour in 2013???

TO BE CONTINUED?????